Ground broken in Whanganui bus shelter project

John Maihi and Carol Remaka (centre) bless the ground where one of 15 new bus stops around Whanganui is set to be built. Photo / Bevan Conley

Fifteen new bus shelters will be built around Whanganui with $1.1 million in funding secured from Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency.

The project is a collaboration between Whanganui District Council and Horizons Regional Council.

The weatherproof bus stops will feature bike racks, digital information boards and improved accessibility and lighting.

Horizons councillor and chairman of the passenger transport committee, Sam Ferguson, was at the blessing and said the start of work on the bus stops was another positive step in the journey of making public transport more accessible in the region.

“We’re putting 15 stops in, and our normal budget is two stops a year, so this is seven or eight years of investment happening in one year,” Ferguson said.

Once the stops were completed, he hoped they would make the Whanganui service more comfortable.

“Especially in weather, whether it’s a hot sunny day or a windy or rainy day.

Whanganui Mayor Andrew Tripe said it was great Whanganui was able to secure funding from the central government to make the local public transport system more attractive and viable.

“We’re now at a point in time where fuel prices are surging, reducing carbon emissions is a growing priority, and more and more households are feeling the pinch of increased costs of living.

“So as a district, we really should be doing all we can to reinvigorate our public transport system, and improving our facilities will play an important role in achieving that.”

Horizons manager of transport services Mark Read said the project was about removing barriers to make it easier for residents to use public transport services.

“One barrier, frequently cited by the community in the 2021 Whanganui Public Transport Survey, is a lack of comfortable passenger facilities. This project responds to that feedback.

“Each location has been chosen as they are near shopping centres or community hubs, and [will be] in an area already established as a high-traffic bus stop location,” Read said.

Ferguson said there was also work to be done on the main bus terminal on Taupō Quay, which would be carried out by both Horizons and the district council.

“At the moment, the bus stops are on one side of the road. We’ve got traffic coming out from Countdown, so there’s a bit of rejigging, but there’s some bigger questions there.”

Some of those questions revolved around the layout of the terminals, and whether there should be terminals on both sides of the street.

“But there’s also people crossing - it’s a busy place, and this is going to answer all of that, but it’s certainly on the radar,” Fergusson said.

Work is scheduled to start on the shelters this month, with all 15 shelters expected to be completed by May 2024.

Finn Williams is a multimedia journalist for the Whanganui Chronicle. He joined the Chronicle in early 2022 and regularly covers stories about business, events and emergencies. He also enjoys writing opinion columns on whatever interests him.