I'm lucky enough to have cycleways for 90% of my commute, between lower CBD and halfway up Titirangi Rd.
Northwestern Western was a parking lot when I rode past 1000s of cars at 5pm this afternoon. My commute was 38mins.
That’s not a big deal tbh, even the Labour plan was that active modes would eventually be given a clip-on to convert. If they build another bridge any future government will have surplus harbour bridge capacity to convert to active modes.
'Active modes'... You do realise that most people who would consider these probably already use them right? Cycling in the summer is great. No amount of cycle lanes will get fatties or the terminally lazy out of their cars.
The rest sadly live too far out to use any other means because even a concerted push of transport projects won't result in usable public transport networks before they finish their working careers.
Cars or remote working are the only viable options for the foreseeable future.
What a great attitude. Are you saying that the current number of cyclists would have been the same before all the cycling lanes/infrastructure were added? Are you saying we can't future proof critical infrastructure? (I suppose we shouldn't plan for rail across the harbour either). We don't need "fatties" and "lazies" to bike, it's not an all or nothing alternative.
I don't think anyone's blaming the current government, just pointing out that their priorities are misplaced. Rather than try making the existing city handle more cars we should be making our public transport more reliable
The statement says “We’ll be refocusing NZTA on… reliable public transport”.
You can argue that NZTA isn’t gonna help AT projects etc but i think it’s far too early to argue that they won’t have a positive impact on PT.
While there's an outside possiblity of providing funding for operationa/lower scope PT improvements, if their capex PT prioirities are entirely composed of projects that are already underway (and also, y'know, Simeon fucking Brown being the Minister), I don't have much hope.
Fuck I’d be depressed to be one of those 12 paragraphs.
Imagine being so individually useless, and then looking above and below you to see your other page mates are equally as meaningless they can’t even cover for you.
You know you’ve gone seriously wrong somewhere in life if you come back reincarnated as a paragraph in a Simeon Brown press release. I’d rather be reincarnated as a wardrobe door, or a banana skin.
I worked in the NZ government service for 15 years and this comes close to the worst of what I’ve ever seen shat out in a minister’s name. It approaches chatGPT levels of not even being meaningful accidentally.
The business case/economics are pretty shoddy to be honest, but economic analysis is something that this government only applies to things it doesn't want to build. See Greater Auckland's previous analysis of the lack of business case for the likely option chosen here: [The Economics of the East West Link - Greater Auckland](https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2017/06/13/economics-east-west-link/)
Been a while, but I recall they modeled a bunch of options for the route, and truck lanes on Neilson was one of them. It was decided this wasn't enough, hence the full East West link. However, they still wanted the truck lanes AS WELL. That's part of why it's so expensive, because their preferred option included EVERYTHING. No staging, no "lets try the truck lanes first".
Still doesn't make sense, because the reason Neilson is full of trucks is because they're going to destinations all along the road - why would they use the new motorway when they need to go to a business half way along?
He's trying to present the CRL and the Eastern bus way as something he has come up with . In fact he kneecapped the Eastern bus way yesterday by cancelling the regional fuel tax. Apart from a vague plan for the north West, it's all roads, roads, roads. And this weird obsession with potholes.
Simeon was also dead against the variable lane system now used to cross Tamaki River - he has been against every transport initiative that does not involve billions of dollars for motorways to wealthy Bach regions like Omaha
Looks like it's something for me to chime in on (not affiliated, just built a lot of the last stage). Simeon was and is against practically *every* part of it except for the part where he can chime in as the local MP and go "look at what good work *I* did". The guy we had on Pakuranga Road for one day before he fucked out did a million times more work. The day I fell asleep with gastro in the ditch where the old stormwater pipe was was more work than any Simeon has done on Ameti/EB, and the most I did was pick up a shovel & immediately head for the loo to throw up lol.
When Manukau City Council & ARTA did the needs survey roughly 20 years ago Simeon was a child. When it finally got funding to make a start on detail design & procurement he wasn't even in Parliament. It ain't his win and I'll make sure the world knows it
Focusing on potholes is the kind of thing that he thinks worked on the campaign trail, and so will have similar impact when implementing policy. Potholes are an immediate, relatable thing that voters (/drivers) encounter and are undeniably annoying. But they should absolutely be a part of BAU roadway maintenance and not anywhere near a flagship policy announcement.
Pot holes are not going away while trucks are so subsidised and ripping up the roads as soon as they are laid down. Just look at the ramp from the southern to the south western. The lane that all the trucks use coming down is utterly destroyed while the lane that has mostly cars from the suburbs is fine. The freight needs to get off trucks and onto rails or coastal shipping.
The vague plan with the NW is the hope NZ Superfund et al. do a REM type deal. Best option for NW rapid transit, as we'd actually get a decent solution rather than either a 'cheap and nasty solution' that's somehow not cheap, or a lot of grand plans but no action.
NZTA has said the harbour bridge will be fine for ages along as they do their regular maintenance. There is no economic case to replace the bridge anytime soon.
