Porirua Park n Ride Details Porirua Station Park & Ride plan takes shape Getting around by bus or train is set to become easier and more attractive for Porirua commuters, with work to begin soon on new and improved park and ride facilities at Porirua Station. Greater Wellington Regional Council and the NZ Transport Agency say the project has been given the go-ahead following the greenlighting of funding from the NZ Transport Agency and the completion of land purchases. The Council has bought a large tract of land south of the existing carpark . Some of the land is currently used by commuters for ‘overflow’ carparking but it is undeveloped and prone to potholes in wet weather. By the end of this year between 130 to 150 car parking spaces will be created in the area next to the existing commuter car park. Lights will be installed beneath the Mungavin Bridge and within the proposed parking area. Next financial year, the land further south will be developed fully to provide at least 150 more parking spaces. Also, next financial year the feasibility of creating about 40 car parks on an area of land north of the Mungavin Bridge at the entrance to the existing car park will be investigated. Central government investment for the project has been committed by the Transport Agency, who are co-funding the project with the Regional Council. As well as the new carparks, the Regional Council is working closely with Porirua City Council on replacing the road surface on Station Road to improve access to the bus/rail interchange and discussing longer term plans to develop the Station precinct. Jenny Brash and Barbara Donaldson, Regional Councillors for Porirua-Tawa, say they’re delighted that the plans will soon come to fruition. “Porirua Station is the second busiest in the region and demand for commuter parking there is growing. The new carparks will meet current demand and we may even be able to provide more in the next three to four years if demand increases. “These facilities don’t come cheap, once you factor in all the necessary earthworks, landscaping, lighting, CCTV plus the ongoing maintenance and patrolling. We’re confident that the investment in these new park and ride facilities will result in a growth in train usage. Being able to drive to the station and park your car in a safe and secure area is a great incentive to take the train. “The new carparks, combined with a major upgrade of the station a few years ago and the wonderful new Matangi trains, help make taking the train a much more attractive and convenient choice for Porirua commuters.” NZ Transport Agency regional planning and investment manager Lyndon Hammond says the facilities will have vast flow on benefits for all travel choices. “Park and ride facilities create real improvements to everyday travel by making it easier for people to transfer between different travel choices, and more convenient to access public transport services. “By providing these facilities, we can get more cars off the road and keep the traffic jams at bay, which means a huge range of people will benefit, however they travel.” Mr Hammond said the Park and Ride facility is a partnership between Greater Wellington and the Transport Agency that would contribute towards the Northern Corridor Plan. It also forms part of an unprecedented investment towards making Wellington public transport more attractive, including the new Matangi trains, real time information services, station upgrades, and integrated ticketing.
Posted on: Mon, 30 Sep 2013 04:36:48 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015