State Member for Wallsend, Ms Sonia Hornery MP, will today move a Notice of Motion in the NSW Parliament calling on the Transport Minister to invest more money into commuter comfort, by working with Council to provide more bus shelters across the Wallsend electorate.
The Wallsend electorate is one of the busiest bus transport hubs in Newcastle but the number of stops that have no shelter or seating for passengers is far greater than in other parts of the Hunter.
Ms Hornery is calling on the Transport Minister to increase funding for bus stop improvements and the construction of new shelters, which currently falls on Councils to provide.
Councils have very little, if anything, to do with providing public transport but are forced to pay for new and upgrades to shelters right across the transport network.
Quotes attributable to Member for Wallsend, Sonia Hornery
“With the roads becoming more and more congested, people are turning to public transport to try and get around our cities.”
“I am often asked to help local residents with providing bus shelters, particularly on bus routes and around areas of high density aged living facilities.”
“The responsibility currently falls back onto Local Government to find the funds to provide new and upgrade existing bus shelters right across the network.”
“This is extremely unfair as they have very little to do with the provision of public transport and this is just another example of State Government cost shifting to Local Government.”
“We want more people off our roads and onto public transport so we need to provide commuters with some protection from hot summer days or pouring rain.”
“The Minister is happy to build flash new railway stations right across Sydney, so now it’s time to give the Wallsend electorate some new bus shelters.”