Did this pole really need to go here?

For years I've been battling with Auckland Transport to try address the lack of pedestrian crossings on the Mt Wellington Highway near Sylvia Park. Not just a major shopping destination, it's also a transport hub for the area but there's gaps in the footpaths.

I recently noticed roadworks underway on one of the on ramps and what appeared to be a new pedestrian crossing. My excitement was quickly dampened when I discovered this pole had been placed right in the centre of the new footpath.

It's clearly a hazard, especially for people with wheelchairs, prams or mobility scooters. Not sure who's fault it is but clearly it doesn't belong here.

I've asked AT what is happening...

Where's my bus?

I'm meant to at a sustainable business event, talking with other local young professionals about what we can do to tackle climate change. Huge challenge we have to face.

But instead I'm standing at a bus stop waiting for a bus that may never come.

I use public transport as my primary means of getting around Tāmaki Makaurau - bus, train and the odd ferry. There's lots to enjoy, but the reliability is an issue that we must address. Accessibility and affordability also big concerns.

Apparently I missed my connecting bus (or it never turned up) and the next one couldn't fit in the Ōtahuhu station so just drove past. Now I'm late because I tried to do the right thing and not drive.

So much for the Climate Emergency Auckland Council and Auckland Transport

Road safety needs to be taken seriously

It's Road Safety Week and Auckland Transport have shown their support. But what we need is action.

For all the promises of Vision Zero, there's too many issues being ignored. People are being hurt and killed, it's shameful. Last year 37 people were killed on Auckland roads and nearly 500 were seriously injured.

On paper Auckland has some great plans and strategies to make our city safer. But in reality, the focus shifts and the funds evaporate.

• Not enough pedestrian crossings, too many missing legs.

• Not enough protected cycleways, too much mixed traffic.

• Not enough enforcement of rules, too many bad habits formed & endorsed by lack of action.

• Not enough action, too much talk and promise.

In East Auckland we've seen primary school kids left to fend for themselves, forced to share roads with heavy construction vehicles and no footpaths while council debates who funds the solution. Thanks to the tireless work of their caring school and community, it's being addressed but it shouldn't take so much effort to keep people safe.

I don't blame the staff at Auckland Council or Auckland Transport - these issues are cultural and systemic. They're driven by poor governance, confused strategy and a lack of political will. Last year's Emergency Budget saw safety funding cut which our Councillors and Mayor knew would increase injuries and deaths but they voted for it anyway. If we were serious about safety (and we should be) then we'd prioritise it, not defund it.

In the meantime, travel safely and look out for others.

Auckland Transport is increasing fares, yet again.

In what feels like deja vu, Auckland Transport is yet again increasing the fares for public transport. From 7 February about half of all passengers will pay an average 35 cents more for each trip. In 2016 they reworked the fare structure and every year since then fares have gone up. Last year they blamed petrol prices and this year it's COVID19. The reality is that Auckland already has one of the most expensive public transport fares in the world and making it more expensive is only making our transport issues worse. 

Auckland Transport and Auckland Council are selling these changes as a win by focusing on the 10% discount for off peak fares. We do have spare capacity in our off peak services and encouraging people to use this is a great way to smooth peak demand. But practically most people commuting to work, school or university will not be able to delay their trips to take advantage of this. They've also introduced a daily fare cap which should be a great way to encourage multiple trips. I’m a big supporter of a daily cap but setting it at $20 a day means it won’t do much to offset the increased costs.

While this decision comes from Auckland Transport, it’s ultimately Auckland Council who are  accountable as they set the priorities and budget for the CCO. Auckland Council says it’s aiming to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and with transport making up nearly 40% of Auckland’s carbon footprint, getting people into more efficient forms like public transport is a must. Our council declared a climate emergency in 2019 but has continued to increase the cost of fares, driving people back to private vehicles.