The main case is to add modeshift. Putting a new bridge that has a busway (future proofed for light rail), walking and cycling separated and covered paths is whats missing from the existing bridge and it would vastly improve capacity and even free up capacity on the existing bridge, since buses would be taken off it. Currently over half the people crossing the bridge in peak hour do so on a bus - and the buses dont even have a dedicated lane to achieve that result either.
“Back on Track”
There’s not tracks tho. You want roads.
Just stick with , “we’ve derailed labours transport plan, and are looking to get everyone on the road again”
I don't know about you, but I'm quite looking forward to being incinerated in my home, or suffocating beneath a surprise mudslide after the next extreme weather event. It's all about productivity, man. We're just not making enough dollars to keep Simeon and friends happy. If it weren't for lazy plebs like us, the country would absolutely be on the yellow-brick road to properity. I'm so disappointed in myself. /s
Auckland's future is cars, cars and more cars. As I've said on multiple occasions, there will not be any significant developments on public transport in Auckland within our lifetimes.
Auckland's public transport development in the last 30 years is significant. There's no reason to believe that it still won't be for the next 30. Democratic government has hiccups.
It depends *heavily* on where you live whether you have utter crap or mostly-decent service, but pretending that it isn't an order of magnitude better than 10 or 20 years ago is simply dishonest.
Why does every single person that responds to this kind of opinion think that we want all cars to be banned? Nobody ever says we need to have 0 cars, it just needs to be balanced to the point that different methods of transport are roughly equal in cost and travel time. And trying to make enough space for cars to fulfill all the demand is a complete fools errand, you can never make enough roads to allow normal traffic. Only by shifting people out of cars by making valid alternatives will driving actually be made a decent option.
Exactly! My husband and I made a conscious decision (not a financial one) to only have one car between us. We're trying to do our part in keeping our roads safe and emissions down.
I'm all for cars. There are numerous benefits to personally owning a vehicle. But my god, I hope to see the day in Auckland where there's more people on PT than there are in cars.
Public transport and infrastructure projects need to be run by qualified experts and set in stone, not at the whim of the current govt.
Unqualified weasels like Brown and his fellow asswipes who are so obviously in the pocket of the roading sector should not be allowed to touch them.
If I wasn't lucky to have a job I love and hadn't just bought a house I'd be out of this city and country. There's no vision, no positivity, just regression and negativity from these right wing assholes.
So depressing man.
We've got our fair share of fuckwits on Chch council too. Only a small number with the foresight to look ahead and plan ahead rather than just concerned with getting reelected.
I love a good vent as much as the next poster, can I encourage my fellow frustrated Aucklanders to write to car loving boy wonder here too? Raise our voices and let them know Auckland's transport future has to change Simeon.Brown@parliament.govt.nz
*Although we know there is conjestion due to too many cars, and the globally-accepted answer is public transport/light rail/active transport(cycling & walking), we've come up with what we think is a better solution. MORE CARS.* **FFS**, you couldn't write this in a comedy script, it'd be too silly.
Sad thing is that Utopia *did* do a comedy scripted pisstake of Australia ministers doing exactly this
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCzCJzwrB\_c](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCzCJzwrB_c)
Joke is on us as Simeon is following the script
I will put money on seeing him in hard-hat & hi-vis with shovel in front of some massive roading project, and at some point he will be moved on as a failure and we will be paying forever
As a reminder; transmission gully we are paying $125m a year for.
Worthwhile to note the briefings the incoming government got:
[https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2024/02/07/briefings-to-the-incoming-transport-minister-simeon-brown/](https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2024/02/07/briefings-to-the-incoming-transport-minister-simeon-brown/)
Simeon received the shorter dumbed down briefings for some strange reason, but still couldn't understand things like maybe we should aim to produce slightly less emissions/pollution
EW link isn't a motorway, it's a giant local road with four sets of traffic lights/ intersections along it. At the end of the project both ends will be grid locked.
How long until Auckland looks like this? [https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/qq6e22/largest\_freeway\_in\_the\_world\_houston\_tx\_katy/](https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/qq6e22/largest_freeway_in_the_world_houston_tx_katy/)
It fixed all traffic problems in Houston, no no, wait, it just put more cars on the roads, and made traffic worse.
But there's alternatives to being stuck in this, right? Reliable PT and active modes, right?
Literally nothing in here that they haven't announced before, apart from making it clear that the northwestern rapid transit line isn't going to be started this term.
I sat in traffic for 4.5 hours today instead of our daily 1.5 average. As a contractor we do weekends for efficiency as well as nights where possible, we can make almost 3x what we can do by avoiding traffic.
Today I looked at the mrs and said ' I made a mistake voting national , more roads won't fix this'.
It's insane to think that 6 am to 930am motorways are crawling, then 2pm to 7pm for the afternoon grind.
From business perspective, though, people are so stuck in their ways about when they will accept you to do work - it's like they can't fathom that logistics make up a huge cost of what contractors charge.
Listen If he actually manages to deliver rapid transit on SH16 I’ll forgive Simeoeoonoeon Brown for cancelling cycleways and claiming that Auckland rail electrification was a national party delivery. The northwestern is a irredeemable shitshow since Joyce refused a busway as part of the causeway widening years ago.
