Briefing to Transport Minister

Recommendations:

1. start building light rail mass rapid transit in Wellington first, as a prototype for the bigger Auckland line;
2. consider setting up a region-wide transport authority to implement the LGWM programme; and
3. note that bus rapid transit on the city centre to eastern suburbs corridor would be rapid in name only

(:typeset-page parasep=number colophon=off colorlinks=on subtitle="Advancing Wellington Light Rail and Mass Rapid Transit" headingcolor=RoyalBlue :)

Following the 2014 Board of Inquiry into the proposed Basin Reserve Fly-over, a new agency Let’s Get Wellington Moving (LGWM) was established to develop a comprehensive plan for Wellington City’s future urban and land transport development. An LGWM progress report of February 2017 presented a set of guiding principles and public survey data showing Wellingtonians want fewer cars, better public transport, a more pedestrian-friendly city and protection of the natural environment.

• A PTOM (public transport operating model) that is clearly failing to provide the desired transport service;
• Competing interests of WCC and GWRC—one responsible for managing and maintaining the road network within the city and suburbs, the other for managing bus and train operations and schedules in the city and wider region;
• An outdated fare collection and pricing system on bus and train services leading to operational inefficiencies; and

There is a case for a region-wide transport authority with representation from these agencies, working in harmony to implement the LGWM programme and priorities. Its first task would be to deliver mass rapid transit based on light rail from Wellington Railway Station to the Eastern Suburbs and Airport, via high intensity residential and activity zones including the Newtown hospital and Zoo, Kilbirnie and Miramar, linked to a functioning bus network via well-designed hubs.

We believe that a mass rapid transit system designed to meet LGWM aims and objectives will negate the need for a second Mt Victoria road tunnel and encroachment on treasured green space along Ruahine Street, which is not compatible with LGWM’s principles and the expressed wishes of the general public.

The Golden Mile is overloaded with buses and MRT in some form is the only effective solution. In March 2014, the Regional Transport Committee decided to take BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) forward for implementation and BRT remains an option LGWM is considering. While BRT works well in Auckland, with off-street hubs, there is not enough space on Wellington’s streets. If implemented in Wellington, BRT would be RINO Transit — rapid in name only.

✒

Michael Barnett, Convenor
FIT (fair intelligent transport) Wellington is a group of professionals who want to see a change in transport priorities so the private motor vehicle no longer dominates other transport modes. Our vision for Wellington is a modern, vibrant city designed around the needs of people, not cars.

Following the Commission of Inquiry into the proposed Basin Reserve Fly-over, a new agency Let’s Get Wellington Moving (LGWM) was established to develop a comprehensive plan for Wellington City’s future urban and land transport development. An LGWM progress report of February 2017 presented a set of guiding principles and public survey data showing Wellingtonians want fewer roads and cars, better public transport, a more pedestrian-friendly city and protection of the natural environment.

(:typeset-page parasep=number colophon=off colorlinks=on subtitle="Advancing Wellington Light Rail and Mass Rapid Transit" headingcolor=RoyalBlue :)

✒

Michael Barnett
Convenor, FIT Wellington

Following the Commission of Inquiry into the proposed Basin Reserve Fly-over, a new agency Let’s Get Wellington Moving (LGWM) was established to develop a comprehensive plan for Wellington City’s future urban and land transport development. An LGWM progress report of February 2017 presented a set of guiding principles and public survey data showing Wellingtonians want fewer roads and cars, better public transport, a more pedestrian-friendly city and protection of the natural environment.

Over four years have passed, LGWM has become bogged down and public confidence in the project has suffered. Changes in project personnel, endless reviews, and conflicting views of the form mass rapid transit should take have all contributed to a lack of progress. The time has come to stop considering alternative proposals, show leadership and get on with implementing LGWM as a pilot programme for what can also be achieved in Auckland and Christchurch.

According to Thomson’s Rule for First-time Telescope Makers:¹

It is faster to make a four-inch mirror then a six-inch mirror, than to make a six-inch mirror. The skills and knowledge required to make a six-inch mirror are considerable, and practicing the skills and acquiring the knowledge on a small, practice piece gives the necessary base for completing the larger task.

Applying this rule to the development of rapid transit in New Zealand cities, there is a strong case for building the smaller Wellington line ahead of Auckland’s first light rail line. New Zealand’s talent pool is too small and too shallow to support multiple independent designs of MRT technology. A Wellington light rail project would define technology standards and design patterns which could then be applied in Auckland and Christchurch.

Other factors contributing to the lack of progress in Wellington include:

• A public transport operating model that is clearly failing to provide the desired transport service;
• Conflicting interests of WCC and GWRC—one responsible for managing and maintaining the road network within the city and suburbs, the other for managing bus and train operations and schedules in the city and wider region;
• An outdated fare collection and pricing system that allows cash payments on bus and train services leading to operational inefficiencies; and
• A collection of agencies, NZTA, LGWM, WCC and GWRC, struggling to function as a unified body.

We consider there is a case for a region-wide transport authority with representation from these agencies, working in harmony to implement the LGWM programme and priorities. Its first task would be to deliver mass rapid transit based on light rail from Wellington Railway Station to the Eastern Suburbs and Airport via high intensity residential and activity zones including the Newtown hospital and Zoo, Kilbirnie and Miramar, linked to a functioning bus network via well-designed hubs.

We believe that a mass rapid transit system designed to meet LGWM aims and objectives will negate the need for a second Mt Victoria tunnel and encroachment on treasured green space along Ruahine Street, which is not compatible with LGWM’s principles and the expressed wishes of the general public.

¹ Programming Pearls, Communications of the ACM, September 1985 (↑)