Greenvale need more bus routes

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Anne Parisianne

Despite being a neighbouring suburb to the airport, Greenvale doesn’t have a direct bus route to the airport.

Although people in Greenvale can reach the airport within 12 minutes of car driving, the journey could take up to an hour by bus.

Greenvale Residents Association’s Tamara Nolan said a direct bus route to the airport is important due to the tram availability from the airport west to the city. The group is also calling for other improved bus services.

“We’re so close to it, yet so far because there’s no connecting transportation to get us there,” she said.

“Most of us have to use cars because we have no other type of public transport.

“The state government has strongly advocated council that we should have house diversity within the town planning of new estates… Yet there’s no infrastructure to connect the residents to major utilities.”

Northern Metropolitan MP Evan Mulholland said Greenvale is a public transport desert. Mr Mulholland has a petition on his website calling for funding to be released for a bus from Greenvale to Craigieburn and one from Greenvale to Airport West.

“I’ve been calling on the government to improve bus services in Greenvale because critical routes to Airport West and Craigieburn are missing,” he said.

“Unfortunately Labor is asleep at the wheel.

“While locals in growth areas like Greenvale miss out on basic services, the government is funnelling tens of billions into reckless projects like the Suburban Rail Loop East, which is not supported by transport experts and is based on a rigged business case.”

The Department of Transport and Planning spokesperson said, “Melbourne’s outer northern suburbs are among some of the fastest growing areas in Victoria which is why we continuously review the bus network to identify where improvements can be made to make it easier for locals to travel.”

Currently, Greenvale residents can use bus route 543 to reach Roxburgh Park, from where they can then take trains to Melbourne’s CBD in the morning and return from the CBD in the afternoon.