MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire is backing a community group’s push to improve public transport on the peninsula.
This follows the thwarted presentation of the Peninsula Residential Parks & Villages Group’s 1574-signature petition to state Parliament urging a “complete bus service review on the peninsula”.
Despite the petition being rejected because it was “not in the correct form” the group was last week meeting at Mornington library to plan their strategy for another attempt (“Transport petition fails” The News 5/9/17).
“We are in the process of getting another petition online as well as in print because a lot of elderly people can’t do the online stuff,” chairman Bob Dalmau said.
“We are preparing to hit the streets [for signatures] once again – it’s just a matter of getting out there.”
Mr Dalmau is urging people wanting better bus transport to contact their local MPs so they “get the message”.
He said the group was getting ready to push for a 12-month trial bus service linking Hastings and Mornington along Mornington-Tyabb Rd, while taking in Bungower, Racecourse and Robertson roads to attract retirement village and caravan park residents, schools and racegoers on race days.
“We need it to be at practical times, such as starting at 7am, and for a period of at least a year to get people used to using the buses,” he said.
Mr Dalmau said bus transport on the southern peninsula was problematic, with residents at Martha Cove being “three or four kilometres” from the new Aldi supermarket at Dromana and “no way to get there except by car”.
Also at Wednesday’s meeting was the mayor Cr Bev Colomb and Cr David Gill and the shire’s sustainable transport project coordinator Rita Kontos.
A letter from the shire sent later asked: “Would you like to see more public transport on the Mornington Peninsula?
“If you or your business is limited to the current public transport provision on the peninsula, please join us in our drive to help improve the public bus services across the region.”
The shire’s new Transport Community Action Advisory Group wants the state government to review “current public transport services on the peninsula to provide more frequent services in more locations for our growing community”.
Cr Colomb said in an email that the shire was “determined to improve public transport on the peninsula”.
“We encourage residents and business owners to have their say on this issue to make positive changes for the future.”
She said those “impacted by poor public transport” should contact TCAAG@mornpen.vic.gov.au
First published in the Mornington News – 12 September 2017
