By ALESHA CAPONE
BRIMBANK City Council has been campaigning for a frequently-vandalised bus shelter in Sunshine to be replaced.
Last week, Star reported a bus shelter in Forrest St, near the corner of Anderson Rd, had smashed panels and graffiti covering it.
Public Transport Victoria (PTV) has a contract with the company Adshel to manage bus shelters across 21 municipalities in Melbourne – but Brimbank City Council are responsible for maintaining the Forrest St shelter.
The council’s general manager of infrastructure and environment, Paul Younis, said records “suggest” the Forrest St bus shelter is the only remaining one in the area under council management.
“All other bus shelters within the municipality are maintained by Adshel,” Mr Younis said.
“Council is pursuing Public Transport Victoria and Adshel to have the bus shelter replaced with an Adshel bus shelter.
“The bus shelter on Forrest St in Sunshine is inspected on a monthly basis for which graffiti vandalism has been removed at least 12 to 20 times in the last 12 months.”
Mr Younis encouraged commuters who witnessed vandalism to contact police immediately and provide them with as much detail about the incident as possible.
A PTV spokesperson said other damaged bus shelters in Brimbank could be reported to the Adshel hotline on 1800 501 402.
“Bus shelters provide passengers with protection from wind and rain, as well as seating, and vandalism can impact their use,” she said.
“Vandalism of any transport infrastructure is a serious concern, and we encourage the community to report anti-social behaviour to the police.”
