Posts by Julie Anne Genter

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  A motorway to save “dying” Wellington? - by Julie Anne Genter

  
  
  
  Recently, to shrug off blame for the Wellington region’s contraction in employment per capita, the government has taken to blaming the city council’s opposition to roading. As I have mentioned before, National has big plans to spend billions (perhaps as much as $5 billion, if we include the $2.4 billion interest on the private loan [...] read more
  May 12, 2013 11:55 pm - 72 Comments
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  Basin flyover won’t solve traffic woes - by Julie Anne Genter

  
  
  
  Some influential people in Wellington (including the editorial board of the Dominion Post) seem to have an unshakeable faith that a four-lane road from Levin to the airport, including a motorway bridge at the Basin Reserve, will solve substantial traffic problems in Wellington and support economic growth.   Late last week, Wellington City Council split [...] read more
  March 26, 2013 9:46 pm - 29 Comments
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  The bus stop theft that wasn’t - by Julie Anne Genter

  
  
  
  Last night, as I left Auckland for the first week of Parliament for the year, I did something quite foolish. I was waiting for my bus to the airport (the stop is literally right in front of my apartment building — I can look down from my bedroom window and see it), when I realised [...] read more
  January 30, 2013 1:49 pm - 4 Comments
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  The fight to save Gissy rail - by Julie Anne Genter

  
  
  
  Getting accurate information and good decisions on transport at the moment is a bit like pulling teeth. It’s painful, frustrating and can be very pricey. This is why it was such good news to hear Gisborne City Councillor Manu Caddie telling Morning Report this week that nearly $14,000 has been raised to pay for an [...] read more
  October 12, 2012 11:45 am - 28 Comments
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  Buses can be sexy - by Julie Anne Genter

  
  
  
  Leave it to the Danes to make the best public transport ad I have seen so far.   The ad essentially uses the same techniques ubiquitously applied to sell cars, and applies them to the bus. Given that car ads seem to be about one out of every three or four shown on television, and [...] read more
  September 17, 2012 1:25 pm - 18 Comments
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  What Greece’s motorways mean for NZ - by Julie Anne Genter

  
  
  
  No one could say that Greece’s heavy spending on motorways directly caused their default crisis. I’m certainly not saying that. There were many factors at play, though certainly borrowing to pay for projects that were not the best at reducing transport costs certainly didn’t help. From 2000 to 2006 alone Greece spent nearly half of [...] read more
  August 28, 2012 2:12 pm - 57 Comments
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  More, not fewer bicycles will reduce fatalities - by Julie Anne Genter

  
  
  
  Forgive me for thinking that the Coroner’s goal is to reduce cycle deaths by reducing the number of people willing to travel by bicycle. New safety rules to avoid cycle deaths mooted during the Coroner’s inquest include innovative ideas such as mandatory high-vis clothing and compulsory use of cycle lanes. A few years back, a [...] read more
  July 26, 2012 2:25 pm - 31 Comments
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  Public servants go on scrapheap while consultants cash in - by Julie Anne Genter

  
  
  
  Tough financial times? Not if you’re a consultant working for the National Government on one of its poor priority pet projects. Today’s revelation that the Government has spent $200 million in the past three years for transport consultants to work on its roads of national significance reveal a stunning waste of money. The roads are [...] read more
  July 16, 2012 3:45 pm - 55 Comments
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  The fight to save TVNZ 7 isn’t over yet - by Julie Anne Genter

  
  
  
  On June 30th 2012 the Goodnight Kiwi said farewell from TVNZ 7 and then TV One ‘Plus One’ kicked in. You might consider having “plus” in the title something of a misnomer – and you wouldn’t be wrong. TVNZ 7’s closure means the end of almost any commercial free public broadcast television in New Zealand [...] read more
  July 12, 2012 8:30 am - 8 Comments
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  The death of public broadcasting? - by Julie Anne Genter

  
  
  
  There is something important and terrifying happening, mostly without notice. It is the death of public television. We’re about to lose our only non-commercial free-to-air broadcaster (with the notable exception of Maori TV). Last week I attended at the first of a series of public meetings to save TVNZ 7, but it started out with [...] read more
  May 20, 2012 11:23 pm - 8 Comments
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  There’s no better time to invest in cycling - by Julie Anne Genter

  
  
  
  There’s things going on all over the world at the moment that tell us that using bicycles for transport is more than just a fad – it’s a growing phenomenon that offers all sorts of solutions to our transport woes. Cycling is a win-win-win for transport. It reduces congestion. It reduces fuel use. It makes [...] read more
  May 4, 2012 10:46 am - 20 Comments
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  Transport news round-up - by Julie Anne Genter

  
  
  
  So much is happening in transport that it’s a bit hard to keep up and put out an informed post on each happening, so here’s a round-up: First, the bad news: The Napier—Gisborne line is hanging by a thread after being washed out. This is a huge blow to the regional freight line, which thanks [...] read more
  March 27, 2012 6:09 pm - 34 Comments
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  On housing affordability and transport: it’s the parking, stupid. - by Julie Anne Genter

