By Ewen McRae
Bus commuters in Rockbank will have to wait longer for new shelters, with other areas deemed a higher priority.
A number of new bus services have been added to the Rockbank region in the past 12 months, keeping up with high growth in the area, but some residents say more shelters are needed to protect commuters on days of high heat or rain.
One resident, who did not wish to be named, said he had put garden chairs at stops onWescott Parade for elderly passengers to use, but was dismayed to see them removed soon after.
“I’ve been doing it for a few months, but each time I put one out it’s gone within days,” he said.
“It makes no sense to put more effort into removing chairs than putting shelters and seats in. The last couple of times I’ve chained them to the stop post, and they’ve still been removed.”
A department of transport spokesperson said while they were not aware who had removed the chairs, they instructed all contractors to remove any items which are not fixed, structurally checked and regularly maintained from bus stops and shelters as they may pose a potential safety risk to passengers and the public.
“We work closely with councils who provide us with recommendations on proposed new bus shelter locations in their municipalities each year,” the spokesperson said.
“Requests for new bus shelters are considered according to a number of factors, including passenger numbers, and our records show there are very low numbers of passengers touching on from Westcott Parade.”
The department said there were 50 bus stops across Melton with higher passenger ‘touch on’ numbers than bus stops on Westcott Parade.
Melton Council’s acting manager of engineering services, David Voltaire, said they were hopeful more shelters would be installed in Rockbank soon.
“We have received three official requests for bus shelters on Westcott Parade in Rockbank, however we have had a significant number of bus stops with higher usage which had been prioritised for shelters,” he said.
