By Laura Michell
A new bus route connecting Sunshine Station and Brimbank Shopping Centre, via Cairnlea Drive is needed to address Cairnlea’s “appallingly underdone” bus network, according to Brimbank councillors.
During council’s November 15 meeting, councillors voted to write to Public Transport Minister Ben Carroll to call for the state government to deliver the the bus route ahead of the development of state-owned land at 147 Cairnlea Drive, Cairnlea.
The site is being developed by Development Victoria and will include 840 dwellings, many of which will be social and affordable housing.
Cr Victoria Borg said many residents of the Cairnlea development would be from a low socio-economic background and were likely to be reliant on public transport.
“At this stage, there are no buses going through this part of Cairnlea, therefore no connectivity to work, shopping centres, schools, sports facilities, medical centres and so on,” she said.
“Yet there is a courtesy bus to take people for free to the two pokies venues that are less than half a kilometre away.
“this community will be set up for failure unless a bus service is provided to meet its needs.”
Cr Thuy Dang said Cairnlea was one of the most car dependent areas in Brimbank.
She said there were currently no bus routes connecting Cairnlea Drive to Ballarat Road.
“Residents in the area are relying on private vehicles which is causing heavy traffic congestion along Cairnlea Drive and Ballarat Road,” she said.
She said traffic congestion in the area would only get worse once the Development Victoria project is built.
The need for a bus route between Sunshine Station and Brimbank Shopping Centre, via Cairnlea Drive was highlighted in council’s 2022 transport position paper, which stated the route would facilitate public transport access to existing and emerging developments and increase regional access to the Sunshine precinct.
Cr Bruce Lancashire said a recent forum about bus services in Brimbank had highlighted the need for improvements to the municipality’s bus network.
“The bus network is underdone and there are some areas in the municipality, like Cairnlea, where it is appallingly underdone and better services are needed,” he said.
