A group of Ashtonfield residents have successfully lobbied to stop school buses from using their street.
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The battle between major bus companies and the residents in Celebes Street started after bus drivers began using the small side street as a short-cut between two local schools in the area – Hunter Valley Grammar and Ashtonfield Public School.
Resident Philip Naughton said in the past three years the number of buses using the street had increased to more than 20 every morning and afternoon.
This caused problems for both residents and traffic as the buses caused congestion in the small street and posed safety concerns.
“It is a serious safety concern,” he said. “Sometimes you have buses banked up down the road, with cars parked either side there is no way for traffic to get through.
“The buses are destroying the street and there are big potholes.
“But my biggest concern is the school kids walking up and down here when a bus comes around the corner.”
Neighbouring resident Rodger Blewitt was fed up with the large vehicles using the street and started recording the bus movements.
“You just have to look at the state of the road to see they are not meant to be using it,” he said.
“There is the issue of safety but also there is the noise factor.
“This is a residential street.”
When the Mercury visited Celebes Street on Monday afternoon, 10 buses used the route in a 15-minute period and caused congestion where the street meets Norfolk Street.
A Hunter Valley Buses spokesman said Celebes Street was part of the approved route for several school services but did understand the concerns of residents.
“The company has issued a notice to drivers today to ensure that no other buses use the street,” the spokesman said on Monday.
“Hunter Valley Bus drivers are very much aware of safety issues when using suburban streets.”
The day the notice was issued the company also posted a worker on the street to record any vehicles using the short-cut.
Now the residents group plans to get the street removed as an approved route for all bus companies.