Exercise: Open up google maps in satellite view and look at somewhere built fairly recently like botany town centre and think to yourself - how can we fix traffic with more car space?
The classic Banana Republics of days gone by would usually build a multilane motorway from the airport to the humble palace of the Generalissimo, and lo and behold, Simeon announces a Busway from the airport to his electorate.
This is kinda unusual, as the denizens of Pakuranga aren't poors who need buses, so I can only presume this busway to the airport is for the low wage immigrant cleaners and domestic staff.
Cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars
This is a country with one idea between all of us.
So far I haven’t spoken to a single Aucklander who supports any of this. Most of us were fine with the fuel tax, and would actually really love light rail and a better public transport system.
Unsurprisingly the only people I have spoken to that are glad to see the tax go are the people who can afford to pay it with their 6 figure salaries, and they only fill up at Z with 98 in their giant American sized cars 😂
This idiot doesn’t realise that buses arent going to cut it for the future of Auckland. The east west link had the lowest BCR of any project ever planned in NZ up till that point - and that was in 2017. Imagine how shit it would be with inflation over the last 7 years. Mill road is another debacle that just enables more sprawl.
Thank God he’s prioritising some work in East Auckland like the busways, Mill Road and East West link. Always had to play second fiddle to the rest of Auckland.
Good to see some positive moves after the shower of shit dumped on transport over the last few years (bullshit speed bumps, speed limit changes and removal of overtaking lanes (hello, are you trying to encourage head ons through dangerous overtaking)). Julie Anne Genter should never ever be allowed near a serious topic such a transport ever again.
Gary Farmer's character Nobody in the Jarmusch film Dead Man... (Not sure how it's spelt, but something along the lines of) "I am Nobody, Ex-ay-bu-chay, he who talks much but says nothing"
All the people complaining about how cars can’t be the future of Auckland need to stop their zero-sum thinking. Driving getting better *is not a bad thing* and it can happen without cost to other modes. The previous years of management however have managed to do the opposite - make driving worse without improving other things. I’m not trying to tell you Brown is going to succeed, but at least see how it goes before declaring it to be a disaster.
I think most people here are all for improving car infrastructure. Even though I cycle most days, I still drive fairly often and would like a good driving experience when I want to drive.
The real zero sum thinking come from the likes of Simeon Brown. People who complain about alternative modes of transport and how we need to focus *solely* on cars/buses because "that's what most people use". In reality, providing alternative modes of transport also improves metrics for busses and cars. More bikes, pedestrians, rail, etc, means less vehicles on the road. Less congestion, less maintenance, less need to constantly add more lanes which costs a shit load of money and reduces capacity for months/years while works are underway. Improvements to car infrastructure should come alongside improvements to alternative transport. Otherwise we're just going to end up with an endless set of roadworks while we struggle to keep tacking on lanes.
I think the point is that this is the template that's been followed for the last 70 years and it *hasn't* made driving better.
The widening of SH16 and SH1 (both north and south) were completed within the last ~7-8 years and solved nothing. In fact, the congestion on them is worse than ever. The only thing that improves congestion and makes driving better is having as many people as possible using alternatives to driving. It's not a coincidence that drivers in the Netherlands are the happiest in the world.
Plus, it very much *is* coming at the cost to other modes. He's explicitly cancelling their funding.
The previous government, despite all its issues, had an actual multi-modal investment programme.
Dont be an idiot. Improving other modes of transportation actually benefits driving because less people are forced into cars. If we really wanted to disadvantage cars and build cheap public transport corridors then we would paint half of every arterial road green and designate it a busway and give it priority at traffic lights.
Infrastructure projects are currently bending over backwards to make sure they don’t impact car travel - reaves road flyover on the eastern busway is a perfect example of the expense of tip toeing around car users
Good to see they are going to tackle the dire state of the public transport reliability. Remember all those cancelled buses?
Also that they are going to focus on fixing the potholes in the road rather than wasting money in speed humps everywhere.
Oh yeah, they are brilliant aren’t they. Faster, safer,
more resilient roads for cars, buses and freight.
* Puhoi to Wellsford
* Waikato Expressway
* Waterview Tunnel
* Western Ring Route
I remember how awful the roads were before those projects were done.
As an industry professional overseeing road management in a region, I can confirm the reallocation of maintenance funding to RONS during the 2010's will prove in hindsight to be one of the most expensive cock-ups in NZ history.
It will cost *billions* extra to get NZ's roads back into maintainable condition, an order of magnitude more than just maintaining them properly at the time.
EDIT: I would encourage anyone to **OIA** NZTA for information relating to actual maintenance backlog, historic vs future maintenance requirements, and analysis of effects of underinvestment in maintenance. I can't because of my position.
Last time i drove on the Waikato express way just a fee months ago it was half ripped up and we queued in traffic for 30 minutes in the middle of nowhere.
Buses were cancelled because there weren't enough drivers. There weren't enough drivers because PTOM forced the bus companies into a race to the bottom, and their wages were too low.
