UPDATED: 'Ludicrous' to suggest buses won't be changed after light rail gets to Woden: Steel

Unfortunately transport in Canberra has not been designed by those who use it all the time. There has been no co-design, just dictates from on high by those who are wedded to their cars, so are not negatively affected by its shortfalls. This is why it’s designed around public service office hours, ignoring the needs of hospitality workers and tradies, let alone those who go out at night or on weekends.

Those of us not on the light rail will have to catch a bus to the tram to take us to the city, instead of going direct as we do now. Slower and more changes disadvantage people who have complicated trips already (primarily women and mothers), ie picking up kids, getting & carrying shopping before going home from work. It is also particularly difficult for children and those who have physical or intellectual disabilities. This is discriminatory.

It is also awful in extremely hot, windy, wet or cold weather as you’re stuck outside waiting.

It takes so long to do anything in this town unless you go by car! Many of those who were regular public transport users no longer travel that way and it’s not because of covid. It’s about speed, frequency and usability. With big gaps between people’s destinations and the transport stop, the time to get places has increased due to more walking or additional transfers to other forms of transport. Again, this disadvantages all but the young, fit, healthy, able-bodied and without children or shopping to do. This town is now ableist and focussed on the young single person who lives on the tram line.

Is it any wonder they can’t get more people to use public transport? It is only convenient if you live on the tram route. Previously all of Canberra had reasonable access to public transport. Now it is a much smaller proportion of people, with more using their cars.

We still have express buses? I thought they were banned with the plastic bags?

From 2024 you get fined for not owning a bicycle.

Walking hasn’t yet been banned, just made impossible by broken footpaths or their complete lack of existence, cars and trucks parked over footpaths, bikes & scooters speeding by without considering the pedestrian and the lack of ability to get across roads which have no pedestrian crossings or traffic lights to slow the speeding cars.

I’m fairly sure the government makes no secret of the longer journey time, though they would probably spin that by pointing out it services extra destinations along state circle not currently on the express buses.

And I’m also fairly sure the existing bus network to the south funnels through the interchanges already and in what many consider the glory days of ACT buses suburban routes used to feed the 333.

Please.

The government go out of their way to avoid talking any detail on travel times compared to the existing services. The level of detail they give up freely is somewhere near zero.

“And I’m also fairly sure the existing bus network to the south funnels through the interchanges already and in what many consider the glory days of ACT buses suburban routes used to feed the 333.”

Well the ones from the south do now that the government cut most of the express buses that used to bypass the interchanges.

Although I’m talking more as you’ve already identified what happened in Gunghalin, that buses that used to travel through the suburbs were redirected to the interchanges to reduce alternative options for those already to the north.

Correct the government don’t go out of their way to advertise the fact, but as I clearly said they make no secret of it either. I’ve said it before the extra time for Woden is a bit like how 10 mins were added to Belconnen 300’s services when they were redirected via Haydon drive all those years ago as they service more people. No song and dance was made about that as evil light rail was not involved.

As for the buses in Gungahlin all the ones from the suburbs already went through Gungahlin anyway. The only routes in Gungahlin that were significantly altered were the non express routes from Gungahlin to Civic via the suburbs on the eastern side of Gungahlin which really made no sense to continue to Civic anyway and the routes that went from Gungahlin to Belconnen via the southern/western suburbs of Gungahlin.

And the buses elsewhere in Canberra that were modified were not as a result of light rail but times to coincide with its introduction and to utilise the buses light rail freed up.

“Correct the government don’t go out of their way to advertise the fact, but as I clearly said they make no secret of it either”

Yes, as I said, they are not being open and transparent around the impacts light rail will bring by pushing these points to where they aren’t easily seen by the average person.

“I’ve said it before the extra time for Woden is a bit like how 10 mins were added to Belconnen 300’s services when they were redirected via Haydon drive all those years ago as they service more people. No song and dance was made about that as evil light rail was not involved.”

Except people did complain about those changes. As they complain about any change that reduces service or extends travel times.

“The only routes in Gungahlin that were significantly altered were the non express routes from Gungahlin to Civic via the suburbs on the eastern side of Gungahlin which really made no sense to continue to Civic anyway”

Yes exactly, they reduced these services because they would otherwise be partly duplicating the light rail route. Similarly on the next stage, people in similar areas will either have to get themselves to a light rail stop or face significantly worse public transport that funnels them back to the interchanges first.

“And the buses elsewhere in Canberra that were modified were not as a result of light rail but times to coincide with its introduction and to utilise the buses light rail freed up.”

It’s still strange that with all these extra buses “freed up”, that the changes made many parts of Canberra significantly worse off.

JC your ongoing claim that Belco had 10 minutes added to the trip to Civic is false and has previously been debunked with old timetables. I used to work at ABS during that route changeover period and it added a couple of minutes.