Council want answers on the lack of public transport in Dubbo's LGA

Cr Wright's notice of motion to have DRC Chief Executive Officer Murray Wood provide a report to the September Ordinary Council meeting providing an update on the implementation of the Dubbo Transportation Strategy was passed at the latest council meeting in June, 2022.

"Our region has been growing quite rapidly, the LGA has seen a 3.8 per cent growth from 2017 to 2021 and it is important that we focus on infrastructure to support this growth," Cr Wright said.

Cr Wright said the transportation strategy was one of the most important strategies to get correct.

"There is a number of facets to that including the Dubbo bridge, South Dubbo bridge and the distribution strategy of the road repairs," he said.

"We have to get council on the front foot to get our transportation options moving along."

With a lack in public transportation for the growing population, locals have taken the issue into their own hands.

Wilba the Empowerbus, a new bus service started this year for the Dubbo community by local resident Tsukasa Hiraoka, aims to fill gaps in local transportation.

Ms Hiraoka, a former lawyer and youth worker, had observed a lack of transport options which prevented some locals from meeting regular commitments like work, education, and health consultations.

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"The current public transport system doesn't meet a lot of the community's needs... which is why I wanted to create something that would be interactive, between passengers and transport organisers, so it could be flexible," she said.

Another transportation matter that council wants resolved is receiving funding for a heavy vehicle bypass of Dubbo.

Councillor Joshua Black mentioned that he had sent letters off to the State and Federal Government members to help fund the bypass route that was needed "desperately".

"We need the $75,000 from all levels of government, and we need to get on to it so we can plan for the future," he said.

"This would allow us to plan for future residential blocks, but I haven't heard back from any members of government."

Cr Black said he'd noticed that "everyone seems to get bypassed except Dubbo" and he would like to see the link connect with other heavy vehicle bypasses.

"We need the money soon so we can plan for the future," he said.

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