Hidden Valley residents are urgently calling on the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) for a connecting public bus service to Wallan and surrounding areas.
Despite the necessary infrastructure already put in place, residents of the former country estate of Robert Holmes a Court must rely on private transportation methods to even exit the estate, which currently only provides a morning and afternoon school bus service.
Resident Helen Taylor, who has spearheaded a campaign on addressing the transportation crisis, said the lack of a public bus service was ‘nonsensical’.
“The residents of Hidden Valley Wallan need urgent help to access public bus transport to Wallan town centre and Wallan train station,” she said.
“There are more than 2500 residents of all ages living in Hidden Valley, with additional residents living at the aged care accommodation La Dimora.
“This entire public transport issue is nonsensical considering Hidden Valley is the oldest housing estate in Wallan and the only one that has no bus service.
“The other estates in Wallan that have a bus service are less populated. In fact, Springridge Estate has half the population of Hidden Valley, yet they have a regular bus service.”
For many residents, even eco-friendly transportation methods such as walking or cycling are not an option, as the 2.8km journey from Hidden Valley’s The Grove to Wallan’s Berry Saltbrush Drive/Springridge Boulevard—which hosts the closest public bus stop—leads onto the dangerous Northern Highway and would take 40 minutes by foot.
“Life is tough enough on families without the added stress of parents driving teenagers around, having to rely on a reliable vehicle to drive to the station, having no other option of getting around,” Mrs Taylor said.
“If you cannot drive due to a medical condition, you are stuck. Once you reach an age where it is unsafe for you to continue to drive, you are stuck.
“There are bus shelters already in place in Hidden Valley Resort for the school buses, so why no public transport?”
The concerned residents approached multiple organisations and members of parliament for support, including the DTP, Minister for Public and Active Transport Gabrielle Williams, Member for Northern Metropolitan Region Evan Mulholland, and Member for Kalkallo Ros Spence, who stated that DTP were investigating the request.
“I have been approached by residents in Hidden Valley calling for a bus service to Wellington Square and Wallan train station,” she said.
“I then wrote to [Ms Williams] raising the importance of this issue, particularly to young people, workers, and residents of the retirement village.
“The minister has responded noting that while there are no short-term plans for a service, she has asked DTP to take this request into account as part of ongoing network planning processes, and that DTP is investigating the request.”
Unimpressed with the generic response, which she has received from several authorities, Mrs Taylor argued that the request was not overwhelming.
“We keep reading the same words but Hidden Valley residents demand action. Enough is enough,” she said.
“[We’re not] asking for 10 buses a day, just offer us something so we can go shopping. Even three return daily public bus trips would keep residents happy for now, to get to work and back, and travel to Wallan for shopping and medical appointments.
“To be stuck without public transport … it’s quite reclusive once you’re here.”