These increases are apparently going to save $4.3m but we're kidding ourselves if we think that this makes good financial sense - congestion alone costs our economy hundreds of millions of dollars a year. A study in 2017 suggested that the cost of congestion in Auckland was $1.3B a year or $3.5m a day in lost productivity. Improving the capacity, design and state of our roads will help address this but to get real change we need to get people onto mass transit.

Public transport won't work for everyone in every situation but it should cater for most people's daily commute. And the more people that use it, the less traffic on the road for those who can't. I use public transport to commute to and from work every day and, while it’s not perfect, it's generally reliable and stress free. We still get stuck in traffic, but I can listen to music or read and the short walk to and from the stops has been good for my physical and mental wellbeing. 

Across Auckland we are investing in transport which is fantastic. Many of the biggest projects underway around the city are transport related - CRL, Eastern Busway, Airport to Botany. These projects are delivering the much needed capacity and reliability to the network that we need to cater for our fast growing population.

But all of this will be a massive waste of money if it's too expensive to use! And Auckland Transport knows this, admitting that 556k less trips a year will happen on public transport as a result of these increases. Trips that will end up in private vehicles which means more emissions, congestion and crashes. Our city is growing fast and we're decades behind in transport infrastructure and services, cutting corners now is just kicking the can down the road again, a very congested poorly maintained road.

If Auckland Council and Auckland Transport are serious about addressing climate emissions, reducing congestion and making our city safer they will reduce, not increase the prices for public transport.

Council should be investing in the safety of our children

Last night was the Howick Local Board meeting for November, a little over a year after the new Board was sworn in. A lot has changed since then and our elected representatives have had to tackle some tough challenges, including a global pandemic that not only changed how we live and work, but also massively impacted the council’s revenue streams and therefore its ability to operate.

There's been plenty of coverage over Auckland Council’s financial troubles, the drastic (and in my view poorly considered) cuts to the city budget earlier this year far from over.  Even if the COVID19 vaccines are as successful as we all hope, it'll be sometime before council revenue returns to its previous levels - the cuts will be here for a while.

One of the worst decisions was to cut back the road safety funding, including the end of the Community Safety Fund - once the flagship of the Vision Zero programme. Dropping this not only sent the wrong message that we should simply accept more deaths and serious injuries to save a few dollars, but also put critical projects at risk.

Once such project was the Flatbush School Road bridge. Once a small rural backroad, this area has grown quickly with massive housing developments and a new school, Te Uho o te Nikau Primary. Sharing this tiny bridge with increasing traffic, including large trucks, put the students at risk. I witnessed the dedication and persistence of the school as they turned up at every Howick Local Board meeting asking for action. After far too much debate over which part of Auckland Council would fund the project, it ended up with the Community Safety Fund. As the process rolled on, COVID hit and the Emergency Budget saw the end of the fund, leaving the bridge in question.

One silver lining from last night's meeting is that this critical project will continue, funded by Auckland Transport directly. A small delay due to consenting means the bridge should be done in February or March 2021. Great news for the Board, Management and Parents of Te Uho o te Nikau Primary School who worked so hard to keep their students safe.

It's a good news story for these students, although it should’ve come sooner. But too many other children around Auckland still have no safe walking or cycling options. On Twitter yesterday I saw parents lamenting the lack of safe access to schools across the city. While there is some work underway, it’s small programmes and pilots - nothing that will seriously shift the gears into action.

I appreciate that this year has left Auckland Council with less ability to respond to issues. But this only highlights the need to get these projects done earlier, quicker and with urgency. Imagine if we'd spent the $900k wasted on yet another stadium report on improving safety around our schools? Or the $10m given away to Eden Park? Or whatever AT Local cost? 

We've got our priorities wrong Auckland, keeping our kids safe should be at the top of the list. More students walking and cycling is better for congestion, the environment and children’s health. Instead our city gets distracted with half-baked ideas for waterfront stadiums. We need to focus on real priorities, cut the fluff and get on with it.

