Bus service improving
Challenges with bus services was discussed during the public forum of the Otago Peninsula Community Board.
Otago regional council implementation lead for transport Julian Philips addressed concerns regarding the crowding on buses and concerns about pupils having to stand at times on the route and whether there were options for additional bus capacity.
Although the number of bus services had increased across the city and driver numbers were also recovering, there were still some challenges to adding services until driver numbers increased further.
Mr Philips said he took the bus service a number of times to observe for himself the numbers and on the days he was travelling their were only a few people standing.
An issue of a child who had been exhibiting poor behaviour on the bus had been addressed with parents and school involvement and he understood the child was no longer using the bus service.
Project funding increase requested
Community boards have requested an increase in their project funding.
During his update to the community board councillor Andrew Whiley highlighted that in the annual plan there was a request for an increase in project from the $10,000 it has been since 2004.
"I think that there was a clear understanding that that needs to be raised from $10,000."
This could potentially be about $21,000 in line with inflation or another figure to be settled upon, Mr Whiley said.
Tomahawk landscape plan discussed
Otago Peninsula Community Board chairman Paul Pope discussed the tomahawk landscape plan during his report to the board.
When the Tomahawk school was demolished about five or six years ago the land was to sit fallow for about a year and then a draft landscape plan was to be created that would be shared with the community for discussion. However, it seemed this had not been progressed.
Dunedin City Council group manager parks and recreation Scott MacLean said at the time there were very diverse ideas about what to do with the site, and the original idea was that the community would discuss and bring an idea back to the council, from which a draft landscape plan could be prepared.
However that never happened and so the council had been waiting for an idea to be brought to them. In the meantime a very straightforward landscape plan was being developed which would leave most of the site open for future plans and simply clear up some of the rougher areas of the site with some planting, Mr MacLean said.
