THE CITY is set to build a shiny, new bus station and roll out real-time timetabling technology which it says will revolutionise public transport in Bendigo – but it comes at a cost.
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Hargreaves Mall will lose an obelisk.
The structure formed part of the multimillion dollar upgrade to the mall in 2009 but will make way for an undercover bus hub, which the City hopes will be completed by the Labour Day weekend next year.
Council will advertise tenders for construction of the hub at the southern end of the mall over the coming fortnight.
City of Greater Bendigo chief executive officer Craig Niemann said the City was working with Public Transport Victoria to implement new timetabling technology which would be a first for regional Victoria.
“Buses are being fitted out with a GPS system and there will be a large electronic information portal which will tell you, for example, that Bus 5 is four minutes away,” he said.
“So people will be able to see how far away their bus is and not have to be standing around waiting for it.
“There will also be an app so that commuters can be shopping and keep on eye on their bus.”
As well as the information screens the hub will provide 80 square metres of undercover space with seating capacity for 45 people and standing room for a further 60.
It will also have two steel-framed structures which feature two large glass oval-shaped roofs.
“It is designed to help people enjoy the mall, it is not just bus users who will benefit from this but anyone who wants to take a seat under cover and enjoy that environment,” he said.
Mayor Peter Cox said the project was another way the City is implementing its Integrated Transport and Land Use Strategy (ITLUS) – endorsed by councillors last month.
“ITLUS is about encouraging people to look at walking, cycling and catching public transport as an alternative to using the car,” he said.
“Projects such as the bus commuter hub in the Hargreaves Mall help to make public transport an even more attractive option.”
Mr Niemann said the City was would award the tender within a month and begin work on-site in February.
He said the plans came after an extensive consultation process of more than two years, and that the City would work to minimise noise and impact upon CBD retailers.
“Most of the elements are being constructed off-site and will brought onto the site already completed, to make that part of the process as short as possible,” he said.
The structures and materials in the sacrificial obelisk will be reused elsewhere.
