Subscribe to RSSWgtn Car Ban Talk
Wellington Mayor Kerry Prendergast today called for private cars to be banned from the Golden Mile within 10 to 20 years, following planned developments such as opening Manners Mall to buses, overhauling roads near the Basin Reserve and building a second Mt Victoria Tunnel
And the Greens say they support the proposal to make the Golden Mile car free with only public transport, but said Wellington should give priority to light rail and pedestrian space in the Golden Mile now, not in 10 to 20 years..
The other day, I posted about property investor Sir Bob Jones’ enthusiastic endorsements of turning Wellington’s inner city into a vibrant, quirky pedestrian mall where buses and cars are banned and the plan to make it a local body election issue this November.
Wellington is pedestrian and bus friendly but may get more so
“Wellington has the highest percentage of people walking, cycling and taking public transport in the country, and that’s what makes it a liveable vibrant centre,” said Green Party Wellington Transport spokesperson Sue Kedgley.
“We don’t need to wait 20 years to make the city people-friendly.
“Moreover, there is no point in planning for the central city to be car free, while at the same time engaging in massive road building around the Basin Reserve, with a four lane motorway to the airport.
“Increasing the flow of cars through Wellington will only make congestion worse, and destroy the amenity that attracts business and residents.” Recent research has suggested that there are significant economic benefits from designing city streets for people, rather than maximising the flow of vehicles. “Cars can only move a small number of people through a compact city, and the result, as we can see, is congestion, fumes, and dead space required for off-street parking.
“Light rail not only reduces congestion, but increases property development potential, making cities more liveable and economically successful,” said Ms Kedgley.
“There needs to be some logic to our transportation projects. Advancing the light rail and a car free Golden Mile will eliminate the need for expensive motorway projects in the city, and will be a boon to business,” said Ms Kedgley.
Greens recommended links to research about the economic benefits of people-friendly streets:
London Commission- the real value of street design
Victoria Transport Policy- Value of Walkability (PDF)
2 Comments
The councils proposal is a bit weak. Not many cars drive along the golden mile as it is… why do we have to wait 10-20 years to totally ban then? Then we are still going to flood the streets with taxis and delivery vechiles. Doesn’t sound like car free to me!
The Golden Mile and all of Courtenay, between 7am-7pm, seven days a week.