news, local-news, Anketell St buses, Anketell St redevelopment, Tuggeranong redevelopment, South Point Tuggeranong, Tuggeranong Community Council, Chalisa Indian Restaurant, Brew Bar Tuggeranong, Little Istanbul Tuggeranong

Tuggeranong business owners, residents and community representatives say the resumption of bus routes on the near-completed north Anketell Street will be a deterrent to visitors and a danger to pedestrians. It is understood the street will open to traffic within the next fortnight after what some called a disappointing facelift. The ACT government project was expected to cost $3 million in total, including town centre path upgrades and a laneway connection that were still in the design phase. "Transport Canberra and City Services are considering the operation of buses on Anketell Street," a government spokeswoman said. "Following these considerations, a decision will be made on bus movements." Tuggeranong Community Council has been lobbying the government to ban buses in front of South Point shopping centre since 2017, when it presented a petition to the legislative assembly with more than 740 signatures. There is no bus stop on that part of the street because of its proximity to Tuggeranong interchange. "[Outdoor] diners are expected to relax in a noisy environment which is not conducive to conversation or good health as they are subjected to bus and car emissions," council president Glenys Patulny said in a letter to then-transport minister, Meegan Fitzharris, in May 2019. Ms Patulny said the council would also look at whether Anketell Street should be single-lane. The ACT government spokeswoman said it was not considering that change. Manager of Little Istanbul, Aika Naitoro, said keeping buses on the raised, shared-zone street was a "negative for everybody". Like many businesses on the food strip, Little Istanbul signed the community council's petition in 2017. There was little colour differentiation between the widened path and the road, and buses would have to brake more frequently on Anketell Street because of increased pedestrian traffic, Mr Naitoro said. "We have these awnings that go straight out to the road and so there's no actual barrier that a child would recognise," he said. "They're not stepping on the road, they're just literally walking out [because] it looks like a [pathway]. "It's definitely not safe." Mr Naitoro said the government's claim that they were looking into the possibility of banning buses on Anketell Street was a tactic to keep business owners hopeful and waiting. "I don't think they've even done anything because they haven't gotten back to us at all," he said. Brew Bar co-owners George and Peter Giannitsios, like Mr Naitoro, said they would support a move towards single-lane traffic. The "massive input" from their customers was that buses should not be allowed on the street, and more pedestrian space would allow for Sunday markets and social events. "There needs to be an ongoing commitment towards bringing in things that are for the people in Tuggeranong," Peter Giannitsios said. "Not just a road, not just a space, not just looking good; it's about how they use it. "That is crucial." Owner of Chalisa Indian Restaurant, Reddy Yangtesh, said he lost business while the street was partially fenced off during construction. The fences were removed last week, and he was relying on customers' wanting to return after its redevelopment was finished. "People will be dining here with noisy buses and their fumes," he said. Local resident Shell Keogh said she saw little improvement in the street days out from its reopening. "It's just really, really disappointing," she said. "They have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars and given us nothing again."

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