REVIEW OF SYDNEY BUS NETWORK REGION 14

SUBMISSION BY ACTION FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT

During 2008 the NSW Ministry of Transport (MoT) conducted a number of reviews of the Sydney bus network. The reviews were generally confined to identifying desirable changes to existing routes, and were carried out on a "regional" basis, as defined by the MoT.
This submission by Action for Public Transport (APT) is in response to invitations for public comment on proposed route changes in Region 14, bounded by the Hawkesbury River to the north, by St Ives and Chatswood to the west, Frenchs Forest and Ingleside to the east, and Middle Harbour to the south. The proposed changes were developed by the MoT and the bus operator, Forest Coach Lines.

This submission was e-mailed to Forest Coach Lines at buses@forestcoachlines.com.au on 22 September 2008.

General

Proposed frequencies: APT appreciates the additional information relating to proposed service frequencies being included in the proposed-changes document. Service frequency changes were generally not provided in the review documents for other regions.

Sydney Buses services: APT believes that information about changes to Forest Coach Lines' Route 285 (currently Chatswood-Elanora-Narrabeen-Mona Vale) should have been included in the STA proposed network document for the Lower North Shore and Northern Beaches. When that document was issued, it was not clear from the map and accompanying information how Route 285 was to be altered once STA routes were extended to Elanora Heights and parts of Warriewood.

Equally, the proposed service changes to STA services in the Elanora and Warriewood areas should have been shown on the proposed network document for Forest Coach Lines.

Now that the Ministry of Transport is co-ordinating and funding bus services throughout Sydney, all previous distinctions between ā"private" and "Government" bus services should cease. It would have been easy for each proposed network document to have given Elanora Heights and Warriewood residents all the information about proposed changes to bus services in their suburbs.

Route 195

Forest Coach Lines' Route 195 currently operates between Gordon and St Ives shops via the Pacific Highway and Mona Vale Road. However both sections of roadway are difficult and dangerous to cross for pedestrians (due to the width of up to seven traffic lanes, traffic volumes and/or split-level carriageway) and thus preclude opportunities for two-way travel by bus passengers. Route 195 therefore effectively runs express between Gordon shopping centre and Telegraph Road. However, an alternative route, presenting greater opportunity for passenger travel, is via Rosedale Road, Horace Street and Stanley Street. We therefore recommend that Route 195 follow Route 582 between Gordon and St Ives (although not via the Waterhouse Avenue/Hunter Avenue loop).

Services would still be provided along Mona Vale Road by Route 196 and passengers in the Rosedale Road and Horace Street areas would benefit from an increased level of service.

If this recommendation were to be adopted, some form of joint terminal facility at Gordon could be provided (eg, by running all three routes in a loop via Pacific Highway, St Johns Avenue, west side bus terminal, Henry Street, bridge under railway, Werona Avenue and Park Avenue) for Routes 195, 196 and 582, so that intending passengers bound for St Ives shops could board any of the three routes.

Routes 196 and 197

APT does not see the need to give two separate route numbers to these routes. One is in effect a "short-working" of the other. Furthermore, the proposed Route 197 (Mona Vale-Gordon-Macquarie Park) is the same as the current Route 196 that operates between the same destinations. (For a short time such buses displayed 196M, but that number quickly reverted to merely 196.)

We note that there is no proposal to alter the route number for short-workings of the route between Gordon and Austlink or Terrey Hills, which we suspect will continue to operate at various times of the day.

We therefore recommend that all trips for any portion of the route between Mona Vale, Gordon and Macquarie Park be allocated the one number, namely 196.

In this general regard, we ask the question, if Route 270 can be used for trips from the City to Belrose or to Terrey Hills (either via Forest Way direct or via Belrose or via Davidson and Belrose) or to The Esplanade, why is there a need to distinguish between buses from Mona Vale travelling to either Gordon station or Macquarie Park? We suggest that the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) principle applies in this situation.

Route 284

It would possible to save some kilometres without affecting passengers by not running buses between Terrey Hills and Duffy's Forest other than at school times.

APT observations in Terrey Hills over the last ten years reveal that patronage between Terrey Hills and Duffy's Forest on Route 284 buses, other than children travelling to and from school, is virtually non-existent.

Route 285

APT observations have shown that in peak periods, there is a flow of passengers between the Narrabeen/Elanora area and the Terrey Hills/Belrose/Frenchs Forest area. Passengers travel from Narrabeen/Elanora to workplaces in Terrey Hills, Belrose and Frenchs Forest.

We therefore recommend that Route 285 be retained during peak hours, to run from Elanora to Chatswood to cater for through passengers along that route.

Route 270

Currently Route 270 buses run principally between the City and Belrose, providing a good and regular service over that section of route. During the inter-peak period on weekdays, every second bus from the City continues to Terrey Hills. However there is no equivalent service to the City during that period. On Saturdays, only two trips run each way to/from Terrey Hills.

In order to (a) rectify that situation and (b) compensate Terrey Hills residents for the discontinuation of Route 285, APT strongly recommends that an improved service be run to and from Terrey Hills on Route 270, as follows:

At a minimum, every second Route 270 bus (ie, an hourly service) run to and from Terrey Hills during the weekday inter-peak period.
Most Route 270 buses run to and from Terrey Hills during weekday peak periods.
If the proposed frequency of every 60 minutes on Saturdays and every 120 minutes on Sundays is implemented, all such trips on those days should run to and from Terrey Hills.

Route 279

If Route 276 is to be discontinued, additional trips should be run on Route 279, in order to provide residents of The Esplanade/Carnarvon Drive with a reasonable service. This area is up to 1.2 km from Forest Way, where the nearest regular bus service operates. In terms of the guidelines, a bus service should be provided between 6.00am and 6.30pm from Monday to Saturday so that residents are no more than 400 metres from a bus route.

APT therefore recommends that Route 279 run at regular intervals during Mondays to Saturdays, rather than only three trips per peak hour.

Summary of recommendations

that Route 195 follow Route 582 between Gordon and St Ives (although not via the Waterhouse Avenue/Hunter Avenue loop).
that all trips for any portion of the route between Mona Vale, Gordon and Macquarie Park be allocated the one number, namely 196.
that Route 285 be retained during peak hours, to run from Elanora to Chatswood to cater for through passengers along that route.
that an improved service be run to and from Terrey Hills on Route 270, as detailed above.
that Route 279 run at regular intervals during Mondays to Saturdays, rather than only three trips per peak hour.

Action for Public Transport (NSW) Inc.
PO Box K606
Haymarket, NSW, 1240.

22 September 2008.