LESS than a week after Bendigo’s new bus network came into effect, four new sites are being considered for the city’s central bus interchange. The City of Greater Bendigo has made the project an urgent priority and hopes to identify a preferred site within weeks. The move follows a week of chaos in Mitchell Street after all of the city’s central bus stops were moved into the same area. Traders have reported an increase in shoplifting, restricted access to their businesses, loss of trade and havoc on the roads. A visit to Mitchell Street this week revealed the changes have caused:
• Increased shoplifting; • Restricted access to businesses; • Blocked footpaths; • Fights at shopfronts; • Stranded commuters.
This chaos is also a concern for me as a driving instructor, the streets are more congested with the buses sometimes, i think illegally parked and blocking the street, as shown in the photo on page 6 of the May 2nd edition of the Bendigo Weekly. This leaves very little room for another vehicle to stop at a safe distance behind the bus, without possibly being paked on the pedestrian crossing. I have yet to be faced with this situation on a licence test, which could cause stress and confusion to an already nervous learner and put the in a position were they make a mistake and fail their test. Maybe the powers that be need to talk to Maxwell Smart agent 86, he was good at fighting Chaos.
