Making buses an easier option

Should buses be given their own peak-time space up and down Cameron Road? In other words, a bus clearway?

Should buses be given priority over parked cars for people going to work in town and travelling home again?

Tauranga City Council's transport committee has opened the conversation, and is keen to proceed with investigations and discussions with locals for the peak time bus clearway along Cameron Road from the CBD to the Hospital.

The idea is for a lane reserved solely for buses to use during morning and evening peak periods. It would give buses a clear run along Cameron Road during peak times. In between times, when not operating as a clearway, people would be able to use it for car parking.

The new Tauranga and Western Bay bus network started this week offering more frequent buses, more direct routes and stronger bus connections throughout the city. The result is a lot more buses up and down Cameron Road.

From the CBD to 11th Avenue, there will be 20 buses per hour on Cameron Road at peak times, and between 11th Avenue and the hospital, 15 buses per hour during peak hours.

'It is important that we support the Bay of Plenty Regional Council's new bus services,” says chair of the transport committee, Rick Curach.

He says public transport is an essential part of the city's transport solution. 'If we don't support public transport, the city's traffic congestion will only get worse.”

To help manage that traffic congestion as the city grows, TCC needs to make it easier for more people to travel by bus, as well as cycling and walking.

There are some design challenges, particularly around people riding bikes on Cameron Road where there's potential to put a cycleway on the existing footpath.

All of this requires more work. The Transportation Committee has already considered some initial options and there will be more investigation next year. TCC says it will ensure businesses, schools and residents along Cameron Road are involved in discussions.

In the long term, TCC hopes to provide dedicated bus lanes and separated bike lanes right along Cameron Road. The challenge, though, is how to make it a smooth transition.

For more information, visit: www.tauranga.govt.nz/cameronroad

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