​Improvements on the cards after review of city bus shelters

Invercargill City Council has carried out a review into the condition of the city’s bus shelters, after feedback from a community organisation highlighted the need for improvements.

A report detailing the review was presented to Council’s Infrastructure and Growth Committee yesterday.

Council staff had visited each of the bus shelters throughout Invercargill, after a presentation to the committee by community organisation South Alive in February. South Alive had raised issues including deterioration and maintenance requirements at some of the shelters, as well as the need for better protection during rough weather conditions.

At the meeting, elected members agreed to look into working with rangatahi from South Alive to identify two bus shelters that could undergo some additional beautification work.

Councillor Alex Crackett, chair of the committee, said it was pleasing to see organisations like South Alive actively engaging with Council, which resulted in better outcomes for the whole community.

“We really valued the feedback that came through from South Alive rangatahi, and it highlighted that Council shares their goal for enhanced connectivity within our city. The dialogue with South Alive reflects the real difference community members can make when they engage with Council,” she said.

“We’re keen to keep working with South Alive and other stakeholders, to ensure our bus shelters are fit-for-purpose for our community,” she said.

That would also involve work to identify where new shelters might be needed, or where existing ones could be moved to better suit the community’s needs.

Council also welcomed input from community groups and schools to improve the appearance of the bus shelters, Crackett said.

“There is the potential to work with our community to make the shelters more appealing, which not only improves their appearance but has the added benefit of fostering community pride. Two of the shelters staff visited had historical artwork, and there was notably less damage at these sites in general,” she said.

“Looking at options such as decking our bus shelters out with bespoke artwork is also an opportunity to reflect the people and place of our community.”

Council Acting Group Manager Infrastructure Jonathan Shaw said Council owned and managed 53 bus shelters throughout the city, with the majority of these aligned to current school or Bus Smart routes. In some other cases, bus shelters were not along a current public transport route but had been left in place because the community still used them regularly.

Staff had carried out a site assessment of each of the bus shelters – which ranged in age, condition, and style – throughout the city. The review had rated the shelters based on a number of factors, including the condition of their roof, glass panels, seating, and structure, as well as noting whether any had sustained damage such as graffiti or vandalism, Shaw said.

“Our team examined the condition of each of our shelters, and as a result high-priority repairs are in progress. We’ve also identified two of our shelters that need to be renewed urgently – one outside Splash Palace on Elles Rd, and the other near the Southern Institute of Technology on Tay St. Council staff will also further review passenger numbers by stop, to identify any high-use points along the network as we look to prioritise renewal and repair work in the future,” he said.

Further options for shelters that had been rated ‘poor’ or ‘okay’ during the review would be considered, with future works to improve those sites either through repairs or upgrades, he said.

“The review also found that two shelters, not owned by Council, were in the worst state so we will work to advocate for their renewal or removal as a key priority as well.”

While contractors periodically carried out site inspections, cleaning, and repairs, Council would also more closely monitor this as a result of the review, Shaw said.

Click here to read the report and watch a livestream of the Infrastructure and Growth Committee meeting.