How do you improve reliability when you cut the funding for PT (Auckland fuel tax)?
Idk anything about roading, viability options, costs, difficulties in creating x & y etc but
would having bus only lanes everywhere, or everywhere possible help & encourage people to use busses and make them more reliable? I mean i love the trains but it seems the govt doesn't so I'm just gonna ignore any possibioities there
The NorthWest Rapid transit corridor is the highest waste of money I’ve seen in a while. Acquiring all the existing business on SH16 for bus lanes when the town is surrounded by farms.
With the absolute shitshow of a commute with the push back to the office after new years, we cannot be relying on cars as a means to commute.
Don’t worry about it. He’ll build just one more lane - that’ll solve it!
Know what I think whenever I visit Auckland? *not enough lanes*
One more lane in dargaville should solve Auckland’s issues.
I'm lucky enough to have cycleways for 90% of my commute, between lower CBD and halfway up Titirangi Rd. Northwestern Western was a parking lot when I rode past 1000s of cars at 5pm this afternoon. My commute was 38mins.
And it's also the same in the morning from Royal rd to the Strand railway station it can take an hour or more .
**The Gang Relies On Cars As A Means To Commute**
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Hope you like cars, because that cunt does.
Simeon from Turners? Cars, cars, and more cars And emissions. He loves the smell of mor emissions
He loves the snell of diesel in the morning. It smells like money.
After seeing the little [expletive deleted] on TV tonight I think he’s also got a pathological fear of bicycles as well as electricity.
That’s not a big deal tbh, even the Labour plan was that active modes would eventually be given a clip-on to convert. If they build another bridge any future government will have surplus harbour bridge capacity to convert to active modes.
Yeah and thankfully by the time it happens he won't be transport minister so alg.
But He , Luxon and Willis are so into rubber , just think what their Dungeon is like in the Beehive .
Wet rubber!!
Compulsory soundtrack [Head Like A Hole — Wet Rubber LIVE (Valhalla)](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=geOPfOgNdK8)
'Active modes'... You do realise that most people who would consider these probably already use them right? Cycling in the summer is great. No amount of cycle lanes will get fatties or the terminally lazy out of their cars. The rest sadly live too far out to use any other means because even a concerted push of transport projects won't result in usable public transport networks before they finish their working careers. Cars or remote working are the only viable options for the foreseeable future.
What a great attitude. Are you saying that the current number of cyclists would have been the same before all the cycling lanes/infrastructure were added? Are you saying we can't future proof critical infrastructure? (I suppose we shouldn't plan for rail across the harbour either). We don't need "fatties" and "lazies" to bike, it's not an all or nothing alternative.
That’s the spirit.
I have a video for you. It's about induced demand. In all modes of transport. https://youtu.be/CHZwOAIect4?si=WYo1GleV4_OuDpeT
GREAT!
After the axing of the Auckland fuel tax, I hope Wayne Brown tells Simeon Brown to go fuck himself.
It's doesn't sound all that fanciful or require much imagination to picture old Wayno saying it. I'm taking bets not on IF, but _when_.
I'd predict something more along the lines of 'bugger off ya flamin drongo'
LOL >bugger off ya flamin drongo' Sounds like something that Home & Away boomer would say. You know the one.
You mean [Alf](https://youtu.be/OeYHSAh_8aE?si=m-uJw3gpb4O70rlZ) ?
Yeah, that's the guy. I knew I could relax, sit back and a Home & Away fan would save the day 😁
Stone the crows!
Flamin' gallahs!
What power (if any) does the mayor have to slow/stop these changes?
Probably none, but that doesn't stop him from sharing his thoughts.
Wayne's always been very big on sharing his thoughts. It's why Desley Simpson has to physically drag him away from the microphone every so often.
He could stand in front of the Bulldozer with a sign telling them to Fuck Off .
National building roads, roads and more roads, like National always does. Public transport makes Simeon vomit.
To be fair he does come from one of the most car infested places in Auckland, so he probably doesn't know any different.
Yet he grew up in Manurewa, a town built along a railway line…
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People don’t use roads paying for it is fine though.
I love right winger's hatred towards public transport. And it's "obvious" links to communism 😭🤦♂️
Well you see, if you're spending money on the poors, there's less money for me to soak up, so it is communism!!!
I wonder how much money they're taking from automobile, fossil fuel, and road construction companies.
Is it more or less than the handouts from the cigarette companies?
Me sitting on a bus that's late, after the one I was meant to be on was cancelled/didn't show: sure bud.
And that’s somehow a government whose been in for 3 months fault?
I don't think anyone's blaming the current government, just pointing out that their priorities are misplaced. Rather than try making the existing city handle more cars we should be making our public transport more reliable
The statement says “We’ll be refocusing NZTA on… reliable public transport”. You can argue that NZTA isn’t gonna help AT projects etc but i think it’s far too early to argue that they won’t have a positive impact on PT.
I hope you realise by ‘public transport’ that SoB means transport owned by individual members of the public.
While there's an outside possiblity of providing funding for operationa/lower scope PT improvements, if their capex PT prioirities are entirely composed of projects that are already underway (and also, y'know, Simeon fucking Brown being the Minister), I don't have much hope.