  
  
  
  There are two parallel debates going in Auckland that really need to be combined. On the one hand, we have a housing affordability crisis. The solution, we are told, in the very disappointing  Productivity Commission draft report, is to free up more land for development on the fringes of the urban area. This will presumably bring down [...] read more
  March 7, 2012 10:52 am - 53 Comments
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  Cycling to Southland — Epilogue - by Julie Anne Genter

  
  
  
  This is how the story ends. Yesterday I took apart my bike and crammed it into the small rental car of a friend attending the festival. We drove back to Dunedin airport, where incredibly helpful people gave us materials to pack up the bike. Upon arrival in Wellington, I unpacked it, put it back together [...] read more
  January 24, 2012 3:37 pm - 22 Comments
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  Day 8 – Made it! - by Julie Anne Genter

  
  
  
  For those of you who have followed my journey, I figured I’d better let you know that I made it safe, sound, and not even too fatigued at the Keep the Coal in the Hole summer festival south of Mataura. A bit anti-climactic, isn’t it? I woke early this morning, and headed for the hilly [...] read more
  January 22, 2012 12:30 am - 73 Comments
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  Day 7 — Serenity to accept that I cannot change - by Julie Anne Genter

  
  
  
  I’ve cycled 120km in one day before. Once, when I was 23. It was exhausting then, though I didn’t have much weight on my bike and hadn’t spent the previous week cycling five to eight hours a day. Oh, and I was probably fitter, too. Eight years later, I thought if there were enough hours in [...] read more
  January 20, 2012 10:31 pm - 3 Comments
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  Day 6 – just 110km or so to go - by Julie Anne Genter

  
  
  
  I’m nearly in Southland, having traversed coastal Otago, and headed west into the strong winds this evening. I left beautiful Karitane this morning, after an incredible breakfast that included gluten free pancakes made by my exceedingly generous hosts. The morning was cool and overcast, perfect conditions for cycling, and still very beautiful. The ocean was [...] read more
  January 20, 2012 3:55 pm - 2 Comments
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  Day 5 — Serendipity and Community - by Julie Anne Genter

  
  
  
  You know when things don’t go as planned, and it unexpectedly  works out much better? That was my day today. (Long distance solo bike journeys, in my experience, have this seemingly magical effect… Though I’m sure there’s nothing supernatural about it.) The plan was to cycle from Oamaru to the little village of Waikouaiti, where [...] read more
  January 19, 2012 12:52 am - 3 Comments
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  Day 4 — The strawberry trail into Otago (after a slightly emo pep talk) - by Julie Anne Genter

  
  
  
  Disclaimer: the purpose of this trip is not any of the following A. To reduce my own carbon footprint (I try to do that, but the reality is that I have to fly back) B. To encourage others to risk their lives cycling on state highways C. To say that everyone should always cycle or take [...] read more
  January 17, 2012 11:26 pm - 7 Comments
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  Day 3 — The straight and narrow path (to Timaru) - by Julie Anne Genter

  
  
  
  When I arrived in Ashburton completely shattered last night, I informed Kaye at the reception desk that I would be leaving early. “Perhaps seven,” I said, thinking the earlier I left, the less wind I would encounter. “Oh, but you may just want to have a lie in after all that,” she smiled. “I’ve got [...] read more
  January 16, 2012 10:22 pm - 9 Comments
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  Day 2 — The windy Canterbury Plains - by Julie Anne Genter

  
  
  
  Okay, I’m not going to lie. Today was tougher than I expected. It all started out very auspiciously, with a sunny still morning, an invite to breakfast at the home of a friend who is a former cycle champion and now transport planner. He made me a fantastic omelette, helped check over my bike and [...] read more
  January 16, 2012 12:11 am - 9 Comments
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  Cycling to Southland – Day 1 (the easy part) - by Julie Anne Genter

  
  
  
  When I initially conceived of this journey to Southland by bike, I hoped to cycle down the west coast from Picton. But a quick look at the distance (over 1000km) and the calendar made it clear it would be impossible to get to the festival by the 21st. So I decided to take the train [...] read more
  January 14, 2012 11:03 pm - 34 Comments
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  Cycling to Southland – Prelude - by Julie Anne Genter

  
  
  
  Gareth’s already blogged about the Keep The Coal in the Hole summer festival, and I’m excited to be attending. As the new transport spokesperson, I decided to take a bit of time during the summer holiday to travel to the festival in the most climate-friendly means possible. I’ll be leaving by ferry from Wellington on [...] read more
  January 12, 2012 2:02 pm - 9 Comments
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  The future will be walkable - by Julie Anne Genter

  
  
  
  Last week I went to watch my colleague and friend Holly Walker on the Backbenches TV show (14’30”). Being a new MP myself, Damien came up to me in the audience for some freshman hazing. He asked me what I hoped to achieve in the next three years. Quite ambitiously, I launched into a short [...] read more
  December 8, 2011 8:02 am - 11 Comments