Bus solution presented to retirement village residents
Date: 11 May 2018

Today, Environment Canterbury met with residents and staff of the Diana Isaac Retirement Village. The meeting followed the retirement village raising concerns about changes to the Orbiter route due to upcoming road use changes within the Northern Corridor project.

Environment Canterbury chairman Steve Lowndes, chief executive Bill Bayfield, and public transport planning manager Edward Wright, presented a new solution that sees route 44 extended so that it has a stop on Philpotts Road, within 150 metres of the retirement village. The option allows for an easy transfer from the 44 to the Orbiter on Innes Road, to travel to other destinations, including Northlands Mall.

Chairman Steve Lowndes said several different options were considered in detail, including ideas suggested by the residents.

“In coming to our preferred solution, we had to ensure it aligns well with the future network design we are moving towards in the Regional Public Transport Plan, and weigh up overall coverage, directness, accessibility and cost.”

“We are confident this option ensures the residents and staff won’t lose their access to the network, while remaining a viable option for Environment Canterbury.”

The operating hours of route 44 would be extended to allow village staff to travel home on the service when they finish at 9pm. The 44 operates at a half-hour frequency on weekdays, and hourly on weekends. No extra vehicles are needed to implement the extension to the 44, however there will be some additional costs due to the extended mileage and driver time required.

“Extending route 44 will be significantly less disruptive to the network than if we were to try and retain the Orbiter on Philpotts Road,” said Lowndes.

Lowndes said he appreciated the Diana Isaac residents and staff taking the time to visit Environment Canterbury in March. “We like to hear from people who use the public transport system, as the more information we have, the better our decision making can be.”

“We recognise this solution doesn’t exactly match the service the residents and staff currently have, but we are confident that it provides a good balance and compromise given the constraints.”

Environment Canterbury will consult with other affected residents regarding the extension to route 44, before any changes are finalised.

The Northern Corridor project’s road layout changes are currently scheduled to take place towards the end of this year. This means the exact timing of implementing the extension to route 44, and the Orbiter re-route to Cranford Street, is still to be confirmed.

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