Shelter ‘gone by Christmas’
A notorious Lower Hutt bus stop where two teenage girls were assaulted will be ‘‘gone by Christmas’’, city leaders say.
A 15-year-old schoolgirl and her friend were attacked by another group of girls in the Bunny St bus stop outside Queensgate Mall on Saturday evening while onlookers filmed the incident.
Hutt City mayor Campbell Barry assured the community that the problematic shelter would be demolished soon.
‘‘I’ve spoken with Metlink ... and they’ve given me an assurance that the bus shelter will be gone by Christmas.’’
The location was highlighted in a recent safety report for Hutt City which described assaults and robberies where young offenders have victimised others their age.
In August, a 16-year-old girl had her head stomped on and was held at knifepoint, and in 2020 an 11-year-old girl reported being chased from the bus stop after her friend was punched in the face when they made eye contact with a group of young people.
Last month Metlink announced plans to redesign the bus stops in the area to promote public safety.
Metlink said ‘‘old-fashioned, poorly designed single entrance shelters’’ posed an entrapment risk, masked criminal activity and obstructed CCTV lines. New ones would incorporate inbuilt lighting and CCTV.
Metlink general manager Samantha Gain said ‘‘passenger crowding and congestion concentrate groups of youths in confined areas, leading to incidences of unlawful behaviour, especially after 5.30pm when shops close.’’
She said Metlink was working with Hutt City to develop a twostage strategy ‘‘to reduce crime and improve bus operations and customer service in the area’’.
Work to replace the shelters with a more open design was scheduled to happen by mid-April.
Barry said that although the current design of the shelters was a contributing factor to some of the anti-social behaviour, a redesign would not be a ‘‘silver bullet’’.
The city was upgrading its CCTV cameras in the area, but there was a range of issues which required a full community response.