Can GW hold emissions to 2001 levels by 2016 in the Central City of Wellington?
 
 
As a result of major hold ups and/or delays in the new improved section of the Golden Mile, the City is Ours has advised the Greater Wellington Regional Council it start a programme in the Taranaki/Willis Street Precinct to measure traffic emissions. Holding emissions to 2001 levels by 2016 has been projected in GW's 10 year plan, and is in accordance with the Regional Land Transport Strategy targets, or so it says.
 
With the double-laning of the new bus-route, through what is and always was perceived to be a "narrow corridor", the President of the City is Ours claims healthy living standards will be at risk while suggesting the wind doesn't always blow it away.
 
The WCC 2009 Central City Apartment Dwellers Survey revealed some 73% walk to work and/or study every day and some even go home for lunch, comprising of about 9000 citizen's at peak-times. While the previous bus-routes have been transformed into more car-parks for Dixon and Wakefield Streets and as scheduled in the Wellington City Council's LTCCP to offset the cost of these improvements, it also invites more cars into the centre of the City. Wellington now has in access of 16.000 car-parks where overseas sinking lid policies have seen Central City car-parks reduced to 6.000 or 8.000 and cycling communities grow to reach the top hierarchy of all transport modes to a staggering 34%.
 
According to the New Zealand Statistics usual population counts, Te Aro's population has exploded by nearly 75% in the last decade. Statistics from GW own health records state on average 50 people per year die from complications associated with traffic emissions. In 2004, just after the national smoking ban was introduced GW launched a campaign asking "Should the air you breathe carry a health warning"? The City is Ours is suggesting it should. This programme once implemented can measure pollutants in the air and allows GW to further advise the public as to how strong this warning should be. A similar exercise recently revealed international emission standards where breached in the Mt. Victoria tunnel and pedestrians were warned accordingly. The Ministry for the Environment has been working under the Resource Management Act section 32 to develop National Standards for New Zealand.
 
Traffic emissions are know to cause cardio vascular disease and respiratory illness particularly in the young and the elderly. In addition it also takes responsibility for the 100.000 RAD's (restricted activity days) in the Wellington Regional work-force annually. The City is Ours President Maria van der Meel anticipates that Regional District Health Boards will take an interest in this matter.
 
 
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