Member for Gippsland South and Leader of The Nationals Peter Ryan has welcomed VicRoads decision to move the Sovereign Estate bus stop, at Wurruk, off the Princes Highway to a safer location in Sovereign Drive.
Mr Ryan said from today, Monday 8 February 2010, the bus stop, which was located on the north side of the Princes Highway adjacent to Reid Drive, would be moved off the highway and into Sovereign Estate.
Children would now be picked up and dropped off in Sovereign Drive at the council easement just past Jemma Court, with a permanent bus stop to follow.
“This is great news for the children of Sovereign Estate. There are currently 37 students living on the estate who are eligible to catch the bus and who will now be safer heading to and from school each day,” Mr Ryan said.
“The students can now wait safely for the bus, away from the highway, and they will no longer have to cross two lanes of traffic travelling at 100km/h, to wait for the bus in the morning.”
Mr Ryan, who recently made representations to VicRoads and The Department of Transport on behalf of parents from Sovereign Estate, said that the start of the Princes Highway Duplication between Traralgon and Sale meant it was important that the location of the bus stop was changed now before the works were completed.
“Requiring the children to cross the busy highway to wait for the school bus was a needlessly dangerous situation and with the highway set to grow from two to four lanes the situation was only going to get worse. It is pleasing to see that common sense has prevailed and the bus stop will be moved to a safer location,” Mr Ryan said.
“The children of Sovereign Estate will be safer and their parents can now worry less about sending their children off to the bus stop.”
Mr Ryan applauded the efforts of VicRoads, the Department of Transport and local bus coordinator Ron Wilson who worked together to find a solution to allow the bus stop to be moved off the highway.
“I would also like to congratulate the parents of Sovereign Estate who formed the Reid Drive Sub-division Bus Safety Group, led by Ann Thomson, and raised this issue with me. They have fought passionately to have the bus stop moved for the safety of their children and should be proud of this result,” Mr Ryan said.
Media contact: Ben Bulmer (03) 5144 1987
