Last week, the Public Transport Users Association said existing 15-minute intervals between buses on the arterial - which crosses Knox from north to south - were not good enough.

PTUA’s Outer East Convenor Jeremy Lunn applauded the introduction of the bus lanes, but said they would be better justified if frequency was improved to services every 10 minutes.

“If you are putting in bus lanes you may as well put in more buses, that’s the reason they are there,” Mr Lunn said.

He said buses running at 10-minute intervals was equivalent to providing capacity for 400 cars an hour, and would attract more bus users.

State Government spokesman Chris Owner said action was being taken to boost public transport in Melbourne’s east.

He said the 901 SmartBus had become the second most popular bus route thanks to additions such as the bus lanes and would monitor the route to see if changes were necessary.

Meanwhile, letters continue to pour in to Leader from irate readers labelling the Stud Rd bus lanes as stupid, dangerous and unnecessary.

And letter writers have also railed against Knox Council’s endorsement of bus lanes on busy Wellington Rd.

State MP Kim Wells and Taylor Ward councillor Darren Pearce have also joined in the fray, expressing opposition to the idea.

Ferntree Gully MP Nick Wakeling has also written to residents asking their views on the issue, with more than 95 per cent in opposition to the bus lanes.

Source: Knox Leader