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Monday, July 2, 2012

Spot the spin doctor??

"The new bus network will make it easier to travel from one place to another across the city as well as to the central city."
This is David Stenhouse, Environment Canterbury Passenger Services in a media release


...NOTE that the sentence structure implies it will be easier to travel from one place to another across the city [and easier] as well as to the central city 


If it was not intentional it should have been proof read out -- after all slashing services will drastically effect thousands, a little less ambiguity and clarity might help in the sensitivity department!! 


Because it will not be easier to access the central city rather far, far more difficult for most people to get the city, from most areas that this new proposal focus on.


In fact Metro plans to cut out direct city access (by one bus) for almost everybody living between Fendalton Road-Memorial Avenue, and Northcote Road, as well as many areas north of  Innes Road, Edgeware Road, and Shirley Road.  The hill suburbs of south Christchurch will also need two buses to get into town  


- perhaps an eighth of city residential areas will now have to swap buses even to make a short journey into town or to access CPIT, the Public Hospital and dozens of other facilities and workplaces. Evening services, even more minimal,  minimal also rely upon transfers.


It would be hard to find a more poorly designed network, with uneven distribution of service levels, with a clumsy system of transfers entirely prone to delays and long waits, leaving passengers (peak hour included) sitting in buses  and/or on the footpath, Evening and weekend and much daytime travel, for many patrons, will be subject to an hour's wait if a connection is missed.


Instead of designing an intelligent route pattern, albeit reduced to meet reduced income, a genuine network that ensures services inter-link and offer transfer OPTIONS to key new work zones, Metro is using a bludgeon to FORCE people to change buses! At the same time Metro is cutting access to the city to hourly in most cases and then only via transfers at Papanui Road or The Palms etc or Sydenham or Westfield. And coating this all with this absurd media release heading   Network changes to improve Christchurch's bus network



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