This is the only possible explanation. As well as celebrating all things car National has a pathological hatred of cycleways and walkways and public transport.
The latest evidence comes from Simeon Brown’s instruction to Waka Kotahi to stop work on anything designed to cut transport greenhouse gas emissions.
From Marc Daalder at Newsroom:
The Transport Minister has told officials to stop work on policies that would provide transport alternatives to private cars.
On Tuesday, Simeon Brown wrote to regional councils to advise them of changes he was making to speed limit regulations. He also put out a press release about the move and touted it in Parliament.
But at the end of that letter, he also revealed he had ordered officials at the New Zealand Transport Agency, Waka Kotahi, to end work on programmes that would reduce the number of kilometres travelled by passenger cars through providing alternatives like public and active transport.
“I understand that some local authorities have been developing programmes with NZTA and other stakeholders to reduce vehicle kilometres travelled (VKT) by the light vehicle fleet, using funding from the Climate Emergency Response Fund,” Brown wrote, in a copy of the letter seen by Newsroom.
“I have given notice to NZTA to end its work on these programmes, and to not commit any further funding to local authorities (beyond existing contractual obligations) to develop these programmes.”
In legal terms the decision is very dodgy. Under the Land Transport Management Act 2003 the Minister of Transport issues what is described as a Government Policy Statement on transport. Waka Kotahi is then obliged to give effect to the GPS. It does this by preparing and completing the National Land Transport Programme. This is a carefully prepared document that sets out how the National Land Transport Fund is to be spent and feeds into all of the Regional Land Transport Programmes. These have extensive input from Local Government into them.
And the current GPS is being consulted on. There is no power for the Minister to direct Waka Kotahi to do anything let alone undermine an existing GPS. And it is exceedingly bad form to send a directive out while consultation is happening.
This has not stopped Simeon from doing so. But this sort of behaviour is intensely frustrating to Local Government. Work streams take years to prepare and advance. Chopping and changing like this just destroys the work flow and creates chaos.
And you have to wonder why they would do this. After all I believe that we are in a middle of a climate crisis, even one that National has begrudgingly acknowledged is happening.
Walking and cycling have major roles to help the country meets its climate change goals. We will not get there if there is not major investment in these areas. Platitudes and thinking that charging stations will get us there is wooly thinking.
The problem is that National engaging in culture wars on cycleways may stir up support but it is totally retrograde, US Republican quality opposition to everything just for kicks and to rouse up the right wing base. This is not what we need right now. We need the adults in the room to set out what we have to do to do our bit to meet the climate crisis.
To meet our climate goals we are going to have to do it all, cycleways, walkways, compact cities, enhanced public transport, eating less meat, planting trees, engaging in less international travel, solar power, wind power, closing down coal generators, consuming less, making vehicles more fuel efficient, energy efficient light bulbs and shower heads and a host of other measures. We do not need stupid debates about each of these measures. We need to do all of them and more and then cross our fingers and hope.
The problem is that the right wishes to fight all of these measures for kicks.
The other problem is that without the wholesale acceptance of these measures the world is stuffed.
Over the past few years our emissions have peaked and have reduced. The rate of reduction needs to be accelerated rapidly. This Government is showing that it is not slightly interested in doing this. And that it would be happy in the pursuit of culture wars to forgo these measures and to undermine them.
For political support.
And for kicks.
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