The Weston Creek Community Council has made a submission on Proposed Action Bus Network 2014 with a focus on the local off peak services, park and ride and express services. You can also comment through ACTION’s on-line survey. Click to read the Council’s submission.
Submission on The Action Bus Network 2014
Thank you for the opportunity for the Weston Creek Community Council to comment on the proposed changes to the Action Bus work for Canberra and the Weston Creek Services in particular.
Weston Creek continues to feel that it is simply a “feeder” service to Woden and has few direct services out of peak hour. This is an ongoing complaint of residents here. I understand too that a number of residents have written in relation to the proposal and these views are varied so council will try to keep its comments to what we see as the essential ones.
- Local off peak Services
It seems to council that 2 off peak services have been dropped to and from Cooleman Court – Routes 28 and 75 while there has been a partial increase with the inclusion of part of route 28 in the new Route 83 which is also to service the new Molonglo Suburbs of Wright and Coombs. Council is disappointed with the loss of the two services in a time when less services is likely to have less patronage when the opposite outcome is the desire.
Council is also concerned that the routing of Route 27 is trying to cover both Route 27 and 75 and so leaves parts of Waramanga and the Fisher shops without a service close by. To not service local shops to council is a serious flaw in the routing. It also fails now to service an Over 55 Retirement Complex on Badimara Street and also is proposed not to run past the recently completed Over 65’s Public Housing of 78 Units in Rivett on Bangalay Crescent. Council also considers that Route 28 and 25 could be adjusted to service more of Rivett and Duffy respectively.
Council believes that by setting the right bus routes for the longer term in Molonglo you can encourage residents to set patterns of usage. We would suggest that route 83 be used solely for residents of Molonglo to try to establish these patterns rather than be two things to two groups of residents with a long meandering route that is likely to mean many residents of Holder and Duffy will decide not to travel this route.
While it is good to extend Route 81 to the Arboretum and the National Aquarium and Zoo, this is not serviced from Weston Creek and Woden but the City so that people from Weston Creek need to catch 3 buses to get to the Arboretum. It might make more sense for the bus to continue on to Cooleman Court via the Cotter Road and Streeton Drive and onto Woden and then return. This would provide a service to the residents of Woden and Weston Creek and also provide an off-peak service to the Park and Ride at the Defence Services College.
- Park and Ride
There is a proposed Park and Ride site adjacent to the Defence Services College at Weston. Council’s only concern with this site is that only Peak Hour Services past this site. The nearest off peak Bus Service is at least 600 metres away [Route 83] at the junction of Streeton Drive and the Cotter Road. This makes the site challenging for users, particularly at night if delays occur for them in catching the two or three services at the evening Peak that will deliver them to their car or bicycle.
- The Express Services
The inclusion of Route 705 from Tuggeranong to Belconnen is a good start to moving bus routes off the trunks to make better use of major roads and direct routes. Council would still like to see a route from Tuggeranong to the City and in reverse route through Weston Creek on an hourly interval during off-peak times to try and encourage more people to travel this way.
The other Peak services of 726 and 725 start at Cooleman Court. The two issues here are only two trips and all day parking. Council would prefer additional trips during peak to try to attract people to use the service.
Council also notes the increase in frequency of Peak services 25/26 and 27 [225/226 and 227] to 15 to 20 minutes. This is a very good proposal.
However, all day parking at Cooleman Court is a very real issue. Parking at the Centre is already limited and has been the subject of many discussions since 2008/09 between Council, RoadsACT and Ministers and Members of the ACT Legislative Assembly. The last thing Council would want is to encourage Park and Ride from Cooleman Court. Council would suggest at least three areas to consider for a Park and Ride near Cooleman Court. Adjacent to the Tennis Courts below Namitjira Drive, adjacent to Streeton Drive on the western side and south of Dixon Drive and the unused parking area adjacent to Weston Oval and Streeton Drive.
We would be happy to discuss or elaborate on any of the comments in this submission.