$11,000 bus shelter for six Sawyers Bay houses

We had a bus shelter built beside our property in Port Chalmers and we were never told about it. Only having heard through a neighbour that it was going in did we had any idea. The shelter had been moved from the proposed site at the convenience of the property owner to our common border. I laugh when I read about various consultations. When we called up we were told it isn't in front of our property so they didn't have to tell us. It doesn't make any sense. The construction didn't take very long at all so I am surprised at an $11,000 price tag.

If by 'vehemently defending the regional council' you mean trying to introduce a few facts and a little perspective into the conversation, sure, you got me.

Tell me something - how many times has the council saying "No, putting a Bus Stop there would be silly because there's no one there to use it" graced the pages of the ODT?
How many times do you think it's actually happened?

For example, the clean heat/air programme appears to be based on some less than exact science, and nothing I have seen to date suggests the air problem has improved. I am sure the good people of Christchurch regret removing their log burners when the power went out; look out Alexandra.

Right, and how much of that do you think is because the programme has been ineffective, and how much of that do you think has to do with what people do on 'rural production land'?. 

As for these vagaries:
Then the floodgate fiasco, where the ORC went looking for blood when it was their own actions that contributed to the issue.
The recent contracting out of services and increases in middle management is a perfect example of the inefficiency that pervades this council. It is a hangover from the Catchment Board mentality that won't go away. Perfect time to merge these councils.

You might want to try being a little more precise - do you know why the flood gates were dropped early? Do you know how old the protocol for dropping them is? Or for that matter are they still as effective as they once were? How much of an influence has changing land use had on their effectiveness?

As for the rest of it, as far as I know, the council has always contracted out at least some of it's work, so you're going to have to get more specific there as well.

I am still waiting to have my query responded to. That being: Were drivers on the Port Chalmer's route asked how often they were required to pick up or drop off at the Borlases Road bus stop? I strongly suspect rarely, if ever.

Instead of spending $11,000 on a bus shelter for those 6 homes, the ORC could merely have supplied each of them with a sturdy umbrella.

Nice to see you defending the ORC so vehemently Trippy. The list of 'things' the ORC does is extensive, but I have to say many of those responsibilities are probably not done very well.

For example, the clean heat/air programme appears to be based on some less than exact science, and nothing I have seen to date suggests the air problem has improved. I am sure the good people of Christchurch regret removing their log burners when the power went out; look out Alexandra.

Then the floodgate fiasco, where the ORC went looking for blood when it was their own actions that contributed to the issue.

The recent contracting out of services and increases in middle management is a perfect example of the inefficiency that pervades this council. It is a hangover from the Catchment Board mentality that won't go away. Perfect time to merge these councils.

Did you have to get a building consent for your work?
Did you have to get any resource consents for it?
Did you have to undergo any consultation with your neighbours before you could do the cladding?
It seems to me that people so far (in general) seem to be assuming that the entire $11,000 was spent on labour and materials, while ignoring the possibility that the ORC is as subject to DCC red-tape as any individual residing within the administrative boundary.

I do wonder where they are purchasing these bus stops from. Having just reclad my house and done some structual work, the money they have spent on one bus stop astounds me. Did they have it gold plated?

Yes, because Otago so obviously does not exist beyond the boundaries of Dunedin City, and the needs of someone in Queenstown are so obviously the same as those of someone in Dunedin.

If you're that concerned about it, why don't you write to someone and ask them for a refund of the 85c (yes, cents, not dollars) of your rates bill that the regional council spent on this bus stop?

Roller, gross inefficiency is how the ORC operates, didn't you know? When is this council going to be merged with the DCC to get rid of (at least) some of the dead wood and get a bit of professionalism into the things they (ORC) do? Of course, this will also require a clean sweep of the dead wood at the DCC as well.

You mean aside from air quality monitoring, water quality monitoring, dam safety, educating the public (including schools), contributions to the Orokunui ecosanctuary, providing funding for the Rescue Helicopter, providing funding for the New Zealand Animal Health Board, contributions to E-Can, Wanaka Wastebusters, and Otago Forward, the work done with dairy farmers regarding effluent managment, ongoing monitoring of RHD effectiveness, the Lower Clutha, the Lower Taieri, East Taieri, West Taieri, and Tokomairiro flood and drainage control, clean air clean heat, and the Go Card - to name a few things that can be gleaned from a casual perusal of the ORC website.

One would have thought that it's not a question of pursuing the heady aim of installing bus shelters everywhere, but rather deciding where they will be actually used. I presume one would not reside at Sawyer's Bay without owning a vehicle and thus relying on a bus service. Did the Regional Council first consult with its bus drivers to ascertain how often they picked-up or dropped-off at this particular bus-stop? Thereby predicting how much "return" would be gained from an $11,000 outlay?

Living in Dunedin has become outrageously expensive for those on a limited income. We have been behind with the rates demands for some time but have just coughed-up $200 of ORC arrears after being chased by debt-collectors. That bill had been at the bottom of our priority list as we have never quite understood what it is they charge for apart from maintaining plush offices, staff on comfortable salaries and subsidising a bus service. Thanks to the above article we now have a better understanding of what our $200 has helped pay for.

The DCC needs to change the design of the current green bus shelters. They fail to stop the wind, rain and sun, and are extremely dark. When it is pouring down from any given direction, the insides flood so you have to stand in water. They are so narrow and awkwardly built, leaving room only enough for three people. You are bound to be soaked if it is raining and windy at the same time.
On cold winter days the wind whistles through them, leaving elderly occupants shivering and children with runny noses.
I am aware that the current green bus shelters have some Victorian influence reflected in them and that is why they are built that way, but I am afraid they are all form without function. They are heavy cumbersome structures which cost a lot to build and do not work.
I hope the people of Sawyers bay manage to get different bus shelters that work.

I am quite happy for bus shelters to be installed wherever they are required but do question what they cost. $11,000 suggests there are gross inefficiencies involved. Just one of the many areas that need sorting, come October.