Mode Shift: Our streets must be safe for everyone

Sunday, 29 May 2022

A cyclist commuting in central Wellington.

Change is hard, we get that. It took 14 years of fighting to allow the pedestrianisation of Cuba Street – business groups claimed it would destroy inner-city trade and drive customers away – in the 1970s. Now it’s impossible to imagine the central city without the vibrant Cuba Mall.

Likewise, there was fierce opposition to the plans to create Midland Park, now an oasis on Lambton Quay.

In those cases, elected officials listened to future-oriented urban planners with international experience and a vision for how the capital could be better.

We are now at a similar point in our city’s future.

Let's Get Wellington Moving has plans for light rail or bus rapid transit through Wellington. (Video first published in December 2021, consultation has now closed)

* Why does it take so long to build a cycle lane?

Electric scooter commuting in central Wellington.

* Why the city of the future needs to be built for e-bikes

Over the next few months, our elected representatives will be making crucial decisions on our city streets and public transport networks. They’ll be deciding which Let’s Get Wellington Moving option to proceed with, and which mass rapid transit plan to pursue, and set the course for the Golden Mile.

And the long-awaited airport bus service will finally resume, marking our return to the ranks of international cities where you can take public transport to the airport.

A woman and her horse stop for coffee at the Empire Cinema in Island Bay.

Today, the Dominion Post starts a series called “Mode Shift” in which we will support these decisions with facts and clear-eyed analysis, equipping the public to envision a better future, in much the same way we did last year with the Reimagining Wellington series and as we did on Saturday with this story on the evidence that bike lanes actually help local businesses.

In particular, we will be reporting on the full plethora of ways to get around without adding to our carbon footprint. The warnings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have made it clear that we all need to act, and to act now, if we are to stop our planet from warming beyond the point of no return.

In the Wellington region, the easiest way to do that is through transport: Transport accounts for almost half of the region’s carbon emissions. If we want to shift the dial on emissions, thinking about urban and transport planning through a climate lens seems like the obvious place to start.

To be clear: This series is not about being against cars. There will always be times when cars and trucks and other petrol-powered vehicles are needed. This series is about supporting decisions about how our public roads are shared in a way that is safe and efficient for all of us.

Having a comprehensive bike network, as envisaged through the Wellington City Council’s ambitious 166km Paneke Pōneke plan, will make it much easier for people who want to use bikes and scooters. That, in turn, will make it safer for pedestrians on footpaths, because they won’t have to contend with people on wheels.

Having an efficient and reliable public transport system – in conjunction with a good bike network – will be great for people in cars because it will reduce congestion, making it easier for those driving, whether for work or leisure, to get around. It will also be easier to park for those who do drive into the city.

This series, which will continue for all of June, is about enabling people who want to use different modes of transport to do so.

When I was having coffee at the Empire Cinema in Island Bay on Sunday morning, a woman with a horse walked up to the window and ordered a cup of coffee. Families were on bike rides in the sunshine, couples were out walking, kids were on scooters, and yes, people were driving their cars, some of them towing boats.

This is what this series is about: Exploring ways for all of us to share our streets. I’m never going to ride a horse to work, you might never bike to the supermarket or take the train to Waikanae. But wouldn’t it be great if everyone who wanted to shift modes could?

Anna Fifield is the editor of the Dominion Post. She bikes to work or takes the bus if it’s raining, but drives a petrol car for family trips.