Risk of rock falls rules out Marne St bus stop

A bus stop in Marne St has been ruled out by officials, who say it would be too unsafe due to the risk of nearby rock falls.

Dunedin City Council transport group manager Richard Saunders told board members at the Otago Peninsula Community Board meeting on Thursday last week the temporary bus stop on the Anderson's Bay Inlet causeway would remain for the time being.

The peninsula community has been calling for a permanent bus stop and shelter for school pupils.

Mr Saunders said from a "design point of view'' a Marne St bus stop was a good option, but surrounding rocks made it unsafe.

"The advice from the geotech engineers once they had gone up and had a look ... was that having a bus stop under that cliff is not a safe thing to do,'' Mr Saunders said.

"Which unfortunately puts us back to the original position where we can look for something around Portobello [Rd] and Portsmouth [Dr] or see if the bus route changes.''

Community board chairman Paul Pope and resident Jason Graham presented a 960-signature petition to the Otago Regional Council this month calling for small changes to the peninsula timetable and route.

During last week's meeting, Mr Pope said the petition was "reasonably well-received'' by the council.

Mr Pope called for Mr Saunders and the Dunedin City Council to urge the regional council to change the bus route so that it follows Shore St or Portobello Rd, because there was "no ability for a decent bus stop other than the causeway''.

Mr Saunders said it was not the DCC's job to agree on changes to bus routes.

"If the ORC want to change the route we would prioritise a contract to get the infrastructure in ... because it's an issue now.''

The stop on the causeway was not the ideal solution but was the best option at present, he said.

JESSICA.WILSON @thestar.co.nz