More residents taking the bus
By David Hill, local democracy reporter
The rising cost of fuel is encouraging more Waimakariri residents to leave the car at home and take the bus to work in the city.
Environment Canterbury says bus patronage across the Greater Christchurch network for June was higher than pre-Covid levels for the first time.
There were 1,083,709 public transport boardings recorded across the network in June, which was 100.9% more than in June 2019.
The rise in patronage comes despite 21% of respondents, in a Metro survey earlier this year, saying working from home had affected their travel patterns over the past 12 months, an Environment Canterbury spokesperson said.
Rangiora route 1 express trips for June were 2175, compared to 2992 in June 2019, while 1702 people boarded the bus in July compared to 3845 in July 2019.
But new express services were introduced for the Waimakariri district in 2021 - Rangiora 91 and Kaiapoi 92.
The Rangiora service was used by 2164 passengers in June and 2087 in July, while in Kaiapoi patronage was 1515 and 1509 for the same two months. The Waikuku/Pegasus 95 express service has also experienced a dramatic increase in passenger numbers, with 2009 passengers in June and 1675 in July, compared to 679 and 808 for the same two months in 2019.
New flat fares of $2 and $1 for Metrocard holders were introduced on July 1, while children under 13-years can now ride for free with a Metrocard.
The new fares coincided with the end of the national half price fares promotion on June 30. The $2 flat fare applied to adult Metrocard holders, while the $1 flat fare was available to Metrocard holders aged under 25-years, Community Service Card holders, Total Mobility users and students.
■ Public interest journalism funded through New Zealand on Air.
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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62.5% Summer
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36% Winter
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1.5% Other - I'll share below
What word sums up 2024, neighbours?
If 2020 was the year of lockdowns, banana bread, and WFH (work from home)....
In one word, how would you define 2024?
We're excited to see what you come up with!
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
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