Weekly Roundup 20-September-2024

Welcome to the end of the week, as we head towards the spring equinox. Let us brighten your weekend with links to stories about ways to make our city a little greater.

This roundup is brought to you by a largely volunteer crew. If you’d like to support our work and keep the posts coming, we welcome donations and rolling subscriptions – we appreciate you! And, if you’d like to write for us or have an idea for a story, please get in touch.

Our header image shows the city skyline at sunset, with Meola Reef visible in the middle distance.

The Week on Greater Auckland

• On Monday, Patrick wrote about why Entrust needs new leadership, to take back the power and make it fit for the 21st Century. Patrick also spoke with Bernard Hickey, on the details – video here.
• On Tuesday, Jolisa looked at why it’s a political own-goal for the government to defund small local projects.
• On Wednesday, reader Nik Clement shared a postcard from Sydney on the new Metro extension.
• And on Thursday, a guest post by Malcolm McCracken proposed managing on-street parking for local benefit.

News just to hand – post updated 3pm with these two items:

Kelston-New Lynn Cycling Improvements

Auckland Transport is looking for feedback on proposed improvements to make it easier and safer to bike around Kelston and New Lynn – building on recent Streets for People projects around schools, and local aspirations.

Feedback is open until Monday 23 September, so jump in and have your say – here’s the project page, and here are the plans! And if you’re looking for help to understand the plans, Bike Auckland has a great feedback guide here.

This is a nifty video explaining what’s going on:

Rail and ferries adrift

The government is deciding this month about whether to proceed with rail enabled ferries or not, and The Future is Rail is convening a webinar this week to discuss the stakes and the opportunities:

Old ferries, new ferries, or no ferries? New investment, or a lack of investment? More people and freight on roads? Complexity and contradictory messages are part of the landscape for rail in 2024.

The Future is Rail is hosting a free webinar on Thursday 26th September at 7pm to shine a light on these issues and show what can be done to get rail back on track.

They also note: “without rail-enabled ferries, the South Island rail network is at risk of being shut down or privatized; and this will lead to less rail freight and more trucks on the road which in turn has emissions, road safety and pothole impacts.”

This is all very timely, given today’s latest ferry news in a long line of ferry woes. (Also: changing the routes, as noted in the RNZ story, so ferries are further from the rocks in case of emergency but take an hour longer to run the route… that doesn’t really sound like the “back on track” we were promised?)

Mayor’s Meola musings meander onwards

Mayor Wayne Brown continues to shop around his notion of a bridge from Meola Reef to Kauri point, an idea that Hayden Donnell assessed in the Spinoff:

The Waitematā Harbour drops down 29m at its deepest point, which is almost enough space to contain all the dumb ideas on how to cross it. Over the last few weeks, Auckland mayor Wayne Brown has been sending another brainwave into the depths, making the case for a bridge between Toby Manhire’s Pt Chev bungalow and Anna Rawhiti-Connell’s Beach Haven shack. … The bridge would cross a lava reef before disembarking at a swampy shoreline in the middle of an ammo dump, after which travellers would somehow ascend 100m and disgorge en masse onto an already busy arterial road.

In an op-ed for the NZ Herald (paywalled), the Mayor makes one good point: the secrecy now standard in infrastructure planning serves no one but those who stand to benefit from decades of business cases:

I’ve proposed Meola Reef as the site for a second crossing. There may well be other good ideas and I’m open to hearing them. We should be having a public debate about this, not just blithely allowing the major parties to waste more money on the folly of a tunnel.

Meanwhile: the existing bridge is getting a fresh coat of paint that reportedly will see it through another 40 years, which bodes well for its longevity. (But seriously: can’t we paint it something other than boring old grey?)

New Zealand’s biggest painting job begins this month, with work on the Auckland Harbour Bridge expected to take eight to 10 years from start to finish. NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) is planning the first continuous repaint of the structure, which opened in 1959.

