How about a Brisbane-like underground bus terminal for Bendigo?
Temporarily close the south end of Hargreaves Street from “Fernwood” Lane to near Rivers distribution centre.
Excavate a mine slot, repositioning services and pumping groundwater from historic Pennyweight Gully if necessary.
This should provide adequate space to facilitate four lanes for buses, two passenger platforms, cosy waiting rooms and toilets.
The bus terminal could provide pedestrian access by escalators and lift from the northern end and steps from the south.
After covering the completed terminal with reinforced concrete and bitumen surface, this section of Hargreaves Street could then revert to single lane car traffic, with left turn only into Mitchell Street.
Entry and egress ramps for buses would allow left and right turns into and from Mitchell Street and similar ramps could provide southern access to/from the Short Street roundabout.
Some street car parking could be re-established above the bus terminal.
A centrepiece of this project could be an architecturally-designed exhaust tower in the Edwards Street roundabout, serviced by intake ducting along the length of the terminal.
An underground bus terminal similar to this proposal has been established in Queen Street, Brisbane – near Myer – for many years.
Hopefully our council will consider this convenient option, which should include a visit to Brisbane.
David H. Elvery,
Flora Hill.

New bus routes
disappointing

I am extremely disappointed in the new routes used by the Kangaroo Flat 1 bus.
Catching the bus is not an issue as I have two stops in either direction within 200 metres of where I live.
However getting off where I want or even where I used to doesn’t look like an option now. I used to get off at Short Street to attend playgroup with my daughter at the Cathedral Hall behind Haymes paints on Tuesdays at 9.30am.
On Tuesday, April 29 we caught the bus as usual but after the Beechworth Bakery the bus took a right turn and didn’t stop until it got to the railway line. The bus driver said as far as he knew no bus went past the cathedral in either direction.  
Upon acquiring a timetable I discovered there was in fact one bus that did go that way from the station but I would have a 50-minute wait until it got to the railway station again as it left just before the Kangaroo Flat 1 bus got in. My four-year-old daughter and I had to walk from the station to the cathedral for playgroup.
Even if we had have got off at the Beechworth Bakery we would have still had a fair walk compared to before the changes.
I also noticed that the old bus stop sign in Short Street was still there even though the bus no longer went that way. How many people are going to get caught like that around town (already one lady in The Weekly, May 2, 2008) before the authorities get their act together.
I may stand corrected and would welcome any suggestions on how I can use public transport to get closer to my destination on time with a four year old in tow.
But I don’t see how you can plan a bus route that misses a major part of the city thoroughfare.
If I had to give blood or go to a bank appointment, even meet someone at
McDonalds for lunch, the closest stop is the Beechworth Bakery.
This in itself is another whole issue in safety as the bus has to cross two lanes of traffic in order to get in the right lane to turn up Myrtle Street. Or I have to hang around at the station for a connecting bus to go down Mitchell Street and get off at the Country Cakes stop.
Maybe I have too much of the small-town mentality, where I am used to the convenience of my own car and getting a park right outside of where I need to go and not used to using the legs God gave me, but I would hate to be elderly or disabled and relying on this public transport system.
 Name and
address supplied.

Council short-sighted on buses

Congratulations to the Weekly for your excellent expose of the crisis in Mitchell Street caused by the new bus timetable.
One can hardly believe that a council could be so short-sighted as to allow an extended bus service to begin before allocating a suitable site.
It was obvious that Mitchell Street between Pall Mall and Hargreaves Mall was already under a strain caused by buses and waiting passengers; now it is intolerable – for traders, shoppers and commuters. Council must move at once to alleviate this problem that they have helped to create.
H. Lynch,
Bendigo.

Editor’s note: It was the state government’s Department of Infrastructure, not the City of Greater Bendigo council, who was behind the bus changes.

No new terminus needed

The Bendigo bus system does not need the Mitchell Street terminus or a replacement.
It has one 700 metres up the road at the train station.
This, according to the pre-launch press release was meant to replace the terminals in Mitchell and Hargreaves streets.
Ideally they should have not have sent all buses down Mitchell Street, creating two bus terminals 700m apart.
They could simply use the station and have buses take various routes out of the CBD area to reduce their impact on traffic congestion and reduce large crouds around the inner city stops.
Another option, along similar lines, would see a city loop bus with all other buses only stoping at the station and nowhere else in the CBD.
I think that it is simply idiotic for a city of Bendigo’s size to have more then one major bus terminus, especially if they are within easy walking distance.
Edward Guymer,
Bendigo.

Why change bus routes ?

First may I say congratulations on your coverage of the new Bendigo bus service, as I was very disappointed that The Advertiser gave no extensive coverage regarding this issue.
Why did they have to even change where the buses pulled up, the buses have been fine in Mitchell and Hargreaves streets for such a long time?
I live in Spring Gully.  I was lucky before the change I had the opportunity to catch a number 11 and/or 12 bus it did a circle, which also included going all the way to Eaglehawk and back on about a half-hour service.
Now I can only catch one bus which is every hour and if wanting to go to Eaglehawk must alight from my bus and wait about 23 minutes to catch an Eaglehawk bus.
I also shop at the Flora Hill shops. Now, because of the changes, I have to catch my hourly bus get off at the corner of Carolin opposite the cemetry and walk through to Retreat Road (for me at this stage no problem) then I have quite a wait to then catch my bus home.
Otherwise I catch the other bus that goes part way along Retreat Road to Bendigo, then wait for my other bus home.
Also, only my bus stopped outside Toyworld before, now all of a sudden it is further down Mitchell Street, and about four or more pull up at the same stop,which I know causes problems for people who have bad vision.
Why fix what is not broken.
If the government was going to give money to improve our buses,why was this not put forward for discussion with the people who use the service.
In my opinion it is absolutely not an improvement of our line.
Jan Kiernan,
Spring Gully.

What is the truth behind numbers?

It seems that Mr Sutherland just can not put a negative spin on anything related to the property market these days.
Nowhere in the report that Mr Sutherland proudly professes, purports and makes constant reference to, does it ever claim that Bendigo is affordable.
This clearly shows that Mr Sutherland and Mr Radford did not read the report or at best have decided to expand the truth on the one paragraph that made mention of the state of the Bendigo market.
The paragraph states: There are no “affordable” markets in Australia and there are no “moderately unaffordable” markets.
Twenty-five of the 28 markets are rated severely unaffordable.
All of the large capital cities (Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide) are rated “severely unaffordable.” The best ratings are “seriously unaffordable” in three smaller markets, Maitland (New South Wales), Ballarat (Victoria) and Bendigo (Victoria)”.
I cannot see how in any way shape or form this implies that Bendigo is as Mr Sutherland exclaims “the second most affordable place in Australia for property” and “an ideal time to contemplate real estate investment”.
Certainly it is the second most affordable compared to the rest of a grossly unaffordable, over-inflated Australian market, but Mr Sutherland just can not bring himself to say this.
Come on Mr Sutherland and Mr Radford, please tell it like it is and let the public know what the real truth is behind the numbers.
Name and
address supplied.