Subscribe to RSSResidents Want St Lukes Train Shuttles
Good to see a St Lukes resident group is adopting the idea of Westfield shopping centre having to run shuttle buses between St Lukes mall and Morningside train station.
The St Lukes Gardens Apartments Body Corporate group is also appealing in the Environmental Court the Auckland Council’s decision approving a plan change that allows for an expansion of the Mt Albert-based mall.
Residents in those 230-unit (soon to be 280) apartments in Morning Star Place opposite the mall are some of the closest neighbours to the mall.
In its submission - on transport issues, the residents argue:
- There is insufficient regional transport and public transport infrastructure to support such an intensive development in what is essentially a largely suburban area
- Among ways to address adverse traffic effects would be a free shuttle bus service to the Morningisde train station and other non-vehicle transport mode enhancements
- It’s “unclear what the carparking and traffic management policy should be for the Plan Change because broader strategic transport planning for the new Town Centre is yet to be determined and a commitment to fund future services by the relevant public authorities has not been made. Because a structure plan has not been undertaken, the plan change can not be approved as a matter of law. It’s an example of the cart before the horse.”
- The scale of the development will exacerbate and compound existing parking problems in the area of St Lukes
- Urban design areas have not been adequately addressed including the adverse effect the plan change will have on the general street amenity and pedestrian amenity
The submissions say the approval does not give effect to the Auckland regional policy statement and is inconsistent with planning documents such as the regional land transport strategy. It says the “sequencing and timing priority of St Lukes versus other regional intensification nodes that will compete for the same scare public infrastructure resouces has not been properly determined” and the complete spatial nature and extent of the proposed St Lukes Town Centre has “not yet even been defined.”
14 Comments
It would make sense to run regular shuttle buses between Morningside Stn and St. Lukes. AC should make this mandatory.
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Even a loop bus could go say between Baldwin ave-St Lukes- and Morningside or Morningside-St Lukes and Kingsland Stations.
At Westfield St Lukes, they should not be allowed to increase the overall footprint of the mall. They have huge parking areas now and this should be incorporated tn to the new mall. This would mean that they would have to go up and keep to the existing overall footprint.
a link to the rail line wont solve many of the problems. The rail line serves only a small area of the catchment.
Most of the St Lukes Catchment is Point Chev and the Dominion, Sandringham, Mt Eden Road ‘tramline’ suburbs.
A quality bus interchange is the most important thing.
Even then PT use will be low as the mall is in totally the wrong place, with at least 1 transfer required for all journeys.
Westfield did not actually oppose a bus shuttle service. It just feels that that’s not their business (they provide malls - not PT services). Council can provide the service, and roll the cost into the development contributions if they absolutely feel it’s required, is essentially what they are saying.
I agree that Westfield should not provide PT as it is not their business. However they should be required to pay for it. While it won’t solve all the problems it is a start. This should be an annual fee that Westfield pay as part of their rates.
It may be very good business for Westfield to provide free transport to St Lukes much like Farmers Trading Co did yonks ago.
Westfield should me made to pay for anything that offsets negative effects, it a bus shuttle does that then they should pay for that.
Westfield should be paying for all extra transport
infrastructure required as part of the upgrade project.
This includes road upgrades in the vicinity, a high quality bus interchange.
Sylvia Park had to build a train station so cant see why Westfield shouldnt spend similar resources.
Not its not Westfields job to provide PT but it is their job to get as many people into their malls as possible and by providing a bus service it might attract more people to go to the mall, especially those that will be put off by the extra traffic it will generate.
I actually think they should go a step further and work the council to put in a small tram system from the train station right into the middle of the mall. Having it would probably be an attraction in its own right which all helps to deliver more people to shop there.
Increasing the 007 bus frequency with direct link to the Greenlane train station with bus lanes going all the way from Green lane train station to Mt Albert Train Station (with closer stops to the stations) (part of it’s current route) should be key transport initiative for the mall. (And the transfer should be free with the new smart card system)
i think that it is rich that those intensive housing developments are requesting this, as they have also significantly increased cars in the area also. I think building condtions should have included some a whole lot of money set aside for increased public transport i.e station shuttles.
But when it comes down to it, i aint complaining about what they are proposing in this article. especially if i can hop on it to get home on wet days
San Luca, shouldn’t we commend the residents of those intensive housing developments for wanting a shuttle. Presumably they would be its biggest users, allowing them to cut down on their car usage.
As for setting money aside from building conditions, this already sort of happens. Developers pay contributions to the council for infrastructure, so arguably it is the councils job to take some of that money and get these sorts of bus links going.
Which they do - however, it’s not pro-rata-ed for PT (and I generally don’t think it should be - that way lies inflexible micromanagement).
As noted above I support Westfield having to pay for a shuttle service. It does strike me that it would be a very convenient service for those residents as they are suddenly a free shuttle ride away from the train station.