Feedback-a-rama 2: e-scooters and huge transport plans!

by Kōrero Wellington | December 11, 2019 | Streets & Roads

Last hurrah folks! If you’re time-poor, 5 minutes on the RLTP (with mince pie in hand) gets you a lovely civic glow before the holidays.

Big one: the The Wellington Regional Land Transport Plan (now open til 23rd)

Role:

This is a big kahuna. It determines all the things we’ll spend on and do, to get around the region and our towns. We is all the towns and cities of the region, plus the central government: the RLTP is the basis on which NZTA allocates money to councils for different transport things. That’s about 60% of the funding that goes into transport round here.

If it’s big, and you want it, if it ain’t in the RLTP, you’re up the proverbial creek without a paddle.

Feedback closes:

5:00pm 23 December 2019

Key things you could say:

Funding and prioritisation of projects must match intent, for once.
Want to see residential growth areas getting public and active transport as first-best choice for short trips and to access PT, not private car driving. Especially in government-led projects like Kainga Ora ones
Set a target of all-electric public transport by 2025, and advocate for this as a national target by 2030. Work with central government to get a national plan to retire ageing diesels in smaller centres and replace then with new vehicles from main centre, which are in turn replaced by electrics.
Want to see better train and bus services to support existing areas, with more spending (yes, on top of what’s currently planned) and better integration with walking, micromobility, biking and place values at hubs and stops to support intensification. TOD FTW!
Want to see congestion charging for Wellington city, and the proceeds used to support better sustainable travel (see Further Reading)
Develop a properly ambitious regional rail plan which includes key network expansion and electrification projects (e.g. restore Melling – Manor Park rail link to enable express services from the Upper Valley and Wairarapa), and first-mile-last-mile sustainable travel (think beyond more park n rides, please)
Want to see transport equity a focus, addressing transport poverty in Porirua, Kapiti, Hutt Valley.

Link here

e-Scooter survey

We’re six months into Wellington City’s trial of e-scooters, and they have a survey out wanting our feedback on whether we want them in the city, and there’s a big focus on safety. So do fill that in (we’re not sure when it closes but it’s not imminently).

We have a lovely dedicated post coming with some intel from smart people. But if you want to go hard on your feedback-a-rama and get everything in before Xmas, some things you could say:

Get them off the footpaths and into safe protected space – rori iti FTW while moving, corrals for parking. Let’s not continue the Hunger Games of the street.
Let’s not have a scooter company operating that has terrible corporate ethics. One of the scooter companies in the trial currently has … you can guess which one!)

Image: Karl Jilg (with obvious additions)

What we should be asked about

What we’re not being surveyed about is the by far most dangerous thing in cities: private motor vehicles. Pertinently, some people have set up a survey for that! It’s basically a spoof of the Wellington City Council e-scooter survey.

We recommend you have a say on both, remembering the Very Simple Formula that could let us all get along…