It is crucial Dunedin's planned bus hub is "inclusive and accessible'' for all people and that mistakes made with the new Christchurch bus hub are avoided.
Those comments came yesterday from Chris Ford, kaituitui (co-ordinator and organiser) for the Disabled Persons Assembly NZ's Dunedin and districts branch.
He was making submission on behalf of the branch on the Otago Regional Council's draft 2016-17 annual plan, to an ORC hearing panel.
The DPA strongly supported the regional council's planned Dunedin bus hub concept, and was pleased the hub designers were "almost ready to publish their draft design'', Mr Ford said.
The DPA's support was with the proviso the hub be made "inclusive and accessible'' for everyone, including disabled people.
"We don't want to see a repeat of the unfortunate experience in Christchurch's new bus hub,'' he said.
In that case an "accessible toilet'' had been placed on the wrong side of the road.
"Mistakes like this can be costly and, above all, inconveniencing for us as disabled people,'' he said.
Having disabled people and "all potential users'' involved in the Dunedin design process meant that mistakes could be avoided, and, accordingly, "facility costs will be lower and manageable for ratepayers'' in the future, he said.
Dunedin city councillor Andrew Whiley, in his submission, urged the ORC to introduce, as soon as possible, live bus tracking technology to alert bus users to when buses were coming, to encourage more people to use buses.
ORC hearing panel chairman David Shepherd said an ORC staff report on bus transport options would be presented to the ORC's next round of committee meetings.