Auckland Council's ineffective governance of CCOs

Auckland's Council Controlled Organisations (CCOs) account for 2/3 of the services provided to the public, control 2/3 of councils assets and make up half the operational budget.

Considering the massive impact they have on our daily lives, you'd imagine that they would be a top priority for Council. But in reality "council’s many plans, policies and strategies offer almost no practical strategic direction to CCOs."

In fact "in some crucial areas – such as water, property and arts and culture – there is no strategy at all." Perhaps caused by "a lack of commitment by some councillors" and the "insufficient face-to-face discussion and meaningful dialogue between CCOs and the governing body".

Those aren't my words (although I agree with them wholeheartedly) - these quotes come from the CCO Review that recently found that the "council’s governance of, and liaison with, CCOs is not working as it should". This is no surprise to Aucklanders who have to live with the erratic performance of these organisations, battling between silos and getting very little in response. And it's not just us, with CCOs "not sufficiently responsive to local boards’ concerns".

Yesterday Auckland Council formally adopted all of the 64 recommendations from the review. Of those, 25 are to be progressed over the next 6 months while the others will be worked through with the CCOs and local boards. This is undeniably great news and is a significant step forward.

How much actually changes, only time will tell. But when you look through the recommendations, it's disappointing to see that there are clearly significant gaps in basic governance and accountability.

This isn't a dig at the recommendations - they're solid. But it shouldn't take public outcry and a costly external review to agree that "quarterly meetings of council and CCO executive leadership teams have a formal agenda". That's basic business practice not followed and it gets worse as the review goes on.

Auckland Transport and Watercare are constantly criticised for their maintenance and lack of planning, yet only now will they "submit their asset management plans and detailed supporting information to the council every year so it can assess how well the plans give effect to its urban growth strategy." It's no wonder that our infrastructure isn't coping with our rapid growth, despite all the election promises we heard.

At the risk of sound like a stuck record, Auckland Council lacks proper governance and oversight. Many of the councillors elected have little to no business experience, yet they're responsible for one of the largest budgets in the country (second only to central government). Perhaps this review will be a wake-up call for those charged with governing our city? Past performance says that's unlikely, but I'm always hopeful for our city.

Read the full review here: https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/about-auckland-council/how-auckland-council-works/council-controlled-organisations/Documents/CCO-review.pdf

Read the Governing Body decision here: https://ourauckland.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/articles/news/2020/08/council-agrees-cco-review-recommendations/

Eastern Busway cannot come soon enough

As we work hard to recover economically from the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown, the Eastern Busway presents an exciting opportunity. If the Government and AT give this "shovel-ready" fully-funded infrastructure project the very highest priority it will create desperately needed jobs and local investment. If more money is needed to deliver the project faster or to current specifications, that should be considered.

- Christopher Luxon (National candidate for Botany) & Simeon Brown (MP for Pakuranga)

In a piece in the NZ Herald, Christopher Luxon and Simeon Brown have both called for the Eastern Busway to be built faster. It's great to see the support for this critical transport infrastructure project for East Auckland.

I've long argued that this has taken too long and needs to be accelerated (part of my campaigns in 2017, 2018 and 2019). We need it yesterday to cope with the massive growth we continue to see in the area. While we also need road improvements, congestion free transport like busways allow for larger volumes of people and also support walking and cycling. They also free up the road for those who can't use public transport, making it a win for all.

Another reason to get this project done is we need to move onto other transport projects, with better connections through to Howick, Bucklands Beach, Cockle Bay and beyond. The sooner we can get the Eastern Busway done the better!

Great to see support coming from local MP and candidates.

Howick Local Board goes online to approve transport investment

The Howick Local Board for April was held online but not open to the public. I normally attend these and it was a shame to not be able to attend this, but I understand that changes are necessary in these challenging times.

As expected when we move to a new way of working, there were a few teething problems but nothing significant. Full credit to the Chair, Board and Council team for making this work.

