The Star: March 22, 2018

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‘Don’t cut bus routes’ – Dalziel
• By Bridget Rutherford
Steve
Lowndes
MAYOR LIANNE Dalziel has
a message for Environment
Canterbury – don’t cut six bus
routes just yet.
She and the city council will
ask ECan to find other ways
to plug the $4 million funding
shortfall, possibly through a
two-year
targeted rate
increase.
“I acknowledge
that there
is a funding
shortfall and
that ECan has
no more public
transport
reserves to fall
back on. But
there is more than one way for
ECan to address that,” Ms Dalziel
said in her weekly column
for The Star.
Ms Dalziel and city councillors
will finalise a submission
on ECan’s draft long term plan
today urging it to keep the
routes for two years while the
Regional Public Transport Plan
is finished.
The Regional Public Transport
Plan, due to be finalised in
November, will introduce a new
bus network within two years.
NO DEAL: The city council is urging Environment Canterbury
not to cut six bus routes.
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
“In the short term, council
strongly urges Environment
Canterbury to investigate additional
financial options (or
increased utilisation options)
while the transition to the new
public transport network occurs
over the next two years,” the
draft submission said.
ECan announced last month
it was considering cutting six of
its lowest performing bus routes
to plug a funding shortfall,
prompting outrage. It asked for
feedback.
The routes included the 107,
108, 135, 145, 150 and 535.
Ms Dalziel said the city council
would recommend ECan put
a two-year targeted rate in place
to manage the shortfall while
the Regional Public Transport
Plan is done.
“Personally, I believe that NZ
Transport Agency should have
intervened to provide additional
short term subsidies rather
than allowing this piecemeal
approach to what is a network of
bus routes.”
ECan chairman Steve
Lowndes said ECan asked
NZTA for an additional subsidy
but got a “negative response.”
“We’re bending over backwards
to find a solution which
doesn’t have a catastrophic effect,”
he said.
“We now sit down and listen
and the message we’re getting
is this is not a popular move.
We’re stuck between a rock and
a hard place because we can no
longer subsidise these routes out
of our own money.”
He said a two-year targeted
rate would increase rates to
above six per cent, which they
were trying to avoid.
NZTA regional relationships
director Jim Harland said it
and ECan had a responsibility
to ensure they were investing
“wisely” to public transport.
“Looking closely at these
routes indicated they were
unlikely to increase their
patronage and that it would
mean an increase on the local
rates and the Transport Agency
subsidy.”
Public transport is funded
from an NZTA subsidy, bus
fares and ECan rates.
Patronage has never recovered
following the February 22, 2011,
earthquake.
The city council also opposed
ECan’s plan to reduce the total
mobility subsidy.
Consultation closes on Monday.
•Mayor’s column, p15
Thursday March 22 2018
• By Julia Evans
Fire rages, homes at risk
Orbiter
patronage
in decline
A STEADY decline in patronage
on the Orbiter has been attributed
to a regenerating central city.
A staff report to Environment
Canterbury’s greater Christchurch
public transport joint committee
regarding Metro bus patronage
for the last three months said
the route has seen a decline since
mid-2015.
“This may be an effect of changes
in trip-making patterns as people
move back onto radial routes into
the city,” the report said.
With the loss of the central
city following the February 22,
2011, earthquake, the Orbiter,
which takes passengers through
suburbs, via shopping centres, had
a significant boost in passenger
numbers.
“In the post-earthquake years
the Orbiter was the mainstay of the
network, with substantial increases
in patronage from the pre-earthquake
base,” the report said.
In November 2010 the Orbiter
carried 175,000 trips while in November
2017 it carried 190,000.
The route is responsible for 17
per cent of the entire network’s
trips.
What’s important for
Christchurch over the
next 10 years?
Meet with us at a local community board event
and tell us what’s important to you.
Have you checked your
underfloor repairs?
This is the sort of ‘repair’
we are finding.
Thursday 22 March
5.30pm–7pm, Linwood Boardroom,
Gate B, 180 Smith Street
7pm–8pm, forum at Lyttelton Community
Boardroom, 25 Canterbury Street
Friday 23 March
10am–12 noon, drop-in at Hornby
Community Care Centre, 8 Goulding
Avenue
Saturday 24 March
9am–11am, stall at the Christchurch
Farmers’ Market, Riccarton House
Thursday 29 March
11am–1pm, Bishopdale Mall
(outside New World supermarket)
Have your say on our
draft Long Term Plan
ccc.govt.nz/ltp
The draft Long Term Plan is available at
our libraries and service centres
Wednesday 4 April
5pm–6pm Akaroa wastewater community
update,
Akaroa Sports Complex,
Rue Lavaud, Akaroa
6pm–7pm draft Long Term Plan forum,
Akaroa Sports Complex,
Rue Lavaud, Akaroa
Wednesday 11 April
4pm –7pm, drop-in at Level 2,
Civic Offices, 53 Hereford Street
We will go under your house and give you
peace of mind for free.
Ph: 03 377 8855 | 130 Ferry Road, Christchurch
E: reception@earthquakeservices.co.nz | W: www.earthquakeservices.co.nz
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