Our councils were involved with most of these events and deserve praise for the quality, quantity and variety of kaupapa our town has hosted. That’s the bouquets done with, now for the brickbats.
I love the theory of buses, it makes so much sense that everyone doing a similar commute every day should ride in the same vehicle with a jovial driver, always able to perk up your day with a smile. Of course, like most of us, I’m a hypocrite. The thing I like about buses is having lots of people on them taking up less room on the road so I can sneak through traffic lights in peace, alone in my car.
Now our visionary planners have decided to plonk bus stops in the middle of our busiest roads, forcing all cars behind the bus to stop, while passengers hop off and on. We will be forced to wait patiently as a bus rider waits for the behemoth to stop and open its doors, climb the stairs, find their card, swipe it, shuffle down to their seat and sit down.
Luckily we will be listening to the smooth sounds of Dire Straits on the stereo and we will have plenty of time to get to our next hui, so we will not explode at this inconvenience to our day.
With a little meditation, I have surmised that these new traffic-stopping bus parks are designed to help people who are not in cars! Not only is it faster for buses, it provides protection for cyclists and scooter users who previously had to risk their lives as they were forced into the mainstream of traffic. Now they can duck in behind the bus stop, hopefully avoiding the old lady waiting for the next bus.
In conclusion, these new bus stops are good for me, but only if they get more cars off the road so I can continue to selfishly drive by myself to work every day. Meanwhile, I will just have to turn up the music so the rest of Palmy doesn’t hear my frustration while stopped in the middle of Featherston St waiting for Mavis to find her bus card.
Dave Mollard is a Palmerston North community worker and social commentator.