The big item on the agenda was to allocate the Local Board Transport Capital Fund (LBTCF) which is a discretionary fund that each local board gets to to spend on transport projects they see as a priority. This is in addition to the other Auckland Transport spending. There was minor changes to the proposed wording, but the result is effectively the same.

This means the Board has:

• asked for options of up to $3m for better pedestrian safety around Bucklands Beach;

• asked for options for speed indicator variable message signs (VMS) on Point View Dr;

• asked for options for an information plinth at Half Moon Bay, and other locations;

• asked for options for better walking route between the Half Moon Bay Ferry Terminal and coastal walkway in front of the Bucklands Beach Yacht Club;

• allocated up to $4m for the Howick Walking and Cycling Plan;

• reserved $3m for projects from the Steering Group on the Howick Village Centre Plan.

Historically the fund has been under spent, which has been disappointing consider the huge transport challenges we have in East Auckland. As they say, the devil is in the detail and there is a bit to work out, especially for the Bucklands Beach work, but it's great to see these progress.

The Auckland Council website is hosting a video recording of the session (23 minutes) if you're interested. And the minutes are also available (although these only record the outcomes, not the discussion).

Auckland Airport shortchanges Auckland ratepayers

Thanks to the poor actions of Auckland Airport, Auckland Council "lost an immediate $18 million in the value of its shareholding last week, and had missed a $70m gain".

Auckland Council holds the largest share of the Auckland International Airport but these have been diluted as a result of this sudden decision. This is on the top of a drop in value in shares as the airport struggles with the lack of flights.

I can appreciate that businesses need to make quick steps in this unprecedented time, but to not include your largest and longest investor in these is extremely poor.

As a result of Councillor Chris Darby's quick actions, Auckland Council will be looking into how they can improve oversight into a significant investment, hopefully preventing a repeat. Strangely, five councillors voted against this - seemingly happy with the lack of oversight and resulting loss for ratepayers.

Government fails to deliver on infrastructure

For generations NZ has under invested in infrastructure and, while today's announcement is welcome, it's not enough to address the gaps, let alone take us forward.

Newsroom - Why $12b isn’t enough to fill this infrastructure chasm

$12B sounds like a lot, especially with $6.8B going to transport in Auckland. But to put that in perspective, Auckland is currently investing $27B into transport and it's still not enough.

Auckland could swallow $12B and still need more. And our regions still need investment - the Provincial Growth Fund hasn't delivered.

It's no secret that I've been highly critical of this government's big promises and lack of delivery. Today's announcement isn't doing much to change that, especially as many projects are simply restarted roading projects from previous government that were stopped by the current coalition. If they were important, why stop them? If they aren't important, why do them now?

This isn't transformational.

I'm not asking the government to tax more although I am keen to see the multinationals pay their fair share by closing loopholes. But government already has access to massive amounts of funds which they need to divest to the regional and city councils to build, repair and strengthen their infrastructure as they need to respond to local and regional challenges.

Last election, politicians (myself included) promised significant investment in infrastructure. Everyone agrees we need it to support our growing population, tackle climate change and address ageing assets.

This year, as a voter I'm looking for a party that's serious about investing in Aotearoa through true localism.

Absurd - public transport prices increase despite climate emergency

““Putting up prices during a climate emergency is absurd,” Damian Light, who stood unsuccessfully in the Howick Ward in the last local body election, tweeted.

”We’ve declared a climate emergency and transport is our largest contributor to emissions – we must address this.””

— https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/118807935/aucklands-public-transport-fare-hike-absurd

Auckland Council: we've declared a Climate Emergency. Transport is our largest contributor to emissions, we must address this.

Auckland Transport: we're making it more expensive to use public transport. Again.

It's great about the free weekends for 5-15 year olds, making it easier for families to get around our city is a positive step. We need to do more of this and also introduce changes like fare caps.

But putting up prices during a climate emergency is absurd. I appreciate that some of the restrictions come from parliament, with farebox recovery mandated but when will our leaders get serious about standing up for our city, our environment and our future?

