FOUR new sites are being considered for Bendigo’s bus interchange, with the preferred location expected to be identified within weeks.
Following intense community pressure, the City of Greater Bendigo and Department of Infrastructure are looking at an alternative option to Mitchell Street for the city’s central bus hub.
The sites are:
• Williamson Street, between Myers and Queen streets;
• Lyttleton Terrace, near the council offices;
• Williamson Street extension, between the RSL building and old post office and
• The corner of Edwards and Hargreaves streets
City of Greater Bendigo Presentation and Assets director Jos Duivenvoorden said the issue needed to be addressed sooner rather than later.
“We see it as a high priority to resolve this issue,” he said.
It is hoped a preferred site will be identified within three weeks.
The new site must be able to accommodate eight bus stops and up to 20 buses an hour.
“We are looking to see if there is phsyically sufficient space to deal with the number of buses coming through,” Mr Duivenvoorden said.
Other issues to consider include the impact on local traffic and the reason why people use the public bus network.
“We need to ensure the buses are stopping in proximity to where people want to be,” Mr Duivenvoorden said.
Mr Duivenvoorden said the impact on the bus companies and bus routes also needed to be considered and even once a site was identified, any future changes would impact on timetables and involve detailed planning before changes were made.
When the preferred site is identified, the location will be put to the Bendigo +25 Transport Action Group for consideration.
Mr Duivenvoorden dismissed the former Beaurepaires rotunda as an option, claiming that site presented several challenges.
At a meeting this week, Mitchell Street traders voted unanimously to lobby the council to relocate the buses to that site temporarily.
“The council is not looking at acquiring that site for a bus stop ... there are a number of issues with that site,” Mr Duivenvoorden said.