Not planning to reinstate school bus stop
by Tracey Roxburgh · Otago Daily Times Online NewsThe Ministry of Education says it is not planning to reinstate an informal school bus stop at Kelvin Heights despite serious safety concerns.
Instead, ministry school transport group manager James Meffan suggested if families had concerns about their children crossing Peninsula Rd to access their interim school bus at the Poplar Dr public bus stop they ‘‘may wish to consider other nearby existing public bus stops’’.
One near the entrance to the Kelvin Heights golf course, and the other near the Lakeland Park Christian Camp were options.
Worried Queenstown mum Claire Nichols, whose father was killed after being hit by a car while crossing a road, told Allied Media she had been raising safety concerns with a variety of stakeholders for the past year amid ministry-led changes to Whakatipu school bus services.
‘‘I just get fobbed off.”
In the absence of action, Ms Nichols, who has three primary school-aged children, said she had been voluntarily donning a high-vis vest and helping up to 15 children cross the busy Peninsula Rd to get on and off their school bus twice a day since changes were introduced on May 20.
Kelvin Heights was one of 11 interim school bus routes put in place by the ministry, but the school bus was no longer using either of the two previous ‘‘really safe’’ school bus stops — one on Poplar Dr and the other on Cedar Dr.
Instead, the school bus was stopping at the public bus stop, requiring children to cross Peninsula Rd.
Ms Nichols said that stop was dangerous as visibility on either side was limited.
Her life changed ‘‘in an instant’’ when she was pregnant with her second child.
In 2017, her United Kingdom-based father was crossing the road while talking to a friend and misjudged the speed of an approaching vehicle.
‘‘I think it’s very easy to think these things won't happen, but that’s not the case.
‘‘If an adult can make that kind of mistake, it’s easy to see how vulnerable a young child would be in the same situation.’’
Mr Meffan told Allied Media he understood Ms Nichols’ concerns and the ministry appreciated such concerns “being shared’’.
‘‘The interim school bus services in the Queenstown area have been introduced to support students where the existing public transport network does not currently have sufficient capacity to carry school-aged passengers.
‘‘For this interim service, buses use existing, established public bus stops rather than creating new or temporary stopping points.
‘‘The stop near the corner of Peninsula Rd and Poplar Dr is a recognised public transport stop that is already in regular use and is managed by the relevant road and transport authorities.
‘‘Responsibility for how students travel to and from bus stops sits with parents and caregivers, who are best placed to decide what is safest for their children.
‘‘Any concerns about road design, sightlines, traffic speeds, signage or pedestrian safety are matters for the appropriate road controlling authorities, including Queenstown Lakes District Council, police and [NZ Transport Agency] Waka Kotahi.’’
Both the district council and the Otago Regional Council were asked if they would consider establishing a bus stop on the other side of Peninsula Rd at Poplar Dr — neither could respond by deadline.