A special containment device will be used to ensure no paint or contaminants escape. Strengthened steel will also need to be applied to parts of the bridge so the containment device can be installed to safely capture any sandblasting/paint particles, so these do not contaminate the water … The new paint to be used has a lifespan of up to 40 years so it could be some time before a second full repaint is needed.

Architect Garth Falconer of Reset offered the Mayor a design for a curved bridge swooping westward alongside the existing one, to be supplemented in future by an additional “Causeway Bridge” that would wend its way across the inner harbour from Pt Chev to Beach Haven.

No doubt there are many more bridge proposals waiting in the wings, one of which is bound to be a winner. In the meantime, our mate Malcolm has revisited a classic proposal.

Gonna miss AT when it’s gone

Amid the tussle for control of our city’s transport planning – will local government win the day, or will central government tuck it into their pocket? – Hayden Donnell asks in the Spinoff: who will miss Auckland Transport most if it goes? His answer: politicians who treat it as a convenient “blame sponge”:

Auckland Transport has become the ultimate blame sponge for councillors who don’t want to pay the electoral cost of defending their own policies and positions. During his election campaign, mayor Wayne Brown consistently made the case for cheap, basic cycleways. But when one caused controversy on Upper Harbour Drive, he stood over it pulling a “WTF” face.

…

The current situation isn’t working that well. But no one will miss AT more than the politicians who complain about it the most. For so long, they’ve had the best of both worlds, voting for progress and not having to face the music when it causes disruption or upsets the NZ Herald.

Concern accelerating re Minister’s plan for (un)safe speeds

A torrid week for Simeon Brown, whose rush to revert safe speeds has drawn international condemnation. As reported by 1News on Monday, an open letter headed by the Global Road Safety Partnership asks the Prime Minister and his Minister of Transport to reconsider:

The letter warns raising speed limits would lead to more fatalities and severe, life-altering injuries on New Zealand roads, and disputes claims that higher speed limits will yield economic benefits, saying the assertion is flawed and unsupported by credible evidence.

Co-author, the University of Canterbury’s Simon Kingham told 1News the letter was a “last ditch” attempt to persuade the Government not to proceed with the rule change.

He said it was a message from experts locally and around the world to say “this is madness”.

“All the experts are saying ‘this is a really bad idea’ and it’s inconsistent with what’s happening in the rest of the world, it’s against all science and evidence, please don’t implement it, it’s a bad policy.”

The case for higher speed limits is fatally flawed, writes Prof Tim Welch in The Conversation:

Recent research by the World Bank has also debunked the idea higher speeds drive economic growth. On the contrary, it shows slower speeds reduce the massive costs of road crashes – not just obvious ones like ambulance rides and hospital bills, but hidden ones such as rising insurance premiums and productivity losses.

In a related piece for Newsroom headlined “Slow Down, Mr Brown”, Prof Welch notes the speeds policy is out-of-step with the communities it will affect.

In July, Auckland Transport quietly uploaded a new report assessing attitudes towards speed-limit reductions, and the results should give Brown pause to think about the changes he wants to force on city residents – or, to put it more bluntly, ask, what is he thinking?

The report is revealing in many ways. It shows that 71 percent of 500 residents who took part in the survey are aware of the speed reductions implemented since 2020, which indicates these changes have registered with the public and not in the way the Government seems to think. It shows more Aucklanders support the speed reductions than oppose them: 46 percent in favour versus 38 percent against. This contradicts the Government’s claims that there is widespread opposition to speed-limit reductions, a claim used to justify the planned speed-limit increases.

When people are given the facts about speed reductions, they invariably support them. After being informed about the 30 percent reduction in road deaths and 20 percent drop in serious injuries on roads where speed limits were lowered, support for the reductions jumps to 61 percent, and opposition drops to 23 percent. Aucklanders clearly prefer safer streets.

And a blistering editorial in the Otago Daily Times (with accompanying cartoon, see below) called on the government to reverse course.

