'Tough decisions' needed to address four-year delay in Tauranga in installing bus shelters

The battle for new bus shelters in Tauranga city continues. Photo / File

The long, long wait for new bus shelters in Tauranga has prompted declarations from Bay of Plenty's leaders to up the ante against the "nimbyism" holding up progress.

The issue resurfaced at a Bay of Plenty Regional Council Public Transport meeting on Thursday.

Tauranga City Council director of transport Brendan Bisley presented an update on infrastructure projects including a bus stop improvement plan that was increased to allow for 30 shelters - from a total of 400 - per year.

Earlier this year the council was criticised by Western Bay of Plenty mayor Garry Webber who questioned why the city council had been investigating the installation of new bus shelters since 2017, but yet to install them.

Western Bay mayor Garry Webber says tough decisions need to be made if the city council is ever going to install new bus shelters. Photo / File

The meeting heard the delay was due to objections from residents refusing to allow bus shelters outside their properties.

Bisley, who only took on the role in recent months, told the meeting the council now had to wait for Bee Card data to accrue to justify installing shelters at locations of high demand. This followed consultation on 40 potential shelter locations in December 2019.

Tauranga mayor Tenby Powell said the city could not afford to be held back any longer on the delayed bus shelters.

"We are stopping the erection of bus shelters so elderly people and parents with young children are left standing in the rain or sweltering sun. We are getting to the point where we need bus shelters. I appreciate we need to take the community's interests into heart but I think there's a tail wagging the dog here," he said.

"It seems to me it's been talked about for years. It would be great if we could do this."

Regional council deputy chairwoman Jane Nees said the council offered funding to help with the roll out of shelters as "we will be very keen to help, there just seems to be barriers thrown up that are unnecessary".

Tauranga City mayor Tenby Powell says it seems the delay in installing new bus shelters has become like the tail wagging the dog. Photo / File

Webber told the meeting he doubted there were legislative issues affecting the installation of the bus shelters, referencing a call for a bus shelter in Te Puke that took his council just six weeks to complete.

"If nimbyism is the problem you are never going to achieve anything. That's where we are going to have to make some tough decisions."

Committee chairman Andrew von Dadelszen said everyone was frustrated about the time it was taking to install the city bus shelters.

"We really do want to see progress in this area and very soon. The regional council is open to helping with this, this is something we see as a priority here.

"If we want mode-shift, this is a must-do, not a want-to-do."

In response, Bisley said his team had "heard loudly and clearly" the desires of elected members and would take these on board. There were already high-level conversations happening with regional council regarding funding, he said.