transport Archive

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  Pedestrianise Queen Street? Hell yeah! - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  The Auckland Council is consulting right now on a discussion document called the City Centre Master Plan (PDF). It almost slipped under my radar but I’ve managed to draft up a quick submission to go in before the closing date – this Friday, the 17th of June. I encourage you to make an online submission [...] read more
  June 16, 2011 11:51 pm - 14 Comments
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  Budget 2011: Gareth Hughes’ speech on transport - by frog

  
  
  
  Kia ora, Mr Assistant Speaker. It is a privilege to take a call in this Budget debate, and I intend to focus on transport issues. When it comes to transport, this Government, under Steven Joyce as transport Minister, is simply on the wrong track. This Government is creating monuments in concrete and asphalt to 1950s-style [...] read more
  June 10, 2011 4:02 pm - 11 Comments
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  Government’s transport funding plans just silly - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  A while ago the Herald wrote an editorial about the Government’s transport plans for Auckland. They observed that if you define insanity as doing the same thing again and again while expecting a different outcome, then the Government’s transport policies are insane. While I was reading the Government Policy Statement on Transport Funding last week [...] read more
  May 15, 2011 8:44 am - 13 Comments
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  Flash mob for CBD rail loop - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  The Budget is fast approaching and so far the government has shown no sign that they will fund the CBD rail loop. In fact, their latest Government Policy Statement on transport funding shows that over the next 10 years they’re planning to spend $7 on roads for every $1 they spend on sustainable transport options [...] read more
  May 10, 2011 1:00 pm - 19 Comments
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  Rail petition makes tracks to Beehive - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  As a Gissy-boy and rail-fan I passionately believe that we can’t afford to lose this community asset and we need to stand up to protect it. Kiwirail has announced the lines possible closure in 2012 if further customers can’t be found. The Government has given Kiwirail ten years to ‘turn itself around,’ but Kiwirail is [...] read more
  May 5, 2011 5:09 pm - 5 Comments
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  Visions of Christchurch: My Public Forum Series - by Kennedy Graham

  
  
  
  For the first few weeks, it was shovelling.  Then it was door-knocking.  Then it was fund-raising to buy food and deliver it to welfare centres, attending memorial services, participating in MP briefings, and travelling into the suburbs and Lyttelton for meetings with Green members and others. Now it is time to refocus and plan for [...] read more
  April 29, 2011 3:57 pm - 3 Comments
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  Fuel tax deferral won’t help - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  Kiwis are feeling the pain at the pump, and the Government’s grand “solution” is to defer a 1.5c increase in the petrol tax until next year. Let’s put this in perspective. 1.5 cents a litre will save the average driver less than $1 when they fill up their tank. It’s about 0.6% of the total [...] read more
  April 27, 2011 3:42 pm - 24 Comments
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  Council rail-roaded into supporting roads - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  I attended the extraordinary Wellington City Council meeting that voted last night to support the Government’s $2.4 billion roading plans. Essentially the Council has written a blank cheque to the NZTA. It is preposterous that the Council could vote on a project when no one, not even the council officers, has seen the final plans. [...] read more
  April 21, 2011 12:01 pm - 34 Comments
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  Paying for CBD rail and Christchurch - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  Lately I’ve had quite a few people ask me whether it’s realistic to continue pushing for the government to fund the CBD rail loop in the after-math of the Christchurch earthquake. I can understand what they’re thinking. After all, the CBD rail loop is an expensive project and the reconstruction of Christchurch will also cost [...] read more
  April 13, 2011 11:05 am - 1 Comment
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  Tunnel or bridge? Either must prioritise rail - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  New research just out shows the majority of Aucklanders want the new link to the North Shore to include rail. The UMR research found 79% favour the inclusion of rail. Like Jarbury, I’m not sure that another road link will be needed at all, given that oil prices are going to stay high, and traffic [...] read more
  April 4, 2011 5:45 pm - 6 Comments
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  Found on floor outside Rodney Hide’s office - by frog

  
  
  
  It’s amazing the things that turn up when I’m hopping around Parliament.  Look what I found a few hours ago on a rare visit to the Act Party offices: read more
  April 1, 2011 12:01 am - 12 Comments
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  Who will determine Auckland’s future? - by David Clendon

  
  
  
  The cabinet papers that Rodney Hide has released relating to Auckland’s Spatial Plan make for interesting reading. It is obvious that this government will attempt to call the tune on Auckland’s development, despite the substantial mandate that Auckland voters gave to their mayor and council just a few months ago. A  discussion document that will in part inform the Spatial [...] read more
  March 21, 2011 4:56 pm - 7 Comments
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  A balanced approach to transport funding? - by frog

  
  
  
  Graphs of the day.. This graph shows the  growth in traffic on state highways over the last 20 years as reported by the transport agency. The pink line is heavy traffic (trucks) and the blue is all traffic. As you can see it grew pretty steadily up to about 2005. It then plateaued, dropped a bit in 2008 [...] read more
  March 19, 2011 11:07 am - 11 Comments
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  Which motorway project(s) would you cut? - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  So, the Minister of Finance has confirmed its full steam ahead with the national motorway gamble. Even the Transport Minister has made it clear that he will not consider cutting the budget for the poster-child of uneconomic motorways, the Puhoi to Wellsford ‘Holiday Highway,’ after the quake. Government cabinet papers also say that the government [...] read more
  March 18, 2011 2:00 pm - 25 Comments
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  Where’s the plan? - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  Today the UK Government released its draft Carbon Plan containing some 130 actions and targets to reduce emissions. With petrol prices nearing record highs, UK Energy Secretary, Chris Huhne, said Britain had no option but to speed up efforts to move away from oil. “Getting off the oil hook is made all the more urgent [...] read more
  March 9, 2011 6:12 pm - 13 Comments
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  Wider motorway or marine reserve? - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  Last weekend I visited the Motu Manawa Marine Reserve as part of Sea Week. I was there to help Forest and Bird and Friends of the Whau with a boat based clean up of the marine reserve. As you can see from the photo below we collected a lot of rubbish – especially given that [...] read more
  March 9, 2011 9:52 am - 8 Comments
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  Serious questions asked of the Transport Minister - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  I’ve just come back from the Debating Chamber feeling a little annoyed with the Transport Minister because he has declined Auckland Council’s call to review the cost-effectiveness of the new Puhoi to Warkworth motorway north of Auckland. Why set up a new Super Council to speak with one voice if you won’t listen? Why talk [...] read more
  February 10, 2011 3:56 pm - 21 Comments
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  Auckland Bridge walk and cycleway – $10 a pop! - by frog

  
  
  
  The latest proposal for a walk/cycle way across Auckland Harbour Bridge would involve charging tourists $10 a pop. Seems a little crazy to me… read more
  February 9, 2011 11:11 am - 17 Comments
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  Cool animated video of Auckland transport - by frog

  
  
  
  There’s a cool video doing the rounds on the blogosphere right now which shows the Auckland public transport network working over a 24 hour period. An animated map of Auckland’s public transport network from Chris McDowall on Vimeo. Watching it really highlights to me how radial the public transport network is. There are a lot of [...] read more
  January 25, 2011 1:53 pm - 20 Comments
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  How many cupcakes would you need to sell to influence transport policy? - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  Often when talking about the Government’s uneconomic and frankly dumb transport policy to people a common response is ‘well, that’s because the Road Transport Forum donate so much to the National Party.’ Yesterday I ran a bake sale outside Britomart to help Auckland buy back the National Party from the road and truck lobby and [...] read more
  January 13, 2011 9:20 am - 24 Comments