Media Release; Dunedin Free Bus Service

Today OPSA presented its case-study for a fare-free citywide bus service at DCC and ORC draft annual plan hearings.

“OPSA sees effective public transport as a key to keeping Dunedin a healthy and vibrant city, and a solution to parking and congestion problems. The convenience of simply being able to hop-on and hop-off buses wherever and whenever you liked without a pocket full of coins would make bus usage far more desirable.” said OPSA president, Richard Mitchell.

As long as the cost of public transport is anything close to private transport, users are always going opt for the vastly greater flexibility of private transport. While more suitable routes and timetables are always needed, fares are one dimension to bus usage than could be addressed immediately.

In the North Island Horizons District Council found making it bus service free around its congested campus area increased usage by over 100%. This is supported overseas by other cities that have free bus services; especially in the US where many tertiary institutions and local authorities arrange free buses for students.

A free bus service is affordable. There are a number of ways it could be charged, but if distributed over DCC/ORC rates OPSA calculates it would mean totally free bus transport to all residents for the cost of less than $2 per week per household - about half the price of a new stadium - and an amenity that would be used every day by many more residents.

The DFBS discussion-paper can be obtained from OPSA, or can be downloaded as a Word document from http://www.opsa.org.nz/downloads/FREE_BUS.doc

Media Release; Students Bag Rate-Payer Funded Stadium

Today OPSA presented its survey of Otago Polytechnic student opinion on the proposed new stadium at DCC and ORC draft annual plan hearings. In the face of a postal survey that avoided student opinion, and recent attempts by ‘Our Stadium’ to misrepresent student opinion (ODT, 26 April), OPSA conducted its own informed survey of student opinion.

The key finding is that 63% of respondents do not support a new stadium, compared to 37% who do support a new stadium. This support drops to 24% if it involves increases to rates, or flow-on increases in rents (full results below). This is consistent with the DCC’s original residents’ survey with 66% against, and 22% for a new stadium.

OPSA’s survey differs significantly from the Carisbrook Stadium Trust’s survey reported in today’s ODT , in that it was an informed and more meaningful survey; OPSA’s survey did not avoid the hard questions - respondents were also asked about support for the stadium if they had to pay for it through their rates.

“We’re not surprised that a survey which simply asks ‘do you want a new stadium?’ elicits a positive response. However, a meaningful survey that asks ‘do you want a new stadium if will cost you?’ is a different question, with a different answer” said OPSA president, Richard Mitchell.

OPSA’s survey also elicited many comments from OP students that the proposed stadium was unaffordable to the city and its rate-payers, that Dunedin was too small for such a stadium to be financially viable, and that upgrading the current stadium would be preferable.

OP Student opinion on a New Stadium

Lack of Support
63% of respondents do not support a new stadium compared to 37% who do support a new stadium. However, this support drops to 24% if it involves increases to rates, or flow-on increases in rents. This is reasonably close to the original residents’ survey with 66% against, and 22% for a new stadium.

Qualified support

It should also be noted that many of the supporters commented that they only supported a new stadium if it could secure top level international rugby games, or if was truly multi-purpose.

Need

Only 16% of all respondents believe a stadium is needed. Even stadium supporters are not convinced it is needed; 32% of stadium supporters do not believe Dunedin actually needs a new stadium.

Who should pay?

The majority of respondents did not believe a new stadium should be funded by rates or rent increases; 58% opted for a $0 increase in rates or rent to pay for a new stadium. Only 25% would pay extra rates or rent to fund a new stadium (largely, but not exclusively supporters).
Irrespective of supporting the stadium or not, almost 100% of respondents believed the majority of the stadium should be funded privately (eg private funding, sponsorship, user-pays, etc), instead of from rates or Council money.

How much?

58% of respondents believe the DCC/ORC should not subsidise the project at all. Only 25% believed it should be subsidised by local authorities. The overall average subsidy respondents believe should be made by local authorities is 13%.
The overall average rates increase respondents would pay was $42 per annum.

City debt

Irrespective of supporting the stadium or not - almost 100% of respondents believed the DCC should be planning to decrease its total debt instead of increasing it.

Spending Priorities

55% of respondents believed improved public transport and parking should be number one spending priority for local authorities. Of the stadium supporters 32% believe a new stadium should be the top spending priority, 28% of supporters believe public transport and parking should be the top spending priority.