The mayor just moved an amendment that guts Brooklyn cycleway including introducing a clearway for part of the route. I argued strongly against largely on the impact of women and young people who are more likely to travel outside peak and be more safety conscious. Sadly it passed
Cars have a geometry problem that can't be solved by more cars of a different fuel source.
So we could have had an awesome $120 m golden mile upgrade, with a $60m cost to council. Instead we are looking at a $40m max upgrade with a $40m max cost to council. Yep the $20m-40m extra is real $$ but this is a huge lost opportunity to transform CP. Truly visonless stuff.
Rebecca Matthews@rebeccamatthews.bsky.social · 2mo agoToday confirmed that we have gone from $60 million government co-funding for the Golden Mile to an assumption of $0 government co-funding for its replacement
Today confirmed that we have gone from $60 million government co-funding for the Golden Mile to an assumption of $0 government co-funding for its replacement
whipping themselves into a frenzy about a part time bus lane that will make everyone's bus trips faster and benefit the many people who want to go to te papa, takina, the waterfront the many office buildings on the quays. They don't understand city geometry
Rebecca Matthews@rebeccamatthews.bsky.social · 2mo agoAucklanders, celebrating public transport transformation. Meanwhile, in Wellington over new bus lanes
The French made a short film about what could happen after all immigrants would follow the ‘white, angry old man’s’ advice to go back where they came from.
If the Labour actually believed in anything, they'd campaign on a job guarantee policy, especially for young people
Musical Chairs@musicalchairs.bsky.social · 2mo agoPolicy Choice.
A few tears seeing all the heartwarming pics from people on the first CRL trains 🥹 What a day for all of us who believe our cities can be better. Thinking of all the people who dreamed big and had the political courage to make it happen 🚆🏙️ 🎉
I had a thing or two to say about the utter lack of any economic strategy from the two major parties, because – like everyone else – I'm tired of listening to them bang on about the government deficit as if it's the only thing that matters #nzpol www.thepost.co.nz/business/361...
Major parties’ obsession with arbitrary deficit figure is not an economic strategy
OPINION: We’re continuing to talk about the government deficit because we’re refusing to talk about a national economic strategy, says Kent Duston.
thepost.co.nz
Wellington has gone backwards cause decisionmakers are opposed to absolutely everything that means cars having to share space with other road users.This bus lane is so tame(2 lanes of a 6 lane road, not even operating all day!) And obvious to anyone who catches a bus on lambton quay that it's needed
Rebecca Matthews@rebeccamatthews.bsky.social · 2mo agoWhile Auckland celebrates the opening of the City Rail Link, Wellington will be having a fight about whether to do more bus lanes. Better things are possible, but the same people try to make them feel impossible.
Last term we looked at closing a community centre, a pool and sell airport shares amongst other savings. Local MPs of various stripes, including Labour & National, intervened to save these. They might want to cap rates but are the first to try and stop us doing what that requires.
Democracy takes many forms, and giving the bus its own lane so 40 people on a bus can sail by a handful of people driving alone in private cars is one of them.
Qagggy!@qagggy.bsky.social · 2mo agoHoly shit we’re flying like a bat out of hell. #Acceler8
Bike-lanes don’t cause traffic congestion. Car dependency, land-use sprawl, too many cars driving too much taking up too much space, highly subsidized driving costs, and not enough choices in how to get around, ALL cause traffic congestion. Think about it. THAT’S common sense.
If walking costs you $1, we all pay $0.01. If biking costs you $1, we all pay $0.08. If bussing costs you $1, we all pay $1.50. If driving costs you $1, we all pay $9.20. Via study that still underestimates climate cost. This isn’t about choice. It’s about who pays for your choice. #citymakingmath
Andrew Little and Labour councilliors cutting cycleways in Wellington to try to show how responsible they are with public money have got it all wrong
Brent Toderian@brenttoderian.bsky.social · 5mo ago“If you care about the bottom line, budgets & taxes, then you should care about urban biking, because it’s a money saver. It’s ironic when so-called fiscal conservatives attack biking, when their efforts just show a lack of understanding of math.” My interview with @modacitylife.com #CityMakingMath
Curiously, I haven't seen boomers complaining about the loss of 200 car parks on Vivian St..
Kay in the End Times 🏳️🌈 💗💜💙📚@jennykaynz.bsky.social · 12mo agoComments open on proposal to spend $38B or more on new tunnels for central Wellington to maybe save 10 minutes for cars and add time to other travel modes. BCR by NZTA = 1.0 Or no Benefits over Costs. Please add comments. FYI @greaterauckland.bsky.social #NZpol www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/3608...
Wellington's failure to build an obviously needed upgrade to its dilapidated main streets is a damning and demonstrative example of a capital city self-immolating through incompetence and political cowardice.
The conservative minority on Wellington City Council never had the votes to kill the Golden Mile, so instead they played for time, demanding more reviews and consultation to delay it until a conservative won the mayoralty. Andrew Little has played right into their hands.
It cost Casey Costello $4500 to hire a room to meet with Irish anti-trans activist Helen Joyce. $1000 for a council social event to unveil a painting is peanuts & much more positive bc it involves sthg tangible (painting) & supports a local artist.
Greens, socialists and other leftist opponents of zoning liberalisation insist on big spending on social housing instead. Their mistake is viewing upzoning as an alternative to social housing. No, it is a precondition.
Jacobin@jacobinmag.bsky.social · last yr.Zoning reform measures have divided tenant advocates in New York. Yet loosening the city’s anti-housing regime is essential if we ever want to build social housing at scale.
The fact that people are allowed to store their cars in the street is really weird - after all, a car is an individual's own private property and their responsibility. I can't think of a single other item you can store in public in this way.
It won’t be the big story today and I am not the big winner, but so proud of my team. Even with a shift to a different party, we won 1386 more first preferences than last election. All without saying a bad word against anyone. Thank you 💚
Mums and dad's across NZ already own the assets when they're in public ownership
Sassy Little Hobbit@sassypolitico.bsky.social · last yr.I remember when asset sales were gonna lead to mum and dad shareholders and now we just have mum and dad paying $500 power bills in the winter. The right wing ideology is a scam. It’s a pyramid scheme. It’s useless. It improves nothing.
I want to emphasise the importance of anyone with a progressive or even a fair-minded bone in their body in the Wharangi Onslow-Western ward giving me their first preference. Please hit up friends in Karori, Ngaio, Wilton, Northland, Wadestown, Khandallah etc to check they voted
Feel like our priorities on what's urgent may be a bit skewed
Imagine if this was a story about how the motorway system hadnt been built in Auckland, and how the central city and suburbs like Newton, western springs, Newmarket, Greenlane weren't destroyed
Sacha@sachadylan.bsky.social · last yr.'Sometimes, the most important infrastructure projects are the ones you never build.' archive.ph/7xe5J
Better Wellington were aggressive and abusive toward Rebecca. An audience member said many there felt unsafe. This abuse is no longer limited to the internet and why I haven't attended these events. Imagine a council dominated by BW and Independent Together. We can't let this happen. #nzpol
Rebecca Matthews@rebeccamatthews.bsky.social · last yr.Better Wellington turned out in force for the Khandallah Meet the Candidates . Results as you would expect.
