Council accepts criteria for choosing citywide bus priority routes

3 June 2004

The Christchurch City Council has accepted the criteria by which routes are selected for citywide bus priority treatments.

The criteria accepted by the Council at its last full meeting on Thursday, 25 May, will be used to identify the highest frequency bus routes where:
· bus arrival times along the route are unreliable
· bus delays relative to car trips put people off buses
· providing public transport priority may provide additional benefits for other road users.

Other factors that must be taken into account include road safety, practicality and impact on adjacent land uses.

Council Transport Planner, Robert Woods, says bus-priority measures along such routes will help provide a more reliable, faster and convenient public transport system that offers a real alternative to many car trips. This will contribute to the Council’s long-term transport plans for managing the growth in vehicular traffic predicted over the next 20 years.

A Citywide Public Transport Priority Plan is the next step in the process to develop, implement and enforce at least three priority corridors by June 2006.  The plan will be presented for Council adoption in late July 2004.

Further information
· Robert Woods, Council Transport planner, phone 941-8060.

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