At what cost?

They blew it! Over $1 million in savings missed so far.

Yet again some councilors (eg, McKinnon and company) have failed to live up to election promises. And have again shown they are incapable of making the hard decisions, in order to prevent massive rate rises. You might remember an earlier post on Deputy Mayor McKinnon voting to continue to waste money on a $400k designer toilet.

Councilors have been told that rates increases of 8% will be necessary if something isn’t done about the level of spending. Yet some councilors continue to avoid making some pretty sensible decisions to save money. Unfortunately their failure to make the easy decisions now, will now mean cuts (or revenue\price increases) will have to be made in other areas later.

Some readers may have already noticed Library fines have gone up and opening hours cut back. What other services will be on the chopping block due to the recent poor decision-making of a few councilors. It makes one wonder if a few councilors actually have the skills needed to make the right decision. Charm only gets you so far.

In this instance, council had the opportunity to wind-up a council owned entity (the Waterfront Company) and bring it’s assets, expertise, and functions back in-house as part of  broader efficiency drive.  According to Scoop, this would have saved more than $625,000. Sounds very sensible. Instead a few councilors (McKinnon and company) chose to keep the company afloat on the entities own “promise” of future savings of $372,000. This is an entity losing money, with no clear objective or agenda, with nearly more people siting on its board of directors (no doubt receiving ratepayer funded directors fees) than employees.

You’d be forgiven for thinking the decision was motivated by political back-handers to directorial friends, because it sure doesn’t add up financially.

Speaking of money wasting.

How’s that new $11 million dollar Manners St revamp going? Has it provided safer streets?

No. Another two pedestrians were recently hit by buses in Manners st (one a visiting tourist). This brings the strike rate to 7 (officially. Near misses are not officially counted). This is an amazing statistic given the period of time the new design has been put in place. Surely public safety, comes before any time savings for Buses (not that there have been any)? What was the reason for spending $11 million again? Has it been worth it?

When is council going to realise that the hit rate in manners street is now statistically “significant” and way above any other black spot in Wellington’s long bus-versus-pedestrian history.

This is more than just a case of careless pedestrians. A spin aimed at putting the blame on pedestrians (for not adjusting to change), rather than admitting poor design. A spin that has now been exposed for what it is — a lie.

How can a  tourist, who had no prior experience of the old layout, fail to adjust to change. It’s not pedestrians failing to adjust to change, it’s the new design. It’s inherently dangerous. The fact council has slowed buses down, asked for lights to be switched on, and run awareness campaigns, is a soft admission its a poor design. The fact the bus drivers don’t like it speaks volumes.

Good designs accommodate pedestrian behaviour and take into consideration risks (such as pedestrians being hit), before implementation, and address them so they do not happen. Arguments that people get hit on other streets does not address the issue of this street. One bad design does not justify another. One serious injury is one to many and cannot be justified on the basis of other accidents. These types of spins are just abhorrent.  Good design does not expose pedestrians to an increased risk of being hit. But this is what Manners revamp has done. The evidence proves it beyond any doubt.

Councilors who were misled in supporting this gross waste of money need to open their eyes. The council spin has to stop. Its time to admit they may have got it wrong and show some leadership, and fix it (not just put a band-aid on it and hope it goes away). This is now verging on criminal negligence by not properly addressing safety issues adequately. If someone dies it could be corporate manslaughter.

And just in case our Council are not aware. In the Supreme Court decision of R v Murray Wright Ltd (1969), Justice Henry confirmed that a corporate body was capable of being convicted of manslaughter. Whether it will be the councilors, executive management, or both, who will be criminalised is a moot point.

However, in the case of David Spencer Ltd, the owner of the business Mr David Spencer was convicted of the manslaughter of an employee who died when a trench collapsed on them after the corporate entity failed to put in place adequate safety measures.

