New site for bus Super Stop on Riccarton Road
A new site for a proposed bus Super Stop on Riccarton Road will have enough space for up to 100 passengers to wait
inside in comfort.
The Christchurch City Council is looking to lease a building for the passenger lounge at 123 to 125 Riccarton Road on
the Division Street corner, just east of the Farmers store.
Environmental Committee chair Phil Clearwater says nearby property owners will be consulted about the site which is a
good central location with easy access to the Westfield Shopping Centre and other Riccarton businesses.
“The waiting lounge will have free Wi-Fi, up-to-date bus information, TV screens, security cameras and regular cleaning
and security patrols. The aim is to have it open by April next year and to operate for at least five years until a
longer term solution is available.
“Riccarton Road is the busiest bus corridor in Christchurch with more than 2,800 passengers boarding bus stops between
Matipo Street and Kauri Street each day. This Super Stop is important for Environment Canterbury’s new Hub and Spokes
public transport network and it’s a big step forward for commuters.”
It will cost $550,000 to fit out the building as a passenger lounge and do associated street work, with annual running
costs of around $180,000.
Councillor Clearwater says earlier plans to build a much smaller passenger lounge in the Westfield shopping Centre car
park were abandoned after the Council was unable to negotiate a satisfactory lease with Westfield Shopping Centre.
“The lease they offered had a clause requiring us to vacate the site with six months notice. When you’re talking about a
$1.4 million investment to build the interim Super Stop and mini passenger lounge, that wasn’t acceptable.
“There were technical problems putting a larger bus shelter on the northern city-bound side of Riccarton Road because of
the narrowness of the footpath, and it meant installing another signalised pedestrian crossing on an already congested
road.”
Councillor Clearwater says there is already a signalised pedestrian crossing at Division Street, so people can cross
safely between the passenger lounge and the Super Stop on the north side of Riccarton Road.
The Environmental Committee has also asked staff to investigate the possibility of installing a smaller lounge for
city-bound passengers at the north side Super Stop between Division and Rimu Streets.
Bus parking will take up some parking spaces on Riccarton Road, however there are plans for extra angled parks in
Division and Kauri Streets.
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