Concrete discussions about bus stops in the central business district are yet to begin between the Launceston Chamber of Commerce and the City of Launceston.
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The chamber’s executive officer Neil Grose said he looked forward to discussions occurring sooner rather than later on the divisive issue.
“The chamber is looking for Launceston council to take the lead on the best location for the bus stops,” Mr Grose said.
“Reforming the City Heart Project Reference Group will be an important first step in developing the best solution for the bus stop issue.”
In August the council agreed to suspend planning of the St John Street revitalisation, which included moving the bus stops about 20 to 40 metres closer to York Street, while investigating other locations.
The decisions followed a push by local retailers who did not want the bus stops in front of their businesses.
“There are some easily fixed issues relating to bus timetabling and routes which could alleviate many of the perceived antisocial behaviour,” Mr Grose said.
“For example, the northern suburbs having a direct bus route between Mowbray and Ravenswood would eliminate the need for many people to transit through the City Centre in order to travel between the two suburbs. Extended waiting time for connecting buses also adds to the issues in the city.”
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Meanwhile the City of Launceston will not confirm the cost of hiring social entrepreneur Peter Kenyon as a consultant on the St John Street project.
“Consultant Peter Kenyon, a recognised national expert in his field, is assisting us with the proposed St John Street upgrade, exploring the perceived issues of anti-social behaviour surrounding the location of CBD bus stops,” acting general manager Michael Tidey said.
”The City of Launceston utilises the services of contractors and businesses in instances where we lack the expertise, skills, or resources to achieve a certain goal.”
Mr Tidey said when the projects budgets were formulated they were made up of the tasks and outcomes rather than the inputs, such as consultants.
“For each of these individual objectives, we may utilise the services of consultants; it depends on what is required to meet the project goal,” Mr Tidey said.
He said the council had utilised the services of three or four contractors as part of the investigative and design work for the proposed St John Street upgrade.
“In one case, a consultant used specialised equipment to identify utilities beneath the street, an ability the council does not have on its own, but which is required for the project to proceed without damaging essential infrastructure.”