Changes to bus stops

ONE bus stop has been removed in Dunedin and temporary measures are being applied to another, after a driver boycott of some stops amid safety concerns.

The Corrie St stop in central Dunedin near the Town Belt has been removed, the Dunedin City Council confirmed.

Entry and exit tapers would be used at a Quarry Rd stop near Mosgiel, after the Otago Regional Council asked for such temporary measures.

These had now been added, city council transport group manager Jeanine Benson said.

The Dunedin Tramways Union announced this month its drivers would not be stopping at King Edward St opposite Heffs Hotel, at 68 Royal Tce or the Normanby terminus.

More stops were to be added to the list if changes were not made.

The action followed the city council allowing bus stops with design faults to be reinstated after roadworks, instead of redesigning the stops to remove flaws, the union said.

Insufficient space had been allowed for buses to enter stops, move close to the kerb and exit, the union argued.

Ms Benson said the two councils were discussing a traffic management plan for King Edward St.

Options for extending, moving or removing the stops in either direction at the Normanby terminus, and one at Royal Tce, were being considered.

The bus service itself is overseen by the Otago Regional Council.

It was severely disrupted yesterday by wholesale cancellations.

The regional council attributed this to driver illness.

More than 50 alerts were sent out yesterday for cancelled services in Dunedin.

The BalaclavaCityLogan Park route ran at 30minute intervals, instead of 15.

Some Queenstown services were also cancelled.