Concerns over impact of changes to bus routes
RESIDENT FEARS FOR SAFETY OF COMMUTERS
COMMUTERS, including the elderly and schoolchildren, will be forced to walk further to catch a bus when changes to routes around the region come into effect next week.
Pauline Garmonsway is worried about the impact the new bus timetable will have on elderly residents in Ropes Crossing and Willmot.
Customers traveling through Willmot and Ropes Crossing will mostly be affected, with changes to Route 759, which travels from Mt Druitt to St Marys via Emerton.The bus will no longer travel along part of Palmyra Ave, forcing commuters to walk further to bus stops.
The route will now instead run directly from Willmot to Ropes Crossing via Australis Drive.
Pauline Garmonsway has lived in Willmot for more than 40 years, and said the area had been overlooked by the changes and she was concerned about the safety of schoolchildren.
“These changes are not good enough. A lot of people catch the bus along Palmyra Ave,” Ms Garmonsway said.
“A lot of Captain Cook Drive is horrendous. It is a busy road, which a lot of schoolchildren use.”
A Transport NSW spokesman said the changes would provide a quicker journey.
“Route 759 will no longer operate along part of Palmyra Ave, at Willmot, and will no longer operate along Ropes Crossing Blvd, between Susannah Drive and Hollows Pde, at Ropes Crossing,” he said.
“Residents in the vicinity will need to walk to alternative bus stops nearby.
“Route 759 services will run in both directions on Captain Cook Drive, so some customers might need to catch the bus from the opposite side of the road.”
Commuters catching the bus between Hollows Pde and Pulley Drive may also have to catch the bus on the opposite side of the road.
Busways Group service development manager Andrew Glass said: “The route amendment is being made to improve accessibility for residents in the new portion of Ropes Crossing.”
The Transport NSW spokesman said a new bus network between Blacktown and Mt Druitt had also been implemented.“These new routes will give customers more direct links to employment, shopping and services at Blacktown and Mt Druitt,” he said.
Editors Notes: I know Pauline personally and she has been a strong advocate for the Willmot area not just in public transport but for community improvements within the area, especially when there is new housing hub developments around Willmot area. She has been doing this for 40 years and myself 6 years - I have a long way to catch up with her!
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