From newsflash to carwash: climate coverage in the media
Last weekend’s Mediawatch story by Hayden Donnell – it’s really good, please do make time to read it – zoomed in on a particular paradox of our media at the moment.
Which is: while climate change is the overriding story, anything that makes the tiniest progress towards addressing it – like, say, swapping a handful of parking spaces for bus or bike lanes – is still presented as “controversial”.…
66 Comments Wanted: Change Agent
The job advertisement for new CEO of Auckland Transport was posted on Monday, with a closing date of 31 March 2022. Just ten days to get your CV together or shoulder-tap your ideal candidates!
Here’s the role in a nutshell:
AT is seeking an exceptional Chief Executive to lead the organisation.…
Lifting Vision Zero from footnote to top of mind
Once upon a time in November 2021, Auckland Transport asked for feedback on a proposal to add parking time-limits at some corner shops on Grenada Avenue in Forrest Hill.
At the bottom of the project page was a familiar bit of language about Vision Zero:
This is a common footer on AT’s webpages and emails; a steady drumbeat reminding us that safety is literally the bottom line for all operations.…
Who will turn the transport supertanker around?
This article was first published on The Spinoff yesterday. Cool job alert! Waka Kotahi, the New Zealand Transport Agency, is looking for a new chair of the board, to guide the organisation through the next three to six years.
Okay, so maybe this is only cool to a small subset of transport and democracy nerds.…
A test case for Vision Zero and climate action in Mt Roskill
It’s 2021, and Auckland Transport has proposed yet another “safety project” with no safety for people on two wheels… while wrapping it in wording about sustainable local journeys.
And because it’s 2021, the announcement got ever-so-politely ratioed on social media a few weeks back.…
A Low Traffic Neighbourhood by any other name…
The quiet streets of Level 4 are here again. City-dwellers are waking up to birdsong and falling asleep to rare silence. People who need to drive for essential reasons are enjoying magically congestion-free journeys. And in our neighbourhoods, we’re once again seeing the everyday world through different eyes.…
Safety on Ash St & Rata St – but not for bikes
Last year Auckland Transport consulted on safety along Ash St and Rata St, a critical link from the west for public transport, freight, and cycling, as well as a busy local connection and a north-south severance through Avondale.
Matt wrote at the time about this “pre-consultation consultation” – in particular, asking why it was phrased as such an open question, given safety issues and safety treatments are so well understood.…
Artistic licence: framing the future
Artist’s impressions do a lot of work in city-building. Those colourful images in consultation material – with people-like-us carefully drawn or photoshopped in – help us see how change might look and feel.
Sometimes, the impressions accidentally highlight a problem with the design.…
What’s the plan for bikes and scooters on Queen St?
All eyes are on Queen Street, what with the current legal argy-bargy. (Yesterday, the judge said he hopes to make a decision by the end of Thursday – today.)
The funny thing is, both parties are kind of on the same page: it’s all about getting beyond the temporary Covid-response treatment and towards something more enduring.…
The Feedback Loop
It’s a busy time of year for engaged citizens, with consultation after consultation urging us to grab a minute to “have your say” and “make your voice count” before a given deadline. It’s an invitation, not a compulsion, although some of us find it hard to tell the difference. …
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