3 August 2007

“Concrete bus barricades on Hills Road are not a smart solution to getting traffic moving”, said Darel Hall 2021 Council candidate for Shirley-Papanui.

“The bus barricades are meant to solve a problem of motorists not letting buses back into traffic. But this is a city wide problem that needs a city wide solution.

“This ‘trial’ is a six figure exercise with our rates.

“A city-wide publicity campaign that respectfully reminds us that letting the bus go first helps everyone, would be cheaper and more effective, appealing to our sense of fairness and self-interest.

“At the barricades there are signs asking motorists to stop behind the bus. A cheaper and more pragmatic approach have been to use the same signs to remind us to let the bus go first.

“Letting the bus go first helps reduce congestion and gets traffic moving. Building concrete bus barricades is simply not a smart solution.

“We need traffic that moves, and a great public transport system. But we need to respect our rates and be smart about solutions”.