For parents in the Riviera Park community, letting their kids take the bus to school is a risk.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
Waiting along a busy highway for their bus to arrive, children stand while trucks, semi-trailers and cars fly past.
The stop, situated at the River Rd and Goulburn Valley Hwy intersection in Kialla, has become notorious due to its safety concerns.
The intersection has been in the headlines again recently, after two crashes within a week.
Riviera Park Estate Planning Committee convenor Greg Stevens said his community was fed up, and was demanding the bus stop be moved to a safer location and the intersection be upgraded.
“We have children getting on and off the bus on a 80km/h stretch of road,” he said.
The stop has been a point of concern for the residents for many years, who have been advocating to have it moved. So far, the stop has been shifted three times.
“(The bus stop originally) was on the shoulder of the Goulburn Valley Hwy, south of the service station,” Mr Stevens said.
“When we complained about the safety of children in that location, they then moved the bus stop into (the service station), which then they said ‘we don’t want to be liable for children getting off the bus’.
“So then the bus company moved it north of the service station, about 50 metres beyond the intersection.”
It now sits along the highway.
The bus stop isn’t the only concern within the community. The wider safety issue of the River Rd and Goulburn Valley Hwy intersection is one they want addressed.
Earlier this year, the committee undertook a new survey on issues in the community, with clear results.
“Ninety-four per cent of respondents said that the intersection upgrade was their number one priority,” Mr Stevens said.
“Another four per cent said it was their number two priority, so as a community, 98 per cent are saying this is within their top two.”
As for the bus stop, 57 per cent said it was a top five priority.
As part of Greater Shepparton City Council’s Australian Government Priorities 2025/26, a Greater Shepparton Road Network Resilience Package has been proposed.
With a proposed investment of $15 million to $20 million from state and federal governments, the River Rd/Goulburn Valley Hwy intersection would be upgraded with a new roundabout to improve safety for travellers taking the Shepparton alternate route.
Mr Stevens said the community was thrilled to see this listed as a top priority.
“It’s actually a shovel-ready project, so when the council released its advocacy priorities, as a community we were absolutely rapt to see that we were effectively the number one priority, I’d say, in an affordable project,” he said.
“The disappointing thing is, we’ve had two major incidents (recently) at this intersection, so that just highlights the issue that’s upon us.”
With the announcement of the intersection being a top priority, Mr Stevens said now was the time to move the bus stop.
“There’s an immediate solution now that the subdivision’s built inside the estate,” he said.
“There’s a route that the bus can travel that takes that risk away immediately.
“There’s a zero-cost solution to address the risk, and no-one’s actioning it.”
The committee’s proposed solution involves moving the bus stop into River Rd West, taking it off the highway.
“The bus can turn left into the estate, do a loop around the newly constructed subdivision, the kids can get on the left-hand side and then the bus can turn left with ongoing traffic,” Mr Stevens said.
“Our risk assessment has been given to council, and council has used that as part of its advocacy for us. Unfortunately, it’s fallen on deaf ears.”
Council has been supportive in helping advocate for the stop to be moved, but as this is a Victorian Government responsibility, only so much can be done.
“Council has been communicating and advocating to the Department of Transport since 2024 regarding concerns expressed to us by the community about the location of the bus stop at Goulburn Valley Hwy and River Rd West,” council director infrastructure Gary Randhawa said.
“Council understands that DTP (the Department of Transport and Planning) have been undertaking various assessments and investigations to inform any future improvement works to address these concerns.”
The News contacted the department for comment on the safety concerns raised by the community.
The department said a complaint was received in July 2024, and following assessment, it found the current stop was not determined as presenting an unacceptable safety concern.
“We’re always looking at ways to improve public transport in regional communities and welcome feedback on how services might be improved,” a department spokesperson said.
“Proposed locations are assessed by our safety experts in consultation with the bus operator and appropriate council representatives prior to installation.”
Journalist