7 August 2013

Fixing the horrors of the Woden Bus Interchange

| johnboy
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Andrew Barr has announced moves to do something about the urban wasteland that is changing busses in Woden:

The ACT Government is continuing to deliver on its commitment to revitalise the Woden bus interchange.

The first phase of the redevelopment of the eastern side of Woden has commenced with the lodgement of the Estate Development Plan (EDP) Development Application (DA) at the end of last week.

The aim of the proposal is to provide a modern and attractive bus station that is integrated with a new retail and mixed use precinct.

Built more than 40 years ago, the existing Woden bus interchange is tired and rundown, removed from the town centre and does nothing to encourage patronage of the ACTION bus service.

In order to address these concerns, the planned development includes the widening of Callam Street from 34 to 42 metres to accommodate future light rail and a lounge located within an expanded Westfield Woden.

The plan will also see the new bus station integrated with shops and cafes that will enliven the exterior, and display real time bus information on the bus platforms and within the internal lounge.

Other new works include lighting upgrades, landscaping, footpaths and bicycle connections between Westfield Woden, the bus station and other town centre destinations, which in the end will lead to a revitalisation of the whole area.

The planned development is a joint project between the ACT Government and the owners of Westfield Woden, and has involved extensive consultations with a wide range of stakeholders and user groups over the past 18 months, including: the Woden Valley Community Council, Woden Senior Citizens, Woden Youth Centre and organisations representing vision impaired persons.

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Those glass bus “shelters” are crap – they don’t keep the rain off as the roof is sloped(!), and the wind just whips right in. Plus, the metal seats are freezing, too high, and are poorly shaped cutting off the circulation in the legs.

They are obviously just a frame for the advertisements.

The west side of National Circuit still has a good quality ‘old-fashioned’ bus shelter. It’s a gem, and I sincerely hope it is heritage listed. **It actually works!**

Unfortunately the good quality shelter on the east side was replaced a few years ago with one of the glass ones. Apart from being generally useless as a shelter, it is way too small for peak hour passenger numbers, especially in inclement weather (ie most of winter).

I do wish the people putting these things to decision makers would actually do some homework.

DrKoresh said :

miz said :

What a wasted opportunity.
BTW, I had to travel thru Woden interchange recently and could not find a clock there either, which I thought was weird. And they play annoying music over the loudspeakers.

Yeah, it’s pretty bloody slack not having a clock anywhere around there. And I can’t stand that music, it’s offensively bad and played through the shittiest speakers. I suspect they play it to keep homeless folks from sleeping in the interchange, which is upsetting to me, because it’s not like they’d be inconveniencing anybody when the buses stop running at 11:30.

Um, there is a clock. A digital one on the wall above the infomation office.

Not that you can read it; unless you’re catching a 300 series to Tuggeranong.

the useless modern bus shelters that are uncomfortable and and provide no shelter are actually like that to discourage kids/homeless/druggies etc from hanging around at interchanges.

Sad but true.

miz said :

What a wasted opportunity.
BTW, I had to travel thru Woden interchange recently and could not find a clock there either, which I thought was weird. And they play annoying music over the loudspeakers.

Yeah, it’s pretty bloody slack not having a clock anywhere around there. And I can’t stand that music, it’s offensively bad and played through the shittiest speakers. I suspect they play it to keep homeless folks from sleeping in the interchange, which is upsetting to me, because it’s not like they’d be inconveniencing anybody when the buses stop running at 11:30.

Damien said:

damien haas said :

A lot of the consultation on the Belconnen Westfield interchange was pointless and this is demonstrated by requests and suggestions that were ignored. I wish the travellers of Woden better luck.

The Belconnen bus lounge is in name only. There is no timetable information inside Westfield. The first timetable is halfway along the platform. The platform shelters are inadequate, and do not protect you from the weather. There is no shelter between the entrance to Westfield and the bus platforms. There is not even a clock anywhere on the platform or bus ‘lounge’. Using the platforms is sometimes problematic when three buses come at once and your bus is the third and you have been waiting at the front. If you dont hurry, bus no 3 will pull away without you. Ive seen older people miss their bus as a result of this.

