The second Do Something! event for 2010 tackled the contentious issue of public transport in New Zealand at national, local government and community levels.
Auckland-based transport researcher Dr Chris Harris began by highlighting the naïve vision of transport of the 1950s, infinite personal vehicles and the end of congestion, complete driving freedom. The last 50 years of planning have failed to produce a transport system that works, and New Zealand’s cities have largely been left behind while much of the rest of the world has invested in integrated public transport.
He pointed out the global rail revival based on the European model. Dr Harris stressed our culture of reliance on DIY transport needs to drastically change, pointing to international trends using light rail and trams as a clear solution. Harris suggested participants:
spread knowledge of overseas public transport practices through their networks.
Kathy Perreau (Manager Environmental Sustainability, Ministry of Transport), admitting the Ministry of Transport is not doing anything substantial to reduce New Zealand’s transport emissions, encouraged individuals to change their own transport behaviour, suggesting partipants:
discuss transport issues with friends and coworkers
question their own lifestyle choices (such as where they live)
walk more.
Kent Duston (Save the Basin Trust and Mt Victoria Residents’ Association), outlined the current plans for transport in Wellington, the waste of money on big roading projects which ignore forecasts of peak oil and diminishing Wellington road use. He also highlighted the disconnect between regional transport policy and a sound urban planning approach. Duston challenged participants to
set themselves a carbon budget (suggesting two tonnes CO2 equivalent per person per year) and stick to it
vote wisely in the upcoming local body elections – find out what candidates’ transport policies are.
The take-home message of the night was that our current approach to transport, both public and private, is unsustainable and needs to change significantly. Kent Duston captured the stark choice we face in our whole approach to the public realm by showing artists’ renditions of two possibilities for Wellington’s Basin Reserve:
Do Something: Transport, peak oil & climate change