Sound familiar?

http://wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=31995, http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/4676547/Tourist-hit-by-bus-on-Lambton-Quay, http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/4672783/Sixth-pedestrian-hit-by-bus-in-Manners-St, http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/4671357/Woman-hit-by-bus-on-Manners-St, http://www.hrinz.org.nz/system/knowledge_base/Articles.asp?RD=1&Id=209&Type=Article

Bus routes revisited

You know its flawed when bus drivers remain unhappy with the route and a boycott is still not off the agenda.

On the same day a fellow from WCC was taking photos of any cars using the new manners road (if they dared). I had a chat with him and he blamed the accidents on the timing of the lights, which could not be changed until after Xmas?

I thought this was a strange conclusion? You only have to look at the junction of 4 merging roads (meeting each other at odd diagonals) to see a perfect storm of cars, buses, blind spots, and people – for serious accidents.

I was also told that the changes (and vast amounts of money spent) were all about getting cars out of the bus lanes? If that was the real aim, surely the cheaper option would have been to just ban cars from the streets that buses used during peak hours? Or perhaps just remove cars permanently from existing bus routes.

For example, why couldn’t buses have continued up Dixon St and turned right into Willis st (making Dixon St and upper Willis St a buses only road). This would also have allowed all of the portion of Victoria St (between Manners and Dixon St) to be used to shift traffic out of the city. Similarly, the portion of Wakefield St (between Willis St and lower Cuba St) could also have been made buses only. This simple re-routing would have saved a vast amount of money, avoided digging up Manners Mall, and removed cars blocking buses during peak hours. The only cost would have been some signage.

Why can’t we have dedicated bus lanes used only by buses, service vehicles, and emergency vehicles?  We need some serious long-term planning, rather than the piecemeal solutions (and planning u-turns) we are constantly witness too.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/4463424/Fourth-pedestrian-hit-by-mall-bus

Question time

I thought I’d post the original response to questions asked of the new candidates and published in Capital Times.

We only had 20 words per question. Understandably (and with consent) I got edited back a little. Hopefully each candidate will also get a more detailed  review of their positions in forthcoming editions.

Only 6 Questions.

1. Why are you standing for council?

I care about our city. Council are either over spending or funding the wrong things. When communities attempt to tell them this, they are ignored. At a high level, this election for me is about priorities and listening to our communities. Something we have not had. 74% of submissions opposed the Manners mall redevelopment and council ignored them. It’s time for change. We need to revitalise our council with fresh ideas and new perspectives. The great news for voters is they can send a message to council that failing to listen has consequences – due to the high quality of new candidates that are standing. I think this election is going to be about accountability.

2. What is one thing you would like to have achieved by the end of your three year term?

A council that listens to all the communities it’s supposed to represent. If you achieve that you will get better decision-making and use of our money. People go to a lot of effort to make submissions, and they need to be given a little more weight than they are currently. We should be supporting public engagement, not turning people off.

3. What one issue concerns you about the waterfront that you would like to change?

Repeal Variation 11 and start again with some collaborate dialogue. I do not believe council should allow the development of taller buildings on the waterfront edge without open consultation. It’s important not to feel suffocated by buildings, which is something our green belts do well. The waterfront is no different. We have a beautiful village wrapped inside wonderful green belts and a stunning waterfront. It’s the envy of nearly every Aucklander I have met. We need to make sure we don’t lose it.

4. What is your number one issue regarding transport in Wellington? Explain.

The Basin reserve redevelopment has the potential to be a real scar on our landscape. We need to ensure any roading development around the basin is sympathetic to its environment and provides a higher level of safety for schools nearby, while improving traffic flow for public transport. I’m not in favour of a flyover hidden by an even larger Grandstand? One scar, hidden by a larger scar, doesn’t sound very hidden to me? But that’s the type of logic that exists on our council. Time for a change? I think so.

5. Would you prefer to fly or breathe underwater? Explain.

I blame watching the tv program “The Man From Atlantis”, but breathing underwater would be pretty cool.

6. It’s your birthday and you get to choose a special meal, what do you want to eat?

I would want to eat at el Bulli or Noma.* But I’d settle for a woodfire pizza and a cold beer along our wonderful waterfront (can we still do that)? Simple pleasures are always the best.

