BUS ROUTE REVIEW PUSH

GEELONG and Bellarine Peninsula bus passengers want another chance to review proposed new routes.

Revamped routes and timetables were outlined late last year by Public Transport Victoria and the public invited to make submissions over a fortnight in December.

The City of Greater Geelong ran an additional public submission process last month, and has already passed feedback to PTV.

But State Government MPs Christine Couzens and Lisa Neville believe hundreds of their constituents were unaware of the plan and missed a chance to have a say.

They met the transport authority and Minister Jacinta Allan last week, passing on concerns about the changes to routes in Geelong West, New- town, Newcomb and Breakwater, and on the Bellarine Peninsula.

PTV’s draft plan would simplify the city’s bus network simplified, chopping up to seven existing routes and redesigning others.

Loops and one-way services would be removed to provide more direct, fast and frequent services, with links improved to train stations, growth areas, Deakin University campuses and Torquay.

It was planned to have new timetables take affect once the V/Line train service starts using the Regional Rail Link this year.

Ms Couzens, the Member for Geelong, said she would “fight tooth and nail” to ensure bus users were not disadvantaged.

“I don’t mind providing a better service to commuters; we need to do that. But this is public transport — for the public — so every person should have access,” she said.

“So we’ve sent them back and asked them to re-look at what they’re doing.”

Ms Neville said she wanted Bellarine residents to get a better chance to have their say.

PTV spokeswoman Helen Witton said all the feedback received so far was being considered. “PTV has received a large amount of valuable feedback from the Geelong community,” she said.

But she did not commit to a new phase of consultation.

CoGG’s transport portfolioholder Andy Richards said council had received an additional 30 written submissions by extending the submission process last month, and had already passed the feedback on to PTV.