GW transport planners are working to improve the reliability of the current Churton Park timetable as an interim solution prior to the two new routes coming into operation in 2017. The objective of the minor changes is to ensure that more buses arrive at their destination on time, which will then allow more buses to start their subsequent trips on time.

Significant timetable changes are not anticipated, but it is more about working with the operator on the dead running of buses, and adding time into the timetable where it is needed to address late running. We look forward with interest to these improvements which are scheduled to be implemented in February 2016.

Work is also under way to finalise the location of new bus stops and shelters on the new routes. The locations have to be safe from a traffic point of view. Greater Wellington are discussing the locations with affected property owners. CPCA were given the opportunity to comment on the locations proposed. When the new stop locations are finalised more information will be provided.

The ongoing saga of the Churton Park bus service passed a significant milestone when the report detailing the proposed routes was presented to Greater Wellington Regional Council on 25 February.

This is the outcome of the community surveys, workshops and community consultations.

The final proposal is a modification of Option C detailed in the consultation brochure. This includes a 30 minute service all day to and from the CBD through the centre of the suburb and extending into Stebbings valley, supplemented by a 30 minute loop service to Johnsonville, extending further west into Churton Park. This supplementary service will run to and from the CBD in the peak periods.

There will be additional services on both routes in peak periods.

Your Association representatives made strong representations on the earlier proposals at the GW political level, and gained some concessions over coverage and bus frequencies.

The following links will take you to the appropriate GW reports.

This link goes to the overall report. Note that the section relating to Churton Park commences on Page 12.

http://www.gw.govt.nz/assets/council-reports/Report_PDFs/2015.63.pdf

This link goes to the detailed Churton Park consultation report.

http://www.gw.govt.nz/assets/council-reports/Report_PDFs/2015.63a3.pdf

Following the adoption of the routes, your Association representatives will be requesting GW that they be fully involved in reviewing the actual timetables and location of bus stops.

The new routes and timetables are scheduled to come into operation in 2017

In addition we will be continue to pressurise GW to make provision for the buses which connect Johnsonville with Tawa, Kenepuru Hospital, Whitireia Polytech and Porirua also service the Churton Park Village.

The Association would like to thank all who made submissions on the consultation proposals. The number of submissions received by GW indicated to them the importance of this issue to the residents of Churton Park.

Their contact details are as follows:

Judith Aitken

Email: judith.aitken@gw.govt.nz

Paul Bruce

Email: paul.bruce@gw.govt.nz

Chris Laidlaw

Email: chris.laidlaw@gw.govt.nz

Sue Kedgley

Email: sue.kedgley@gw.govt.nz

Fran Wilde (Chair)

Email: fran.wilde@gw.govt.nz

Greater Wellington Regional Council has advised Churton Park Community Association they will continue to receive submissions on the future bus routes from the Johnsonville hub into Churton Park. The Association is keen for residents to have a say as they see the outcomes having significant impacts on the suburb for the next fifteen years. "What provides the optimal outcome for the highest proportion of residents is the aim" says Association President, Richard Taylor. He was also relatively pleased with the reception to the Association's oral submissions on the Spine Plan document.

Responses so far have been a little below what would have been expected but this may be because of the relatively short time-frame originally indicated by the Regional Council. This extension will allow more people to have input. While the Regional Council specified no end-date, the end of July is seen as being acceptable by the Association.

The required forms and maps can be found on the Churton Park Community Association website with the earlier post. They have also been attached to this post for printing out at home. Alternatively a hard copy may be collected at the Churton Park Community Centre office. The Association is also happy to receive enquiries.

The general responses sent to GWRC by CPCA on the key questions is attached below. This may assist in deciding how each individual may respond to the questions, depending on their own circumstances and location.

CPCA response to Key Questions raised by GWRC at meeting held on Tuesday 6 May 2014 in relation to the Churton Park bus service

1. Is reliability an important consideration for the proposed route? Why?

Yes. Feedback from the community clearly indicates they see this as an important factor. People need to be on time for appointments etc. Lack of reliability forces people get an earlier bus to ensure they are on time as they cannot risk the bus that should get them to their destination on schedule being late. Similarly, having to transfer at a hub increases the risk of missing engagements.

2. How should we incorporate the new growth area to the north of Churton Park into the bus service?

Several alternatives present themselves and we would like to discuss these with GWRC in a meeting in June or July. CPCA and residents strongly believe it is time to introduce two services into Churton Park so as to maximise coverage, including the rapidly developing area to the north in Stebbings Valley. Routes chosen must be able to be modified or extended to allow for changing residential patterns and to avoid dead running if developments are slower than forecast. It is acknowledged that adoption of a two-route service may have minor budgetary implications but now is the time to make the necessary investment in Churton Park as part of the stated desire for development of the “northern corridor”.

3. Is it important to have “there and back” access to the new facilities in the area? I.e. the shopping complex and medical centre.

There is some demand locally for this, and, whilst not large at the moment, it is likely to grow with the development of sections and facilities. We believe access to the Johnsonville shopping area is more important to the majority because of the large range of services available in Johnsonville which is the closest large centre outside the Wellington CBD.

4. What do you believe is a reasonable time to walk to a bus stop in the peak and in the off peak?

This will vary according to the individual – for example, an averagely fit person may take five minutes to reach their nearest stop, whereas a senior citizen may take twice as long. The overriding principle should be that no-one will be worse off than they are currently, whether for off- or on-peak services.

5. What is more important to you? – a less direct route = less frequent service or more direct service = more frequent service.

A regular service is important. Frequency no less than present should be the aim. This is a rather unclear question as the two factors of route and frequency are quite separate issues. A viewpoint will be very much driven by an individual’s location so an all-encompassing response is somewhat impractical.

This matter is allied to route selection and CPCA would like this aspect to be included in the discussions per (2) above.

6. Is a shorter journey time in the peak times important to you?

Travel time is an issue for many peak time users. There needs to be greater clarity around what constitutes “peak time”.

Traffic and bus volumes through the Golden Mile at peak hours should be extended to include Thorndon Quay.

The introduction of evening express services, perhaps departing from Brandon Street, could be a suitable solution to the issue of passengers not being able to board at north Lambton Quay and the Station due to full bus issues. Morning peak express services could bypass the Johnsonville hub and save anything up to ten minutes on the travel time.

7, 8, 9 To/from, frequency of use, Street you live on.

These do not apply at Association level.

10. Contact name and e-mail address.

Churton Park Community Association

c/- Richard Taylor (President)

rh_mjtaylor@xtra.co.nz