Buses to go through Manners Mall
Hi – I’m sorry to say we lost this battle today.
Those voting against opening Manners mall to buses were:
Special thanks to the Facebook Group Save Manners Mall and WGTN LOVE MANNERS MALL (Maria)
Cheers
posted by pepptalk at 1:36 AM
3 Comments:
Firstly, I think that we are the victims of greenwash here. Some people believe that getting rid of Manners Mall is to get rid of certain types of people. As a friend of mine said it is to get rid of "brown people".
I can't see what's green about this idea. They will be lucky if they cut 1 minute off the total time taken to travel from Courtenay Place to Bowen Street. In fact they are going to take out to sets of lights and put three sets in. This may actually slow the bus journey! Furthermore, replacing zebra crossings with traffic light-controlled crossings slows down pedestrians. What's green about that? Don't tell me that traffic lights are safer for pedestrians. Many cyclists take a delight in sailing through red lights. Furthermore, at the traffic lights in Hospital Road I saw two cases of the red light not protecting the pedestrian in two minutes. I placed a call with the Council last Tuesday and have still to hear back from someone.
If the Council is really interested in speeding up bus journeys, why doesn't it:
1. send the buses along the Quays to the Railway Station and then route them up Featherston Street and Victoria Street and
2. give buses traffic light priority through Newtown, through which all the primary bus services except No. 2 run?
How many kilometres of new trolleybus wires could be rolled out for $11 million?
Secondly, is this decision final? It involves $11 million dollars, half of it ratepayers' money. It has only been approved by the Strategy and Policy Committee. Surely it has to be approved by the full Council.
Last but not least we are signed up by both visionary councils to a transport system that allows 140 buses per hour through the CBD population 12.000+. That means every 2.3 minutes a bus, going either north or south. enters a densly populated area at your and your children's risk.
Last year 50 people died from emission related diseases in the Wellington Region and there is no outlook for improvements with this stupid plan.
Those 12.000 Central City dwellers are made up as follows: 12 % of apartments house children and 49% of apartment dwellers are 45 years or over.
According to their own publications Wellington Regional Council confirms that those most affected by emissions are the young and the elderly, so should the air we breathe than carry a health warning?
I agree with Leoni Gill, the plan is dumb, I agree with Hayley Wain, giving away public space to a private operator, I agree with Jo Coughlan, this plan would require a leap of faith to vote for it, but I agree especially with Bryan, public opinion has been preceded by business opinion and we are again ignored.
Final summary: Fortunatly there is one place left for us to be heard in 2010. I will certainly be using my vote wisely to seek out candidates with a consience for the sake of my grand children.
ENROL ENROL ENROL ENROL ENROL ENROL
VOTE NEW ZEALAND VOTE NEW ZEALAND
"So we lost the battle, but not the war.
"We could not save Manners Mall, but it will rescue us in 2010.
Thanks Manners Mall we love you..
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