By Marcus Uhe
The lack of consultation over the location of a new bus stop on their recently-renovated nature strip has left the Crutchfield family in Clyde North “devastated”.
As part of the upgraded bus service for Route 898, to run between Cranbourne Station and Clyde North, a new disability compliant bus stop, with a concrete standing area, totem, and tactile surface indicators, will be placed on the nature strip outside their Heather Grove home.
The Crutchfields were informed in a letter from the Department of Transport received on Friday 3 June, after the location had been “thoroughly assessed” by engineers to ensure it met road safety guidelines, including visibility for passengers cars and bus drivers, requisite space for a 30-metre bus zone and not obstructing above or below ground infrastructure.
The following Monday, 6 June, Vanessa Crutchfield rung the Department of Transport to voice her concerns about the location, and requested a phone call with a representative from the department.
Central to her and her husband Paul’s worries are the regular deliveries of medical supplies for their one-year-old son, Caleb, who suffers from a medical condition.
The Crutchfields are concerned that these packages could be stolen by people waiting for their bus service, if left from their front deck in view of commuters.
Rather than receiving a phone call, the Crutchfields received another letter, that “totally ignored” their concerns and simply “reworded” their initial correspondence from a week earlier, Paul Crutchfield said.
Not satisfied, they then spoke to their local MP, Brad Battin.
The Gembrook MP listened to their concerns and spoke to Public Transport Minister Ben Carroll in Parliament, who, according to Minister Battin, assured him they would consult with the family.
Two weeks later, without hearing from a representative from the department, the family found another hand-delivered letter in their letterbox, telling them construction would begin on 14 July.
The Crutchfields carefully selected this block of land in 2017 to build what they hoped to be their “forever home” following months of travel, research and evaluation, and chose it specifically, in part, due to the wider streets and off-street parking available.
“When we purchased, we did our homework,” Mr Crutchfield said.
“We selected here because of the wider streets and we knew that there was going to be a reserve built on the other side, which would be great for a young family, and the off-street parking.
“Something like this is very hard to find; a lot of estates have narrow streets and if you get cars parked on either side, there’s only room for one car to come through. We thought ‘this is ideal’.”
The Crutchfield children, Ethan (nine years old) and Caleb (one) often play in the front yard and on the street, due to having a small backyard.
Now, the parents say they no longer feel safe allowing the boys to play there, due to the safety risk presented by buses and having commuters loitering outside their property.
The department told the family that a “compelling and proven road safety or accessibility” reason would be “only reason” they consider moving the stop.
Despite raising the close proximity to a roundabout and regular near-misses with dangerous drivers, who the Crutchfields say do not slow down as they go through it, they were still knocked back.
Add to this the noise disturbances from services running early in the morning and into the night, the $2000 spent on their nature strip renovation earlier this year and the privacy issue of the ability to see into their front hall way from the bus stop, the family are crushed.
“It’s devastating,” Mr Crutchfield said.
“We spent a fortune. You just want to be able to come home and enjoy your house, and for this is virtually the final straw.
“The department said if you’re concerned about people out the front, you should ring the police, but you’re putting yourself at risk if you ring police. Are they (commuters) going to take it out on you and your property then?
“Your home should be somewhere where you can come home and relax.”
Mr Battin said Minister Carroll has “failed in his duty” after assuring him that the family would be spoken to.
“We can handle sometimes when they push you off a bit, because they’ve got a job to do,” Mr Battin said.
“But I sat directly opposite the Minister, had the discussion with him at the table at Parliament and he specifically said, ‘I will follow this up, and I will ensure these families are consulted with.’
“After that, they get a letter than was hand-delivered, that everyone around here got, not just them. There’s been zero communication and zero consultation on something that I think could have been fixed.”
The Department of Transport said the location was chosen as it was the closest spot to the intersection of Heather Grove and Thoroughbred Drive that allows for the safe boarding and disembarking of busses.
The department also said the stop does not encroach private property.
“The Department of Transport carefully select bus stop locations to give the community safe and easy access to bus services and key locations around town,” a government spokesperson said.
