New Lynn bus terminal gets revamp to attract passengers

16 January 2003

The New Lynn bus terminal is getting a makeover in order to encourage more people on to public transport in Waitakere as part of Way to go!, the Auckland Regional Council’s Big Clean Up transport campaign.

Jointly funded by the ARC and Stagecoach, renovations include repainting the bus terminal, repairing and painting terminal seats, improved lighting, new-look signage and heightened security measures.

The decision to advance the timing of the bus terminal revamp was significantly influenced by the Way to go! community surveys which found that the existing state of the transport centre would not contribute to increasing usage of public transport in New Lynn.

ARC Passenger Transport Committee Chair Catherine Harland said revamping the bus terminal was just one aspect of a campaign that aimed to remove obstacles to West Aucklanders using public transport.

“An important component of Way to go! is to respond to the community’s feedback on how we can make it easier for people to walk and cycle, and take the bus or train,” Ms Harland said. “The New Lynn terminal was in desperate need of a spruce-up, and it’s great that we can jointly deliver this.”

Waitakere graffiti busters Tagout Trust are subsidising the costs for Graffiti Protecta to paint the terminal, and environmentally-friendly paint has been imported from Canada.

The Mayor of Waitakere City Bob Harvey said the New Lynn bus terminal was a very important transport hub in the west. “Because of this we have got to make it the sort of place people want to use,” Mayor Harvey said. “We want to increase its usage twenty fold.”

Stagecoach Operations Director Warren Fowler said that Stagecoach was very pleased with the support it had received from the ARC and Waitakere City Council for revamping the transport centre.

”The ARC’s financial contribution to the project has enabled us to get our improvements underway sooner than we originally planned, a great outcome for our current and new customers,” Mr Fowler said.

The bus terminal makeover is just one component of the Way to go! transport campaign, which includes a school travel plan at Fruitvale school, destination marketing at Lynn Mall, and personalised travel information for residents of the Kelston, New Lynn and Glen Eden areas.

Of the 3900 residents surveyed, 37 per cent requested personalised travel plans including bus and train timetables.

Other planned changes include the establishment of a park and ride next to the New Lynn bus terminal, new and improved pedestrian crossings and an increase in the number of bus stop timetables.

The Way to go! transport campaign is a pilot project which was developed by the ARC, in partnership with Waitakere City Council, and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority.

ENDS

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