by Gareth Hughes
Consultation on the Basin Reserve flyover, doubling the Mt Victoria tunnel and widening Ruahine St and Wellington Rd closes tomorrow. This project has huge implications for inner-city Wellington transport and it is vital the public have their say.
Wellington needs urgent investment in public transport and safer cycling and walking. It certainly doesn’t need an 8 metre high flyover that will deface much of Wellington’s heritage precinct including the war memorial, the Mother Aubert crèche and the Basin Reserve.
Check out our submission and guide for more information and use our quick submission form if you’re pressed for time. The Green Party recommends the NZTA make urgent investment in public transport and active modes. In particular, we support light rail from the CBD out to the airport. We prefer Option X over Options A and B, however support public and active transport improvements over car-based road-works.
Wellington is a compact and pedestrian friendly city with the highest use of public transport in New Zealand. Wellingtonians do not need an uneconomic urban motorway that will take out dozens of homes, depreciate land value, reduce the town belt and increase air and noise pollution. Cities such as Seoul and Seattle regretted building flyovers in their cities and have replaced them with attractive and spacious urban design.
There is no evidence to suggest there is a need for such a costly and imposing roading project. State highway traffic volumes are stalling whereas demand for better public transport is sky-rocketing. In the short-term, better traffic signalling and bus priority measures would largely mitigate congestion around the Basin at a fraction of the cost. Light rail through the CBD out to the airport is a cheaper and more sustainable option that would alleviate congestion and offer commuters an affordable option in the face of future oil price rises.
When traffics down and demand for public transport is up, it’s fiscally irresponsible to borrow to pay for motorways. Make sure you have your say to ensure Wellington continues to lead the way with smart Green transport.
Published in Environment & Resource Management by Gareth Hughes on Thu, August 25th, 2011
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on the trolls and those who are unable to keep on topic
Great write up Gareth. I’ll just add that the $11 million grandstand planned to be built in the Basin (funded by nzta) is not required at all, attendances don’t justify it, and its sole purpose would be to hide the flyover.
Additionally the new Memorial Park on Buckle St is expected to have $10 million spent on it in the near future, and what is the point of spending that money when nzta want to keep a road running straight through it. Thats why the tunnel is a good idea, we end up with a proper Memorial and park.
This shows how poorly resolved their scheme is, an additional $20 million of our money will be wasted.
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Right on Gareth.
Using a Car in Wellington is an superfluous affectation from a bygone era.
I absolutely refuse to drive amid the mess on her roads, which is possibly worse than Manhattan.
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