26 April 2016

New Māngere bus station on the way

Work on a new Māngere Town Centre bus station and new bus stops on Avenue Road in Ōtāhuhu are set to get underway in July and will provide upgraded spaces to wait for connections to public transport.

The upgrades are part of the new south Auckland public transport network being introduced in late 2016. The new network will be simpler and more integrated, helping change the way people travel.

The new station in Māngere will include seven bus stops (two more than currently), new shelters to extend the covered passenger area, a covered connection to Māngere Town Centre, a toilet adjacent to the bus shelter, cycle racks, an additional westbound lane for traffic and paving and landscaping of the area around the bus station.

In Ōtāhuhu the existing bus station on Avenue Road will be closed and most bus services will be moved to the new Ōtāhuhu Station on Walmsley Road. New bus stops and bus shelters will be installed on both sides of Avenue Road to service routes which will use these stops.

Both the bus station and bus stops are expected to be completed by late 2016 to support the new public transport network. They are part of local transport improvements identified by the East West Connections project.

Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board Chair Lemauga Lydia Sosene says, “This Māngere bus station is a momentous milestone for locals. Our board has advocated and fought tooth and nail for these upgrades, particularly in terms of public safety and some difficult challenges with the current bus station.

“So we’re extremely pleased Auckland Transport will help us deliver a safer, more practical and connected local bus terminal. Combined with our other key projects around the town centre, this is fantastic long awaited progress.

“It’s also great that the momentum of action in Ōtāhuhu continues for better public transport as the new bus stops are an important part of Ōtāhuhu’s rejuvenation.”

Auckland Transport Metro General Manager Mark Lambert says the new bus station and bus stops will make it easier for passengers to connect between different buses.

“They will provide high quality facilities and are an important part of providing a new public transport network with high frequency services that are easy to transfer between.”

Māngere Town Centre and Ōtāhuhu will be connected to the frequent network, which is a bus every 15 minutes, 7am to 7pm, 7 days a week.

Image attached: Māngere-Ōtāhuhu local board chair Lydia Sosene and local board member Nick Bakulich by the current Māngere bus stops

ends

© Scoop Media