Govt tries to bully Wellington Council

Written By: - Date published: 8:54 am, December 20th, 2012 - 14 comments
Categories: transport - Tags:

Wellington Council has voted to spend some time looking at a new alternative to the Basin Fly-over plan. The government’s response has been to threaten the council that other transport investment in Wellington – including light rail – will be scrapped unless they get their concrete monstrosity built. In related news, NZTA systemically under-estimates the costs and overstates the benefits of roading projects and builds projects that never should have been built.

14 comments on “Govt tries to bully Wellington Council ”

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  1. Twonice 1
    20 December 2012 at 9:37 am

    It’s as if building overly costly roads is all part of the natz plan for justifying asset sales to fund them and then drilling all the oil out to power all the new cars..

  2. vto 2
    20 December 2012 at 9:54 am

    Yeah, well we are well used to these men trying to bully us around in Chch.

    Think Ecan dictatorship, various earthquake bully tactics by Brownlee, and now schools mashing.

    We have had enough down here and you may have noticed twice recently our local Council completely thumbing its nose at Bozo Brownlee. And such moves have the full support of most everyone in the community. They all applaud the Council ignoring the government.

    So I encourage Wellington to do exactly the same. Just like any bully, simply stand straight up to them, look them in the eye and call their bluff.

    Do it.

    This government has a record of bullying behaviour

  3. Rich 3
    20 December 2012 at 9:58 am

    I’d rank having no motorways & no light rail ahead of either motorways+light rail (which is unlikely) or motorways + no light rail.

    Wellington could in any case fund a dedicated busway (way cheaper than light rail and upgradeable) from a congestion charge, which would also limit traffic in the city and remove the need for motorways. I’d also look at restoring the Buckle St corridor as a two-way road and making Ghuznee/Vivian/Cuba/Taranaki access routes only with barriers in the middle, essentially pedestrianising the southern CBD.

  4. Tracey 4
    20 December 2012 at 11:36 am

    I hope no one is surprised. When Auckland was being bullied into a SuperCity, many Aucklanders asked others to share our outrage due tot he slippery slope…

  5. Rich 5
    20 December 2012 at 2:02 pm

    I think you’ll find I for one posted extensively attacking the super-city and CERA.

  6. NoseViper (The Nose knows) 6
    20 December 2012 at 2:04 pm

    Wellington City Councillor, Iona Pannett, was interviewed on radionz this morning and was a perfect example of an opposing person to a project, taking a reasoned stand and explaining herself in strong but moderate tones. The attitude of NZTA like many of ‘our’ bureaucratic fiefdoms with almost absolute power seems threatening and coercive. Delays on expensive city-changing projects can be necessary to satisfactorily thrash out the method.

    • Rosie 6.1
      20 December 2012 at 4:56 pm

      Hey NoseViper. I heard that discussion on RNZ this am too. It was reassuring to hear but I do doubt that the NZTA will get the message. Maybe there will be quite a fight. Seems likely that is the direction we’re headed with this. And yes, central govt has taken an overtly bullying stance with AKLD and CHCH, so even more reason to take the gloves off, given the experiences of those cities.
      The basin reserve plans are another a fine example of Nat’s unfathomable silliness around roading.
      In my own unprofessional and uneducated opinion as a driver and public transport user its completely unnecessary. The delay you get at peak times is nothing like the delays you get in AKLD. Having lived there for many years and having driving jobs I know you grow cobwebs sitting in traffic. Getting to and from the WGTN airport just isn’t the drama that its made out to be.
      So why do it?
      If anything is to be done to make the trip a bit more seamless it may require reorganising existing roading, eg, Rich’s idea above, but a flyover/tunnel? no.

      • Rich 6.1.1
        20 December 2012 at 7:07 pm

        Absolutely. I live in Hataitai and have never been delayed by more than a few minutes at the basin.

        There are many way simpler improvements. Increasing the frequency of Eastern Suburbs buses would be one, and/or having a non-stop airport/CBD service.

  7. Iona Pannett 7
    21 December 2012 at 5:33 am

    Thanks for supportive comments and note with gratitude support Labour has given to this campaign. As a Green, it is great to be working with Labour, not against them. A special thanks to MPs Annette King, Grant Robertson and Phil Twyford as well as councillors Paul Eagle and Justin Lester.

  8. infused 8
    21 December 2012 at 9:54 am

    It’s not the govt, it’s NZTA. Who got told to pull their head in. Lay off the bullshit for once.

  9. jaymam 9
    21 December 2012 at 7:24 pm

    Pardon my ignorance since I’ve stayed in Wellington only a few times.
    Why the heck can’t people just continue to drive around the Basin Reserve like they’ve done for years?

  10. KJT 10
    21 December 2012 at 8:23 pm

    Having cycled a lot in Wellington.

    Why are they still allowed cars?

  11. Lloyd 11
    25 December 2012 at 12:25 am

    I went to Wellington Airport today by car.

    Why would you want to construct a four lane road from Wellington City to the airport? The airport’s internal roading system cannot handle the traffic already arriving there. It is far better to slow the traffic down in the choke of the central city than to have a several kilometre long tailback at the airport.

    A better alternative than any road widening would be to extend the excellent rail system of Wellington to the airport. This could be done by cut and cover to Courtenay Place, a new bored tunnel under Mt Victoria from about the Embassy Theatre emerging at the start of Cobham Dive, an elevated track in the middle of Cobham Drive and a bored tunnel under the northern end of airport, with a short length of surface rail to the airport terminal.

    If the cut and cover section was left higher than the existing roads the centre of Wellington could also gain some defences against a Tsunami – two gains for the price of one.

    An extension of the electrified rail system to Palmerston North Airport would solve the problem for travellers of Wellington Airport being fogged in, as Palmerston North is usually open when Wellington is closed, and vice versa. Light rail would not provide this flexibility. Trains would fit the requirement far better than road transport and would be faster airport to airport and cricket at the Basin Reserve would not be affected.

    And when all the fuel has got too expensive for flying or driving we will still have a good sustainable electric powered rail service to the eastern suburbs.

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