It is the perfect example of public transport infrastructure designed by people who never have to use it.

What a wasted opportunity.
BTW, I had to travel thru Woden interchange recently and could not find a clock there either, which I thought was weird. And they play annoying music over the loudspeakers.

I’d just be content if they stopped the grots from smoking.

Is it too much to ask them to enforce the no smoking legislation?

I’ve said it too many times but I’ll say it again, better they ban smoking in public places unless people are in a designated area, rather than the current system of you can smoke anywhere except where you are not allowed.

I don’t know why they just don’t wheeze off somewhere and die quietly rather than spend up all our tax dollars.

If one is stupid enough to smoke they probably have trouble reading too. Cue the outrage….

gazket said :

“The planned development is a joint project between the ACT Government and the owners of Westfield Woden”

Westfield wants to expand, I’d expect 30 new shops and 4 bus stops.

The Belconnen experience revisited. Public car park surrendered, massive new retail spaces and two carport like bus shelters in exchange.

sjberes said :

Just a thought, but why would you plan to put the light rail down the middle of Callam street where it will be subject to various the sets of lights there?

There is not much on the eastern side (apart mainly from the drain). Stick it there and you’ve got a faster system with fewer interruptions. This is important if it is to become a commuter system that extends down to Banks.

The Belconnen Bus interchange is light rail capable, whatever that means, but i am baffled as to how they would run a light rail in to it. from where?

sjberes said :

Just a thought, but why would you plan to put the light rail down the middle of Callam street where it will be subject to various the sets of lights there?

There is not much on the eastern side (apart mainly from the drain). Stick it there and you’ve got a faster system with fewer interruptions. This is important if it is to become a commuter system that extends down to Banks.

The light rail is needed at The Canberra Hospital as well. It can use the median strip on the Woden side.
It is virtually impossible to find parking there on weekdays. The new multistorey carpark should have been twice as big and the area in it reserved exclusively for ACT Government vehicles is either too large or grossly underutilised.

Just a thought, but why would you plan to put the light rail down the middle of Callam street where it will be subject to various the sets of lights there?

There is not much on the eastern side (apart mainly from the drain). Stick it there and you’ve got a faster system with fewer interruptions. This is important if it is to become a commuter system that extends down to Banks.

“The planned development is a joint project between the ACT Government and the owners of Westfield Woden”

Westfield wants to expand, I’d expect 30 new shops and 4 bus stops.

Aeek said :

First week in Canberra, I had the misfortune to experience the Woden Interchange Gents. Shit all over the walls. Way more than one dump.

……..and that was just after they had cleaned it!
A feckless attempt to flush fecundate faeces.

A lot of the consultation on the Belconnen Westfield interchange was pointless and this is demonstrated by requests and suggestions that were ignored. I wish the travellers of Woden better luck.

The Belconnen bus lounge is in name only. There is no timetable information inside Westfield. The first timetable is halfway along the platform. The platform shelters are inadequate, and do not protect you from the weather. There is no shelter between the entrance to Westfield and the bus platforms. There is not even a clock anywhere on the platform or bus ‘lounge’. Using the platforms is sometimes problematic when three buses come at once and your bus is the third and you have been waiting at the front. If you dont hurry, bus no 3 will pull away without you. Ive seen older people miss their bus as a result of this.

It is the perfect example of public transport infrastructure designed by people who never have to use it.

beardedclam said :

The reason I don’t catch the bus is because it takes me twice as long as it would to drive.

Have you reported it to the police?

Probably not, would they help the buses run faster?

I do agree about the dregs though, there is a particular guy that lurks around the Belconnen one sexually harassing women that I try to avoid. Walks with a limp, grey hair, short, always wearing a tracksuit.

Why do you try and avoid the women that he sexually harasses?

