New bus stops are on the way for Whakatu Village and Hawke’s Bay Regional Sports Park.
At the end of last year, Hawke’s Bay Regional Council (HBRC) successfully secured $1.39 million from central government’s Transport Choices programme for upgrading a number of bus stops in the region, as well as creating two new stops.
Regional Council General Manager Policy & Regulation, Katrina Brunton, says
the funding will enable HBRC to transform key Hawke’s Bay terminals across the network, installing smart stops that showcase the new network, with reliable real-time information and encourage the integration of active and public transport and meet the changing needs of the community. “These new facilities will be operational from late-2023 to mid-2024.”
The upgraded stops will include:
- Real-time bus information so users can plan their journey with greater reliability
- Solar-power for real-time travel information displays; charging for scooters, bikes, and phones, as well as WiFi capability
- Secure bike/scooter parking and to support people to bike and bus
- 24-hour security lighting and cameras
- Smart stops will be designed for all abilities
Upgraded bus stops:
- Hastings Hospital
- Dalton Street, Napier
- Eastbourne Street, Hastings
- Tamatea Pak ‘n Save
- Flaxmere Shopping Village
- Taradale Shopping Village
- Havelock North Village
- Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT)
The funding is part of a $350 million Transport Choices package included in the Government’s Climate Emergency Response Fund (CERF) led by Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.
Part of the CERF funding includes an increase in driver funding. Access to this portion of the fund requires contribution from Regional Council, which is currently unbudgeted. It would require an increase in rates or reduction in services to achieve before mid-2024. At this stage the HBRC says it is not in a position to fund any commitment in this area though it is “working hard to find the funding so that we can revisit driver wages before 2025”.
Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
