ECAN Draft Annual Plan 2026/27

Submission from Spokes Canterbury

Reference: https://haveyoursay.ecan.govt.nz/annual-plan-2026-27

March 2026

Tēnā koutou katoa

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the ECAN Draft Annual Plan 2026/27

Introduction

Spokes Canterbury (http://www.spokes.org.nz/) is a local cycling advocacy group with approximately 1,300 followers. Spokes is affiliated with the national Cycling Action Network (CAN – https://can.org.nz/). Spokes is dedicated to including cycling as an everyday form of transport in the greater Christchurch and Canterbury areas. Spokes has a long history of advocacy in this space including writing submissions, presenting to councils, and working collaboratively with others in the active transport space. We focus on the need for safe cycling for those aged 8 to 80. Spokes also supports all forms of active transport, public transport, and has an interest in environmental matters.

Overall, how do you feel about our proposed work for 2026/27?

Support

What aspects of our work for 2026/27 matter most to you, and why?

Transport

Public Transport has a lot of synergy with cycling. Cyclists use public transport as a backup when the weather is inclement, when they have a puncture, when the distance is challenging for various reasons, or as a bike bus combined trip. For the most part, upgrading infrastructure that supports public transport also benefits cyclists such as easier ways to cross roads to get to bus stops or bus lanes that cyclists can share.

Cyclists share the road with and use buses. We care about safety around buses and the air we breathe so it is concerning that after years of steady progress we see the following statement from ECAN.

From 1 July 2025, central government policy requires all brand-new buses entering the New Zealand fleet to be zero-emission. However, due to funding constraints, new interim private revenue ratio targets, and applying NZTA fleet-age rules, we will work with operators to source existing diesel vehicles already in New Zealand to support service trials and maintain current service level.

Spokes strongly objects to ECAN removing funding for electric vehicle replacement and infrastructure. This is a short term band aid that in the current fuel crisis is looking like an increasingly poor compromise. Using old inefficient diesel buses adds to the adverse impacts from transport on the environment and human health. Old diesel buses reduce the quality of services making them less attractive to potential users of the service. ECAN should instead be actively advocating with NZTA and regional councils to purchase electric buses which are better for people and the environment. Electric buses are cheaper to run over the lifetime of the bus, particularly as the price of diesel escalates. In the current fuel crisis, diesel should be prioritised into freight and agriculture where there are fewer options. New buses are also more likely to have modern technologies that increase safety for pedestrians and cyclists such as cameras and collision avoidance software. This decision does impact on service delivery and indicates that ECAN is out of touch with its customers.

ECAN should not abandon increased services if there are no government co-payments. Instead you should continue to fund the highest service priorities as test cases until after the next election, even if that means higher increases in rates. More people will be using the buses so service will need to be uplifted. There will be higher fuel costs for the diesel buses.

Spokes is pleased to see Motu Move being implemented. We also support additional capacity for events at Te Kaha and capacity to support the cruise ship season. Safety for staff and passengers is also a priority including at the Bus Interchange.

We support the additional bus services in Selwyn and Route 7 Halswell/Queenspark but would have preferred the other needed services uplifts in Christchurch and Selwyn had not been cut. We are concerned that many new residential areas in urban areas have no planned bus services, for example the 1400 new homes in Grassmere.

Spokes supports the following

Some of these items are the responsibility of the various Councils but it is important that ECAN understand the full breadth of need for public transport.

• Supports bike racks on buses and is pleased to see the lighting issues resolved.
• Supports the provision of bike and ride facilities. This should include areas such as Church Corner, Hornby and other hubs in Christchurch, Selwyn, Waimakariri, and Timaru. Providing secure bike parking extends the potential catchment area for buses from 400m to 2km or more. We are seeing an increasing number of bikes locked to inappropriate places around bus stops particularly in Hornby, Halswell and Templeton where fewer services are available.
• Supports ECAN working with councils and NZTA on projects that speed up bus services, including bus lanes and bus priority at traffic lights. Efficient bus services encourage more bus patronage and less congestion on the roads. Extending the times when buses have priority in bus lanes is a cheap way to improve services and save fuel.
• Spokes does not support removal of speed humps or other safety enhancements that slow traffic in general including general speed reductions.
• Supports more frequent bus services, including direct and secondary services.
• Supports better technology including Motu Move and wifi on buses.
• Urges ECAN to look at better technology for bus drivers to allow them to easily see vulnerable road users including cyclists and pedestrians. Surround cameras and collision avoidance is standard technology on new light vehicles.
• Supports continuing the training programmes for bus drivers on how to share the road with cyclists and other vulnerable groups. This training should be made compulsory in contracts if it is not already. Spokes members have been pleased with the response from the bus companies when they have reported poor behaviour.
• Supports the rapid electrification of buses as this reduces pollution (eg NOx) and impacts on climate change. The plan should commit to only purchasing electric buses or MyWay vehicles from 2025 with no wiggle room including the purchase of second hand diesel buses.
• We would like to see a greater frequency of services after 9.00pm. The current bus services do not meet the needs of many shift workers such as nurses. This could be a MyWay on demand type service. Buses should run until 1.00am at least.
• Supports greater enforcement of vehicles illegally in bus lanes. Mobile cameras should be used to regularly enforce this.
• Supports PT Futures, including the MRT. We would like to see a trial of the route using express buses with limited stops. This would help gauge demand.
• Supports better lighting around bus stops.
• Supports the new regulations to make it compulsory to let buses get back into the traffic. We hope this will also be enforced using evidence from the bus cameras.
• Supports increased services to Selwyn, Waimakariri and other places in Canterbury
• Supports MyWay in places where full bus services are uneconomic, including Ashburton, Oxford and a range of other small towns.
• Supports Total Mobility services.
• We would like to see a more proactive approach to increasing bus services in fast growing areas. The Canterbury population is growing faster than the rest of Aotearoa and bus services should similarly grow, particularly in Halswell, Casebrook, Belfast, Rolleston, Lincoln, and Rangiora. The government has fast tracked subdivision in places with no public transport so they should now fast track the associated transport costs.

I would like the opportunity to present to ECAN on this submission and I am happy to discuss or clarify any issues that arise.

Ngā mihi nui

Submissions Co-ordinator

Spokes Canterbury

submissions@spokes.org.nz