The reason people don’t want to go there is because it’s full of scumbags begging for change and trying to start fights. Spending money polishing a turd is not going to change that. The money would be better spent on paying for a permanent police presence at bus interchanges.

Widening Callam Street – so does that mean the street trees that were planted during the start of the big drought and carefully watered with leaky hoses to keep them alive will now be bulldozed?

Martlark said :

The Belconnen interchange is pretty nice. It’s very close to shops so you don’t feel like you’re a outcast from society when waiting for a bus. Woden is disgusting, dirty and feels dangerous. Pull it down!

Have you ever been to Belconnen Interchange?

Honestly never found it to be that bad at the actual bus interchange… Then again I have lived in Eastern Europe.

I do agree about the dregs though, there is a particular guy that lurks around the Belconnen one sexually harassing women that I try to avoid. Walks with a limp, grey hair, short, always wearing a tracksuit.

The reason I don’t catch the bus is because it takes me twice as long as it would to drive.

Have you reported it to the police?

So-called improvements to Woden Interchange over the years have been disastrous. I remember in the 1980s a problem arose with kids hanging around the place, particularly the seating area next to the cafe known as the Snake Pit. The area was boarded up in the early 1990s and the problem largely went away. A couple of years later when I was collecting shopping trolleys in the area the Snake Pit was reconstructed and within minutes of it reopening the kids were back, worse than ever. Complaints by senior citizens were fobbed off with the explanation that “the area is now more open and more visible from the main Interchange”. I remember commenting to a few bus drivers that it should have either been left boarded up or else rebuilt abolishing the Snake Pit area altogether.

JC said :

God help Woden if the interchange is anything like the Westfield Belconnen Bus station. Looking at the talk it will be. Belconnen is nothing like the sales pitch. I mean to say lets look at the ‘lounge’, what bloody good is it without any real time information, or even at the least a copy of the scheduled departures. Also the actual stops provide insufficient shelter and seating considering the number of people that use the 4 stops.

That’s what smart phones are for.

HiddenDragon10:38 pm 07 Aug 13

Can’t wait to see the light rail shooting down Callam Street – ho ho ho.

nuke it and all the people who hang out there from orbit, its the only way to be sure

http://i1.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/072/034/1275681680230.jpg

Nothing like another government master plan to show how disconnected they are from the general population. Clearly they haven’t been to Woden interchange.the problem isn’t because its a little too far from the shops, or that it needs light rail. As previously stated the problem is with the degenerates who call it home. Couple that with the sh*t house service provided by ACTION and their dangerous drivers and you get the real reason people refuse to use public transport in this town.

So Mr Barr, you can throw all the cash you want at it, but the problem will still remain – it’ll just be masked by your hopes and dreams..,

First week in Canberra, I had the misfortune to experience the Woden Interchange Gents. Shit all over the walls. Way more than one dump.

The Belconnen interchange is pretty nice. It’s very close to shops so you don’t feel like you’re a outcast from society when waiting for a bus. Woden is disgusting, dirty and feels dangerous. Pull it down!

How_Canberran6:46 pm 07 Aug 13

JC said :

God help Woden if the interchange is anything like the Westfield Belconnen Bus station. Looking at the talk it will be. Belconnen is nothing like the sales pitch. I mean to say lets look at the ‘lounge’, what bloody good is it without any real time information, or even at the least a copy of the scheduled departures. Also the actual stops provide insufficient shelter and seating considering the number of people that use the 4 stops.

And next you’ll want piped rainforest music

How Canberran

Madam Cholet6:15 pm 07 Aug 13

The worst thing about any bus interchange anywhere are the dregs who seem to want to spend lots of time there being annoying to the population who just want to take public transport. What do they propose to do about that?

God help Woden if the interchange is anything like the Westfield Belconnen Bus station. Looking at the talk it will be. Belconnen is nothing like the sales pitch. I mean to say lets look at the ‘lounge’, what bloody good is it without any real time information, or even at the least a copy of the scheduled departures. Also the actual stops provide insufficient shelter and seating considering the number of people that use the 4 stops.

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