We're paying at the pump for what?

I was dismayed (but not surprised) to see that Auckland Transport has yet again under delivered, despite record taxes on residents. The Regional Fuel Tax was forced upon us with the promise of significant investment but after collecting over a billion dollars, they've held onto $268million. I agree with Councillor Daniel Newman that this is dishonest.

Auckland Council underspends transport budget by $268m in first year of regional petrol tax - NZ Herald 13 Jan, 2020

We're paying more than ever, yet we continue to battle with unsafe footpaths, congested roads and overpriced public transport.

The silver lining is that they didn't waste it all on consultants and vanity projects, but there's real issues that need to be addressed with urgency. One of many local examples is the long promised pedestrian bridge on Flatbush School Road, where students from Te Uho o te Nikau Primary School are left to dodge trucks while Auckland Transport sits on millions of dollars of public money.

In the Howick Local Board area, nearly half of the $5.4m available for local transport projects in the last electoral term was unspent. Will our newly elected Local Board be able to get Auckland Transport to deliver for us? I hope so, for the sake of us all.

Delays to Eastern Busway and Reeves Road flyover shows lack of governance

I’m very disappointed to hear there is more delays to the Eastern Busway project. This transformational project will be great for East Auckland, but is taking too long to deliver. Another 6 years until it's "complete" is too long and doesn't include the Botany bus station which is already overloaded.

I have concerns about the visual impact of the flyover, but I've seen some good examples of these done well in Melbourne so I'm hopeful we can get this right. Regardless, it's an essential part of improving traffic flow including ensuring a congestion free busway.

The lack of communication from Auckland Council and Auckland Transport is disappointing. They know this is a critical project for the area but there hasn't been an update in months.

We need strong oversight over these infrastructure projects and this is clearly lacking.

To T2 or not t2

T2 or not T2, that's seems to be the question that many are asking in East Auckland.

It's been a few weeks since the newest T2 and bus lane opened in Auckland, down part of Pakuranga Road. This was deemed necessary to reduce the traffic heading to Panmure while the new Eastern Busway is built. This massive infrastructure project will be transformational for East Auckland but its also very disruptive during the build. Auckland Transport (AT) need to reduce the traffic by 10%or 800 cars to make it possible and the transit lane is part of this.

Transit lanes can be highly effective - the T3 lane on Ōnewa Road is believed to carry more than 80% of people during peak. This isn't always obvious to the observer as it has less vehicles (each carrying more). I used to live nearby and used this for years. It was a pain if you needed to drive solo but if you carpooled or bused, it was brilliant. It forced locals to rethink their behaviour and for the most part it worked. As our population grows we need solutions other than more roads, we simply cannot all fit.

I know that public transport isn't what it should be, but let's focus on making it work. Let's fix the reliability problems - helped by dedicated bus lanes that allow them to miss congestion. I know that public transport and carpooling won't work for everyone, but if more of us do it then it leaves space for those that can't.

The local MP has launched a petition calling for its removal and he's been joined by both local councillors. He's also asking for the Reeves Road Flyover to be built, which is still part of the plan. There does seem to be some shift in the delivery dates for the flyover of the project and I've asked AT what this means.

My view is that we need to wait for more information before making a decision. I appreciate that this isn't much help for this sitting in traffic and I feel your pain. I sit in traffic along Ti Rākau every morning, despite starting earlier and earlier. I'm rethinking my travel plan to use public transport more often, but I'll still get stuck in traffic.

I don't for a moment think the T2 is perfect - there's plenty of issues being reported especially on the intersections of Gossamer and Cascades. Issues getting across lanes and merging safely, issues with traffic blocking crossings and bad driving behaviours. Some of these should be addressed by AT and at last nights local board meeting AT promised to provide a summary of the issues and actions underway.

We need to give it some time. Time for the new park and ride that only began this week to take affect. Time for people to adjust to the advantages of carpooling. Time for AT to sort out the issues like Gossamer and Cascades.