***

I will be publishing more questions and answers from other organisations and resident associations as they are published.

* I blame my brother (a former chef at Restaurant 290, The Wellington club, and Shed 5 here in Wellington, and who has since worked at Pier in Australia and Bibbendium and Pont de la Tour in the UK) for wanting to dine at these places. I do enjoy good food and Wellington is richly served with a wide variety of eateries, bakeries, and cafes. We are so lucky, and long may it continue!

A pedestrian’s view of the world

A lot of heat is coming from citizens, and now businesses, over the manners st debacle.

An $11 million debacle, that had 74% opposition from 722 submissions during consultation.

Did our council listen? No. It rubbished dissent as a “a pedestrian’s view of the world.” And did its own survey that spun the line that 68% were in favour (how many participated in that survey is unknown, but I bet it wasn’t  nearly as large or representative). So much for transport policies that seek to get more people walking to work. Instead we are left with an open wound. One wonders what fate awaits the basin reserve.

So in accordance with transparency and full disclosure, you can find out who voted for this (list in the comments below the article), and make your own mind up about the wisdom of spending $11 million on it, rather than more pressing priorities – like reducing water leakage or removing the sewerage stink.

In 2-months time you get to hold them accountable.

http://wellington.scoop.co.nz/2009/12/manners-mall-the-council-knows-best, http://wellington.scoop.co.nz/2010/07/the-misery-of-manners-street-and-willis-street-and-taranaki-street, http://wellington.scoop.co.nz/2010/06/mind-your-manners-the-upheaval-begins/

Let them eat cake

The Mayor has called for cars to be banned from Wellington’s golden mile … after the Manners Mall redevelopment, Basin Reserve motorway, and Mt Victoria Tunnel have been constructed. This should be around 10 to 20 years time.

Talk about hot air and mixed messages. As Sue Kedgley has pointed out, “we don’t need to wait 20 years to make the city people-friendly” adding “there needs to be some logic to our transportation projects”. I agree.

Although not sure we can afford light rail yet (and then there is integration with existing public transport to consider). Enhancing our bus service is probably more realistic, and would deliver more immediate benefits for residents and tourists. Its good to have aspirations. But we need action, and now, not in 20 years time.

At the same time, another trade delegation from Wellington heads to china. Fantastic. But why is the Mayor of Wellington going? Isn’t this the domain of the Minister of Trade or embassy people – people with real clout? That’s why we have embassy’s, right? Can we afford this?

I thought the council was telling us that local services will have to be pruned back. Surely, now is the time for the Mayor to be at the office, doing the hard yards, leading by example – and saving money.

Perhaps talking to the Mayor of our sister city in China on the phone (or skype),  and inviting them to look after our cities delegation of business people? Or working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ensure our business people have all the support they need. Or perhaps this trip sums up the state of our council – give them dreams while we eat cake.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/local/3756104/Mayor-and-business-group-head-to-China, http://www.greens.org.nz/press-releases/light-rail-golden-mile-should-come-first

Its about being accountable

I’ve been talking recently about traffic, congestion, cycling, walking and listening to residents (eg, manners mall). Well I came across this blog and it seems to make a lot of sensible points.

Why is Council not listening to us? Why do they lock us out from any meaningful dialogue?

Perhaps new voices are required who are willing to actively engage and listen. Residents have an opportunity to send a clear message to Council, by voting for change.

Its about being accountable.

http://wellingtontransport.wordpress.com

Make your voice heard

If the leakyhomes debacle was not enough, the current Council are again failing to listen to its residents as it pursues a pre-determined agenda for Manners Mall.

Irrespective of your position over the Mall, what is concerning is a failure to listen. People need to have their say and know they are being listened too.

Too often the Council’s ears are closed (along with its doors). What happened to transparent and open Council?

Make your voice heard and vote for fresh new voices on our Council.

Its time the Council heard us!

http://wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=25252