Interchange row: No Tauranga CBD owner 'wants bus stops by their property'

The new location of bus stops in Tauranga’s city centre have been described as "sub-optimal" by businesses and the commission.

A permanent CBD bus interchange location was decided at a Tauranga City Council meeting on Monday.

Six bus stops will be spread along the southern section of Durham St, between Elizabeth and Spring streets.

The estimated cost is $5 million and two rain gardens will be removed to make way for the stops.

Streetscaping, road strengthening and wastewater upgrades on Durham St, competed in 2019, cost $10.5m.

Initially the council proposed two 90 metre “bus super stops” on either side of Durham Street at the Elizabeth Street end.

This was met with opposition from landowners and businesses who had concerns about the visibility of their frontages and antisocial behaviour.

At a March meeting, the commission deferred the decision and asked council to engage with the affected people.

Workshops were held and council staff came up with four options for the bus stops.

Speaking in Monday’s meeting public forum, Sustainable Bay of Plenty executive director Glen Crowther said all four options presented were "sub-optimal".

Crowther said he worked on Durham Street so was involved in the engagement.

“The issue is no property owners anywhere in the CBD … want bus stops by their property. That seems to be the fundamental issue.”

The council should focus on its strategy to deliver a better public transport system, said Crowther.

Getting more people on buses would not happen if the council put a sub-optimal CBD bus interchange in place, he said.

"We think you need to pay far more attention to what bus users want than what private property owners want."

Collier Consultants founder Aaron Collier — representing developers Classic Group and Zariba Holdings — said the option of the six stops was worse than the council’s original proposal because it blocked legal access to their site.

Classic Group and Zariba Holdings jointly owned land on Durham St and had a "significant redevelopment" planned for 142 Durham St.

Collier raised concerns that there wouldn’t be enough space between the bus shelters and the buildings behind to have "active frontages" for business and walkways for pedestrians.

Collier and Crowther both suggested an off-street bus interchange.

Frances de Vantier of Guideline Investors, owners of 162 Durham St, said they were determined to prevent the bus stops from being installed.

"As proprietors of four active shopfronts along Durham St, the prospect of installing bus stops with these shelters, poses a significant threat to the commercial viability of our tenants' businesses."

She was also concerned about the loss of on-street parking that would occur from the bus stops and the narrowness of the street.

Council principal investment advisor transport Tom McEntyre said the council acknowledged the bus stops required compromise on multiple fronts.

The recommended option of six stops between Elizabeth and Spring streets presented the "best outcome", he said.

"This option does present the best outcome for the greater good of the city, the greater good of the users of the [public transport] service, but for the longer term as the city centre development continues at pace"

The council was also working to secure a lease for an empty site at 199 Cameron Rd that buses could use as layover when they weren’t in use, said McEntyre.

This would significantly reduce the amount of stationary buses in the city centre and improve people’s experience, he said

Commission chair Anne Tolley said the bus stops were conditional on getting a layover space because the noise and disruption from buses idling was unacceptable.

The dilemma the commission faced was where the city bus interchange should go, she said.

It was originally in Willow St but was relocated to north Durham St in 2022 as a temporary solution.

Commissioner Shadrach Rolleston said all of the options were "suboptimal".

"Everybody’s got a view and a perspective and ultimately they don't want either in front of them."

It was also not optimal from accessibility point of view, he said.

"So [we’re] trying to come to a compromise solution that no one's going to be happy with."

The six-stop option provided compromises across the board, said Rolleston.

Tolley said the city centre was in a transition and the Durham St stops may not be the solution in 10 years’ time.

The completed "major rebuild" of the CBD would be the appropriate time for a successive council to relook at solutions for bus stops, she said.

Detailed design work and consultation with the stakeholders wouldcontinue. Construction of the bus stops was expected to begin in mid-2024.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air