Background

The Metro Strategy is a non-statutory document that councils in the Greater Christchurch area develop to provide a clear direction for the future of public transport. The first Christchurch Metro Strategy was developed in 1998 at a time of low bus use and little growth. Staff recognised that a new approach was needed so they carried out extensive public consultation to find out how the community wanted public transport to improve in the future. This is now the fourth edition of the Metro Strategy in Christchurch and there is a separate Metro Strategy for Timaru. 

These strategies have led to a number of significant improvements such as the introduction of the Orbiter, integrated ticketing with the Metrocard, Real Time Information at bus stops, bike racks on buses, biodiesel bus trials, newer buses and higher service frequencies. This has all contributed to significant patronage growth, with the number of annual passenger trips almost doubling in the last ten years.

Current Metro Strategy

The current Metro Strategy was adopted by Christchurch City Council, Selwyn District Council, Waimakariri District Council and Environment Canterbury in 2010. Many of the previous targets had been achieved so a full review of the Metro Strategy was carried out from January to July 2010. The scope of the document was also expanded to include all of the Greater Christchurch area with Selwyn and Waimakariri District Councils joining the process as partners to the new Strategy.

Metro Strategy Review Process

The key to a successful Metro Strategy is public involvement as the targets are based on suggestions from the community.  Public consultation for the Greater Christchurch Metro Strategy review was carried out in March-April 2010. Brochures were delivered to all households in the Urban Development Strategy area, handed out on buses and sent to key community groups and stakeholders. Adverts were run in city and community newspapers, onboard buses, and on a range of radio stations to raise awareness of the review and encourage people to have their say about the future of public transport in Greater Christchurch.

We received an excellent response from the wider community with a total of 1904 written responses. There was a good range of views from bus passengers and non-bus users which is important to ensure future targets cater for the demands of existing passengers and also help attract new people to the Metro network.

All of the public feedback was collated and presented to the Public Transport Advisory Group, which consists of 25 community and elected representatives from across Greater Christchurch. The Advisory Group met regularly to analyse the feedback and develop the Vision, Goals and Targets for the new Greater Christchurch Metro Strategy. The draft targets were then presented to each Council for adoption so all Councils are aiming to deliver the same goals.

Implementing the Metro Strategy

The Metro Strategy includes actions and timelines identifying when each target should be achieved. Staff from all councils meet at least every two months to monitor progress towards those targets. The Public Transport Advisory Group meet four times a year for an update about the Metro Strategy and the public will be informed when any major improvements are made.

View the Greater Christchurch Metro Strategy (1.8 MB)

If you would like more information about the Greater Christchurch Metro Strategy, please contact the Strategy Advisor for Public Transport Len.Fleete@ecan.govt.nz.