Tauranga CBD Bus Interchange
Southern Durham Street is the exemplar of how we want the streets of Tauranga to be. Visually appealing, pedestrian friendly and with green credentials.
What horror then to see that the best of our streets is to be ripped up. The vision, the disturbance during construction, not to mention the cost – all for naught.
Forced into a situation where they only had ‘Hobson’s Choice’ the Commissioners needed to make a decision regarding the Cities Bus Interchange - delaying was not an option. The choices were not ideal – pressure from nearby business, hopes that a temporary solution would enable central government funding eventually and just wanting to decide the issue have led to something that should be reconsidered.
Another idea has been put forward by The Sustainable BOP Trust – this involves an off-street interchange on the corner of Spring and Durham Streets, where passengers can transit into the city and disembark under cover at one location. Finding your connection would be greatly enhanced by this model not to mention accessibility for people with disabilities.
Utilising some of the $64 Million from the Council’s Ten Year Plan budget for Bus Infrastructure to build a central bus interchange seems like sensible long term option to me. The money being wasted on ripping up Durham Street for a scattered bus park would give us a head start on this project.
For more information from Sustainable BOP Trust click here.
