New Network (South Auckland) Consultation Summary and Decisions Report Page 1 of 18 Contents 1 Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................... 3 2 Background and Objectives ......................................................................................................... 4 3 Consultation Approach ................................................................................................................. 4 4 Consultation Responses ............................................................................................................... 6 4.1 Petitions ................................................................................................................................... 6 4.2 Save Te Mahia Train Station submission slips ....................................................................... 6 4.3 Keep Shifnal Drive Bus Route submission slips ..................................................................... 6 5 Summary of Feedback................................................................................................................... 7 5.1 Official Submissions (online/hardcopy) ................................................................................... 7 5.2 Key Stakeholder Submissions ................................................................................................ 9 5.3 Petitions ................................................................................................................................. 11 5.3.1 S.O.S – Save our Station! Petition against closure of Te Mahia Station .......................... 11 5.3.2 Petition to save 477x Papakura-Auckland/Auckland-Papakura Express Bus Services ... 11 5.3.3 Save our Station! Petition against the closing down of Westfield Train Station ............... 12 5.4 Save Te Mahia Train Station submission slips ..................................................................... 12 5.5 Keep Shifnal Drive Bus Stops submission slips .................................................................... 13 6 Consultation Decision and Responses ..................................................................................... 14 6.1 Overview ............................................................................................................................... 14 6.1.1 Key Aspects of the Proposal ............................................................................................. 14 6.1.2 Final Decisions .................................................................................................................. 14 6.2 Final Routes and Map ........................................................................................................... 16 6.3 Responses to Key Issues ...................................................................................................... 17 7 Appendices ................................................................................................................................... 18 Page 2 of 18 1 Executive Summary The Public Transport Network Management team in conjunction with an external consultation analysis company (Ben Parsons and Associates) analysed all of the feedback and most submissions have resulted in one of the following: changes to the New Network routes/frequencies, no changes but with an explanation of why not or rationale behind the final decision, development of FAQs to respond to concerns/issues that need to be responded to but don’t require changes to the New Network, included within an infrastructure list to be reviewed by the relevant team in regards to bus stops, shelters, interchanges etc. sent to the AT HOP and fares/ticketing team for review, action or inclusion within their work programme, sent to the Rail team in regards to the proposed closure of Te Mahia or Westfield stations or the opening/design of new stations, sent to other teams if not related to the New Network or Public Transport at all How did feedback affect the decision making process? The feedback received has resulted in several changes to the proposed bus network. In short Auckland Transport (AT) originally proposed 28 bus routes within the south Auckland area and we are proposing to make changes to 20 of those routes. In addition we are creating 1 new route and retaining a limited express service from Papakura to the CBD. As a result of consultation feedback there are 30 routes under the final South Auckland New Network. In conjunction with analysing the public submissions a team of public transport planners have been driving the routes in buses to clarify issues raised. In some cases one submission has been enough to change the proposed route. For example, a submitter requested we retain part of a current route on one of the proposed routes in Papakura. The planners drove both the proposed AT route and the submitter’s route and ascertained that his route suggestion worked better from a bus manoeuvrability perspective, created a wider residential catchment for the service and also retained current bus stop infrastructure that is used by regular commuters. This is a great response to public feedback and shows that it is not always high numbers of submissions that sway decisions – one person can have a big impact. From the perspective of the Senior PT Planner (Engagement), I am pleased at the amount of changes proposed by the Public Transport Planners, and believe it shows that they have genuinely listened to the feedback received and, where necessary or possible, have made changes to improve the network to meet people’s needs. Page 3 of 18 2 Background and Objectives Over the next few years Auckland Transport is moving to a simpler and more integrated public transport network for Auckland. This will deliver a new network of buses and trains that will change the way people travel – including the need for some passengers to transfer at key interchanges. In return the new network will allow more passengers to simply ‘turn up and go’ rather than planning trips around a timetable. It will offer flexible travel options over large parts of the city, making public transport more useful for a range of travel purposes. The current bus network is considered complex, mostly infrequent and in many places, duplicates what trains do. It is inefficient to operate and does not always provide a suitable alternative to the car, or give ratepayers, taxpayers and customers the best value for money. The proposed new network is based on a principle already working in many North American and European cities, which have networks of high frequency services that are designed to work together through easy connections. This new frequent network will have trains and buses timetabled at least every 15 minutes from 7am to 7pm, seven days a week. They will be supported by a network of connector routes timetabled at least every 30 minutes along with local and peak services. This principle was included in Auckland Transport’s Draft Regional Public Transport Plan, which was consulted on in October 2012. More than 700 submissions were received, and there was strong support for the proposed new public transport network. It was endorsed for local consultation by the Auckland Transport Board in March 2013 and formally adopted on 23 September 2013. Due to the scale of change; consultation and implementation for the new network has been broken into several phases, starting with South Auckland’s network, which is the focus of this consultation. Other parts of Auckland will be consulted over the next few years. The objective of this consultation was to get feedback on the proposed New Network for South Auckland from residents, public transport users and stakeholders. 3 Consultation Approach The consultation period for the public to provide input on the proposed network ran from Wednesday 19 June to Friday 2 August 2013. During this period, consultation activities comprised the following: Eight public open days were held during July in locations around South Auckland for people to find out what was being proposed and provide their views. Approximately 100 people attended these events. 13 promotional days were held at markets and town centres in June/July prior to the Open Days to get out amongst the people of South Auckland in their environment to raise awareness of the consultation and to answer basic questions. A hard copy brochure including a feedback form was disseminated widely throughout the community (over 50,000 personally handed out) including: o Handed out at bus stops, train stations and key interchanges by Auckland Transport Ambassadors o Auckland Council buildings (incl Local Boards), libraries and Citizens Advice Bureaux o Open Days and Promo days Page 4 of 18 o Mailed to stakeholders (Disability Groups, CCOs, Councillors, MPs, Advisory Groups, Bus Operators, Retirement Homes, Maori/Marae, residents living on streets where we were proposing new services, Veolia, KiwiRail etc.) o Available on board some bus services operating within South Auckland o Available on the Auckland Transport website and links from the Public Transport (ex MAXX) website The brochure was translated into Maori, Korean, Samoan, Tongan, Hindi, Punjabi and Chinese (Simplified and Traditional) and downloadable from our website. Various versions for the visually impaired could also be downloaded from our website. These were created in conjunction with the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind. The public could also