It would be playing with the lives of pedestrians, cyclists, children, adults and elderly, just so a few cases of bananas can get to the other side of town a little faster.”
…
Mr Brown and his ilk have got this one badly wrong. No politician ever likes backing down, but for the sake of Kiwis’ lives, they would do well to cave in to common sense.
This is one “promise” they need to break. Unless they want blood on their hands forever.

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The Minister wasn’t in the House for Question Time yesterday, leaving Associate Minister of Transport Matt Doocey to answer questions from Greens transport spokesperson Julie Anne Genter. Tabling a report obtained from NZTA via an Official Information Request, showing that “speed is one of the primary factors in serious and fatal crashes”, Genter asked:

“Will [the Minister’s] proposed setting of speed limits rule (2024) only reverse speed limit reductions ‘where it is safe to do so‘?”

Those were the key words in the election campaign, and in the draft version of the GPS – but have since disappeared. These lines from Doocey’s responses seem to suggest the Minister may be reconsidering his blanket stance, in light of the legislation. Let’s see.

“I can assure the member that the Minister will be taking safety into account as part of the process of signing the new rule.”

“…the Minister has to take regard of the level of risk existing to land transport safety in New Zealand when finalising the Government’s new speed limit rule, as set out under section 164(2)(c).”

Well, well, Wellington

A great piece by Joel MacManus in the Spinoff looks at the expansion of the capital’s cycleway network, featuring some nifty maps. As readers have already noted, there are even more existing and planned cycleways than shown here!

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Surprise! Wellington business love parklets, which provide extra room for more customers to spend more time and more money. As reported by Stuff:

Wellington businesses are singing the praises of parklets, with one saying it changed their whole business, as the local council looks to expand them by more than three-fold.

The small areas are dotted around 14 locations in the city. They usually take up the space of a car park or two and are used by businesses to expand their property onto the street.

A Wellington City Council committee has voted to expand the number of parklets to 50.

…
Burger Liquor owner Dan Haycock said the company had applied for and recently been approved a parklet – and was looking forward to getting it set up for summer.

The plan was to add a couple of large tables out the front of the property, where people could enjoy a drink and some food in the sun, he said. “It’s a better look for the street, it’s adding a bit of value.”

Alert: bikes are now elite!

A classic jape by Welly bike legends Bicycle Junction: after a recent op-ed reckoned those on humble bicycles are “Wellington’s new elite”, the bike shop announced it was rebranding (for the month) as Elite Cycles. Honestly, it just makes sense:

Let’s face it, the Elite class has always had an easier life. From jet-setting, to tax-breaks to priority service. Life is easy for The Elite. That’s why we agree with prominent lifelong Wellingtonians that cyclists ARE indeed Wellington’s new Elite. Embrace it; after all, you live a first-class life enjoying all the benefits that your Elite cyclist lifestyle offers.

• Free parking wherever you go.
• Priority through traffic, no sitting in queues for you.
• Transport with minimal running cost that chauffeurs you door to door.
• Your own personal fitness trainer providing a morning and afternoon fitness regime.
• Free donuts, coffee and bike checks on your morning commute, just because.
• Exclusive events: Cargobike picnics, Bike Raves, Film nights, Gravel rides.

You have risen above the masses. You are the “One-percenters” that cause drivers to rage with envy as they see you breeze by. But unlike other elites, the more of you that cycle, the better off everyone will be!

As we grow from being the “One-percenters” to 10, 20 or 50 percenters the roads will be liberated for all road users. Suddenly cars will have room to move, room to park, room to do things that are indeed better done by car. So let’s celebrate the fact that we are the Elite with a life-hack transport solution that’s good for us, and ultimately good for everyone.

