Golden Mile Trial

FIT Wellington calls on Wellington City Council to establish a 6-month trial of the proposed transport changes on the Golden Mile starting {-no later than 1 October 2023-}{+as soon as practicable+}.

There have been letters to The Post newspaper suggesting a trial.  We think this is a great idea.  We {-propose-}{+suggest+} a 6-month trial, involving street closures as per option 2 in the {SSBC|Single Stage Business Case}, as that maximises bus performance improvement and involves less change from the present than option 3 (the preferred option).  Bus stops would be moved as recommended by Metlink, but the electronic boards could be left where they are during the trial.  Beyond the cost of some road paint, installation of a few signs and the necessary public communications, costs would be minimal.

To measure the improvement in the bus service, the average time taken for buses to travel along the length of the GM should be compared between the beginning and end of the trial. The impact on business would be more difficult to assess, but could include measuring GM business sales over the trial period. If the outcome of these measurements is positive, then the benefits would be visible as opposed to only theoretical. LGWM and WCC could then proceed to full implementation with more confidence, and with less opposition.

FIT Wellington calls on Wellington City Council to establish a 6-month trial of the proposed transport changes on the Golden Mile starting no later than 1 October 2023.

There have been letters to The Post newspaper suggesting a trial.  We think this is a great idea.  We propose a 6-month trial, involving street closures as per option 2 in the {SSBC|Single Stage Business Case}, as that maximises bus performance improvement and involves less change from the present than option 3 (the preferred option).  Bus stops would be moved as recommended by Metlink, but the electronic boards could be left where they are during the trial.  Beyond the cost of some road paint, installation of a few signs and the necessary public communications, costs would be minimal.

To measure the improvement in the bus service, the average time taken for buses to travel along the length of the GM should be compared between the beginning and end of the trial. The impact on business would be more difficult to assess, but could be achieved by measuring GM business sales over the trial period. If the outcome of these measurements is positive, then the benefits would be visible as opposed to only theoretical. LGWM and WCC could then proceed to full implementation with more confidence, and with less opposition.

To measure the improvement in the bus service, the average time taken for buses to travel along the length of the GM should be compared between the beginning and end of the trial. Whether business was impacted or not would be more difficult to measure, but could be compared by assessing GM business sales over the trial period. If the outcome of these measurements is positive, then the benefits would be visible as opposed to only theoretical. LGWM and WCC could then proceed to full implementation with more confidence, and with less opposition.

The trial would resolve the basic questions by revealing whether business would be adversely impacted or not, and whether the bus service would enjoy a significant improvement.  If the outcome is positive, then the benefits would be visible as opposed to only theoretical. LGWM and WCC could then proceed to full implementation with more confidence, and with less opposition. 

There have been letters to the Post newspaper suggesting a trial.  We think this is a great idea.  We propose a 6 month trial, involving street closures as per option 2 in the {SSBC|Single Stage Business Case}, as that maximises bus performance improvement and involves less change from the present than option 3 (the preferred option).  Bus stops would be moved as recommended by Metlink, but the electronic boards could be left where they are during the trial.  Beyond the cost of some road paint, installation of a few signs and the necessary public communications, costs would be minimal.

There have been a couple of letters to the Post newspaper suggesting a trial.  We think this is a great idea.  We propose a 6 month trial, involving the closing of the streets as per option 2 in the {SSBC|Single Stage Business Case}, as that maximises bus performance improvement and involves less change from the present than option 3 (the preferred option).  Bus stops could be moved as recommended by Metlink, but the electronic boards could be left where they are during the trial.  Beyond the cost of some road paint, installation of a few signs and the necessary public communications, the cost would be minimal.

There has been a move by some Wellington City and Regional Council councillors to terminate support for LGWM.  There has also been long standing public concern at the inordinate delays. Anda number of businesses have voiced opposition to the proposal to remove private motor vehicles from the {GM|Golden Mile}.

The main objective of the GM proposal was to improve the speed and reliability of the bus service, but the public consultation also revealed an interest in increased pedestrianisation.  Businesses have been concerned that removal of parking etc would kill business along the GM, and thereby reduce the vibrancy of the city centre.  LGWM has indicated that the evidence supports the opposite, that closing the GM to private motorised traffic would actually improve retail spending. 

While people clearly want a better bus service, maintaining or improving the vibrancy of the area is obviously also of critical interest. How to obtain convincing evidence?

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 our city. Our vision for Wellington is a modern, vibrant city designed around the needs of people, not cars.

X:Michael Barnett\\
Convenor, FIT Wellington