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One of the most fascinating things about the new Auckland council is that those advocating strongly for rail and public transport are not just that strange leftie types!
Chris Fletcher has unfinished business.
She used to be known as Christine Fletcher, one time mayor and National MP (before resigning as MP because she objected to National’s plan to see the assets of the Auckland regional services trust.)
It is her we have to thank for Britomart, despite the objections of John Banks.
Banks opposed her Britomart vision only to later, as mayor, lead the procession down Queen St in a horse-drawn cart to open it. And he in 2001 Banks cancel her vision for light rail to connect Britomart, Queen St, universities, hospital, Newmarket and Western Line.
Despite that, she returned into the C&R fold to stand for council and topped the votes in her ward.
And she becomes the new look of C&R.
Chris Fletcher and young councillor Jami-Lee Ross were elected co-Leaders of Citizens and Ratepayers at a caucus meeting held on the weekend.
They say they look forward to working constructively with mayor-elect Len Brown.
When Greens MP Gareth Hughes launched his CBD rail loop campaign at Britomart, Chris Fletcher was there.
Chris Fletcher at the CBD loop rally
She said she wanted the job she started finished.
Great to have her back on council.
7 Comments
Is “Light Rail” code for Trams?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_rail
Banks was quite destructive in his early days… imagine where we would be today if he had managed to stop Britomart-I imagine it has absorbed all growth in the CBD since it was built, and even now we have critical congestion on our wide motorways/city streets and way too many buses around Queen street- although thats mainly due to having some hundred bus routes converging when we probably really only need about 15 due to a lack of transfers and an overly complicated system…good luck Auckland Transport and Auckland Council.
How advanced were Christine Fletcher’s light rail Plans- I know she had some, but were there any studies done/ funding approved? were they looking like a reality, or a dream? Were they popular with the public of the time, or was that one one of the reasons she was voted out?
We definately live in a completely different world now… And her vision 15 years ago is probably the main catalyst for that, and the raason our city hasn’t completely fallen apart as density increases.
Everyone (except the government )seems to have witnessed Public transport transforming our city and our lives… they realise that ”public transport is fast, plesent and for everyone’, ”if they build it they will come’, and ‘its the only efficient way forward’
The studies were done to the point of detailed design of some of the routes.
A lot of that was partially rolled over into bus projects, for example the Northern Busway started as a light rail line, as did the Central Connector and the proposed Dominion Rd buslane upgrades.
We really need to think about Dominion Roads future I think. Already we have a full bus almost every 90 seconds for a time in the morning…. surely not too far off a bus lanes capacity.
We do need light rail along it…not bus lane upgrades
Dominion Road is dead for a few years, is my prediction. The last attempt was handled badly, and raised too much local anger.
Every once in a while on the net, I type in CBD Rail Loop on Google, yet I still see the same news as I did when I last looked. It’s sooooooooooo boring. Why can’t this stupid, useless government just fund it instead of running on roads. BLAH BLAH BLAH!
I can’t believe NZ voted this losers in. I hate ENGLISH!. He’s another lazy prick!!!. CBD RAIL LOOP NOW!!!!!!!