Most people want a people-friendly city
With many of Auckland’s political and bureaucratic leaders bowing down to vocal minorities and consistently failing to reallocate space to people in our city, recent news overseas has prompted me to point out something important.
It is extremely popular to make car-dominated cities nicer, by freeing up space for people.…
28 Comments Mercury Lane, and Auckland Transport’s habitual failure
When the City Rail Link opens (circa 2026), all signs point to it immediately being a huge success. It will be transformational for Auckland, with ripple effects across the city.
Thousands of people an hour will pour in and out of the new and upgraded stations.…
Guide: Actions you can take on the speed limit increases
The government is moving into the implementation phase of its disastrous decision to reverse speed limit reductions across the country, in most cases regardless of whether communities want to do so.
In Auckland, it’s a Kafkaesque nightmare, with perverse outcomes all over the map.…
Fixing the Kafkaesque speed rule impacts in Auckland
Last week, Auckland Transport released the list and map showing which streets and roads must have their speed limits increased due to the new Setting of Speed Limits 2024 rule from central government. As things currently stand, none of these changes will be consulted with the communities they impact.…
Some questions for the government on speed limit increases
Yesterday, the newly minted Minister of Transport Chris Bishop and the Prime Minister of New Zealand Christopher Luxon held a press conference to announce a tranche of 38 state highways where speed limits will be automatically increased, and a further 49 up for public consultation on whether speeds should rise.…
Can we have a normal Minister of Transport now?
Yesterday, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced a cabinet reshuffle, which saw Simeon Brown picking up the Health portfolio as it’s been taken off Dr Shane Reti, and Transport has been given to Chris Bishop. Additionally, Simeon’s energy and local government portfolios now sit with Simon Watts.…
Simeon Brown’s fanaticism kills Warkworth intersection fix
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I grew up in Warkworth, and the infamous Hill Street intersection has been an issue not just my whole life, but for decades before I was even born.…
Going in circles: How to fix transport in the City Centre
The last few years have seen headline after headline talk about how much of a ‘mess’ the City Centre is in terms of transport. Whether it be parking, confusing bus lanes (and buses being held up), the GV lane on Queen Street, loading and delivery, enforcement (or lack thereof), congestion, safety, driving, walking, cycling, or more, there seems to be no end of issues with how we are addressing our transport needs.…
How should we talk about change?
A better world isn’t just possible, it’s desirable. And that’s how we should frame a lot of our conversations around making a greater Auckland.
As an example take urban climate action. A climate friendly Auckland: Is free from congestion
Enables people to travel how they choose
Is filled with green spaces
Has clean air
Allows people to live near amenities, work, and their community.…
Speeding toward a lethal legacy
This post, like all our work, is made possible by generous donations from our readers and fans. If you’d like to support our work, you can join our circle of supporters here, or support us on Substack.
A few weeks ago I wrote on how the Minister of Transport Simeon Brown had misrepresented cities overseas in his crusade to make our streets and roads more dangerous.…
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