December 4, 2009
MEDIA STATEMENT

Sydenham bus priority lanes essential component of citywide bus priority plan

Environment Canterbury strongly supports the Christchurch City Council’s planned bus lanes and other public transport improvements on the Colombo Street south route, says Cr Carole Evans, who chairs the regional council’s public passenger transport portfolio committee.

Environment Canterbury plans and funds Christchurch’s Metro services and the City Council manages the roading networks and bus and cycle lanes with transport agencies. The City Council also looks after bus stops.

The Colombo St south route is a key city arterial and includes the frequently congested southbound section between Moorhouse Avenue and Brougham St, Sydenham.

“These plans have been in the pipeline for a number of years and have been through a very thorough process,” says Cr Evans. “This is part of a city-wide strategy to speed up bus journeys and make times more reliable. The community has regularly told us that bus time reliability is essential if they are to leave their cars at home, making it a priority of the Christchurch Metro Strategy.

“Environment Canterbury stands alongside the City Council on this issue – it has to happen if we are to effectively tackle rising congestion levels. Making buses faster and more reliable means more people will use them, more often, meaning less cars on the road. This benefits bus passengers as well as car users, cyclists and pedestrians.

“The southbound section of the corridor through Sydenham experiences long traffic queues at evening peak times, with tailbacks from the Brougham St traffic lights. Bus lanes in operation at peak times on weekdays can make a huge difference to improve bus travel times,” says Cr Evans.

“There will of course be times when there is less congestion, but these bus priority measures are designed to keep working in the years to come when traffic gets heavier. Even now though, Metro travel times vary a lot which can deter would-be passengers. We need to act now to give new passengers the confidence to give public transport a go.”

At peak times, buses can average speeds as low as 16 km/hr on Colombo Street, with even lower speeds in some places. By creating a dedicated lane for buses, they can travel at a higher and more consistent speed.

“The City Council introduced similar measures on Papanui Road recently and already we’re seeing the benefits. Metro travel times northward are faster and more reliable.

“There are seven bus routes that will benefit from the Colombo St measures, including services to Lyttelton, and six others across south Christchurch.

“Whilst I can appreciate the Sydenham business owners’ concerns, we are in changing times, and there is now a need to strike a balance between on street parking convenience for a few, and keeping our main arterial roads moving at rush hour. Otherwise, our roads will grind to a halt and our city as a whole will really suffer. I understand the City Council is providing extra parking nearby as compensation, and this seems a fair compromise.”

ENDS

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