A LANDSDALE parent is concerned children are continuing to walk long distances to bus stops despite the State Government promising an extension of a local bus route.
Corimbia Estate resident Anna Muccilli said people in eastern Landsdale had been pushing for the extension of services for several years, with a petition submitted to Parliament in 2014.
“In the eastern corridor of Landsdale there’s no bus; the closest near our end is a 25 minute walk,” she said.
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READ NOW“That’s just too far for kids who are 11 and 12 to walk by themselves.”
She said it had become more urgent as Ashdale Secondary College now catered for Year 7 students, with about 90 from Landsdale Primary School starting at the college this year.
“There’s a large number who potentially don’t have access to a bus,” she said.
Mrs Muccilli said the next closest bus route was the 352 but it was still a similar distance and though there were many other children and parents who lived nearby, she did not know any who used public transport.
“There are so many kids just in our little pocket (who) don’t have close access to a bus,” she said.
“The need is actually there.”
The Government confirmed in August last year that route 450 would be extended about 1.2km along Kingsway from Rangeview Road to Pomodora Avenue as part of a commitment to increase the bus service network by 850,000km in 2015-16.
In response to a grievance from Girrawheen MLA Margaret Quirk in Parliament this month, Transport Minister Dean Nalder said though it remained a priority, a start date had not been set.
“The Government is making sure that it is balancing the demands within public transport,” he said.
“We are doing this within the constraints of a constrained budget at a time when demand for services is plateauing.”
Mr Nalder said public transport patronage had remained stable in the past few years.
“Although this is forecast to recover in the longer term, it represents a significant departure from the long-term trend of sustained patronage growth that initially justified the additional bus service kilometres investment,” he said.
“In light of this, the Government is obliged to review planned bus service enhancements for the remainder of the 2015-16 financial year and beyond.”
Ms Quirk said it showed a lack of understanding about how areas such as Landsdale were poorly serviced by public transport.