Our transport system will play an integral part in supporting and shaping the growth of Greater Christchurch. It is important to integrate transport planning with where and how we live, get to work, access shops and services, schools and move around our neighbourhood.
Greater Christchurch is growing and this is putting pressure on the sub-region’s transport network. If we continue as we are now – often making trips with only one person in a car – then as Greater Christchurch’s population grows, the roads will become more congested and we will not meet our emission targets.
Addressing this challenge requires changing the way we travel and reducing our reliance on fossil-fuelled cars for all of our trips. We need to provide people with greater choice about how they travel, increase our use of sustainable transport, and ensure that the trips we do make are safer.
The Greater Christchurch Transport Plan will provide a single plan for transport in the Greater Christchurch sub-region. The plan will align with national policy direction and Greater Christchurch Partnership objectives. It will provide for consistent and integrated investment in transport and propose an action plan in the short, medium and longer term.
Where are we at now?
Work to identify key transport issues, outcomes and objectives, and the initial actions or interventions to respond to these, is underway. In setting the policy context for the Plan, we are building off existing plans, strategies and business cases. The initial investment focus will be short-to-medium term, and will consider how to accelerate the Public Transport Futures investment programme.
Stage 2 will further detail the transport policies and actions that are required to give effect to the Spatial Plan. It will also outline the currently planned transport investments and identify the areas where further policy development and investment planning will be required to address gaps in our ability to achieve identified outcomes. It will also have a longer-term investment focus and respond to central government policy direction.
What is the Public Transport Futures Programme?
The Greater Christchurch Public Transport (PT) Futures programme is fundamental to achieving our objectives for a more sustainable and accessible Greater Christchurch. It comprises three components:
- Foundations
- Rest of network
- Turn up and go public transport service /Mass rapid transit (MRT)
A combined business case for the Foundations and Rest of Network components was formally endorsed by the partner Councils in December 2020, and by the Waka Kotahi Board in May 2021.
The business case recommends an investment programme for inclusion in the partner organisations’ Long Term Plans that:
- delivers high-frequency public transport options to existing key activity centres and planned growth areas
- provides reliable bus services with journey times that are competitive with private vehicles
- enhances the safety and attractiveness of the environment at bus stops for customers
- improves bus routing and frequency that takes people where they want to go, when they want to get there
- provides a catalyst for land use development adjacent to frequent public transport routes.
The first engagement on specific service improvements was in 2021, with implementation now underway.
The development of the Greater Christchurch Transport Plan and Investment Programme will also consider how to accelerate the Public Transport Futures investment programme.