A REDLAND Bay woman says she has given up on visiting Victoria Point over her anger for TransLink's decision to move a bus stop away from the suburb's main shopping centre.
Ellen Morris, 78, said the distance between the new bus stop on Cleveland-Redland Bay Road and Victoria Point Shopping Centre was too far for elderly people to walk, particularly if they used mobility aids.
She said she was a regular on the 250 bus that travelled from her house to the Bunker Road stop outside the shopping centre but had decided to boycott the new service over concerns for the extra walking distance.
"We used to get off at the old bus stop, walk into the shopping centre, get our groceries, get back onto the bus and go home," Ms Morris said.
"Now I have to walk from the road where the bus stop is and it is twice as far into the shops.
"I can't take my walker because I take a trolley to put my shopping in. When I've got my shopping I have to go all the way over the other side of the road to catch the bus home."
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Ms Morris said she was told to catch a bus from the old stop to the new stop but was not willing to pay the fare to travel a few hundred metres.
"It is twice as far for me to go, which is terrible because I can hardly walk, and it's costing me a lot more money," she said.
"I can catch a bus in and get a taxi back but it costs me $13. A pensioner can't do that."
A TransLink spokesman said the new bus stop was accessible to all customers and in a more central location to the local business district.
"(It) has been built close to local shops, services and amenities to provide more flexibility and cater for future growth in a thriving community," he said.
"Improved on-time running, an increase in bus bays to six, new station facilities, better network access and security are some of the most significant benefits to customers since the station opened on December 16."
The spokesman said customer liaison officers were on site for three weeks to hand out flyers with updated timetables and to assist people with the changes.
"This included CLOs being positioned at the old station on Bunker Road to direct customers to the new station," he said.
Redlands MP Kim Richards said plans were being considered for a footpath that would provide easier access to Victoria Point Shopping Centre.
"We are also looking at shopping trolley amenities and more seating in the shade," she said. "There are a whole range of things on their way."
Ms Morris said she was not interested in shopping at Victoria Point anymore, and had decided to travel on her mobility scooter to shops near her home.
"I rung up TransLink and went crook. They have buggered up my shopping days. I can't even look around at the shops to see if I need anything," she said.
"I am just not going to go shopping in Victoria Point anymore. I am so disillusioned with TransLink."
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