Presented by Robert Clark MP		www.robertclark.net

Bus route restored for frail and elderly

News Release - Friday, 17 February 2006

A two year campaign to get bus route 285 restored to Rochester Road, Canterbury has at last been successful, with south-bound buses set to return from Monday, 27 February.

In early 2004, National Bus Company moved the south-bound 285 bus route from Rochester Road to Balwyn Road, because of safety concerns for buses making right hand turns from the southern end of Rochester Road westwards into Canterbury Road during times of heavy traffic.

This left clients of the BASS Care welfare centre in Rochester Road, and residents and visitors of the Airdrie House retired nurses' home next door, without the bus stop which had been located nearby for many years and on which they relied to get to and from the centres.

Many frail and elderly people have been forced to walk several hundred metres along an uneven laneway to Balwyn Road in order to catch the bus, or have been left unable to use the bus at all.

I took up their case with Transport Minister Peter Batchelor in April 2004, after talks between Boroondara Council and VicRoads failed to find a solution.

I proposed that when a bus in Rochester Road triggers the existing pedestrian lights in Canterbury Road to stop east-bound traffic, this should also trigger new lights to be installed east of Rochester Road to halt west-bound traffic.

This would allow buses to turn safely, while minimising disruption to Canterbury Road traffic flow and avoiding an increase in Rochester Road car traffic.

After the Minister referred the issue to VicRoads, I followed up the case with them. VicRoads supported the solution I had proposed, and put in an application for government funding. After some delay, the funding was granted, and after further delay the new lights have been installed over recent months.

As soon as I informed Ventura Buses, who have taken over the route from National Bus Company, that the new lights had been installed, they confirmed the arrangements met their safety concerns and issued a customer bulletin announcing the bus will return to the Rochester Road route from Monday, 27 February.

This is a marvellous and long-awaited awaited outcome, particularly for the frail and elderly residents and visitors of Airdrie House and the Bass Centre.

On behalf of all those who can now use bus 285 again, I thank VicRoads for taking up and implementing this solution, and thank Ventura Buses for moving speedily to reinstate the service once the new lights were installed.