Bus shelter plans halted as costs soar

Costs of funding bus shelters in Dunedin have "skyrocketed", leaving the Otago Regional Council unable to afford its proposed new shelters.

Under its GoBus improvement programme, the council had committed to provide shelters on inward services by June 2013.

That meant funding 252 shelters in addition to the 208 already in operation.

Since 2007, the cost of the shelters had increased from $6000 to between $12,000 and $15,000, meaning the council could face a future bill of up to $3.7 million for the shelters.

Corporate services director Wayne Scott said at a finance and corporate committee meeting yesterday costs, not just for construction, but also for consenting, had "skyrocketed".

"It's an incredible amount of money, and way beyond us in the budget."

The regional council funded the shelters, but the city council was responsible for installing them.

About two-thirds of the cost went on the shelter and one-third on the consenting and planning costs.

"Our main concern is the vision . . . takes no account of funding," Mr Scott said.

Cr Michael Deaker said he had "lost track" of the number of times the council had talked about the issue and discussed it with the Dunedin City Council, yet nothing had happened.

"It's exceedingly frustrating," he said.

Chairman Stephen Cairns said he was "sick" of seeing people unsheltered in bus stops when the council was trying to encourage people to take public transport.

Dunedin city councillors on the joint transport working party were also frustrated about the lack of progress, he said.

A delegation of regional staff and councillors needed to sit down with its equivalent at the city council and try to move the issue, he said.

Cr Duncan Butcher said that as the regional council paid for the service, it should have another look at the cost of the shelters.

Cr Bryan Scott asked whether the planning and consenting component of the costs was being used effectively.

Councillors agreed to take another look at the bus shelter component of the passenger transport plan.

rebecca.fox@odt.co.nz