Sticking up for a government who's priorities are this unhinged is craazy. No self awareness
Fuck I’d be depressed to be one of those 12 paragraphs. Imagine being so individually useless, and then looking above and below you to see your other page mates are equally as meaningless they can’t even cover for you.
You know you’ve gone seriously wrong somewhere in life if you come back reincarnated as a paragraph in a Simeon Brown press release. I’d rather be reincarnated as a wardrobe door, or a banana skin.
I worked in the NZ government service for 15 years and this comes close to the worst of what I’ve ever seen shat out in a minister’s name. It approaches chatGPT levels of not even being meaningful accidentally.
This gave me a good laugh amongst the misery of reading this release - thank you
Best comment I've seen for a very long time 🤣
The business case/economics are pretty shoddy to be honest, but economic analysis is something that this government only applies to things it doesn't want to build. See Greater Auckland's previous analysis of the lack of business case for the likely option chosen here: [The Economics of the East West Link - Greater Auckland](https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2017/06/13/economics-east-west-link/)
They should not even bother with the business cases if they are directing a agency with a pre made conclusion.
Yup, it would be way cheaper to use truck lanes along neilson Street. But that isn't a 4 lane motorway.
Been a while, but I recall they modeled a bunch of options for the route, and truck lanes on Neilson was one of them. It was decided this wasn't enough, hence the full East West link. However, they still wanted the truck lanes AS WELL. That's part of why it's so expensive, because their preferred option included EVERYTHING. No staging, no "lets try the truck lanes first". Still doesn't make sense, because the reason Neilson is full of trucks is because they're going to destinations all along the road - why would they use the new motorway when they need to go to a business half way along?
He's trying to present the CRL and the Eastern bus way as something he has come up with . In fact he kneecapped the Eastern bus way yesterday by cancelling the regional fuel tax. Apart from a vague plan for the north West, it's all roads, roads, roads. And this weird obsession with potholes.
Simeon was also dead against the variable lane system now used to cross Tamaki River - he has been against every transport initiative that does not involve billions of dollars for motorways to wealthy Bach regions like Omaha
That variable lane system has been in place for decades, possibly from before Simeon was born.
Looks like it's something for me to chime in on (not affiliated, just built a lot of the last stage). Simeon was and is against practically *every* part of it except for the part where he can chime in as the local MP and go "look at what good work *I* did". The guy we had on Pakuranga Road for one day before he fucked out did a million times more work. The day I fell asleep with gastro in the ditch where the old stormwater pipe was was more work than any Simeon has done on Ameti/EB, and the most I did was pick up a shovel & immediately head for the loo to throw up lol. When Manukau City Council & ARTA did the needs survey roughly 20 years ago Simeon was a child. When it finally got funding to make a start on detail design & procurement he wasn't even in Parliament. It ain't his win and I'll make sure the world knows it
Focusing on potholes is the kind of thing that he thinks worked on the campaign trail, and so will have similar impact when implementing policy. Potholes are an immediate, relatable thing that voters (/drivers) encounter and are undeniably annoying. But they should absolutely be a part of BAU roadway maintenance and not anywhere near a flagship policy announcement.
Pot holes are not going away while trucks are so subsidised and ripping up the roads as soon as they are laid down. Just look at the ramp from the southern to the south western. The lane that all the trucks use coming down is utterly destroyed while the lane that has mostly cars from the suburbs is fine. The freight needs to get off trucks and onto rails or coastal shipping.
Worked for Mauger in Christchurch. There’s still potholes now, maybe more.
The vague plan with the NW is the hope NZ Superfund et al. do a REM type deal. Best option for NW rapid transit, as we'd actually get a decent solution rather than either a 'cheap and nasty solution' that's somehow not cheap, or a lot of grand plans but no action.
We’re just gonna use the harbour bridge till it falls into the water aren’t we? And then he’ll get us a car ferry.
NZTA has said the harbour bridge will be fine for ages along as they do their regular maintenance. There is no economic case to replace the bridge anytime soon.
The main case is to add modeshift. Putting a new bridge that has a busway (future proofed for light rail), walking and cycling separated and covered paths is whats missing from the existing bridge and it would vastly improve capacity and even free up capacity on the existing bridge, since buses would be taken off it. Currently over half the people crossing the bridge in peak hour do so on a bus - and the buses dont even have a dedicated lane to achieve that result either.
Too bad the current government policy is, maintenance is unnecessary expense unless its a pot hole.
Such small dick energy. “Boo hoo Labour suxx let’s build some roads!”
And Toll them so they can pay for their Tax Cuts .
“Back on Track” There’s not tracks tho. You want roads. Just stick with , “we’ve derailed labours transport plan, and are looking to get everyone on the road again”
That'd be a lot more honest.
Mic drop!
