Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger has said he feels “conned” after a community board recommended keeping bus lanes on Cranford Street, despite public opposition and council staff advising a clearway option.

Mauger, who supported the original three-month bus lane trial three years ago, said it has now morphed into a near-permanent fixture without adequate consideration of public feedback or proper data collection.

“I feel like I was conned back then,” he said. “We were told it was going to be a trial for three months to gather data. I thought, ‘Let’s give it a go.’ Now, here we are three years later, and it’s still there.”

The mayor said public consultation showed most people preferred returning to clearways, a sentiment also reflected in council staff’s initial advice. However, the local community board recommended keeping the bus lanes, leaving the final decision to the council.

“We’re supposed to listen to public consultation. If we’re not going to, why bother doing it?” Mauger said. “We’re trying to build trust with ratepayers, and ignoring their input undermines that.”

Mauger expressed frustration over what he called a pattern of trials becoming permanent without adequate review.

He compared the Cranford Street situation to other projects, such as the cycle lane on Ferry Road, which started as trials but remained in place long-term.

“In my view, we should put a clearway in for three years to collect proper data and then compare it to the bus lane data. That way, we can make an informed decision,” he said.

Responding to comments made by Councillor Pauline Cotter, who said consultation is “not a numbers game” Mauger said “we’re here to gain the trust of ratepayers.”

“If people feel their feedback doesn’t matter, they’ll stop engaging. We need to be more upfront and transparent about how decisions are made.”