Let's keep the constructive criticism of the T2 Lane coming through to AT and give them time to resolve it. Not months, but a few more weeks.

We need to build safer roads for everyone. With urgency.

There are too many near misses, serious injures and deaths on our roads. Children are scared to walk or cycle to school.

This has to change - we need to build more physically separate cycle and walkways across Auckland now. As Emma McInnes says in this piece, with urgency.

We've invested in cycling infrastructure and the usage has grown considerably. This shouldn't be a surprise when 1 in 4 Aucklanders cycle, it's a healthy and environmentally friendly alternative. And despite the noise from some, cycle-ways are relatively cheap to maintain.

I've had the pleasure of walking and driving in cities overseas that have done protected cycling well. Even if you don't get on a bike, the investment in making people safe makes the entire experience more enjoyable.

It doesn't need to be expensive, plenty of options for separate lanes without massive price tags. But let's not do a classic Auckland & under invest in our future. There are plenty of studies that show return on investment is significant & wide ranging.

Auckland is growing fast and we have the opportunity to become a city that puts people first, not vehicles. We can create a transport system that delivers real choice, with safe, affordable options for everyone. Part of that means safe cycling infrastructure.

I've advocated for a fairer transport system for over a decade. If elected to council, I will make sure council takes action to make our streets and our people safer. With urgency.

Our environment needs action at all levels

Today marks the first day of a new government mandated ban on single use plastic bags. It's been a while since the supermarkets phased them out and everyone has adapted, even if remembering the reusable bags is a challenge! However plastic bags only represent a very small amount (~0.01% ) of the 1.6 million tonnes rubbish that ends up in landfill every year and while I fully support the end of single use plastic bags, we’ve got a lot more to do.

There’s definitely an appetite to do more for the environment. Over the weekend we had a number of events focused on the environment with Howick holding its first Ecoday event on Saturday, followed by tree planting with Macleans College and then Bucklands Beach clean up on Sunday with the Howick Youth Council. All events were well attended showing the keen interest that East Aucklanders have for our environment which is great.

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It’s fantastic to see that locals are keen but we need urgent action by council or our efforts are at risk of being washed away.

We need to invest heavily into water infrastructure to reduce flooding and pollution. The pipes in the older parts of East Auckland such as Howick, Pakuranga and Cockle Bay are struggling to cope with current demand, with overflows not uncommon. As housing continues to intensify, we urgently need to ensure we can meet current and future demands. The work being done to understand the current network is good but needs to be done across the region and much faster.

Last month Auckland Council declared an climate emergency which was another great start but we urgently need action. This means reducing our emissions and for Auckland 40% of these come from transport. While the transition to electric vehicles will help, we cannot all fit on the road. Public transport and active modes such as cycling and walking are essential to reducing our impact on the environment. But they need to be realistic options - reliable, affordable and accessible. Projects like the Eastern Busway can help transform our area, but much more needs to happen to ensure it delivers for more.

I’m pleased to see that soft plastic recycling is back and the government is investing $40m into waste minimisation innovation but we need to do more to reduce the waste being generated in the first place. Strong product stewardship is key to this, ensuring that those producing the waste are required to ensure it’s sensible disposal. We all have personal responsibility but we also need industry to get up to speed.

I want to see a council that leads the way, supporting local community efforts across the city backed up by meaningful action by Council that will ensure that our environment is looked after for future generations.

Building CRL is an investment in our future

Getting the City Rail Link built is correctly a top priority for Auckland Council. It will transform transport across our city (even for non-train users). It’s expensive and the project costs have risen by $1B to $4.4B. Auckland Council was asked to cover half of it.

Some of this extra cost ($250m) comes from increasing the size of the stations which will future proof them, absolutely the right choice. There's extra costs due to delays ($152m) but also the rising cost of infrastructure ($327m) which is a good reminder the longer wait, the more expensive this gets.