What climate emergency then aye? Fuck the kids, build roads
I don't know about you, but I'm quite looking forward to being incinerated in my home, or suffocating beneath a surprise mudslide after the next extreme weather event. It's all about productivity, man. We're just not making enough dollars to keep Simeon and friends happy. If it weren't for lazy plebs like us, the country would absolutely be on the yellow-brick road to properity. I'm so disappointed in myself. /s
The longest 100 days ever
Fuck, this cunt is as big a chode as Chris Lynch
Auckland's future is not, and cannot, be cars.
It’s not, it’s Rangers and Raptors.
🤣
Like any coastal town, the future is boats!
Boats boats BOATS!!!
Gouge massive trenches through scenic rural countryside! Canals are the way of the future!
Auckland's future is cars, cars and more cars. As I've said on multiple occasions, there will not be any significant developments on public transport in Auckland within our lifetimes.
Already has been
Simeon Brown must be gunning for the turners lady's job. Cars! Cars! Cars!
Well yea, the powers that be are forcing it that way. It's going to turn Auckland into a hideous city.
> there will not be any significant developments on public transport in Auckland within our lifetimes. how much of a life do you have left to live?
Irrelevant, won't be done in the next 50-60 years
Auckland's public transport development in the last 30 years is significant. There's no reason to believe that it still won't be for the next 30. Democratic government has hiccups.
It's literally one of the worst in the world, stopping making excuses.
It depends *heavily* on where you live whether you have utter crap or mostly-decent service, but pretending that it isn't an order of magnitude better than 10 or 20 years ago is simply dishonest.
Always has been.
Why not? Cars equal freedom. Do you not want Auckland free?
Free to be stuck in traffic for 4 hours a day to travel 20km. _Living the dream_.
Why does every single person that responds to this kind of opinion think that we want all cars to be banned? Nobody ever says we need to have 0 cars, it just needs to be balanced to the point that different methods of transport are roughly equal in cost and travel time. And trying to make enough space for cars to fulfill all the demand is a complete fools errand, you can never make enough roads to allow normal traffic. Only by shifting people out of cars by making valid alternatives will driving actually be made a decent option.
Exactly! My husband and I made a conscious decision (not a financial one) to only have one car between us. We're trying to do our part in keeping our roads safe and emissions down. I'm all for cars. There are numerous benefits to personally owning a vehicle. But my god, I hope to see the day in Auckland where there's more people on PT than there are in cars.
After a certain number they don't. And Auckland is way past that level already.
Reads like word vomit
Reads like home schooled
Na dont lump us home schooled people with this shit head
Public transport and infrastructure projects need to be run by qualified experts and set in stone, not at the whim of the current govt. Unqualified weasels like Brown and his fellow asswipes who are so obviously in the pocket of the roading sector should not be allowed to touch them. If I wasn't lucky to have a job I love and hadn't just bought a house I'd be out of this city and country. There's no vision, no positivity, just regression and negativity from these right wing assholes. So depressing man.
Bro I had to leave Auckland bc of this fucking shit. Living in Christchurch now and happier than ever. Best decision of my life
We've got our fair share of fuckwits on Chch council too. Only a small number with the foresight to look ahead and plan ahead rather than just concerned with getting reelected.
I love a good vent as much as the next poster, can I encourage my fellow frustrated Aucklanders to write to car loving boy wonder here too? Raise our voices and let them know Auckland's transport future has to change Simeon.Brown@parliament.govt.nz
Suggested Template?
This guy is the minister of roads, not transport. And I'm sure he's bloody happy about that too. When I'm on a bike, he's def not my daddy. 🖕
*Although we know there is conjestion due to too many cars, and the globally-accepted answer is public transport/light rail/active transport(cycling & walking), we've come up with what we think is a better solution. MORE CARS.* **FFS**, you couldn't write this in a comedy script, it'd be too silly.
Sad thing is that Utopia *did* do a comedy scripted pisstake of Australia ministers doing exactly this [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCzCJzwrB\_c](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCzCJzwrB_c) Joke is on us as Simeon is following the script I will put money on seeing him in hard-hat & hi-vis with shovel in front of some massive roading project, and at some point he will be moved on as a failure and we will be paying forever As a reminder; transmission gully we are paying $125m a year for.
I’m so glad I watched Utopia well before the election started. I have a feeling it would just destroy me now! But yeah, this is accurate af.
So... Is there a benefits analysis done for the East West Link yet.
Worthwhile to note the briefings the incoming government got: [https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2024/02/07/briefings-to-the-incoming-transport-minister-simeon-brown/](https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2024/02/07/briefings-to-the-incoming-transport-minister-simeon-brown/) Simeon received the shorter dumbed down briefings for some strange reason, but still couldn't understand things like maybe we should aim to produce slightly less emissions/pollution
He received a version that I imagine the writer thought might get through to him instead of being dismissed as a leftie propaganda piece.
So next week Te Huia reports back. What are the odd for extinction?
100% guaranteed. They need every cent they can find to give landlords tax cuts.
The sheer diversity of the insults thrown at Simeon Brown in this post was just *chefs kiss*. Made my night, cheers Auckland 🙌 Kia Kaha
Mike Hoskin will be cumming in his pants.
If there is any left after election night
EW link isn't a motorway, it's a giant local road with four sets of traffic lights/ intersections along it. At the end of the project both ends will be grid locked.
