Tim Welch
@tfwelch.com
urban planner, educator, transport nerd, data geek, dad
Finally got to ride the new Devonport hybrid-electric ferry! I kept thinking something was wrong because it was so quiet, we never got the bone rattling revving diesel engines. But the unexpected bonus was the massive windows! I couldn’t even capture the whole window in one photo. Love it!
Nobody send me another email. I want to keep this round number! And also, there will be a long queue to get to your email...
Apologies to @timwelch.nz that should have been @tfwelch.com for the Auckland Transport Access Atlas, which is a good opportunity for me to share this snapshot of the cycling safety lens applied to Where To Act - check it out yourself here ataa.tfwelch.com
This morning in the Nelson Mail, the impact of lower and higher speeds on SH6 Blenheim to Nelson: www.thepress.co.nz/nz-news/3610... And the full data and analysis backing the article: crash.tfwelch.com/nelson/ People will die on SH6 due to higher speeds.
Highway crashes climbing after speed limit rise, says expert
A year on from speed limit reversals on the highway between Nelson and Blenheim, NZTA say its hard to draw conclusions but a transport expert says crashes are on the rise.
thepress.co.nz
Never a dull moment when you‘re a public transport user! Bayswater ferry I was on seems to have run aground. They got it moving again and hustled us off the boat. Hasn‘t sunk (yet) so that’s good. But definetly a first for me!
Sometimes you see something cool, and you want it for yourself. Inspired by Anthony Castrio's nyc-cartogram, I made an Auckland version: drop a pin and the city is redrawn by public-transport travel time instead of distance, with a couple more modes and a few extra features. warp.tfwelch.com
The council should not be jeopardising millions of dollars of government funding on the basis of such a flawed review. This review set out to kill investment in our public spaces, and it's tried to achieve that by fudging the numbers www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/3610...
Wellington Green councillor claims $189m error in Golden Mile review
“The council should not be jeopardising millions of dollars of government funding on the basis of such a flawed review,” says councillor Geordie Rogers.
thepost.co.nz
An infuriating analysis from @tfwelch.com of how the Budget reflects transport priorities. 3/4 of new capital spending to roading, and most of that to *one road*. Zero new investment in walking and cycling. Fuel excise relief signalled, but not PT fare relief. theconversation.com/as-global-fu...
As global fuel risk rises, NZ Budget 2026 puts roads first – again
Budget 2026 increases road spending – while offering limited support for public transport, emissions cuts and climate resilience.
theconversation.com
I frequently read OIA requests and responses (related to transport and infrastructure) and see all kinds of things, but this (unrelated) one made me laugh. And the genuine response is just as good. "Why did someone look at my LinkedIn?" Gotta love public records!
Budget 2026 hierarchy: roads first, rail a distant second, general public transport, walking and cycling nowhere. $150m goes to fuel supply, but basically nothing to reducing oil dependence. My latest: theconversation.com/as-global-fu...
As global fuel risk rises, NZ Budget 2026 puts roads first – again
Budget 2026 increases road spending – while offering limited support for public transport, emissions cuts and climate resilience.
theconversation.com
$15b in weather losses over the past decade. Moa Point dumped 70m litres of raw sewage into Wellington Harbour. Groundwater contamination is rising. Half our rivers are unsafe to swim. Budget 2026 drops water spend from $127m (2026) → $35m (2027) → $5m/yr (2028–30). Make it make sense.
We're in the midst of the worst oil crisis in history and the government's new budget is dedicating $1.8 billion to a single highway while taking $2.5m from public transport bus decarbonisation to fund underground utility maintenance.
When the government releases its budget later today and undoubtedly puts more money towards roads while putting less money into public transport and no money into cycling or walking, remember that driving is the only mode of transportation that is both currently and historically falling in Auckland.
“In our biggest cities... if we can encourage people to use public transport more, that will reduce pressure on fuel demand that can be used for people who don't have public transport options available." Featuring our own Matt Lowrie (and wise words from @tfwelch.com): www.rnz.co.nz/news/environ...
Auckland bus passengers hit record high as fuel crisis bites
One global crisis killed off public transport use in Auckland. Another has brought it roaring back. The question now is: what next?
rnz.co.nz
I don’t accept that sweeping away our most vulnerable people for the comfort of those that don’t want to see our society’s inequities is legitimate policy. And neither should you. My latest piece for Newsroom: newsroom.co.nz/2026/05/25/m... #waronthepoor
Move-on orders punish poverty while we defund all the ways out of it
Comment: Begging and rough sleeping aren’t crimes of disorder. They’re symptoms of an under-resourced, under-performing security net.
newsroom.co.nz
They're taking the land that houses our people, and the water for crops that feed our people, to build the data centers that will put our people out of work. What's the problem? www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
The biggest data center ever is becoming a huge problem in Utah
Kevin O’Leary wants to cover 40,000 acres. Residents say, ‘Not in my backyard.’
theverge.com
Only one word can adequately describe this video: PERFECT. www.youtube.com/watch?v=790O...
RAIL REPLACEMENT BUS - by Lorraine Bowen
YouTube video by Lorraine Bowen’s YouTube!
youtube.com
I’ve been doing it for 5 years now, but getting to work on a bike and ferry is still such an unbelievably amazing privilege. So much better than driving!
You’d think a 20% rise in cycling trips from April 2025 would be headline news. 309,197 cycle trips in April, 1.30 million YTD, and 3.48 million over the past 12 months. Amid surging fuel prices, Aucklanders are finding cheaper, healthier ways to get around. More data at: cycleway.tfwelch.com
Say hello to the CCET Love Cycling Centre in Mt Eden – the free bike repair service on a mission to help you reduce your carbon footprint. https://www.bikeauckland.org.nz/news/welcome-to-the-ccet-love-cycling-centre-in-mt-eden/
A decision on Auckland’s next Waitematā Harbour crossing is expected (maybe) next month. Worth remembering: bridge traffic still hasn’t returned to its 2018 peak, and 50% of commuters now cross the harbour by bus. So why is the current process focused on more road capacity? Move people, not cars.
Most transport maps show where infrastructure is. I wanted to show what that infrastructure actually lets people reach. I’ve been building the Auckland Transport Access Atlas: an interactive map of car dependency, accessibility, equity, and planner priorities across Auckland. ataa.tfwelch.com
It will be interesting to see where fuel prices go in the coming weeks and how closely/quickly they track crude prices. In MBIE's latest fuel stock update, on-shore diesel stock slipped below 20 days. Worth noting: retail price data is 11 days old, and fuel stock data is 6 days old.
My kids were not thrilled at school drop off this morning when the cargo bike odometer hit this number right as we parked. They suggested I should walk home so they could see the rollover to 3k after school.
“It would be a pretty big mistake to dust off our hands and say problem solved. This is going to be an ongoing problem. Even if the issues with Iran and the Strait of Hormuz are resolved fairly quickly, oil imports will continue to be a liability for the country.” www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360...
The Post
thepost.co.nz
Every effective tool for reducing fuel demand right now (free PT, cycling, EVs, lower speed limits) is a policy the NZ coalition government has spent two years dismantling. My new piece in The Conversation on why they've gone quiet and how they get out of it. theconversation.com/the-governme...
The government has boxed itself in over fuel saving strategies – but there is a way out
Promoting fuel saving measures as vital to energy security would help frame the oil shock as a technical problem to be solved, not a political issue to be fought.
theconversation.com
