Bus drivers have said a decision to move a parking bay from Marine Drive to on street parking has been "half-arsed" by Transport for NSW and Wollongong City Council.
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As part of preparations for Wollongong hosting the cycling road world championships, the current layover parking bay for buses on Marine Drive will be replaced by car parking.
Marine Drive will be straightened and made more safe in line with UCI regulations for the finish line of the international race.
The buses will instead be parked in on-street locations around the city until a permanent solution is found.
Transport for NSW has identified bus layover areas on Crown, Burelli, Harbour and Market streets.
Transport Workers Union organiser Bradley Gibson said a lack of a permanent arrangement left drivers without any certainty.
"You would have assumed that Transport for NSW and the local council would have had a permanent move, not this half-arsed move," he said.
Currently, bus drivers use the dedicated bus parking area off Marine Drive as a layover point between routes.
There, the drivers have access to public toilets.
Mr Gibson said an arrangement has been made with St Francis Xavier Cathedral for the 50 drivers who currently use the parking facility to access two portable toilets. Drivers would also be able to use Salvation Army bathrooms on Burelli Street.
Mr Gibson said drivers were supportive of moving the current layover parking facilities from Marine Drive and were aware for some time that the arrangement was only temporary.
"The bus drivers themselves have no great affiliation to Marine Drive, and there's no angst about being moved from Marine Drive."
He said basic facilities, including dual sex toilets and a break-room with a microwave, toaster and running water, needed to be provided at a permanent facility.
What was needed now was for drivers, council and the bus company to get together to find a long-term solution.
"We've had no consultation at all," Mr Gibson said.
"We'll be calling on the council, and the operator Premier Illawarra, to sit down with the unions and discuss how this is going to happen and who's going to fund the permanent facilities."
Council said once the site is converted to car parking after the bicycle race has concluded, an additional 70 car parking spaces will be available.
A spokesperson for Transport for NSW said the new arrangements would operate 24/7 except for on Burelli Street where the spot will revert to a taxi zone from 10pm to 7am.
"Transport for NSW will monitor operation of the temporary bus layover arrangements regularly and will work with bus operators to ensure bus operations in these areas have minimal impact," the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson apologised for any inconvenience caused to residents or businesses during the operation of the temporary layovers, which will be in place for nine months.
"Now that the temporary layover arrangement is in place, we will focus our investigations into how the layover arrangements and the bus drivers' requirements can be catered to after the event while ensuring the needs of transport customers are considered," the spokesperson said.
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