Bay Harbour: February 28, 2018

PAGE 8 Wednesday February 28 2018
BAY HARBOUR
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Your Local Views
New plan
saves Lyttelton
car parks
• By Sarla Donovan
FIVE PARKING spaces will now
be retained after criticism over
changes to bus stops and parking
in central Lyttelton.
As part of a proposal in October
last year, the city council wanted
to remove five parking spaces on
Oxford St, near the Winchester
St intersection, to improve sight
lines for pedestrians using the
crossing – which it intends to
make permanent.
But after public opposition to
the loss of on-street parking, the
city council proposed an alternative
crossing design. It would
result in safety improvements and
retain some on-street parking, according
to a city council report.
A school safety zone is in operation
in the area, so the speed limit
will be lower at times when the
crossing is in high use. The other
changes include two existing bus
stops on Winchester and Oxford
Sts being replaced by one about
50m north along Oxford St; a new
bus stop seat; extending time-restricted
parking outside Lyttelton
Primary School and extending
the no-stopping area on Oxford St
north of London St.
Work is set to start in April/
May and will cost about $60,000.
Have your say on bus routes
Port Hills
MP Ruth
Dyson wants
people to
have their
say on the
city’s public transport
system
AS WE go through the first
anniversary of the Port Hills
fire and the seventh anniversary
of the February 22, 2011,
earthquake, my thoughts are
with all those people for whom
these anniversaries bring back
the sadness and loss of that time.
We have shown how strong
we are as we support each other
through the hardest of times,
and anniversaries are another
time when that support is
needed.
My thoughts are with you all.
The post-quake environment
changed our city – especially
where people lived and worked
and how they get about.
Environment Canterbury
has been working with our city
council to look at transport
needs and I think the big picture
it is considering should be commended.
The Greater Christchurch
CUTBACKS: The Eastgate to Lyttelton and Rapaki bus service
may be cut as ECan looks to plug a $4 million hole in its public
transport budget.
public transport joint committee
is also doing good work,
finally bringing the roles of the
regional council and the city
council together (obviously with
central government through the
New Zealand Transport Agency
as well). But there are some immediate
challenges to be faced.
There is a $4 million hole in
ECan’s public transport budget.
As a response to this, it is proposing
to axe six routes which
are not well used, including the
Eastgate to Lyttelton and Rapaki
route.
It is also proposing to remove
the subsidy which disabled people
currently have on their fares.
I fear that we are on a continuing
downward spiral with
public transport and that it
might be time to take a fresh
approach about how investment
could improve usage and end up
with more people using our bus
service than currently do.
It has certainly improved
since 2011, but is still not paying
its way.
How much cross subsidy
should there be for those people
in areas which have no alternatives
other than private car use?
Is our model broken or does it
just need tweaking?
This is a really important issue
and ECan want to hear your
views. I encourage you to make
a submission on the Long Term
Plan which just opened this
week.
Have your say while you can.
•To make a submission
on ECan’s Long Term Plan,
visit https://www.ecan.
govt.nz/your-region/plansstrategies-and-bylaws/
long-term-plans/
•More local views, page 10
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