The following residents of the ACT draw the attention of the Assembly to the inadequacies of the public transport system at Hawker College.
Hawker College students are overcrowding community buses as many students catch the bus to and from school yet only one bus route, the 45, runs past the Hawker College Murranji Street bus stop. Often the first bus running in either direction after school releases will be so full of students that other members of the public cannot get on or are forced to stand in dangerous locations.
Whilst, after previous petitioning, the 45 route now runs every 20 minutes around peak school times instead of 30 this issue persists due to the volume of students who catch the first bus after school. Due to this overcrowding, catching public transport can be very inconvenient for many students and community members. Many of the locations on this route are only serviced by the 45 and thus community members in the Hawker area are greatly limited from accessing public transport during these times.
Not everyone has access to a car or lives within walking distance of the school, the current system disadvantages these students. We worry that these issues de-incentivise both students and community members from using public transport. This is not only a logistical issue but also a barrier to sustainability in our community.
Your petitioners, therefore, request the Assembly to:
Provide Hawker College with a designated school bus, as many public and private ACT schools have, to prevent congestion on the 45 route and make it safer, more comfortable, and more efficient for both community members and students.
Ensure the dedicated bus service directly connects students to the following suburbs: Hawker, Higgins, Holt, Page, Scullin, Strathnairn, Weetangera, Whitlam and Florey.
If not feasible, further increase the 45 bus service to 10-minute intervals during 8-9am and 3-4pm, given the route connects Kingsford Smith School, Hawker College, Hawker Primary, Belconnen High, Weetangera Primary, UC Senior Secondary College and Radford College to the Belconnen and Kippax Interchanges.