Baldivis residents want new bus service

Baldivis residents are crying out for bus services as a lack of public transport leaves them stranded.

Brightwood Estate, between Sixty Eight Road and Baldivis Road, is home to about 200 people with that number expected to increase as the area expands.

It is just 5km from the suburb’s major shopping precinct — Stockland Baldivis.

A school bus runs through the estate but is available only for students travelling to and from school. Mother of two Rashmi Dandona said permanent public transport options were desperately needed within the estate.

Mrs Dandona, who does not drive, said the lack of a bus service meant she had to leave home several hours before work to allow enough time to walk to the bus stop.

She said it also made it difficult to drop her young children at school.

To catch a bus, residents are faced with a 22-minute walk along the busy Baldivis Road to the nearest bus stop at Furioso Green.

There is no footpath on either side of the stretch of road, which caters for traffic travelling at up to 80km/h.

Alternatively, residents could walk to a bus stop on Sixty Eight Road, which is about a 20-minute walk along another busy road.

A petition by Baldivis MLA Reece Whitby calling for bus services to be extended to Brightwood has gained momentum, gathering 100 signatures.

“Brightwood has a population of about 200, so getting half to sign is a very good response,” he said.

Mr Whitby said the Baldivis community had grown fast and as a result, some newer estates, including Brightwood, were left cut off from public transport.

“I had one case in Brightwood estate in Baldivis where dad was a tradie and needed his ute for work each day, and mum and very young kids are left with no way to get the shops or anywhere else,” Mr Whitby said.

“We have a very good public transport system in Perth but we need to ensure it keeps extending out into new and developing areas.

“Our new outer suburbs have as much right to bus services as any other part of Perth.”

Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said she was “open to the idea” of extending bus services to Brightwood estate.

“I am definitely open to the idea and have asked the Public Transport Authority to start community consultation to see if this has community support,” she said.

“We expect to be able to start community consultation within weeks.”

Mr Whitby is also campaigning for buses to service Emerald Park and Providence estates in Wellard, to better connect the areas to the train station and shops in Wellard Village.