Public Transport Spine Needs Further Treatment

Tuesday, 4 March 2014, 4:57 pm
Press Release: Generation Zero

Public Transport Spine Needs Further Treatment
Tuesday 4 March - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Unresolved questions about how and whether a rapid bus network will solve Wellington's public transport issues mean that decision-makers must remain open to the possibility of building a light rail system instead, says youth climate change group Generation Zero.

Responding to the Regional Transport Committee decision today to pursue Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) on the proposed split route as the preferred option for the Public Transport Spine, Generation Zero spokesperson Paul Young said:

“We're disappointed to see this decision pushed through when serious questions about the options are yet to be answered.

“Officials and politicians pushing the BRT option have so far failed to show how it will provide enough capacity through the Golden Mile to solve bus congestion problems, without doing things that would worsen the service from what has been promised.

“They have also failed to give any credible justification for their claims that light rail on our proposed Constable Connection route is not a viable option.

“With today's decision to progress detailed design of the BRT proposal, we anticipate these issues will resurface down the track and we urge councillors to keep an open mind.

“In the meantime they have our full support to get on with establishing a congestion-free public transport corridor from the Railway Station to Newtown as fast as possible, to improve the reliability and speed of current bus services and pave the way for bigger change.

“We want to ensure that Wellington gets the best public transport solution for the long-term. It would be a short-sighted and potentially very costly decision to commit to a mode choice and network design if it can’t actually cater for the kind of public transport growth Wellington wants to achieve in the future.”

ENDS

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