Too many buses, so Auckland Transport nabs nearby car parks

Thursday, 4 October 2018

Buses backed up at Constellation Station on Auckland's North Shore on Monday night.

After 'chaos' at a North Shore bus station, Auckland Transport angers nearby businesses by commandeering sections of nearby roadside parking to make room for buses.

On Monday evening, commuters reported 'utter chaos' at Mairangi Bay's Constellation Station, as too many buses tried to cram into the station, on the first week-day of AT's new northern timetables.

Part of AT's solution was to free up space for buses by putting up cones and signs stating 'no parking' on Ramp Rd and Parkway Drive, outside the troubled station.

'Auckland Transport are now grabbing car parks off the street,' Helen McCullough, a worker in the area said. 'It is not on and I wonder if it is legal.'

**READ MORE:

A temporary bus stop on Ramp Rd will be removed according to Auckland Transport.

* Buses cancelled after 'utter chaos'

* Chaos caused by new bus network

Signs suggesting road works are being used to create a bus lay-over outside Constellation Station.

* Gridlock eases as buses cut**

Under the guise of 'road works', the cones blocked off car parking on one side of each road, and commuters and workers who usually used these parking spots were forced to park further afield.

Cones mark out bus lay-over areas outside Constellation Station, but take away on-street parking.

McCullough said the Constellation Bus Station Park and Ride was full by 6.30am and those parking to commute to the CBD usually claimed a spot on the surrounding streets.

This week, buses parked in the area marked 'no parking' for 'road works', for periods of time throughout the day, and, at 2.30pm, the start of the afternoon peak, there were four or five buses parked there, McCullough said.

Faded signage on cones on Parkway Drive that are marking out bus parking.

McCullough was also worried that trucks that needed to turn into the driveways in the semi-industrial area would not be able to make the tight turn with buses parked on the road.

On Monday, during the afternoon peak, there were capacity issues at Constellation Station with three buses arriving every minute, Auckland Transport said.

AT group manager metro service delivery, Stacey Van Der Putten said the station 'couldn't cope with those numbers'.

To improve the gridlock, 37 Northern Express services were suspended.

The additional temporary bus parking was another measure to prevent gridlock, AT media advisor James Ireland said.

'From tomorrow, we will reopen the on-street parking on Ramp Rd. Our traffic management contractor will remove the signage and cones today [Thursday] or tonight,' Ireland said.

'The temporary closure along Parkway Rd will continue until we provide permanent bus lay-over parking elsewhere. We are currently working on options for this.

'We appreciate this has inconvenienced some people, we are doing the best we can to minimise disruptions in and around Constellation Station safely and efficiently.'