The wheels on the bus don’t go around here
Yet again the Otago Regional Council has deferred the provision of direct public transport between Dunedin and Oamaru — for "at least" three more years (ODT 12.6.25).
Will it ever happen? This service is needed now. Oamaru and its environs has a growing population.
Those who make these decisions about public transport (or the lack thereof) clearly fail to understand that about a third of the population does not drive or have access to a car.
One key reason for needing public transport here is that there is a substantial population of elderly people in this area, and some of these people have complex health needs. Anybody who lacks access to a car but has to travel from Oamaru to Dunedin must stay in Dunedin overnight as return trips on the same day are not possible using the only current public transport option.
Oamaru is the fourth-largest town in Otago. The largest three — Dunedin, Queenstown and Mosgiel — have Orbus services. Mosgiel is only very slightly bigger than Oamaru.
People in the much smaller settlement of Palmerston, in the south of Waitaki district, benefit from several Orbus services to Dunedin each day. Orbus fares are much cheaper than those charged by Intercity.
Instead of procrastinating, why can’t the ORC extend the Orbus service from Dunedin to Palmerston to include Oamaru? This should be relatively easy and quick to implement.
Back the mine
The planning reports recommending Oceania’s applications to the ORC, Waitaki District Council and Dunedin City Council to expand its goldmining operation at Macraes be refused all fail to adequately recognise the enormous ongoing economic and social benefits to Otago of the mine over the last 20 years which far outweigh any minor loss of indigenous wildlife and habitat.
The loss of 12 rock tors of potential lizard habitat must be viewed in context of the fact that there are literally tens of thousands of rock tors in the schist country of Macraes, Strath Taieri and Central Otago. It is simply ridiculous that the presence of a single moth could possibly curtail such an important project when there is no evidence whatever of a larger viable population of the moth.
As for the so-called wetlands, it is acknowledged that they are ephemeral and it is likely that the government’s proposed changes to the definition of a wetland will in any case result in them not being classed as wetlands that need any protection at all. The so-called pristine tussock lands allegedly being destroyed are in reality depleted native pasture and weeds that have been grazed for well over 100 years.
The council planners and the environmental consultants involved in the peer reviews of Oceania’s supporting documents are simply not reading the room and appear to be operating from some narrow private ideology. The government’s fast track legislation cannot come soon enough and will hopefully end this sort of nonsense.
End is nigh
Peter Foster (Letters 9.6.25) is right to say New Zealand is deluded if it thinks it can influence climate change by itself, but we won’t be doing it by ourselves. The oil companies have been exiting the retail of petroleum products for three decades now.
In the meantime China has positioned itself to dominate the new electric vehicle market with help of governmental subsidies. Increasingly long-haul truck transport in China is electric with computer-controlled vehicles and an individual supervising the operation in the cab.
Our politicians would do well to plan for an electric future now. The age of the Clydesdale is over.
Lower bridge speed limit gives bikes a chance
Your piece on the speed limit on the SH1 Waitaki bridge (12.6.25) did not include concerns of non-motorised users. I made the crossing by bicycle a year or two ago as part of a cycle tour back to Oamaru thinking there must surely be some provision for cyclists, this being the only bridge on the river for 60km.
There isn’t and cycling across the bridge is a frightening experience. All you get are 5-6 refuges about 200m apart and a tiny walkway for pedestrians — your only option is to pedal as fast as you can between the refuges to avoid the trucks coming up behind, whose drivers have no way of safely passing you if there is traffic coming the other way. Going north there are no refuges and both walkways are too narrow to walk your bike.
It isn’t safe for cyclists and it isn’t safe for pedestrians. A lower speed limit is essential for this reason alone.
At today’s traffic volumes 80kmh at least gives walkers and cyclists a fighting chance of making the crossing alive. Probably worth the loss of 15 seconds per delivery.
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