Stop needs to move

By Lia Bichel
BANGHOLME residents fear that a bus stop located on their street will be the cause of a major car accident if it is not moved soon.
Willow Lodge Caravan Park resident David Paterson, 68, said the bus stop has been creating problems for 20 years.
The north bound bus stop is immediately south, in the slip lane, of the entry to the caravan park on Dandenong-Frankston Road.
Mr Paterson said when a buswas stopped, and he and fellow residents wanted to do a right-hand turn out of the car park, they had to inch their cars forward into the middle of the street to get a clear view of oncoming traffic.
“It’s dangerous. I have seen a couple of near accidents and I have a feeling there will be a big accident at some stage if it’s not moved,” he said.
“There are 480 units in the village, people with cars and people with scooters.”
Mr Paterson has lived in the village for four years and said he had become so frustrated with the traffic hazard he felt compelled to take his concerns to the council.
“I called (Red Gum ward councillor) Angela Long to see if there was anything we could do to move the bus stop,” he said.
Cr Long said the bus stop was “definitely in the wrong place.”
“People have complained about it a fair bit,” she said.
“The bus stop doesn’t belong to the council, so I think the best thing is for VicRoads to look at it and rectify their mistake.”
Cr Long said she was not aware of any traffic accidents that had occurred in the vicinity but said she wanted the bus stop moved before there was one.
“Do we have to wait for a death to have something done?” she asked.
At Monday night’s council meeting, councillors supported Cr Long’s motion to have the Director Engineering Services discuss the problem with VicRoads, the Public Transport Division and the council.
A VicRoads spokesperson said the issue was a matter for the Department of Transport.
Department of Transport (DOT) spokesperson Kirsten Taylor said the Willow Lodge bus stop was placed on Dandenong-Frankston Road specifically to service the caravan park.
“The bus stop was reassessed in 2008 and upgraded to make the bus stop more accessible,” she said.
Ms Taylor said DOT and VicRoads had assessed the bus stop location as being safe.
“The bus stop is around 50 metres from the caravan park’s driveway, meaning drivers can see past the bus stop and safely exit the caravan park,” she said.