Clevedon to wait at least 10 years for a bus

A storm is brewing in Clevedon as students and residents protest against a lack of public transport to and from the village.

Clevedon is just along the coast from Kawakawa Bay, and not far from Papakura and Whitford. It has one roundabout, no traffic lights and no pedestrian crossings.

The town hasn't had a bus come through it since late 2016.

Mark Hannan, from Auckland Transport, says there are no plans in the next 10 years to provide public bus services to Clevedon.

But Clevedon Cares secretary Mary Whitehouse says locals are often saying they need a shuttle to the train station or Pine Harbour Ferry”

"At the moment I can't see it happening unless by private initiative", which is how the Pine Harbour ferry service began.

Pine Harbour was started by private investors in 2015.

Even if a shuttle to the ferry was approved, this would not help residents who wish to go anywhere other than Auckland city or Pine Harbour.

This not only impacts residents and visitors of Clevedon but also those living or working in Kawakawa Bay.

A visitor to Clevedon said  on the town's Facebook page: "Hi all, am wondering what bus I can catch to get there please and thank you", to which the response was "...unfortunately, there are no buses to Clevedon. All routes end at Papakura, or Maraetai".

In 2017, Clevedon residents and business owners were told by developers and investors that their small village was going to become a hub.

Ms Whitehouse said the size of the town wasn't helping with the approval of a shuttle or bus service.

But, according to a story on Stuff, more than 80 hectares of South Auckland farmland is being earmarked for major commercial and residential development.

Mr Hannan: “We are aware that there are new land use developments in Clevedon. However, even with these changes Clevedon will still be a small settlement and we don’t have anywhere enough funding to provide service to all the settlements of this scale.”

Ms Whitehouse told Te Waha Nui that there was no retirement village in Clevedon, which is part of the reason why there was no shuttle or public transport.

“Like all public transport, it Is frequency and ease of getting to the destination which induces people out of the flexibility of using their cars.”