Relying on the Bus in Canberra

© Depositphotos.com/@alliesinteract

After the morning's commute of 10km that, time-wise, was the equivalent of travelling from Penrith to Sydney, I thought I should take stock and reflect on the journey. It was obvious that traffic congestion on Gundaroo Drive may have had something to do with it, especially during Canberra's "peak moment".

But this evening, after staying back at work to participate in some of the many O Week activities, the bus journey home proved that things have simply gotten worse.

So at 7:30pm, as I walked to the bus stop on Hayden Drive, I watched, from 40 metres away, as the No. 250 sailed on by. No problems, it arrives every 15 minutes. Apparently.

At about 8:00pm, the next No. 250 arrives. By 8:15pm, I am at the Gungahlin Interchange.

But the No. 56, the only bus that goes to Palmerston (which used to go from Belconnen to Gungahlin), now starts at Gungahlin. At about 8:30pm, the number 56 arrives. It drops me off at my stop by about 8:45pm. 

No peak moment traffic, no nothing. But 15 minutes slower than this morning's trip during "peak moment".

Is my complaint unjustified? Is it really that improbable that more than one person needs to get from Belconnen to Palmerston, one of Canberra's most densely populated suburbs?

It is so bad that if I didn't find it a useful time to get through my reading list while sitting on the bus, I would probably move to Sydney so my commute time was not so onerous!

Time for Action: Get your kicks on Route 56

Base image © Depositphotos.com/@zager

A flat tyre on my bike and an approaching deadline left me with two choices: drive to work or be organised enough to catch the No. 56 from Palmerston to UC. I was organised enough so at 8:03am, I stepped onto the bus in Palmerston. 

Arriving at work, 10km away, I stepped off the No. 250 at 9:00am precisely. This represents a new level of inadequacy on the sole bus service for my suburb. Almost one hour to travel on the bus. The same trip can be covered on a bicycle in 30 minutes, and about 10 to 15 minutes in the car, depending on traffic.

But what is remarkable about this problem is that the latest Action bus timetable has made the Palmerston bus service worse than ever.

When I first caught the No. 56 bus back in 2005, it went from Palmerston out onto Gundaroo Drive and then on to UC in 15 minutes. Almost the same as the car. But then in about 2010, some bright spark thought that the service would be better it if went via Gungahlin. So, in effect, I got on the No. 56, went to Gungahlin, stayed on the bus, travelled back past Palmerston, then on to UC. Total travel time 30 minutes. About the same time as the bike.

But today, I discover the No. 56 ends at Gungahlin. So, too, it seems, does the No. 57. This explains why, when I miss the No. 56 and I ride down to Gundaroo Drive to intercept another bus there, I watch as at least two buses "Not in Service" travel past me quite smugly until the 250 comes along.

So the bus driver informs me that the 56 now ends at Gungahlin. I got kicked off Route 56. 

I wait patiently for the 250, and then, in gloriously bureaucratic efficiency, I arrive at my destination in twice the normal time. Thankfully, I use my time on the bus to read. Mostly, I use the bus/bike combo because it is relatively cheap and it means I do not have to waste fuel or pay for parking. Even though most bus stops are quite a walk away from wherever I want to go, it is so much easier when you can cycle to and from bus stops. 

But I can only imagine what it must be like to rely on the bus for the daily grind. Imagine living in Palmerston and working in Belconnen? A one-hour commute. That is the equivalent of living in Penrith and commuting to the Sydney CBD. This is hardly the way to encourage people out of their cars. It also makes the plight of Palmerstonians, in Canberra's most densely populated suburb, that much harder.

Want to get your kicks on Route 56? Then it's time for Action.

Book Notes: "Full Circle: How the Classical World Came Back to Us" by Ferdinand Mount

Full Circle: How the Classical World Came Back to Us by Ferdinand Mount

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


At first I thought this book was a typical airport read and I regretted purchasing it. But I pushed on and found, although the author's thesis was sufficiently unsupported by evidence other than what one might glean from travelling around a bit, that I quite liked the Richard Dawkins bashing section enough to give it a go. There are some useful references to a number of other works I would like to read, and otherwise I am glad to have finished the book. Nevertheless, I must be more careful in future about how I choose my books. Airport books tend not to deliver value for the time spent - time that could be invested reading more important works. But we live and learn I suppose.



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