Mr ADAMSON - 1996-05-23
Because the Casuarina bus interchange is near my office, in the heart of my electorate, I have the chance to talk to many bus users about the service. The service is certainly valued, but often comments and inquiries are made about its future direction. Has the minister taken any steps to examine the operation of the service to ensure that it continues to meet the community's needs?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I am aware of a number of concerns in relation to the timetabling of the Darwin buses. These have been raised with me by the member for Casuarina, by members of the general public and by the bus service itself. As a result of those concerns, my department has employed Kinhill Engineers to undertake a survey of the needs of Darwin bus users. With the rapid growth of the population of the greater Darwin area and the changing needs of passengers, it is appropriate, from time to time, to properly assess the requirements and wants of those users to enable us to maintain an effective, efficient and attractive service.
Page 1420
The survey will comprise an on-bus process as well a survey of 500 households in the Darwin, Palmerston and rural areas. As a result of the survey, my department will be preparing a new bus timetable to be implemented by January of next year. Without trying to pre-empt the survey, I would not be surprised if it recommended changes, at least in the Palmerston area. A number of concerns have been raised with me about the location of bus stops, particularly in the CBD area of Palmerston. I would not be surprised if those concerns were not expressed during the course of the survey, together with the concerns relating to the Casuarina interchange.
The consultancy with Kinhill includes also the development of a model which will allow us to facilitate the prediction of population and traffic demands on the system into the future. Obviously, it will be a useful model in terms of future timetabling and route selection. This is the first time a survey of this scale has been undertaken into the needs of the users of the Darwin Bus Service. I hope the system continues to be responsive to community needs and will continue to provide a useful and accessible transport service to the great number of people who rely on it on a daily basis.
Page 1421
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I am aware of a number of concerns in relation to the timetabling of the Darwin buses. These have been raised with me by the member for Casuarina, by members of the general public and by the bus service itself. As a result of those concerns, my department has employed Kinhill Engineers to undertake a survey of the needs of Darwin bus users. With the rapid growth of the population of the greater Darwin area and the changing needs of passengers, it is appropriate, from time to time, to properly assess the requirements and wants of those users to enable us to maintain an effective, efficient and attractive service.
Page 1420
The survey will comprise an on-bus process as well a survey of 500 households in the Darwin, Palmerston and rural areas. As a result of the survey, my department will be preparing a new bus timetable to be implemented by January of next year. Without trying to pre-empt the survey, I would not be surprised if it recommended changes, at least in the Palmerston area. A number of concerns have been raised with me about the location of bus stops, particularly in the CBD area of Palmerston. I would not be surprised if those concerns were not expressed during the course of the survey, together with the concerns relating to the Casuarina interchange.
The consultancy with Kinhill includes also the development of a model which will allow us to facilitate the prediction of population and traffic demands on the system into the future. Obviously, it will be a useful model in terms of future timetabling and route selection. This is the first time a survey of this scale has been undertaken into the needs of the users of the Darwin Bus Service. I hope the system continues to be responsive to community needs and will continue to provide a useful and accessible transport service to the great number of people who rely on it on a daily basis.
Page 1421
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016