Botany and Ormiston Times, May 17, 2018 by Times Media

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Botany and Ormiston Times, Thursday, May 17, 2018 — 7

transport

Petition to bring back old bus routes ■■By Therese Henkin

ommuters are struggling and more frustrated than ever as Auckland Transport’s new Eastern bus network proves it’s not faster and more convenient for everyone. One local commuter Khorshed Tarapore launched a petition calling for AT to reverse changes made to the east Auckland bus network and bring back a number of old bus routes. The petition has amassed almost 1500 signatures and hundreds of comments of support. The university student says since the new bus changes were introduced on December 10, 2017, her commute into the city is significantly longer and more difficult. Where previously Tarapore caught a bus direct from her home in Pah Road, Cockle Bay into the city, her commute is now two hours long including a 20 minute walk to the bus stop and one bus transfer. “They have taken something that was so convenient and turned it into something that is inconvenient and

Khorshed Tarapore has launched a petition to show Auckland Transport how many people are disadvantaged by AT’s new network in east Auckland. Times photo Wayne Martin

difficult, and then AT tell me the new network is more successful,” she says. The university student says the bus connections are unreliable and she often finds herself having to

wait for a connecting bus because the bus is too full of passengers or running late. Tarapore says Cockle Bay has been completely left out of what was pre-

viously one of the most popular bus routes - the 550. While she does have the option of catching a bus from Howick to her home on Pah Road, she says this bus only runs every hour during nonpeak times meaning it rarely fits in with her bus schedule. Tarapore reached out to her local MP Simeon Brown, who recently held a public meeting where locals could speak directly with AT about transport concerns in east Auckland. The meeting had a turnout of around 200 local residents, many of whom expressed dissatisfaction with the new bus timetables and routes. A Half Moon Bay resident who didn’t want to be named says she now has to take three buses to get into Auckland City. “I think Bucklands Beach, Half Moon Bay and Howick have completely fallen off AT’s map and its unacceptable,” she says. Tarapore said she decided to start the petition after seeing how “ignorant” AT was at the public meeting. “They just kept saying bus usage had increased, and weren’t listening to the people who were now having

to walk 20-40 minutes to their nearest bus stop, or transferring buses multiple times, or simply choosing to drive rather than deal with public transport,” she says. “I hope this petition shows just how many east Aucklanders from basically every area are being disadvantaged.” Tarapore says she hopes AT will reinstate the 550 bus route from Cockle Bay to Britomart and the 552 bus route from Bucklands Beach to Britomart. AT spokesperson James Ireland says the new bus network will undergo a routine review in June or July of this year, six months after it was introduced, but says it’s unlikely to result in whole routes being reinstated. “The new network is designed with more frequent, shorter services that provide better links to rapid transport such as trains, busways and ferries which are unencumbered by regular traffic,” he says. “It’s more likely that any changes made will be tweaks to the timetables rather than changing whole bus routes.”

public meeting

Opinions divided on regional fuel tax ■■By Therese Henkin Dozens of locals say the Auckland Council’s Regional Fuel Tax (RFT) will be detrimental to those in lower income brackets. A public consultation was held at the Pakuranga Bowling Club on Thursday evening where residents shared their views with Mayor Phil Goff. Goff said Auckland’s transport and congestion problems are a result of the city’s rapid growth with not enough investment in infrastructure. The RFT of 10c per litre would generate another $1.3 billion dollars to put into various transport projects over the next 10 years. He says this would help create improved bus services, build more walkways and cycleways and help improve road safety to give people alternative options to driving. “It’s not going to cure all, but it is going to help us make public trans-

port a more attractive option for people which will help ease congestion in Auckland,” Goff says. The biggest concerns of the residents were that the fuel tax would have the most impact on lower income residents. “People who earn less have less efficient vehicles which use the most petrol, and these are the people who are going to struggle the most with this fuel tax and that’s not fair,” one resident said. Goff said fuel costs was a relatively minor contributor to struggling members of the community in comparison to rent prices and other bills. He says Auckland is facing a standstill as infrastructure improvements fail to keep up with the growing population of Auckland and to do nothing would be more detrimental. “We can’t do nothing because we are a growing city and in no time we will find ourselves completely grid-

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locked.” Another resident was not opposed to paying to have Auckland’s transport systems improved but suggested a rates increase was a better way to get the money. Goff said Auckland Council opted out of increasing rates because there is no relationship between rates and how often people use transport systems. “I am a strong believer in usage fees, so the people who are actually using a service are the ones paying for it.” He also said by specifying that the 10c regional fuel tax will go towards transport improvements means the money cannot be diverted to any other unrelated projects.

Mayor Phil Goff answered questions on the regional fuel tax at a recent public meeting. Photo Therese Henkin

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