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Parents are concerned Transport Canberra's new public transport network will put students at risk, forcing them to cross dangerous roads and adding excessive time to trips between home and school. Alison Simmons is worried about the safety of her children, after changes to the network mean her children's school bus has been replaced with convoluted possible trips involving multiple buses and either walking or bike riding. The suggested route option for Cerys, 12, and Rhiannon, 14, to get from their home in Fadden to Alfred Deakin High School by 9am is to cross the congested roundabout at the intersection of Erindale Drive and Sternberg Crescent, catch a bus to Woden and then change on to a school bus service for the final leg. "They can't [cross the roundabout]. That's why I don't know what to do. It's too dangerous," Ms Simmons said. Ms Simmons said she was among families who had chosen the government high school, which Fadden Primary School fed students to, because there were buses that linked their suburbs to it. Ms Simmons said she stood to earn less each month if she picked her children up from school. "It's basically a service that was there that's been taken away," she said. "We couldn't take part in the consultation process because no one knew how they would be impacted." The executive officer of the Association of Parents and Friends of ACT Schools, Jenni Rickard, said the new network was disappointing and while some schools had successfully advocated to retain services, others were ignored. "It is disappointing because the number one cry from the community is their concern about the safety about children," she said. Brindabella Christian College principal Christine Lucas said there would be serious increases in travel times. "My concern remains as it has been, that the consultation process did not really respond to the needs of the college community," she said. "We lost a couple of families at the end of last year in anticipation to the cuts of bus routes. That wasn't just dedicated bus routes, that was change that we had already been told about." ACT Council of Parents and Citizens Associations spokeswoman Janelle Kennard said the council was concerned children were at risk of being killed or injured crossing busy roads to and from school. "Our concern is not so much the distances the students will have to walk to get the bus – up to half-a-kilometre – but that groups of teens will need to cross busy roads, some well outside the school's 40 kilometre an hour zone," she said. Reaction to the new public transport network has been mixed from community councils, with some frustrated by the prospect of longer journey times and others pleased with the response to the feedback they provided. Woden Valley Community Council president Fiona Carrick was concerned about the reduction in services frequencies from Woden to the city in peak hour. "Basically the number of services reduce from 60 to 40 over the 7am to 9am period and further reduces to 23 services in school holidays," Ms Carrick said. "Under the new timetable, during school holidays it looks like the number of services will be more than half of what we currently have." Inner South Canberra Community Council chair Marea Fatseas and the Old Narrabundah Community Council's Bronwyn Shirley both pointed to the loss of a direct bus service to the Fyshwick Fresh Food Markets and the Canberra Railway Station. "This has implications for people carrying luggage ... and groceries," Ms Fatseas said. Ms Shirley said there was no adequate crossing from the rail station to Canberra Avenue to catch the new R2 rapid bus service. But Weston Creek Community Council chair Tom Anderson and Belconnen Community Council president Glen Hyde said the changes were better than expected. "Weekends are still a little light on but it did improve," Mr Hyde said. Mr Anderson echoed the concerns about weekend services but said the network was better than anticipated. "I think in essence they've done a pretty good job of listening to what the community asked for," Mr Anderson said. The redesigned public transport network starts on April 29, with light rail expected to start at the same time.

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