Further delays in delivering on-demand buses

A decision to pause spending $2.55 million on a three-year on-demand bus trial for Warkworth, Leigh and Sandspit was approved unanimously by Rodney Local Board last week.

Warkworth members want to investigate whether at least some of that transport targeted rate money could be spent on improving unsealed roads, and if the bus trial could be provided or funded by alternative means.

The move to reconsider how the money might be spent was prompted by the exceptional floods and storms from January onwards, which left many rural roads wrecked and some communities isolated.

Warkworth board members Ivan Wagstaff and Michelle Carmichael and Kumeu member Geoff Upson led the initial charge to see if targeted rate money not yet spent could be reallocated to benefit more residents over a wider area.

Bureaucratic procedural issues saw two separate attempts to discuss the issue at meetings straight after the storms thwarted (MM, Mar 13 and 27), but following a workshop in March, a report was compiled and presented by Auckland Transport (AT) at the board meeting last week.

AT programme director Jeremy Pellow said there was a $50 million flood recovery budget for Rodney being sought from Waka Kotahi, but AT would certainly consider using board funding for unsealed road improvement, although details and process would need to be considered –members couldn’t just “pick favourites”. Originally, board members were recommended simply either to cancel