The regional council’s ‘huge fail’ on the buses

THIS week marked the first in which no charter bus exists for Otago Peninsula children travelling to their intermediate and high schools in the South Dunedin area.

Since September 2017, when Go Bus withdrew its charter bus service — an emergency, temporary charter bus ran during term 4 last year and term 1 — we, the parents and community, have been requesting that the Otago Regional Council slightly modify two No 18 public buses to better suit the needs of our young commuters.

The ORC has obstinately denied the need for any change, saying ‘‘the network’’ and the ‘‘short walk’’ is good enough.

Monday’s events proved the council wrong.

Tony Hunter, the Tahuna Intermediate principal, kept his promise by meeting the bus at the McDonald’s bus stop at 8am to ‘‘train our pupils how to travel this route safely’’.

Only four children were on the bus. Rather than the 20minute, highrisk walk, Tony escorted the four across Andersons Bay Rd. They waited 15 minutes at the Liquorland bus stop for the No 3 bus, which dropped them closer to school.

The four were able to stay dry in the bus shelter; but this would have been a major issue if there had been dozens of children.

Our survey statistics have also been proved correct (ODT, 18.4.18). Our March survey of 118 children at the four schools revealed there would be only a 3% increase in young public bus commuters if nothing changed — so the four children is spoton.

What an absolute shame this is not the 93% surveyed catching the public bus today had our small changes been made.

Instead, during the school holidays, the community has set up a series of carpooling groups to ensure our children travel to and from school safely with friends rather than risk the current public bus.

What an absolute debacle this issue is.

It could have been so much more positive, given so much independence to our children. It could have been resolved so simply.

If ORC staff and councillors were to sit a school exam on how to run a successful public bus service, they would receive a huge ‘‘fail’’.

Jason Graham

Broad Bay

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Saddle Hill victory

AT last, a final court ruling that the quarrying of the smaller of the humps of Saddle Hill must stop.

Let’s hope this finally puts an end to over 50 years of intensive quarrying that has resulted in the hill being reduced to a shell. At least the iconic outline that is such an integral part of the character of the Taieri and surrounds remains, albeit rather eroded.

Let’s also hope the quarrying company at last respects this ruling. The vast majority of people in the community will be mightily relieved. Marjorie Orr

Dunedin

WARMEST thanks to the Dunedin City Council for stopping the destruction of Saddle Hill.

Given that there’s a shortage of gravel through the country, and China rejects our waste, how about smashing up our mountains of glass bottles, tumbling the fragments and putting them into pavements, roads and building foundations, as I have seen elsewhere?

Winwin. Sparkles are a bonus. Jocelyn Harris

Dunedin

Saving the timbers

AS I daily drive past the nowcondemned wharfstorage sheds, I hope and pray the big timbers are not just dumped. They should be kept to form a link with the past and the new steamer basin.

Thank you to Lee Vandervis for his insight on this magnificent proposal. Robbitti Stanley

Caversham