AUGUST 23, 2016 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
NEWS + SPORT + PROPERTY GUIDE
Students juggle bus links Romsey residents are concerned they are the “forgotten people” after an almost decade-long push for better bus services. Romsey residents Samantha Boswell and Leanne Frost have been campaigning for better public transport services to their suburb for close to 10 years, but say there has been little progress. “We’re the forgotten people,” Ms Boswell said. “We don’t get a single bus come out on a Sunday, and we have one bus on Saturdays. “And getting to and from work and school [on public transport] during the week on the current service is made very difficult because of the timetabling.” Parents in Romsey and Lancefield choose to send their children to Sunbury Downs College for a range of reasons, Ms Boswell said, including sport, part-time work and friendship groups. Ms Boswell’s daughter pays to catch a Salesian college school bus, which drops her off at Sunbury Secondary College in time to catch a connecting bus, to get her to school at Sunbury Downs College on time. She said her daughter would be late to school if she used the public bus service because its connecting service leaves Sunbury train station at 9am. “That bus is for Salesian kids, so they take priority, and once that bus is full, our kids get left behind,” she said. “As a community, we deserve better public transport for everyone. “Public Transport Victoria have failed to update our bus timetable for more than five years.
“Let’s work together so we can get the message across that we deserve better.” Macedon MP Mary Anne Thomas called for Public Transport Victoria to meet with Romsey residents and hear firsthand what improvements they would like to the Lancefield to Sunbury bus services. “Romsey is a growing community, and it is a very popular place to live for families,” Ms Thomas told Parliament last week.
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[Let’s] get the message across we deserve better
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- Samantha Boswell “Public transport connections with Clarkefield station and to Sunbury are vital for my community, and Sam and Leanne have been advocating for some time now for better public transport services. “A discussion with PTV [is important] to see how we can get bus and train services working better together, and meeting the needs of my community. “I look forward to PTV representatives coming to Romsey to discuss these issues directly with affected community members, with the aim of finding a solution to this timetable anomaly.” Ms Thomas said recent investments in public transport by the transport department have been well received, including the two extra peak services on the Bendigo line and upgrades to Gisborne, Kyneton and Woodend railway station carparks. PTV has been contacted.
(Luke Hemer)
By Esther Lauaki
In the box seat for giving Sunbury’s Errel Gray has 1000 empty shoeboxes to fill, destined for disadvantaged children from some of the world’s poorest countries – but she needs help. Operation Christmas Child is an international relief initiative of Samaritan’s Purse, which distributes boxes loaded with clothing, school supplies, toiletries, toys and accessories, to disadvantaged children. Ms Gray says the drive during September and October has grown over the past 12 years she’s been involved. “When I first started, we did about 200 boxes and now I’m filling 1000,” she said. People can pick up an empty shoebox from Ms Gray from September 1. Contact her on 0423 779 224. Esther Lauaki