Environment Canterbury signs off region's big public transport plan

Tuesday, 25 December 2018

121218 NEWS Photo: Joseph Johnson/StuffCentral city Bus Interchange. The building's ownership transfer from Otakaro to the City Council.

Environment Canterbury (ECan) approval of monumental upgrades to the region's public transport network comes with a warning about the price-tag.

The ECan council signed-off the Regional Public Transport Plan, approved by the Greater Christchurch Public Transport Joint Committee earlier this month.

Buses waiting to launch themselves on the city's roads.

The plan includes significant changes over the next 30 years, including:

- More new bus routes, including four new core routes across the city running every 15 minutes.

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- Running the five current core routes every 10 minutes.

- Rapid transit corridors to and from the north and southwest of the city.

- An emission-free fleet by 2030.

- A central city shuttle trial.

The between $150 million and $240m of infrastructure investment will be needed in the next decade.

At ECan's last council meeting of the year, appointed councillor David Caygill said the adoption of the plan marked the end of a lengthy process.

'What is proposed in this plan is a significant step up in terms of total service and cost. But it is good to know that step-up has come along with the support of the more than 700 submitters who participated in this consultation.'

Cr Cynthia Roberts said 'we are looking forward to saving the planet'.

Increasing the age from 18 to 19 for student concession fares – 'to capture those who are still at school' – and the ideas of priority lanes and park-and-ride, 'all of these have got dollar signs beside them'.

Cr Peter Scott said he was heartened to see the action plan stating that partners would have to work together to 'implement the network and service improvements at a rate which is affordable to the community and the users'.

'That gives me some cause for optimism. We are in a pretty tight space in terms of funding, so I would hope that we can get that bit right.'

Cr John Sunckell said the councils 'have to get this right'.

'Our budgeting is in a really tight place. Aspirations do not fill the needs, and if we need to find the money I'm not sure where we find it from.

'So, great to have the aspiration, great to do the wonderful things, but someone needs to pay. Increasingly we are asking more and more of our community and I'm not sure we can justify that.'

Cr Lan Pham welcomed having such a long-term strategic direction.

'I would like to see us be bolder about trying new things and we have been encouraged by submitters to this process.

'I get that that costs money, but we learn from that about what works and what doesn't. I'm really keen to see us actively enable this policy and encourage staff to be ambitious and innovative.'

Chairman Cr Steve Lowndes said the plan embodied a 30-year vision, a 10-year strategy and a three-year plan.

'It is many layered and it is far-seeing. It is a considerable piece of work.'

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