By CASEY NEILL
PUBLIC transport woes prompted two petitions to the City of Greater Dandenong at Monday night’s council meeting.
The first came from 20 residents from the Meridian estate in Dandenong regarding a lack of public transport in the area. It requested a more frequent bus service.
The second was signed by 23 people from the Buddhist Sri Lankan Association of Victoria. A further 232 signatures did not comply with council rules that require the whole of the petition or request to appear on each page of the petition.
The proponents asked for a bus service from Dandenong Railway Station to Greens Road via Parkmore Shopping Centre, returning to Dandenong via Hammond Road.
The council will forward the petitions to the State Government department Public Transport Victoria (PTV), indicate strong support for additional services in the area, and ask PTV to respond accordingly.
In March Star reported that grieving families were missing out on free counselling because of inadequate public transport.
Kusum Wijeyasinghe from the Buddhist Sri Lankan Association of Victoria’s Dhamma Sarana temple in Keysborough called for a bus along Greens Road.
She said many elderly people who visited the temple for counselling and meditation usually relied on public transport to get around, but instead had to depend on friends or family to get to the area.
“They can only get there if someone gives them a lift,” she said.
“We give free counselling following a death in the family. They could miss out.”
Her plea followed calls in February for public transport to service new housing estates in Keysborough and revelations some children were walking half an hour to reach a bus stop to get to school.
City of Greater Dandenong engineering services director Bruce Rendall said the council shared residents’ concerns.
“Council has been and will continue to advocate for bus services in that area,” he said.
Mr Rendall said the primary responsibility for public transport provision rested with the State Government and urged residents to advocate for these improvements directly with their state representatives and Public Transport Minister Terry Mulder.
