LIBERAL CANDIDATES URGE GOVERNMENT ON BUS SHELTERS
Friday, 23 September 2005


State Liberal candidates in the northern and north-eastern suburbs have urged the Rann Government to reinstate the funding it withdrew for the construction and upgrading of public bus shelters.

The six local candidates have called on Transport Minister Hon Pat Conlon to instruct the Public Transport Division to resume negotiations with the City of Salisbury, and other local government bodies, about a funding partnership for bus shelters.

In conjunction with the former Passenger Transport Board, metropolitan councils funded the installation of public bus shelters on the basis of passenger loadings at particular bus stops. This partnership was established under the previous Liberal Government.

In 2003-04, the Rann Government – through the Office of Public Transport (now the Public Transport Division of the Department of Transport, Energy and Infrastructure) – withdrew funding for this joint venture. Many councils continued the program of installing shelters in good faith, despite the withdrawal of State Government funding.

Candidates Stephen Ernst (Wright), Ron Watts (Little Para), Tom Javor (Playford), Linda Caruso (Taylor), Damien Pilkington (Ramsay) and Pat Trainor (Florey), along with Liberal MLC John Dawkins, are supporting Salisbury Council’s quest for the State Government to resume the bus shelter partnership that previously existed.

In a letter to Mr Dawkins, the council wrote: “the State Government again in 2004/2005 and 2005/2006 did not allocate any funding for the provision of bus shelters or upgrading stops to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act. Despite council’s request to both the Minister for Transport and the Public Transport Division, no funding is to be allocated towards the installation or upgrade of bus shelters”.

Mr Dawkins said that“The council feels that, because it is not the operator of the public transport system, this should be the role of the State Government. That is why it has not allocated any funds for the installation or upgrade of bus shelters within the City of Salisbury”

“The City of Salisbury, like many other metropolitan councils, has been keen to pursue a funding partnership for bus shelters with the State Government. Unfortunately it would seem that Salisbury’s lobbying of the Minister for Transport and the PTD has been fruitless” he said.

The Liberal candidates have also urged Minister Conlon to take action, in the interim, to ensure the provision of appropriate bus shelters for public bus passengers, particularly those with a disability.

Media release here