Member for Summer Hill, Jo Haylen, is demanding the NSW Transport Minister abandon plans to remove bus stops along key routes servicing the Inner West.

Roads and Maritime Services have unveiled plans to remove bus stops on some key routes servicing Marrickville, Dulwich Hill and Petersham.

18 bus stops are slated for removal on the 412 route, 6 on the 428, 5 on the 423 and 2 on the 426. Some of the bus stops are in close proximity to nursing homes, schools and child-care centres.

If these plans go ahead, it will be significantly harder for the elderly, people with disability and parents with young children and prams to catch the bus.

While Ms Haylen welcomes moves to improve the efficiency of the bus system, reducing accessibility is not the answer.

The plans are currently on display for public comment at: www.rms.nsw.gov.au/documents/projects/sydney-inner/camperdown-stanmore-dulwich-hill-marrickville-bus-priority/camperdown-stanmore-dulwich-hill-buses-community-update-2017-02.pdf 

Quotes attributable to Member for Summer Hill, Jo Haylen MP

 “Inner west residents are fed up with unreliable bus services, but the answer is not to make it harder for people to catch the bus.

“Our Transport Minister shouldn’t be making public transport less convenient or accessible.

“The government needs to look at alternatives rather than taking the easiest option.

“By making distances between stops longer, the government is asking people with disabilities, the elderly and parents with prams to trek further to catch the bus.

“Faster buses can’t come at the cost of servicing the people who need them most”.