By Jaidyn Kennedy
Wyndham Vale and Manor Lakes residents have started a petition calling on council and the state government to introduce a free shuttle bus between Wyndham Vale Station and Hobbs Road car park.
Lead petitioner Greg Byrne said a shuttle bus is needed to reduce the amount of people parking in nearby residential streets that are closer to the station, such as Cumbrian Road and Mayesbrook Road.
“The current situation stresses the narrow streets where these parked cars create hazardous conditions for pedestrians, cyclists, and other vehicular traffic,” he said.
“Congestion can lead to delays for emergency service vehicles, and the risk of accidents increases with each car that clogs the residential roads.”
While council has already banned parking on one side of a small section of Cumbrian Road to allow for traffic flow, Mr Byrne said it is still too congested.
“A fire engine would not be able to pass through this section due to the road’s narrowness,“ he said.
According to Mr Byrne, a shuttle bus service would mean commuters won’t have to walk 850 metres from the car park to the station– one of the factors he said discouraged residents from parking there.
“It provides a convenient alternative for commuters and would improves safety in residential areas,” he said.
“This proposal is not just a convenience, however, it’s a necessary action for the safety and functionality of our neighbourhood’s transit infrastructure.”
He also said eliminating the need to walk between the two points would be another safety benefit.
“There’s no houses on that stretch, so there’s just a patch of open grass and there have been a bunch of snakes reported in those grasslands,“ he said.
“You also see people too impatient to wait at the traffic lights to cross Ballan Road, so they just jaywalk.”
“They really need to deliver it with winter coming along. It would be a lot safer for commuters and other motorists.”
A Wyndham spokesperson said council will continue to raise awareness of the lack of transport across the municipality.
“If our residents have public transport options that are accessible, frequent and reliable then we can reduce cars on the roads.”
The Department of Planning and Transport was contacted.
