| Mayor invites more to have say on transport strategy |
Greater Bendigo City Council Mayor Peter Cox wants more people to get actively involved in planning the city’s future by having their say on the Connecting Greater Bendigo: Integrated Transport and Land Use Strategy (ITLUS).
Cr Cox said ITLUS will shape Greater Bendigo’s future liveability like no other strategy being developed by the Council.
“For example, if each employee at the City, Bendigo Bank, La Trobe University and Bendigo Health walked, cycled, car shared or used public transport for a day a week, we could take 1,000 cars off our roads – each day,” he said.
“Council is providing ample opportunity for people to have their say on issues that matter to them and ITLUS should matter to everyone. It is no good coming to Council once ITLUS has been adopted and saying that you haven’t had your say.
Now is the time to get involved.”
Stage 4 of ITLUS involved the public release of a report by GHD Consultants detailing their recommendations for how Greater Bendigo might want to manage its future transport and land use needs.
It is out for public comment until December 22, 2014.
The report was designed to spark public debate. Measures include improvements to public transport, such as more frequent and direct bus services, a longer term proposal to develop an urban rail network, plans to limit urban sprawl as well as reducing car numbers during peak times by encouraging more cycling and walking.
So far the response has been mostly positive. The City has held seven listening posts, one-on-one meetings, telephone conversations and email exchanges. Around 250 people have had their say in addition to the 1,500 who helped to develop the Stage 4 report.
Others have provided their comments via an online survey,
which can be found at www.bendigo.vic.gov.au/transportplanning.
City Strategy Manager Trevor Budge said around 74 per cent of survey respondents and the majority of those who had attended listening posts generally supported the recommended actions and initiatives from the GHD report.
“The feedback to date suggests that we are on the right track with the majority of people supporting a more frequent bus service, as well as the idea of encouraging more walking and cycling as an alternative mode of transport and a great way to keep fit and healthy,” Mr Budge said.
He noted that some residents had raised concerns about the impact of the consultant’s recommendations on Reservoir Rd, Kennington.
"The GHD report reconfirms Reservoir Rd as part of the ‘outer box’ arterial road network. This is nothing new,” Mr Budge said.
“VicRoads has been managing Reservoir Rd as a designated truck route since at least 1993 and the consultants recommend that this status should be maintained.
“Contrary to what some have said, ITLUS does not propose widening the road reservation. In fact, a key objective of ITLUS is to reduce heavy traffic impact on local roads and make the best use of existing road infrastructure.”
Like the Mayor, Mr Budge encouraged residents to learn more about the consultant’s recommendations and join the debate by attending one of the remaining listening posts:
•Saturday, December 6 – Champions IGA, 20 Station Street, Kangaroo Flat 11am to 1pm
•Tuesday, December 9 – The General Store, Calder Highway, Marong 9.30am to 11.30am
•Wednesday, December 10 – Heathcote Visitor Information Centre, High Street, Heathcote 3.30pm to 5.30pm
•Thursday, December 11 – Elmore Post Office, 65-81 Railway Place Elmore 10.30am to 12.30pm
People can also have their say by emailing the strategyunit @bendigo.vic.gov.au or sending a letter to Trevor Budge, Strategy Manager, PO Box 733, Bendigo Vic 3552.
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