STA takes the heat over bus cancellation

Last Thursday’s Community Forum in Kings Cross was a focal point for local dissent over the decision to axe part of the 311 bus service in Elizabeth Bay, with Lord Mayor Clover Moore describing the outcome as, “an issue of perversity or bloody-mindedness.”

Since April 26, the 311 route has cut out the loop along Billyard Avenue. According to Ms Moore, the affected area is the most densely populated in Australia, and plays host to a number of elderly residents. She said the cancellation had hit them especially hard, due in part to the area’s hilly terrain. “They live in historic apartments without parking space and depend on public transport,” she said.

A spokesperson for the STA at the meeting said the cancellation was necessary as part of the Government’s new integrated network plan. This plan proposes larger, 12.5m buses transferring straight from the 311 route to other routes on the network, and it was argued these new vehicles did not fit through the area’s narrow streets.

When asked if they had considered a solution which meant the 311 could operate independently of the integrated plan, the spokesperson replied that the Eastern Suburbs represented the busiest of the four relevant regions. “We have a contract with the Ministry of Transport to operate bus services, so unfortunately we can’t look at services in isolation,” he said. He added that reliability on the route had improved since the new arrangement was put in place.

The 311 route carries around 25,000 people each week.

Particular concerns raised at the meeting by residents included community doubts over the practical viability of the 311 service changes and Domain Carpark bus layover proposals. These centred around a loss of parking and greater traffic congestion in an already-busy area. Special reference was made to the increased number and frequency of empty buses moving up Crown Street to turn right onto William Street, with over 50 buses queuing and waiting to turn at the intersection during peak hour. It was suggested this would create insoluble congestion and access problems in the Woolloomooloo and East Sydney area, impacting city approach routes and bus schedules.

A remark from the STA spokesperson that the timetable would take “months to redo” was met with derision by the meeting’s participants.