Residents ‘up in arms’ over loss of two bus stops in $1.4m project

Tuesday, 1 October 2024

Two bus stops are being moved about 100 metres to be beside a planned pedestrian crossing which will no longer go ahead.

The works are part of the $1.4 million Thorndon Quay Hutt Road project, which aims at “providing sufficient capacity for growth in public transport”.

NZTA pulled the plug on a raised pedestrian crossing after $213,000 had already been spent.

But the bus stops near Gun City on both sides of Hutt Road are still planned to be relocated about 100 metres to sit beside the now cancelled pedestrian crossing.

Wellington City Council spokesman Richard MacLean said the pedestrian project and the bus stop relocation project were separate. The bus stops were being moved to improve access, journey times and reliability for bus users as well as moving the stops closer to the ferry terminal.

As well, the two bus stops further down the road, on Hutt Road at Sar Street and on Thorndon Quay opposite Tinakori Road, will be removed. MacLean said the relocation would make it easier for residents who had lost those bus stops.

“As part of the project design Thorndon Quay bus stop locations were analysed by Metlink and rationalised for efficiency,” he said.

Other works in the Thorndon Quay Hutt Road project include reinstatement of the road pavement, building the separator island, a pedestrian crossing for the cycleway on the rail side of the road, new foundations for the bus shelters, street lights, the real time bus information signs, new storm water assets and relocating some existing services.

The $1.4m did not include the cost of two new bus shelters which could not be relocated and would be funded by Greater Wellington Regional Council.

Diane Calvert labelled the council project “wasteful spending”.

She questioned whether the works were worth it, as she believed a limited number of people used the bus stops outside Gun City.

“All the businesses up that way, one's a scaffolding business, one's a car repair place, It's not the sort of retail shops that you go to.”

She said the efficiency gains were not worth anywhere near the cost of making the changes, and the money could have been put to better use, like fixing pipes.

The cost saving from removing the crossing near Gun City is approximately $114,000.

Calvert said residents affected by the loss of the two bus stops were “up in arms,” as they would have to walk further to either Thorndon Quay at Motorway or Hutt Road at Aotea Quay.

Greater Wellington councillor Simon Woolf said the removal of the two bus stops was “not public transport friendly,” especially for Wadestown residents.

“If something doesn't need to be fixed, why spend money on it?”

He was unsure if Greater Wellington could fund the bus shelters with the recent funding loss from NZTA.

*CORRECTION: In an earlier version of this story, Simon Woolf’s surname was incorrect. (Amended: Tuesday October 1, 2024 10.06am)