SA BUDGET 2018 - PUBLIC TRANSPORT CUTS

The SA Budget handed down last week by Rob Lucas included a massive $50m reduction in funding for our public transport services.

Seriously, do our ruling elite fully understand the importance of public transport to the people of Adelaide and South Australia?  Clearly not.  Public transport is an essential service, admittedly not as high on the list as Health or Education but important nonetheless.  For many people on a fixed income, pension, unemployed, students etc they have no other transport options available to them.  They rely on public transport for their work, schooling, shopping and socialising.

Many of these people live in traditional 'low socio-economic' suburbs such as Elizabeth, Davoren Park, Smithfield, Craigmore, Salisbury, Paralowie, Parafield Gardens, Hackham West, Huntfield Heights, Christie Downs, Morphett Vale, Taperoo, Birkenhead.  Sadly, the Government (of both persuasions) has seen fit to constantly reduce services to these area's under the guise of being efficient and allocating resources where they are needed most, usually on the O-Bahn, The Parade or Henley Beach Road.

Services have been reduced so much over the years that there are obvious flaws in the network and delivery of services in these outer suburbs.  These being:

• Only one feeder service (Route 451) out of 22 routes connects with the first Gawler Central train in the morning.
• None of the 22 feeder routes connects with the last Gawler Central train from the City.
• The last Route 443 that services Elizabeth North, Elizabeth Downs, Munno Para, Blakeview, Craigmore & Elizabeth Park departs Elizabeth @ 9.27pm daily and connects with the 8.50pm train from Adelaide.
• The first bus from the Northern suburbs does not arrive into the City until 6.39am.
• There are no connecting feeder services to the last Seaford train from the City.
• There are no connecting feeder services to the first Seaford train.

I urge anyone reading this to go out to Gepps Cross or Salisbury Highway / Port Wakefield Road at 5am and just witness the huge volumes of traffic making their way from the Northern suburbs and heading out towards Port Adelaide or the Western suburbs.  Many of the people in these vehicles are wearing Hi-viz which one could assume are factory type workers and quite obviously they are shift workers.  Where is public transport?  It is no where to be seen.  At 5.30am there are only 3 or 4 buses that have already departed Elizabeth or Pooraka Depots.

Conversely, travel to Main South Road / Sturt Road, Brighton Road / Sturt Road or the bottom of the SE Freeway at Glen Osmond and witness the similar volumes of traffic from 5am.  Again public transport is nowhere to be seen.

Then there is the debacle in the Adelaide Hills which stretches almost 80kms from Williamstown to Strathalbyn and about 40kms in width.  This is a huge area and it is mindful to note that this entire region lies closer to the Adelaide CBD than the most farthest AdelaideMetro service, Route 750 to Sellicks Beach which is approximately 55kms from the CBD.  

Now we have this perspective on the size of the Adelaide Hills region and it's close proximity to Adelaide it is astounding that in 2018 many Adelaide Hills towns have no regular public transport or very poor levels of public transport.  Apart from the main trunk service from Adelaide up through Crafers, Stirling, Bridgewater, Hahndorf to Mount Barker which is a fantastic service, public transport goes missing.  

The only weekend public transport that operates outside of the main trunk is 

• Route 837  Mt Barker to Nairne (Saturday Only)
• Routes 800 / 801 Modbury to Birdwood (non Metro) (Saturday Only)
• Route 865 Crafers-Stirling (3 trips)
• Route 823 Crafers-Cleland (3 trips)

Despite the huge tourism venues in the Adelaide Hills along with a rapidly growing population base there are NO weekend services to Balhannah, Oakbank, Woodside, Lobethal, Strathalbyn, Mylor, Meadows, Macclesfield, Echunga, Heathfield, Uraidla, Summertown, Lenswood, Kanmantoo, Callington, Cherry Gardens, Williamstown, Kersbrook, One Tree Hill, Kangarilla, Clarendon, Mount Torrens, Upper Sturt, Norton Summit, Lenswood, Forest Range.  Every single town is much closer to the Adelaide CBD than Sellicks Beach and some have a higher population.

Many of the towns listed above do not receive a Monday-Friday service either and many only 1 or 2 trips a day which is a throwback to the 1950's.

We need an extra $50m injected into our bus services not a reduction.  I urge everyone who reads this and who is passionate enough about their local bus service to contact their local State MP or talkback radio and voice your concern over these impending cuts.  The power is with YOU.