Karori bike lanes plan ‘flawed’

By Frank Neill

The rollout of the proposed bike lanes in Karori is “fundamentally flawed,” Wellington City Councillor Diane Calvert says.

That is because the Wellington City Council (WCC) is rolling out a city-wide bike network plan that only about 80 people in Karori submitted on.

“It was just a line on a map.”

The council held a meeting at the Karori RSA on 18 July where it made a presentation on its Karori Connections plan.

The meeting was attended by around 200 people. While people had the opportunity to write comments on the plan, there was no opportunity for people to discuss it.

Cr Calvert is planning to hold a public meeting as a follow up to the 18 July meeting.

“I am working with some of my colleagues to get more detail out and hold a public meeting where as many facts as possible can be on the table and your questions answered,” she says.

“We are probably looking [at holding the meeting] at the end of August.”

Karori has a population of approximately 15,500.

“Of those that submitted back in 2022, only approximately 60 comments were on the Karori section [of the transport project plan].

“The plan is being pushed forward as ‘traffic resolutions’ to speed up the process and tap into Government’s directed funding of 90% of the cost (provided through Waka Kotahi).

“No thought [was] given to actually what people want or the hidden costs and loss of amenity.

“In the meantime we have too many pipes needing fixing.

“There is a disconnect between WCC and Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) in terms of the actual state of bus priority, the frequency and reliability of the buses and the impacts of the proposed cycleways on the safe running of the buses (which will move people in less vehicles which is the ultimate goal).

Cr Calvert is strongly recommending that residents contact the Mayor and Councillors and GWRC Councillors with their views and also to ask what help they will provide. She is also strongly recommending that residents make sure they make submissions on any proposals.

Cr Calvert is also recommending that people “work together as a community to get your voices heard, the community informed and the real facts on the table.”

Heald

Written by William YIP Your friend in Real Estate 021 106 9997 William.YIP@CollectiveFN.co.nz

Interesting and unusual two days

By Frank Neill

In addition to his usual duties as Parliament’s Deputy Speaker ariu MP Greg O’Connor was involved in two very special events last week.

He escorted Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the debating chamber as he was welcomed as a visiting Head of State on 26 July.

The Australian Prime Minister made his first visit to New Zealand on 26 and 27 July.

It coincided with the anniversary of 40 years of free trade between Australia and New Zealand.

Mr Albanese and the Prime Minister Chris Hipkins had a meeting where they celebrated Australia and New Zealand jointly hosting the FIFA Women’s Football World Cup and announced an agreement to work on making travel between the two countries “seamless”.

They announced that they had agreed to put together a joint Australia-New Zealand expert group to scope initiatives to move closer towards seamless travel across the Tasman. The group had a deadline of 12 months.

Mr O’Connor was at Parliament at dawn on 27

July for the blessing of two carved pou installed at the entrance to Parliament.

The pou, he says, are “impressive”.

“Most Parliament buildings around the world look pretty standard, and these will make ours look and feel distinctly New Zealand.

“Given the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinkin visited later in the morning, the timing was excellent.” The pou were blessed in a ceremony hosted by mana whenua of Te Whanganui-aTara/Wellington, Te wa, Taranaki Wh nui and N i Toa Rangatira.