A shake-up of Hawke’s Bay’s bus network has frustrated some Hastings residents who don’t want bus stops installed outside their homes.
By Linda Hall for Local Democracy Reporting
Blair Kyle and his neighbour, directly across the road, received letters from the Hastings District Council advising them it “will be establishing a new bus stop outside your home”.
The letters were dated November 17 and asked for feedback by December 3.
In all, Hastings council sent letters to 588 Hastings residents informing them about 180 new bus stops in the city.
Hawke’s Bay Regional Transport Committee Chair Neil Kirton said the launch of the Better Bus Routes network marked a significant step in improving public transport accessibility across the region, with clearer and easier-to-understand routes.
The changes follow a review that led to the scrapping of the MyWay bus trial.
HBRC’s new routes trigger a need for new bus stops, which are Hastings District Council infrastructure, and it is in the process of getting them in place.
“We have a bus stop three or four doors up the road and another one just around the corner on Wilson Rd,” Kyle said of the new Dundee Dr stop and other changes.
“It’s just bizarre and unnecessary.”
Under the new bus plan there will be up to 26 buses a day on Dundee Dr between 6am and 7pm on weekdays, with a reduced weekend timetable.
“It’s a busy street already with lots of children riding scooters on the footpath.
“That’s going to be dangerous for them with so many buses stopping and starting,” Kyle said.
He said it also meant they couldn’t park vehicles in front of their property. Kyle said he drove a small truck and digger for work.
“Quite often lately, I’ve been doing on-call work and night shift and I come straight home because it’s not worth going back to the yard and park the truck and digger outside my house.”
A Hastings District Council said it had received more than 100 responses to its letters to residents.
Around three-quarters of those were positive or neutral and a quarter negative, and it had adjusted the locations of about 10 thanks to feedback.
Kyle said he felt like his feedback, which hadn’t changed the location of the stop, was dismissed.
“I was told it was a privilege, not a right, to park outside my property.
“We bought this house without a bus stop and we don’t want one now. I just don’t see the need for it.
“It’s like buying next to an airport. You accept that you’re going to have planes flying over you.
“But to buy a house and then the council says, ‘this is what we’re doing’ is just wrong,” Kyle said.
“The buses that go past now never have any passengers. It’s a waste of time and ratepayers’ money.”
A council spokesperson said the difference with the new route was that it would travel both ways along Dundee Dr.
“Currently, it only goes one way. That means there needs to be bus stops on both sides of the road, rather than on one side, as it is now.”
They said the need for street parking was not taken into consideration as part of the review.
“The road is a public space and is not for the dedicated use of an adjacent homeowner.”
The spokesperson said the bus stops were not finalised, and there was yet to be a council decision, “however, in many cases, there are few options”.
Recommendations on the council’s agenda for its meeting on Thursday, December 11, include approving the installation of bus stops where there have been no objections and that officers continue to work with residents and businesses where there had been objections.
While HBRC is responsible for public transport, it is up to HDC to install bus stop signs and pavement markings.
The new bus routes are scheduled to start on the last weekend in January, ready for the start of the new school term and work year.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
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