It's also worth noting that this new costing is far more accurate, now the designs and procurement are done.

Congestion costs Auckland $11B a year, we have to invest to tackle this. CRL is a major part of transforming our transport system to something that's fit for purpose.

However how the council managed to find $500m without raising rates is interesting. It highlights the significant savings that can be made if there's a need or will. Councillors need to push harder to realise more of these savings across the city.

What is definitely concerning is the lack of clarity over who will own and maintain the CRL. There's some suggestion it might be NZTA but councillors aren't clear. Considering the massive size of capital investment, I'm a little stunned that this hasn't been decided.

Local Board Meetings great opportunity to hear from community

I make an effort to attend every Local Board meeting. It's a great opportunity to hear from locals, on their concerns and ideas for our community. And tonight was no different.

We heard from Richard Waugh and Laurie Hayward from the Auckland Brit and Euro Classic Car Show. Four years running, the free show had huge turnout in both cars (1077) & visitors (over 10,000), up 20% on last year.

We heard from a local resident concerned about the issuing of a consent for an extension to the Half Moon Bay Marina and the lack of notification to affected parties.

Huntington Park Residents Assoc were present to thank the Council for supporting their recent neighbourhood day. They also raised concerns about how request for removal of privet has been handled by Council, the speed of cars on Huntington Dr and issues with maintenance of curbs.

Another resident spoke about dogs off leads and the challenges they can present to cyclists. Serving to avoid dogs can (and has) led to people coming off their bikes. He's very supportive of a local dog park which we don't have in East Auckland.

And safety around our schools was on the agenda again. A trustee from Te Uho o te Nikau Primary School was back to again request action on safety for their students. This issue was raised 9 months ago, again last month and got some traction tonight. Howick Local Board requested Auckland Transport truncate the normal LBTCF funding process to urgently get detailed designs underway for safe bridge near the school. The costs are estimated at $1m for a temporary bridge or beyond $2m for permanent one. the Community Safety Fund is also to be investigated but seems unlikely given the scale of the project.

More good news on safety Auckland Transport have a temporary solution for 90 Pakuranga Rd which has had cars crashing into their fence. AMETI is arranging for temporary barriers to be installed while longer term solution is implemented.

I find these meetings worthwhile, the minutes only capture the outcomes, not the discussion or debate. The agenda is published online prior to the meetings and anyone can come along. Some times they can be a bit dry, but I've never come away without learning something about the community.

The photo was taken after I was granted special permission to do so (much to the bemusement of some of the board members).

Massive milestone for East Auckland

As reported in the Times ‘Construction starts on $1.4b Eastern Busway’

The Eastern Busway is a potential game changer for transport in our area.

There's a lot of work to happen before it's finished so it's great to get it underway. The $1.4B project is being delivered over four stages, the second being Panmure to Pakuranga. This includes a new intersection at Panmure, an additional bridge along Lagoon Drive and new bus station at Pakuranga Plaza all connected by dedicated bus lanes.

Once completed, it will be capable of carrying up to 60 buses an hour and enable travel between Botany and Britomart by bus and train in under 40 minutes.

Have your say on safer speeds in Auckland

Feedback on safer speeds for Auckland closes tomorrow (Sun 31 March) so have your say now.

Too many people are killed or injured on our roads - 749 seriously hurt and 64 killed in 2017 is far too many. We need to improve the road design, driver behaviours and increase enforcement but we also need to set realistic speeds.

Our city has grown significantly and there are places where the current speed limits are not appropriate anymore. It's essential that we review and adjust them to make people safe.

Reductions in speed make a massive difference - someone hit at 50km/hr has a 80% chance of being killed while someone hit at 30km/hr has an 90% chance of survival (although still injured).

There are a few ways to submit feedback - online form, detailed map or contacting AT directly. Providing your thoughts is important, this affects us all. Even just showing support (or expressing concerns) is helpful. Get your feedback in today!