Dear Wayne
Dear Wayne,
Congratulations on becoming the third Mayor of Auckland. You have some big footsteps to follow. While voter turnout was unacceptably low – and you really need to work with government to change how local government elections work – there’s no doubt your call to “fix Auckland” struck a chord with many Aucklanders.…
129 Comments Flashback Saturday: Better cities mean a wealthier New Zealand
Most Saturdays we dig into the archives. This post by Peter was originally published in September 2014.
Last week I took a look at whether government policy to support regional economies could divert growth away from Auckland. Based on the historical evidence, the answer seems to be no – people want to live in Auckland and start businesses here, and it’s senseless to try and stop that.…
Submit on Reshaping Streets
The government are currently consulting on a suite of much needed changes to legislation that will remove red tape, to “make it easier for local authorities (like councils) to make street changes that support public transport, active travel and placemaking“. And that consultation closes later today.…
Activity Classes are not the Strategic Direction
Streets so safe that getting around by bike is easy, children are independent, and our elderly can move around town without feeling stressed. Public transport so attractive that no one ever feels forced to drive. A transport system that becomes gradually less expensive to operate, and more environmentally sustainable, as it is improved over time.…
Small steps towards a level playing field
Each year, the Government releases a bill to tweak the tax system. The bill announced yesterday includes a couple of transport-related changes.
Most importantly, the Government is proposing to make employer-subsidised public transport exempt from Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT). This is great and something we’ve long called for as well as something recommended by a Tax Working Group in 2019.…
Flashback Saturday: Ridesharing is making traffic worse
This post was originally published by Matt in July 2018
One of the promises of ridesharing applications like Uber and Lyft has been that they will help increase vehicle occupancy levels and reduce congestion. However, it seems like the opposite is happening and they are actually making traffic worse.…
Removing red tape to make it easier to reshape streets
The government yesterday announced consultation on a suite of much needed changes to legislation that will remove red tape in order to “make it easier for local authorities (like councils) to make street changes that support public transport, active travel and placemaking“.…
Flashback Saturday: Auckland Transport’s Parking Nonsense
This post by Heidi was originally published in July 2019.
AT has created a storm that never needed to exist.
Ten years ago, Aucklanders understood the law. You could not park a car on a verge or footpath, and vehicle crossings were for crossing the footpath, not places to park.…
Ferry Changes and Fuel Tax discount extension
There were two interesting announcements in the last few days. Ferry changes
On Friday Auckland Transport announced on Friday it has struck a deal with ferry operator Fullers to make changes to the commercially operated Devonport and Waiheke Island routes, but also a major change to how ferries will operate in Auckland in the future.…
Biofuels in New Zealand – A Solution or a Problem?
This is a guest post by David K. David worked in the oil industry for many years in the Middle East, Europe, Asia and New Zealand.
Legislation to mandate biofuel percentages in New Zealand’s petrol and diesel is going through parliament and will become law in the near future.…
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