Extra road work needed before new Whanganui bus shelter can be built

Mark Read says the current bus stop isn't very user friendly. Photo / Bevan Conley

Extra work will be needed before a new bus shelter can be built in the Whanganui suburb of St Johns Hill.

The site, near the intersection of Montgomery Road and Great North Rd/State Highway 3, is one of 15 new shelters coming to the city as part of a joint initiative from Horizons Regional Council and the Whanganui District Council.

Horizons transport services manager Mark Read said because it was on a state highway, additional requirements had to be followed before installation.

The Whanganui District Council is proposing to construct a recessed bay at the site to enable buses to stop clear of through-traffic lanes and the highway shoulder.

Read said the St Johns Hill stop and its associated work - ”planning, safety audits, etc” - was expected to cost about 10 per cent of the wider project budget, which is currently $1.1 million.

He said the current stop at the site wasn’t “very user-friendly”.

“The new shelter will provide a better connection to Virginia Lake and St John’s Hill School,” he said.

“It also comes at a time when Whanganui District Council has planned improvements in the area to support children crossing the road to get to and from school.”

Whanganui’s 203 bus route, which currently makes up 1.71 per cent of the city’s bus patronage, stops at the Montgomery Rd/SH3 site.

The stop is currently marked by a sign.

Read said the Whanganui Public Transport survey, conducted in 2021, showed that a lack of weatherproof passenger facilities was a key issue stopping many residents from catching the bus more frequently.

“We also know from the success of Te Ngaru The Tide that Whanganui residents will use public transport if it is designed around their wants and needs.

“We believe providing 15 new shelters with other improvements, such as real-time displays and lighting, will make catching public transport in Whanganui a better experience for new and existing passengers.”

Other sites in the project are spread across the city, from Karaka Street in Castlecliff to Holyoake St in Whanganui East.

Members of the public can provide feedback or raise concerns about the St Johns Hill shelter by writing to the Whanganui District Council by 5pm on Friday, February 9.

Mike Tweed is an assistant news director and multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.