Transport vision does nothing to please

One-way traffic in Cumberland St on State Highway 1. Photo: Peter McIntosh
One-way traffic in Cumberland St on State Highway 1. Photo: Peter McIntosh
Dunedin Mayor Aaron Hawkins has decried a regional vision for transport as unambitious and defeatist.

An Otago-Southland draft pitch to the NZ Transport Agency - making the case for the South’s projects for a national 10-year plan - did little more than push for existing levels of service, he argued.

That was not good enough for Dunedin, Mr Hawkins said at a Dunedin City Council meeting yesterday.

“Existing levels of service means continuing to accept substandard transport options for people who can’t or, increasingly, choose not to drive," he said.

"Entrenching the status quo is effectively saying to those groups ... we are comfortable with them being unsafe, that we are comfortable with them being shortchanged and we are comfortable with them being denied access and inclusion.”

City councillors decided to approve the council’s submission about a draft 2021-31 regional land transport plan, which will feed into a national plan, but nobody seemed to be delighted with the content.

Aaron Hawkins. Photo: supplied
Aaron Hawkins. Photo: supplied
Mr Hawkins said funding was constrained. He also noted changes were not expected in the nature of transport demand in the next 10 years.

"It does seem to be almost an admission of failure from the outset.

"The message is fairly clear from this - don’t get your hopes up for a shift away from the status quo."

Deputy mayor Christine Garey lamented that the final piece of the Otago Peninsula Connection Project remained unfinished.

Cr Rachel Elder was mystified by a low-priority ranking for building a cycling and walking trail - including tunnels - between Mosgiel and Dunedin.

Cr Jim O’Malley highlighted the lack of money the transport agency had allotted to improving State Highway 1 near the planned new Dunedin Hospital.

One line item called "Dunedin City and Hospital" - about investigating the best long-term system for the central city - was worth $13.2 million, but nothing had been allocated to this before 2024-25.

The council called this a postponement and asked the agency to explain the decision.

Cr Lee Vandervis took issue with ease of vehicular travel being apparently labelled in the document as a problem.

"The vast majority of the people we represent can and do choose to drive," he said.

The council was pushing the interests of a tiny minority and its submission was strange, Cr Vandervis said.

Mr Hawkins said Dunedin had higher rates of disability than the national average and significantly higher rates of households that did not have access to a vehicle.

Cr Jules Radich said the one-way system next to the planned hospital should remain.

Cr Carmen Houlahan raised a series of objections about the plan to turn the city’s main shopping street, George St, into a one-way street.

The council’s submission highlighted that George St could be at risk of missing out on funding from the transport agency.

Councillors voted 12-3 in support of the council’s submission.

Crs Houlahan, Radich and Vandervis voted against it.

grant.miller@odt.co.nz

 

Comments

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Warped ideology once again trumps rational behaviour at the council table.

If it doesn't please Hawkins then there must be something good about it. He is blinded by his obsession to ban cars and cannot comprehend a) we cannot afford an effective public transport system like a highly populated city, b) people rely on their cars for a wide range of activities public transport cannot offer (try taking a dog on the bus, or asking the bus to tow your trailer to the tip), and c) cars are becoming less of a pollution problem with the temporary fix of EVs and the ultimate solution of hydrogen powered vehicles. He needs to join the real world.

To our Mayor, please heed your words accepting increasing charges and fees for the same service is simply not good enough. Easy to say but that is exactly what the DCC expects from its rate payers year after year after year, increases in rates so we can receive the same service, and in reality the service we recieve is declining every year. Make sure your own house is in order first Mr Mayor, you words will come back soon and perhaps haunt you

Absolutely ridiculous !

"It does seem to be almost an admission of failure from the outset". Well we are all aware that the Councils have absolutely no idea of transportation issues. The mistakes of the past should bear witness to that fact.

Councillors voted 12-3 in support of the council’s submission.

Why ?!?! If it was not an appropriate plan, why the hell did it get passed ?? This just shows us that the people on council are incapable of doing the job the ratepayers are paying them to do ... that said, the ratepayers did vote the best of a bad bunch in and have to live with it !

Mind you, the main issue objected to was probably what colour to re-paint the dots on Princess Street ....

"accept substandard transport options for people who can’t or, increasingly, choose not to drive,"

He's a bit of a 'one-trick pony' this mayor. Never hear from him unless he's complaining about yet another bicycle transport issue. Anyone would think we have no cars in this city!

Has Hawkins ever taken the time to consider he is there to represent ALL Dunedin citizens and not just those who hate cars?

Sad thing is with the STV, the student vote will put hawkins in for a second term. Same holds true for the cast of misfits we call councillors. Face it, not a single one of them is capable of making a rational informed descision. The people in dunedin want ideologues running the place. They would rather pay a city planner 500k a year to be called a ceo. They don't care that DCC and ORC use the rate payers as a bank to fund their ideotic ideas. And God forbid you should actually be qualified to hold office. Dunedin is moving in a dangerous direction as far a rational, same leadership. People need to voice their concern over the neverending rate increases under the pathetic leadership of these unqualified people,

From Turner to Chin to Cull to Hawkins, Dunedin have a habit of selecting the same type of Mayor. Reap what you sow, right...

Certainly it's all gone downhill since Chin; the last of the competent ones.

So Rachel Elder is mystified that the government don't want to spend another 20-30 million on Dunedins bike tracks. I'm mystified that anyone would imagine that there is any business plan could justify such waste.

This really shows the lack of depth the Greens have. Their only concern is how to get cars off the streets. Don't worry about drains and sewers that need relacing. Don't worry about lead in water supply. No the only priority is making life harder for average citizens.

Can't say the Mayor's vision is capturing my attention for the right reasons! Excuse the pun but the Councils vision on this is quire pedestrian.

I'm not sure if commenters here are aware of the problem we have with climate change. Most people have heard of it, but perhaps these commenters have not. We need to transition away from carbon emitting cars. Electric vehicles are a good transition option because they emit only 1/3rd of the carbon as petrol cars. But ultimately we will need to move all our transport to walking, buses, bicycles and trains. This will happen within 15 - 30 years, and after that cars will be a very small niche in the transport system. The mayor is doing what he was elected to do, which is to lead. He knows the reality of what Dunedin has to deal with and he is doing what needs to be done. Some people are ignorant of what lies ahead, but we can't hold back progress in Dunedin because of them.

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