Transport policy clarified

Written By: - Date published: 5:41 pm, October 21st, 2008 - 23 comments
Categories: humour, transport - Tags:

The National Party has today been forced to clarify its policy for more public-private partnerships in transport after an embarrassing leaked photograph found its way onto several online internet ‘blogs’.

In response to the photo (below), John Key has scheduled a press conference where he is expected to formally announce a policy to lease public bus stops to private commuters at the rate of $2 an hour.

The clarification comes after transport spokesperson Maurice Williamson today stated the bus stops would be sold off completely, then backtracked and claimed they would be leased to private commuters at $5 an hour.

Mr Key has distanced himself from Mr Williamson’s comments, saying his transport spokesperson “jumped the gun” and has not been briefed on the party’s transport policy.

UPDATE: G.Blog has the backstory here.

23 comments on “Transport policy clarified ”

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  1. insider 1
    21 October 2008 at 5:45 pm

    That looks a bit like Duncan garner on the side of that wagon…

    Next time someone needs to hold Maurice down so he can’t jump when the gun is pointed at him.

  2. randal 2
    21 October 2008 at 5:49 pm

    So does that mean that buses will have to pay each time they use them?

  3. Scribe 3
    21 October 2008 at 5:51 pm

    Would have been funnier, and actually fitting of the “humour” tag, if you’d photoshopped the dotted yellow line that denotes a bus stop on the road.

  4. Felix 4
    21 October 2008 at 6:21 pm

    Thanks Scribe.

    You’re always one of the most humourous commenters here, and as such it’s really big of you to share your wisdom and explain to the rest of us how to tell if things are funny or not.

    It’s a wonderful thing you’re doing, really.

  5. Scribe 5
    21 October 2008 at 6:31 pm

    Thanks Felix. I appreciate your outpouring of good will.

    I recently received the unofficial “funniest comment of the week” award from Anita, if memory serves me correctly.

    But it’s not about me; it’s about the fans.

  6. randal 6
    21 October 2008 at 6:33 pm

    Tell it like it is Felix. the world needs more humour…

  7. Robinsod 7
    21 October 2008 at 6:47 pm

    Scribe – read this carefully: there is a big difference between us laughing with you and us laughing at you…

    Hint: you’re not funny in the former manner…

  8. Andy 8
    21 October 2008 at 8:16 pm

    John Key must be getting pretty annoyed, things had been going well on the discipline front for National, but good old Maurice sticks his foot right back in the mouth. Why is the spokeperson for Transport not briefed in on the plans? How many other spokespeople are not involved in policy formulation and why should we vote these people in as ministers?
    This issue is not a big hitter though and Key can always point to Labour investigating tolls as an option as well. Just another hiccup in discipline for National which they will really have to sort out if they come into government.

  9. Pascal's bookie 9
    21 October 2008 at 8:28 pm

    Just another hiccup in discipline for National which they will really have to sort out if they come into government.

    With a great big caucus consisting of; neo-liberals that have been chocking on their centrist words and want to govern, old hands that have unfinished bidniz and reckon ‘why-not-me’, ambitious n00bs that want to make a big splash, cranky-cons that want payback for 9 years of ‘social engineering’, and led by Mr Vacuous.

    Good luck I reckon. I can smell the popcorn already and we’ve not even mentioned coalition partners.

  10. libertyscott 10
    21 October 2008 at 8:40 pm

    The Nats are being gutless, but let’s look at the Labour record on charging motorists:
    1. Introduced tolling by Order in Council, approved two toll roads already (ALPURT B2 and Tauranga Harbourlink), surrendered the second as the price to pay for NZ First backing Labour after the last election.
    2. Commissioned the then Transit NZ to undertake a study on what other roads could be funded through tolls. Included Waterview Connection, parts of the Waikato Expressway, Tauranga Eastern Arterial.
    3. Commissioned ARPES – Auckland Road Pricing Evaluation Study, and has recently commissioned part two of this. It is about congestion pricing for Auckland. Would have thought this would be far more controversial than tolling new roads.
    4. Raised fuel tax (and road user charges mainly for light vehicles)5 times, so motorists everywhere pay more for road use.
    5. Introduced regional fuel taxes, so the granny going to the shops in the middle of the day pays for the lawyer riding the train at peak times.

    There is really no political capital in this for Labour.

  11. Janet 11
    21 October 2008 at 8:57 pm

    Actually, Libertyscott, the granny going to the shops in the middle of the day now gets free public transport.

  12. toad 12
    21 October 2008 at 10:16 pm

    The details of where the photo in this post is and which National Party candidate is responsible for jeopardising road safety in this manner are here.

    Wonder how this goes down with their “Zero Tolerance” mates in ACT?

