The Road Transport Forum (RTF) is among a number of businesses, stakeholders and industry groups expressing concern about Wellington’s transport network.
A coalition called Progress Wellington has been formed along with a full-page campaign advertisement in the Dominion Post today challenging the Let’s Get Wellington Moving (LGWM) initiative.
LGWM is a joint project between Wellington City Council, Greater Wellington Regional Council, and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.
The coalition group includes retailers, restaurants, cafes, transport operators, service providers, and businesses, calling for outcomes that will ensure Wellington “actually gets moving”.
The RTF has previously slammed the LGWM proposal to lower speed limits and introduce a new raised pedestrian crossing on Cobham Dr, the State Highway 1 route to and from Wellington airport.
“What Wellington needs is a transport system where people can move easily and safely at all times of the day,” Wellington Chamber of Commerce chief executive Simon Arcus says.
“It needs to be inclusive, a Wellington that works for everyone. This group has been brought together to find a way through the current concerns with LGWM. We need to speed up the major infrastructure projects, those that will achieve the aims of getting Wellingtonians moving, rather than on the projects that are slowing things down – we can’t grind our city to a halt.”
Retail NZ chief executive Greg Harford says the LGWM initiatives are “piecemeal proposals” which won’t deliver “a moving, liveable and thriving city for all Wellingtonians”.
“So far LGWM has failed to understand and recognise many of the significant adverse impacts that the current proposals will have on Wellingtonians and its communities, like the Golden Mile, Thorndon Quay and Hutt Road, and Cobham Drive projects.
“What do all these projects have in common? A lack of data, economic analysis, and little understanding of how it will impact on the city, it’s people, and the business community.”
Wellington Airport chief executive Steve Sanderson says if LGWM goes ahead with their plans to reduce the speed limits on Cobham Dr and add a set of traffic lights, “more than 35,000 Wellingtonians will be impacted, while the best and safest solution for pedestrians and cyclists will be ignored”.
“As the advert says, LGWM needs to do this once, and do it right – build an overpass or underpass instead.”
RTF chief executive Nick Leggett says if LGWM wants to get Wellington moving, “they’ve got to stop trying to slow everything down”.
Cobham Drive project
Speaking previously about the proposed Cobham Drive project, Wellington mayor Andy Foster says a new crossing will help expand the Eastern suburbs’ walking and cycling network.
“Right now, there is no place to safely cross State Highway 1 anywhere between Miramar and the Evans Bay Parade traffic lights.
“We have tragically seen fatalities when people have crossed Cobham Dr, which is a massive barrier to walking, running, and biking between Miramar and Kilbirnie. This severance was certainly an issue when the ASB Centre was proposed.
“We are also already seeing increased numbers of people cycling, walking, and running as a result of the shared pathways we’ve built around Cobham Dr and Evans Bay. The crossing will make it easier to get to and from the pathways into Kilbirnie helping people get where they’re going by bike or foot,” Foster says.
The proposed crossing would be controlled by two sets of traffic lights (one for each direction of travel). It says when activated by pedestrians, it would mean shorter red light wait times for people travelling in vehicles on SH1.
LGWM says its investigations found that a crossing at road level controlled by traffic lights is the most cost-effective way to improve safety and can be built the soonest with the least disruption.
It would improve ease of access for people of all ages and abilities and would not require long ramps or stairs going over or under the road, it says.