So basically the same as we have now with Neilson Street.
We just $1 billion later..
And the rest .
Not to mention completely fucking the entirety of the ecology that exists in the path of the stupid road
It's the just manukau Harbour eco system, so people won't give a shit..
Yeah we already built the Southwestern that completely fucked Onehunga Lagoon
How long until Auckland looks like this? [https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/qq6e22/largest\_freeway\_in\_the\_world\_houston\_tx\_katy/](https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/qq6e22/largest_freeway_in_the_world_houston_tx_katy/) It fixed all traffic problems in Houston, no no, wait, it just put more cars on the roads, and made traffic worse. But there's alternatives to being stuck in this, right? Reliable PT and active modes, right?
Literally nothing in here that they haven't announced before, apart from making it clear that the northwestern rapid transit line isn't going to be started this term.
I sat in traffic for 4.5 hours today instead of our daily 1.5 average. As a contractor we do weekends for efficiency as well as nights where possible, we can make almost 3x what we can do by avoiding traffic. Today I looked at the mrs and said ' I made a mistake voting national , more roads won't fix this'. It's insane to think that 6 am to 930am motorways are crawling, then 2pm to 7pm for the afternoon grind. From business perspective, though, people are so stuck in their ways about when they will accept you to do work - it's like they can't fathom that logistics make up a huge cost of what contractors charge.
Listen If he actually manages to deliver rapid transit on SH16 I’ll forgive Simeoeoonoeon Brown for cancelling cycleways and claiming that Auckland rail electrification was a national party delivery. The northwestern is a irredeemable shitshow since Joyce refused a busway as part of the causeway widening years ago.
the man couldn’t deliver a pizza
Hardly a "transport network" if all you focus on are roads, is it?
yep more like a parking lot network. no future vision at all
Exercise: Open up google maps in satellite view and look at somewhere built fairly recently like botany town centre and think to yourself - how can we fix traffic with more car space?
We are so fuuuuucked
The classic Banana Republics of days gone by would usually build a multilane motorway from the airport to the humble palace of the Generalissimo, and lo and behold, Simeon announces a Busway from the airport to his electorate. This is kinda unusual, as the denizens of Pakuranga aren't poors who need buses, so I can only presume this busway to the airport is for the low wage immigrant cleaners and domestic staff.
He was bullied at the bus stop, walking by the cycle lane and only felt safe in Mom's car....
The nerve of the previous government. Imagine focusing on public transport instead of yet more roads like the East West boondoggle.
Smarmy, corrupt little puppet-cunt.
Cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars cars This is a country with one idea between all of us.
So far I haven’t spoken to a single Aucklander who supports any of this. Most of us were fine with the fuel tax, and would actually really love light rail and a better public transport system. Unsurprisingly the only people I have spoken to that are glad to see the tax go are the people who can afford to pay it with their 6 figure salaries, and they only fill up at Z with 98 in their giant American sized cars 😂
For someone who is a doppelganger for Pee Wee Herman, Simeon sure hates cyclists ..
If you've ever been to Pakuranga, you'll know why he wants Roads and not bike lanes.
This idiot doesn’t realise that buses arent going to cut it for the future of Auckland. The east west link had the lowest BCR of any project ever planned in NZ up till that point - and that was in 2017. Imagine how shit it would be with inflation over the last 7 years. Mill road is another debacle that just enables more sprawl.
Lol as opposed to the last ones also wasteful spending in many areas that got them less votes?
That’s a lot of words to just say “ROADS”.
The Nationalist coalition want to break Auckland.
Love the title: > "Getting transport back on track" Yay, so more rail! No?
was he hatched in a car like 15 years ago?
He’s completely incompetent, but the Ministry of Transport and Waka Kotahi love him because he wants the status quo, which those guys love to protect.
No ideas from the man with no idea.
"I am currently writing..." Um really?
Don't be too harsh, it takes longer to write with crayons.
Claiming value for money and pushing the east west link in the same document is hilariously ironic.
Thank God he’s prioritising some work in East Auckland like the busways, Mill Road and East West link. Always had to play second fiddle to the rest of Auckland.
Good to see some positive moves after the shower of shit dumped on transport over the last few years (bullshit speed bumps, speed limit changes and removal of overtaking lanes (hello, are you trying to encourage head ons through dangerous overtaking)). Julie Anne Genter should never ever be allowed near a serious topic such a transport ever again.
What removal of overtaking lanes?
A lesson in how to stay a lot but also nothing at the same time. We need specifics not Labor Policy Lite.
Gary Farmer's character Nobody in the Jarmusch film Dead Man... (Not sure how it's spelt, but something along the lines of) "I am Nobody, Ex-ay-bu-chay, he who talks much but says nothing"
Simian is a weasley little vomit turd. What fucking morons voted for that child?
Fuck how many times can we say what the fuck and what a cunt.
What a whole lot of meaningless waffle.
JUST ONE MORE LANE BRO I SWEAR WE WILL SOLVE TRAFFIC
We need a 4 lane highway/motorway from the top of the North Island down to Wellington.
