Changes to the intersection layout will include a small roundabout to make it easier for buses to get through the area. Image / Hamilton City Council
Changes to the intersection layout will include a small roundabout to make it easier for buses to get through the area. Image / Hamilton City Council
Work has started on the first of Hamilton’s 29 climate-friendly transport projects aimed at reducing transport emissions and making it easier for people to move around the city.
First up is a new roundabout at the Lake Road and Commerce Street intersection in Frankton project which will help unlock thecity’s newest bus route – the much-delayed Meteor service that will link the east and west of the city.
The city council says changing the intersection layout to include a small roundabout will make it easier for buses to get through the area. Other changes include installing raised zebra crossings at each approach to the intersection, and another at the nearby Rawhiti Street intersection.
The Meteor service would run every 15 minutes in both directions on weekdays, and half-hourly on evenings and weekends.
It would replace the two Silverdale and eight Frankton routes and remove the need to transfer to another service at the Hamilton Transport Centre to reach the other side of the city. The Meteor would use stops on Bryce St, outside the Transport Centre, to ensure an express route through the CBD.
The Meteor will replace the two Silverdale and eight Frankton routes and remove the need to transfer to another bus to travel between the city's east and west. Image / Go Bus
Works are expected to take about 12 weeks to complete – most of which will take place under a road closure at night.
The Meteor service was meant to launch in January 2022 but was postponed due to Covid-19 and major roadworks on Ruakura Rd. Then it was delayed again early this year because of a shortage of bus drivers. Then in May, Hamilton’s bus service operator Go Bus said it had solved the driver shortage after employing 31 new drivers.
The new roundabout is about 90% funded by the Transport Choices package, part of the Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency’s Climate Emergency Response Fund (CERF) programme, which will see 29 climate-friendly projects constructed in Hamilton before mid-2024.
Hamilton City Council’s Public Transport and Urban Mobility Manager Martin Parkes, who oversees the projects, says he is excited to finally break ground and is looking forward to the challenge ahead.
“There’s going to a be a steady flow of projects hitting the streets that aim to make it safer and easier for people to get around our city, no matter how they choose to travel,” said Parkes.
“There are some tight timeframes that we’re working to. It’s going to take hard work from our teams and some patience and understanding from the community to get these all wrapped up.
“We’re in a climate emergency and doing nothing won’t address the issue. The planet is telling us that the way we’re living isn’t working. Future generations are relying on us to make the right calls,” he said.
Waka Kotahi Manager Urban Mobility Kathryn King said: “Our streets need to change. It’s becoming clear that our communities want safer, more resilient, and adaptable streets with less traffic, so children can confidently walk or bike to school, and so people can consider getting to work on a bike instead of a car.
“The aim is to open up streets so everyone can get to where they need to go in ways that are good for their health and the planet.”
UPDATE:Since this story was first published, the Waikato Regional Council has announced that the Meteor service will be launched on Monday 28 August and everyone can ride the Meteor for free on the launch day,
Community information sessions
The new high-frequency service replaces the regular-frequency Silverdale (2) and Frankton (8) routes and some bus stops will be retired, so the regional council invites anyone affected to attend information sessions at Hillcrest Library (1 August, 3.30pm) or Western Community Centre (3 August, 3.30pm). More information is also available online at busit.co.nz or by calling 0800 205 305.
