Aussie family is furious after the council relocated a bus stop directly outside their home without consultation
- Family living in Oakleigh South, Melbourne are furious at set up of new bus stop
- Bus shelter was moved 12m down the road and sits directly in front of their home
- Hoa Tran said Department of Transport ignored her when she raised concerns
- She says she is worried she’ll be involved in a collision as the bus blocks visibility
- Department of Transport said the location chosen was the ‘most appropriate’
A family are struggling to get into their driveway after a bus stop was set up directly in front of their house without any consultation.
Hoa Tran, her partner Nam Nguyen, and their two children, have lived in their home in Oakleigh South, in Melbourne‘s south-east, for seven years.
The nearby bus stop had been out the front of their neighbour’s property, but when a developer came in and bought the block of land, the bus stop was moved 12 metres down the road.
The shelter now sits directly outside Ms Tran’s home, with the mother saying she struggles to sleep due to the sound of the buses frequently driving past.
The family were sent a letter from the Victorian Department of Transport informing them of the location change, and were told to contact the department if they had any concerns.
Hoa Tran, her partner Nam Nguyen, and their two children, have lived in their home in Oakleigh South, in Melbourne’s south-east, for seven years but now claim they struggle to get into their driveway after a bus shelter was set up outside their home
But Ms Tran claims when she and her partner tried several times to call and email the department, their complaints were ignored.
It wasn’t until the day before the construction was to begin that Ms Tran heard back, and was given a picture of what the bus stop would look like.
That picture showed a street pole that had a bus stop sign on it, and didn’t show the shelter that now sits outside her home.
She claims she had no chance to object to the shelter’s construction, with the bus stop now directly outside her front gate.
‘We were in a bit of disbelief when we first heard about it,’ Ms Tran told A Current Affair.
The bus shelter was recently relocated 12 metres down the road and now sits outside the family’s home – much to their frustration
She said the bus makes it hard for her to see oncoming cars as she lives on a main road.
‘I’m worried about how we’re going to get out and how we’re going to get in,’ she said.
‘It’s fully blocked visibility, we can’t even see the traffic lights.
‘We can’t even get into the driveway because the bus is there, and if we try do that there is a high chance we could get hit by the bus.
‘All of the oncoming traffic, we can’t really see them. We’re always scared we’re going to T-bone someone or someone is going to T-bone us in an accident.’
Ms Tran was told by the department that the bus stop had to be moved as the developer subdivided the land next door and was putting in a second driveway.
The family were shown a picture of what the bus stop would look like but the shelter was not seen
A spokesperson for the Kingston City Council said they granted permission to relocate the bus stop ‘on the proviso that the neighbours were consulted’.
‘Since then, Council officers have been strongly advocating on behalf of the neighbour to the DoT for Public Transport Victoria (PTV) to properly engage and calling for an onsite meeting,’ they said.
‘We will continue to push for PTV to consult appropriately.’
A Victorian Department of Transport spokesperson said they relocated the bus stop to ‘provide accessibility and connectivity’ for passengers.
‘We considered alternative locations, consulted with the resident at the adjoining property, responded to feedback raised and provided a copy of the design drawings,’ they said.
‘Following inspections by engineers, in collaboration with council and the bus operator, as well as consultation with the resident, we have determined the location chosen is the most appropriate.’
Advertisement
