Bus-users face long hike in latest Britomart headache

By BERNARD ORSMAN

Bus-users are the latest group to suffer from poor planning at Auckland's much-hyped $211 million Britomart transport project.

Instead of being able to jump on a bus within one block of the train station, commuters have to walk two blocks for some services or try their luck at more than one bus stop to get to where they want to go.

People travelling on the Mt Eden Rd, Great South Rd and Western Bays services are the worst affected.

The inconvenience follows public anger at the poor train service and months of delays completing the transport interchange at the bottom of Queen St.

The Auckland City Council has conceded failure to locate all the buses that previously used the old Britomart bus terminal round the block surrounding the old Chief Post Office.

The project was promoted to Aucklanders as a one-stop transport interchange with easy access between trains, buses and ferries. An underground link to the ferry building was dropped because of cost but politicians and officials promised easy access between the underground railway station and buses.

Now a study of peak-hour bus services has revealed capacity problems at some stops. This has led the council, the Auckland Regional Council and bus operators to move several stops some way from the railway station.

The changes, which commuters have not been consulted on, are included in a report on the transport committee agenda today and are expected to be rubber-stamped.