What! 30 seconds? You are talking about reliability: have you ever waited for a bus at pick times? Around 9.00 am and 5.00 pm? Have you ever seen a nice line of buses waiting for the light to become green at the corner of Willis and Mercer streets? You are talking about 30 seconds I am talking about at least 7-8 minutes sometimes. It is the enough to miss a connection. Not to say that it is sometimes quicker to get off the bus and walk.... Manners mall open to buses ? Yes please do so. Are shops on Lambton quay affected by buses????? Should we think about how Wellington is attractive to tourists and new comers and how it is dealing with gas emission, please reconsider the reopening of manners mall to buses because we will all benefit from it.

I walk through Manners Mall every day. It is one of the few places in Wellington where you can walk without danger of being run down (especially by the highly dangerous and noisy buses!) Seems mad in this day and age to be scrapping pedestrian areas - we should be getting more of them.

The Only reason the council wants busses and traffic going through manners mall is to divert it away from their offices!!! yet again the council proves all they care about is themselves

There is something very appealing about the public transport networks in Hamilton and Christchurch; particularly Christchurch. In both cities commuter transport around the CBD is largely by "Free Shuttle".

In Christchurch these are usually electric. The improvement in noise pollution and aesthetics is quite noticeable. The shuttles are quiet to outside pedestrians (you hardly hear them go past) and quiet to passengers - music is playing and people are engaged in conversation.

In both cities the "Free shuttles" connect with a Bus Exchange or Transport Centre from where suburban buses arrive and depart. Footpaths along the main streets do not appear to be conjested at frequent stops with people waiting for suburban buses as a large volume of this pedestrian traffic is concentrated to what is equivalent to the Wellington Railway Station.

Both cities have large pedestrian only areas.

The cities have a better ambiance.

But the Wellington City Council appears to spend money like it is going out of fashion - what about $42 million for 12 netball courts?

I don't belive that it would make much diffence in travel time if they did open up Manners Mall. But this would inconvenice so many others and spoil the charater of the area and be a waste of tax payers money. dont do it.

I like the thought of Light Rail and if Manners Mall is de pedestrianised then Courtenay Place should be closed to vehicular traffic as compensation, From Taranaki St to Cambridge/Kent.

It was great when they closed it for the Lions rugby.

I don't believe for an instant that converting Manners Mall to allow buses "would shave just 30 seconds off journey times." I travel that route to and from work on the Eastbourne Connector service 5 days each week. Removing Mercer St from the bus network would save several minutes and improve reliability of the service through the downtown core.

Construction is not to be taken lightly, but I fully support opening the mall to buses. It would be even better if Cuba Mall was extended north to Civic Square.