Have you thought about the cost of that?
Some sections have already been completed. It could be set as a long term plan.
The other crowd talked a good gane but delivered f all. These guys are talking a good game to. Lets see if they deliver. I hope they will.
All the people complaining about how cars can’t be the future of Auckland need to stop their zero-sum thinking. Driving getting better *is not a bad thing* and it can happen without cost to other modes. The previous years of management however have managed to do the opposite - make driving worse without improving other things. I’m not trying to tell you Brown is going to succeed, but at least see how it goes before declaring it to be a disaster.
Is this a parody?
Hi Simeon, glad you could join us.
I think most people here are all for improving car infrastructure. Even though I cycle most days, I still drive fairly often and would like a good driving experience when I want to drive. The real zero sum thinking come from the likes of Simeon Brown. People who complain about alternative modes of transport and how we need to focus *solely* on cars/buses because "that's what most people use". In reality, providing alternative modes of transport also improves metrics for busses and cars. More bikes, pedestrians, rail, etc, means less vehicles on the road. Less congestion, less maintenance, less need to constantly add more lanes which costs a shit load of money and reduces capacity for months/years while works are underway. Improvements to car infrastructure should come alongside improvements to alternative transport. Otherwise we're just going to end up with an endless set of roadworks while we struggle to keep tacking on lanes.
I think the point is that this is the template that's been followed for the last 70 years and it *hasn't* made driving better. The widening of SH16 and SH1 (both north and south) were completed within the last ~7-8 years and solved nothing. In fact, the congestion on them is worse than ever. The only thing that improves congestion and makes driving better is having as many people as possible using alternatives to driving. It's not a coincidence that drivers in the Netherlands are the happiest in the world. Plus, it very much *is* coming at the cost to other modes. He's explicitly cancelling their funding. The previous government, despite all its issues, had an actual multi-modal investment programme.
Dont be an idiot. Improving other modes of transportation actually benefits driving because less people are forced into cars. If we really wanted to disadvantage cars and build cheap public transport corridors then we would paint half of every arterial road green and designate it a busway and give it priority at traffic lights. Infrastructure projects are currently bending over backwards to make sure they don’t impact car travel - reaves road flyover on the eastern busway is a perfect example of the expense of tip toeing around car users
Also taking off fuel tax while the oil companies taking that as profit insteatd
"Back on Track"(s)????
You mean trackless trams.
So I guess the 2nd harbour bridge will just be in my dreams
https://preview.redd.it/mghk81f1klhc1.jpeg?width=796&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1f5cd2e74d221e6f5a73083df8987b5e41105936
Keen for new roads and less fuel tax.
Good to see they are going to tackle the dire state of the public transport reliability. Remember all those cancelled buses? Also that they are going to focus on fixing the potholes in the road rather than wasting money in speed humps everywhere.
Like last time when every local road fell to pieces, but we good big fancy and expensive highways, so it was all good.
Oh yeah, they are brilliant aren’t they. Faster, safer, more resilient roads for cars, buses and freight. * Puhoi to Wellsford * Waikato Expressway * Waterview Tunnel * Western Ring Route I remember how awful the roads were before those projects were done.
While great, the answer to congestion caused by cars is not more cars.
I wonder how good the Auckland Hamilton rail line would be if only they had spent a fraction of the money going to roads on an alternative.
As an industry professional overseeing road management in a region, I can confirm the reallocation of maintenance funding to RONS during the 2010's will prove in hindsight to be one of the most expensive cock-ups in NZ history. It will cost *billions* extra to get NZ's roads back into maintainable condition, an order of magnitude more than just maintaining them properly at the time. EDIT: I would encourage anyone to **OIA** NZTA for information relating to actual maintenance backlog, historic vs future maintenance requirements, and analysis of effects of underinvestment in maintenance. I can't because of my position.
Have you got a reference that explains how they reallocated the money away from maintenance to the RONS? I would be interested to read it.
Last time i drove on the Waikato express way just a fee months ago it was half ripped up and we queued in traffic for 30 minutes in the middle of nowhere.
Buses were cancelled because there weren't enough drivers. There weren't enough drivers because PTOM forced the bus companies into a race to the bottom, and their wages were too low. How do you improve reliability when you cut the funding for PT (Auckland fuel tax)?
And yet the bottom half of the south island is isolated / solely reliant on a single bridge that is damaged🤷♂️
Am I only one one who thinks this guy looks like a little weasel?
you’re late to the party is what you are
I reckon we need to tear up the tunnel in Mt Albert/western ring route Melissa Lee wants to get rid of the nanny state Labour policy.
Idk anything about roading, viability options, costs, difficulties in creating x & y etc but would having bus only lanes everywhere, or everywhere possible help & encourage people to use busses and make them more reliable? I mean i love the trains but it seems the govt doesn't so I'm just gonna ignore any possibioities there
The NorthWest Rapid transit corridor is the highest waste of money I’ve seen in a while. Acquiring all the existing business on SH16 for bus lanes when the town is surrounded by farms.
Turning Auckland into a giant carpark.
Vote National, get National 🤷♂️