Taieri residents looking for improvements to bus routes will have an opportunity to share their ideas at a public meeting next week.
Bus Users' Support Group Otepoti Dunedin will present a vision for integrating and improving several bus routes through Green Island at the meeting in the Kirkland room, St Margaret's Presbyterian Church, Green Island on Monday, at 11am.
Group co-president Alex King said passengers on the southern routes of the Otago Regional Council's Dunedin bus network had been calling for improvements for some years and only a few problems had been resolved.
"The area has poor connections to South Dunedin, only available via the city centre, and access to Concord and Kaikorai Valley is less than ideal.
"Brighton passengers need to make an unreliable connection at Green Island which often causes delay to other services.
"Their bus always travels via Abbotsford, adding unwelcome minutes to their journeys."
The regional council recently announced it would consider providing buses to Dunedin Airport, which provided an opportunity to revamp buses for the whole area, Mr King said.
"As an airport bus would probably involve increasing services between the city and Green Island, there is a chance to provide an additional local route to the city via Concord, Corstorphine and Caversham, as has long been requested."
He said buses that terminated near Green Island could be extended to a new, larger Green Island bus hub.
"Brighton, Kaikorai Valley, Corstorphine, Mosgiel, the airport and the city via motorway routes could all converge every 30 minutes to exchange passengers then continue on their way.
"Abbotsford could have its own bus loop and not impose its transport needs on other bus users."
Mr King said Green Island should not be seen as an area where bus routes end without connecting with each other, but as "a southern gateway to the city, where journey opportunities are increased".
Comments
Unfortunately I'm overseas now and can't attend the meeting so adding my two cents here.
Bus route from Brighton/Waldronville to the city is an absolute and utter joke. It takes ridiculous time (because of the Abbotsford loop) and money (because of connection with Mosgiel bus). No wonder almost nobody uses it. And if I swallow extra $ for connection, the Abbotsford loop renders the whole route 70 nearly redundant - to an extent that in off peak time sometimes drivers don't even make the loop (!) and go directly to Waldronville to drop me there and then never go to Brighton (!). They are not afraid of being reported because nobody uses the route anyway.
Communities as far as Portobello and Palmerston have direct connection (and still have suggestions). My question is why Brighton area doesn't deserve a dedicated bus link?
I'd love to get rid of second car for my family but I can't. At the moment the only more or less practical option to use the bus is to cycle to Green Island connection and transport the bike on bus rack (subject to weather, free slots on rack etc.).