Noise from buses excessively idling in the early hours is making Rossi Street residents restless.
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From babies to the elderly, and shift workers, residents are being routinely woken by Transborder buses that are idling for up to an hour outside of the depot before starting routes.
The excessive idling of 13 buses is taking place between 6am and 7am, Monday to Saturday, residents say.
Moved by drivers from the depot to Rossi Street, the buses are parked just metres from homes.
The buses service schools and other routes, primarily to Canberra and Queanbeyan, after 7am.
“This has been going on for almost two years,” said Lisa Kassouh, whose property faces the depot.
It sounded 'like I’m at an airport'.
- Rossi St resident
She booked accommodation in Batemans Bay just to get away from the noise after recent surgery.
Another resident said the noise from the buses was so loud, it sounded “like I’m at an airport”.
They say bus drivers have been argumentative and laughing when approached with noise complaints.
Noise complaints are usually referred to the council, police or the Environment Protection Authority (EPA).
The company has since emailed its drivers to tell them to turn off their engines after they pull out of the depot to park on the street.
Residents contacted Yass Valley Council, but the noise continued.
The council said it investigated the issue 12 months ago and found the bus depot was operating in accordance with local planning laws.
A council spokeswoman also said its policy on ‘Truck and Transport Depots in Rural Areas’ did not apply to the Rossi Street residents’ circumstances.
That policy states that heavy vehicles should not be parked within 100 metres of any residential building.
Yass Police Inspector Alison Brennan looked into the issue after being contacted by Yass Tribune.
Police can issue a noise abatement direction for which the fine is between $250 to $500, after two warnings.
Transborder told Inspector Brennan it had picked up additional services in the past two years, but conceded the buses only needed to be idling for five minutes on ignition, prior to service.
The company has been operating at its Rossi Street location since at least the mid 1980s, Inspector Brennan said.
The company has since emailed its drivers to tell them to turn off their engines after they pull out of the depot to park on the street, within five minutes, she said.
Inspector Brennan said if the noise complaint continued, the next step would be for the council to re-evaluate the noise with a measuring device.
Police can issue a noise abatement direction for which the fine is between $250 to $500, after two warnings.
The council can issue a noise abatement order for which, if breached, the fine is more than $1000.
The Tribune has requested data on emissions from the EPA, and on the cost of fuel from the Transport Workers Union (TWU).