To celebrate your elevation to Elite status we’re rebranding for the rest of the month – Welcome to Elite Cycles – Enjoy! 😉

Bikes just keep delivering

In Spain, the Prime Minister has announced an investment of 40 million euros to promote the use of electric bicycles as a means of daily transport. 20 million euros will go towards subsidising the purchase of e-bikes by companies and individuals, and the other half will help expand bike-share. Announcing the funding, Prime Minister Sanchez urged mayors around the country to see bicycles not as an ideological symbol, but as what they are: a fantastic mobility option.

The funding to expand access to everyday cycling follows almost 2bn euros invested in expanding access to public transport, subsidising multi-journey tickets and making youth fares more affordable. Sounds like a plan.

In Vancouver, which has much in common with Auckland, a pilot scheme that lets the public explore the potential of electric cargo bikes:

Supported by BC Hydro and LandlordBC, the Evolve E-Cargo Bike Pilot is available to North Vancouverites for FREE, offering locals a new choice to explore e-cargo bikes as a sustainable and practical alternative to car travel for short trips and shopping around the North Shore. It is part of the broader E-Cargo Bike Information Program led by the DNV and CNV and aligns with goals to reduce carbon emissions and enhance sustainable transportation options.The pilot features eight e-cargo bikes, available in two styles, available to pick up and return at six locations across the North Shore, including four North Vancouver District and City Public Libraries and two multi-unit residential buildings. It will run initially until October 2024, with a restart in March 2025 through October 2025.

Four-wheeled EV market unplugged, going flat?

Our EV uptake continues to wither in the wake of policy changes.

A small electric crossover Ford New Zealand confirmed as a definite starter for our market — the Puma EV — may have fallen victim to radically changed market conditions for pure plug-in vehicles.

The Puma EV was originally promised to be here before Christmas.. Ford announced intent to take the car in a release sent out in April of last year.
Since then, the EV sector has all but collapsed. A change to a National-led coalition government saw the rebate axed and in April electrics became subject to road user charges. The economy also went into recession.
Latest registrations data, for August, released last week confirmed the new EV market sector is still down 74% on last year.

And while the clean car share of the market diminishes, the dirty share is about to linger longer, thanks to policy changes. As reported by Eloise Gibson for RNZ, the minister pushed ahead with weakening tailpipe emissions standards, to meet a deadline for the car industry:

His own officials wanted to give Cabinet another month to decide, to allow more consideration of options.

Other emails released by the Ministry of Transport showed environment officials tried at the last minute to warn Cabinet the move risked blowing the country’s climate targets.

However, they were told they were too late to get the advice in a Cabinet paper.

Good listens for the weekend

• Housing economist (and GA alumnus) Stu Donovan on what Australia can learn from New Zealand’s housing reforms.
• Bernard Hickey talks to Simon Kingham about “the need for a cost-benefit analysis” for transport investment “that includes health benefits of more cycling and walking, along with fewer accidents and less pollution.”
• The New Zealand voice of Slovakian trains: Emile Donovan on RNZ spoke to Gavin Shoebridge about how he got the gig.

Fun stuff to finish with

Twitter’s favourite menswear guy on why he’s always talking about affordable housing.

In London, Mayor Sadik Khan has secured the support of the government for his plan (held since 2018) pedestrianise Oxford St. Angela Rayner, Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, says the move “will drive growth by creating new jobs, generating economic activity and giving a much-needed boost to London’s night-time economy”. The local council remains unconvinced, as do taxi drivers – but businesses and shoppers love it.

Reminiscent of Joel MacManus’s Wellington bike network maps mentioned above, this image contrasting the development of the Chengdu Metro with Toronto’s trains made a bit of a splash on social media…

…and then a witty local made a special Auckland edition that really hit home. Thanks, Anthony. <weeps in surface light rail>

Lastly, some pretty pics of pretty paving being installed as part of the linear park, Te Hā Noa, on Victoria Street West. Photos by Timothée D via Twitter, who notes: “I love the name which approximately translates to reo pākeha as ‘to breathe free’: the upgrade enabling and inviting people to stop, rest, linger, meet.”

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