Our work towards this community outcome aims to enhance our communities' economic and social well-being and protect our environmental well-being. There are four components to this:
This financial year some key activities are happening in land transport planning and public transport. One of these is implementing our latest Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP), which the Regional Transport Committee adopted in 2021. The RLTP takes a strategic lens to our region's current and future transport needs and provides for integrated decision-making between the various organisations needed to deliver effective transport networks. A key commitment signalled in that document is doing our part to reduce carbon emissions by offering attractive alternatives to private cars. Our public transport activity plays a significant role in helping reduce emissions, as well as enabling those in our communities for whom private vehicles are not an option to access employment and education and fully participate in community life. Earlier this calendar year, we consulted on our Regional Public Transport Plan, which will be adopted early in this financial year. We'll also begin implementing improvements to the Whanganui bus network and continue preparing for future improvements to the Palmerston North network. From July 2022, passengers on a vast majority of our bus services will be able to answer 'where is my bus?' quickly and accurately through Horizons' new Real-Time Bus Information System. Connected to our transport services pages on Horizons' website, we plan to integrate the real-time system into Google Maps and investigate adding it to the Transit App. The system will provide Council with valuable insights into the scheduling and reliability of our services to determine if our timetables are achievable. This project is a massive step towards improving the customer journey on Horizons' bus network.