CBD Tunnel vs Puhoi-Wellsford: an in-depth analysis
An interesting question and answer session in parliament today on the merits of the CBD Rail Tunnel and the Puhoi-Wellsford “holiday highway”. A transcript can be read here (and by the way it’s interesting to see in the video how keen Bill English & Gerry Brownlee were to say that they’re even less keen on the CBD Rail Tunnel project than Steven Joyce is).…
43 Comments Martin Gummer’s Opinion Piece
Martin Gummer. the former head of transport funding agency Transfund, wrote an excellent opinion piece in today’s Herald on some of the transport decisions being made at the moment. Here are some key segments.
Recent political comment about two big transport proposals – the Puhoi to Wellsford Highway, and the CBD rail loop – are starting to frame them in polarised terms.…
Oram v Joyce: the battle continues
Business commentator Rod Oram has another transport related article in yesterday’s Sunday Star Times – responding to the points made in Steven Joyce’s opinion piece from last week. Joyce’s piece itself was a response to an earlier article by Oram – so this is turning into an interesting ‘back and forth’ between the two.…
Puhoi-Warkworth’s time savings questioned
In a media statement, Warkworth resident and cycling advocate Bevan Woodward has questioned the time-savings benefits (all five to seven minutes of them) promised by the Puhoi-Warkworth section of the “holiday highway”. Here’s his whole statement:
Puhoi to Warkworth motorway time savings unrealistic
Warkworth based transport planning consultant Bevan Woodward has been studying the travel time savings claimed by NZTA for the Puhoi to Warkworth motorway.…
Rod Oram on National Radio
In the comments, Rob Russell has alerted me to the fact that Rod Oram talked about transport and spatial planning on National Radio this morning. A link to listen to the item is here.
Somewhat coincidentally, I’ve also received today a copy of the original SAHA International assessment of the cost-effectiveness of the various Roads of National Significance that Rod Oram’s article a week and a bit ago referred to.…
Joyce gets defensive
Last week wasn’t a good week for Transport Minister Steven Joyce. Starting on last Sunday, highly acclaimed business journalist Rod Oram wrote a superb article completely slamming the business cases for a variety of the roads of national significance that Joyce is so fond of.…
Exploring the web of “wider economic benefits”
Steven Joyce’s main response to the release of the CBD Rail Tunnel business case seems to have been to immediately question the accuracy of the study. In particular, he has questioned the validity of including broad urban regeneration – or employment based – wider economic benefits of the project.…
Auckland Council on the holiday highway
As I noted yesterday, the agenda for Thursday’s meeting of Auckland Council’s transport committee has now been published online. As well as talking about the CBD Rail Tunnel, the agenda provides members of the transport committee with a brief update on major transport projects around the Auckland region (though it is odd that integrated ticketing is listed, but then no information on it is provided – what’s up with that?)…
Rod Oram on the holiday highway
A really interesting article by Rod Oram in the Sunday Star Times today, discussing the cost effectiveness of the government’s various roading projects. Here are a few sections:
The government told owners of 55 properties last week that their homes or other buildings could be bulldozed to make way for its $1.65 billion Puhoi to Wellsford motorway.…
Puhoi-Warkworth: open day
I went along to the NZTA open day on the Puhoi-Warkworth section of the “holiday highway” project today. There was a lot of information there, and it was definitely worthwhile making the trip. Most of my opposition to the Puhoi-Wellsford road of national (party) significance so far has been because I think it’s poor value for money and because I’m worried that it will delay essential safety upgrades to the existing state highway one road.…
Processing...