  13. QoT 13
    21 October 2008 at 10:37 pm

    Oh toad, you and I both know that white men who drive SUVs don’t count as criminals when it comes to the hang ’em high brigade. Why, if Mr Gilmore had suspected that the photographer was about to tag his precious vehicle and stabbed him or her in a fit of frustration, we’d all be deafened by Sensible Sentencing Trust cries of support.

  14. Satty 14
    21 October 2008 at 11:17 pm

    In my opinion it is essential for a country like New Zealand to significantly improve the public transport within the next decade to reach similar levels many other “western” countries already have. See also following article: Engineers warn of imminent oil shock

    Wellington might be one of the best public transport cities in New Zealand; using the bus every day I still can’t believe it. Many improvements could be done to achieve an acceptable level: Courtenay Place and Lambton Quay should only be open for public transport (at least on rush hour) to reduce travel times and make it more attractive. Important fact for the “car enthusiasts” out there: In central Europe the cities with the highest average car travel speed are the ones with the best public transports!

    At the moment, alternative transport like bicycles are smaller suicide missions. Also using a zebra crossing makes you wonder if the drivers get a medal for killing someone on it. Therefore I would appreciate a tougher line against reckless car drivers like suspending the license for a longer period.

    The treatment of pedestrians in general is laughable: Dozens and dozens of people have to wait for a handful of cars with one passenger each. I suggest more pedestrian areas and “more intelligent” traffic lights.

    Those things might sort themselves out, when oil/petrol will be unaffordable for the majority of Kiwis.

    This country will suffer more than many (all?) other countries I lived in because it is unable or more likely unwilling to conserve energy, although there were some signs of improvement with the high oil prices. The average energy consumption of a New Zealander is higher than in all major Central European Countries (France, Germany, United Kingdom etc.)! (With no existing heavy industry and mild winters here in New Zealand it’s a good questions how that can be.)

    Improvements to the rail system will also be beneficial in the tough times to come.

    [lprent: Urrgh – I fixed up your linking ]

  15. libertyscott 15
    22 October 2008 at 1:41 am

    Janet

    Good, so glad you’re so sure that the public transport goes from where she lives to where she wants to shop, and she likes carrying all those bags on the bus too. Funnily enough people don’t often do what planners expect them to do.

    Fuel tax is a blunt tool, it may be fine for recovering marginal maintenance costs from cars, but it is a very poor way to fund large road improvements, because it imposes their costs on everyone, regardless of who actually benefits from the improvements. Big urban road improvements, and major public transport improvements largely benefit peak commuters – salaried people – who live in major employment centres. Yet everyone else has to pay. By contrast, Sydney and to a lesser extent, Melbourne, have funded major urban roads from the people using them.

    Labour and National both accept tolls have a place – so this shouldn’t be an electoral issue. NZ First opposes tolls, the Greens want congestion pricing, ACT supports road pricing too. The only ones opposing it are the economic illiterates in RAM.

  16. Scribe 16
    22 October 2008 at 7:59 am

    there is a big difference between us laughing with you and us laughing at you

    But who will be laughing on the evening of November 8?

    captcha: luminous one (even a computer knows talent when she sees it)

  17. Robinsod 17
    22 October 2008 at 8:02 am

    That’s your comeback???

  18. Scribe 18
    22 October 2008 at 8:19 am

    Robinsod,

    Of all the left-wingers on the blog, I find engaging with you the least interesting, by a considerable margin. I’m sure others feel the same. I’m sure you don’t give a toss.

    The Standard authors and several other regular commenters engage in intelligent discussion. You’re too susceptible to outbursts like “Oh fuck off you cock” (source: http://www.thestandard.org.nz/john-vs-john/#comment-96623), directed to someone else in this case.

  19. lprent 19
    22 October 2008 at 8:46 am

    But who will be laughing on the evening of November 8?

    I’d expect – no one. There will be considerable coalition work after that. Which is going to make life interesting for the “do not work well with others” Nay’s

  20. Robinsod 20
    22 October 2008 at 9:01 am

    Of all the left-wingers on the blog, I find engaging with you the least interesting

    That’s because you are a small-minded, humourless bigot. My talent and intelligence is wasted on you as it is on so many of your ignorant right-wing peers. In that context I hope you understand that “fuck off you cock” is what you get because it is all you are worth offering…

    [Tane: Sod, calm it down eh? There’s no need for that.]

  21. randal 21
    22 October 2008 at 9:12 am

    Tane: I feel for sod. the rightwingers have been using the same tactics they use on twiedmeeonions. i.e. three or more posters making low level attacks on one person till the target gets annoyed and then they complain en masse. Watch out for them Tane. “They” are very sneaky!

  22. Ratbiter 22
    23 October 2008 at 6:20 pm

    And yet somehow it’s the left who are the corrupt liars in all of this – at least, according to the Kiwiblog right…

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