Double-deck bus not ruled out

Press, 24 October 1984, Page 9

Double-deck bus not ruled out

Double-deck buses may still be seen on the streets of Christchurch. The operations committee of the Christchurch Transport Board yesterday recommended that the possibility of buying second-hand vehicles be abandoned and inquiries continue into the purchase of either doubledeck or articulated buses. The general manager, Mr Max Taylor, who has just returned from Europe, said that it would have been possible to import used double-deck buses from Britain at prices of 554,000 to 575,000 a bus. Buying a new double-deck

vehicle from the MAN factory in West Germany would cost at least $200,000. Mr Taylor said that the cost for spare parts for the new vehicles from Man would not be much because these buses were similar in design to the 58 the board was buying from the company to replace its existing fleet..

If double-deck buses were bought, Mr Taylor said, there would be difficulties with fueling the vehicles and cleaning them. A study will be made into the feasibility of buying either double-deck or articulated vehicles. Avonhead

The new Avonhad route extending the service from its present terminus at the corner of Staveley Street and Withells Road, along the full length of Woodbury Street, returning along Ansonby Street, appears likely to start as planned on December 17.

Two petitions, one from Woodbury Street and one from Ansonby Street residents, opposing the proposed extension, were tabled at the meeting yesterday. Mr Newton Dodge said that this route had been studied several times and that if the committee came up with a new recommendation the board was then likely to receive another petition from a group wanting the extensions. Mr C. L. Sugden said that the board was sympathetic to the petitions but it must also be sympathetic to those

who actually needed and used the service. The committee decided to acknowledge the petitions but declined to follow their request to change the route Mays Road Extensions to the Mays Road route are still in jeopardy. A report, tabled at the meeting by the board’s chairman, Mr P. V. Neary, after a public meeting with many Mays Road residents, will be discussed at the next board meeting. In his report, Mr Neary said that the petitioners against the extension had changed their stance. He said that the petitioners no longer objected to buses on the ground that they endangered residents and children. Mr Neary said that many residents were concerned that because of the high peat content of the soil the shocks transmitted by the movement of buses along the road would ruin house foundations. Others were needlessly worried that trees would have to be felled at bus stops. Another believed that the movement of the buses and the extra reading surface would probably kill the adjacent trees. “There were many points raised but my impression is that the residents of this locality are determined to keep buses out of their residential area. They seemingly are not influenced by examples of other districts

that have to put up with really severe environmental problems in order to facilitate the functioning of the city’s services generally,” Mr Neary said. “I agreed that if the Mays Road service was reconsidered for implementing before May, 1985, the residents would be advised so that they could have the opportunity of making objections. Generally the situation is still stalemate,” he said. Safety

Accidents involving Transport Board buses have dropped 36 per cent in the last five years. From an average of 5.15 accidents per 100,000 km in 1979, the number has dropped to 3.22. During the same period 27.65 passengers per million carried were injured in 1979 compared with 19.88 in 1983. Mr Taylor said that only 5 to 10 per cent of the accidents were serious.

In the last three years only 14 children had been injured. -