Article: Traffic causes metropolitan bus plan to stall

[ozbob]

From the Herald Sun click here!

Traffic causes metropolitan bus plan to stall

Traffic causes metropolitan bus plan to stall

   by: Hamish Heard
   From: Sunday Herald Sun
   February 12, 2012 12:00AM

CONGESTION has been blamed for service cuts across Melbourne's bus network two years after buses were trumpeted as the solution to the city's gridlock.

Passengers on some northern suburbs routes have complained of reduced bus frequency after operators slashed timetables, citing heavy traffic.

The State Government last week attempted to put a positive spin on the removal of 66 daily bus services, with a spokeswoman for Transport Minister Terry Mulder saying it meant remaining services would run on time.

The service cuts come after the 2009 Metropolitan Bus Service Review produced recommendations for a major network expansion to get people out of cars and ease congestion.

Public Transport Users Association president Daniel Bowen said it was "ironic" that road congestion was now being used as an excuse for fewer buses.

"In many suburbs the buses are virtually unusable so it's understandable people are sticking to their cars," Mr Bowen said.

He said an expansion of the Government's Smart Bus program - providing dedicated bus lanes and traffic light priority for buses - was needed.

The 562 bus from Greensborough to Whittlesea has been hardest hit, with 53 services a week cut from the timetable, followed by the 513 from Eltham to Preston, which has lost 10.

Mr Mulder's spokeswoman, Larissa Garvin, said the timetable cuts were implemented in December "to reflect actual travel times".

"We recognise that, like all other vehicles on the road, buses can be impacted by traffic delays," she said.

She said the Baillieu Government had added an extra 2000 trips to other timetables in the past year.

Opposition transport spokeswoman Fiona Richardson said the Government was treating buses as the "poor third cousin" of the state's transport network.

[somebody]

As Daniel Bowen said, it's bizarre.