Bus drivers boycotting stops seen as unsafe

Buses will not be stopping at this Royal Tce bus stop in Dunedin from today because of concerns...
Buses will not be stopping at this Royal Tce bus stop in Dunedin from today because of concerns about safety. PHOTO: GERARD O’BRIEN
Several bus stops will be boycotted by bus drivers in Dunedin because of safety concerns and more could be added to the list.

Drivers would not be stopping at King Edward St opposite Heffs Hotel, at 68 Royal Tce or the Normanby terminus from today, the Dunedin Tramways Union said.

Another nine stops would be banned later if changes were not made.

The action follows the Dunedin City Council allowing bus stops with design faults to be reinstated after roadworks, instead of redesigning the stops to remove flaws, the union has said.

Insufficient space had been allowed for buses to enter stops, move close to the kerb and exit, the union argued.

The 13 stops on the list were all put back into service after work was carried out.

The public bus service in Dunedin is overseen by the Otago Regional Council, but the city council maintains roads.

City council transport group manager Jeanine Benson said the council was aware of the tramways union’s concerns and was working with the regional council to deal with them, where possible.

Regional council transport manager Doug Rodgers agreed the two councils were working on the issue and said the city council would implement any changes.

The tramways union raised the issue at a city council annual plan hearing this week.

Union vice-president Peter Dowden said the council was fixing many flawed stops, but then effectively adding new ones.

"The city council staff probably consider replacing like for like during regular road maintenance to be a completely reasonable and prudent activity," Mr Dowden said in his written submission for the union.

"But our drivers see a road being closed for repairs, then reopened in a newly renovated state but with the same design faults.

"There is an enormous mismatch between the city council's and drivers' expectations."

Stop the buses

Banned bus stops

 - King Edward St, outside Heffs Hotel

 - 68 Royal Tce

 - Normanby terminus, both stops in either direction

Potentially banned

(from a later date)

 - Princes St, opposite Jean McLean Pavilion

 - 280 Andersons Bay Rd

 - Jervois St, cnr Crawford St

 - 97 Ashmore St

 - 111 Ashmore St

 - 62A Corrie St

 - 71 Bay View Rd

 - 111 Quarry Rd

 - 108 Quarry Rd

Comments

Dock their pay. Problem solved.

Unfortunately the drivers are so arrogant and when confronted with a problem they throw there toys out the cot, They run red lights cut people off not giving way applying there own road code. They Pull into stops with 1/2 bus out in the lane whist nothing is Infront of the bus stop. Thease are ment to be professional drivers but are anything but I won't take public transportation because A the drivers B no safety C No seatbelts and abusive kids.
+ my car has 2 seats it's at %50 capacity all the time ... Wonder what the CO2 output one person makes when there the only one on the bus going to Wakari? What a joke.

 

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