Let's Get Wellington Moving: City councillors not unanimous in support

Friday, 17 May 2019

Stuff took to the streets to gauge Wellingtonians' transport priorities.

The $6.4 billion Let's Get Wellington Moving project has been launched with much fanfare, yet support for the 'transformational' blueprint amongst city councillors is far from unanimous.

Uncertainty around exact costings and funding streams has many city councillors reluctant to fully back the project until more of the finer details are ironed out.

A mass public transport system is due to be constructed between Wellington Railway Station and the airport as part of the $6.4 billion Let's Get Wellington Moving programme.

This unwillingness to commit for fence-sitting councillors, Diane Calvert; Nicola Young; Iona Pannett and Andy Foster means mayor Justin Lester has work to do ahead of a city strategy committee vote next month.

A straw poll carried out by Stuff on Friday found nine councillors were willing to add their names to Lester's in support of the mega-transport plan.

* Government ploughing on with Let's Get Wellington Moving against Treasury advice

* Multibillion-dollar transport plan revealed for Wellington, but details vague on timing

Wellington Mayor Justin Lester says there is enough information available for councillors to vote in favour of Let's Get Wellington Moving next month.

* A small step for Wellington, but at least it's progress

* 'End of the beginning': Where does Let's Get Wellington Moving go next?**

Once the 'quick wins' of improving cycleways and walkways were seen to, the next priority would be the mass transit system, followed by Basin Reserve improvements and building a second Mt Victoria tunnel, Lester said.

The project's loudest dissenting voice belonged to councillor Simon Woolf who criticised the lack of detail in Thursday's announcement.

'It really doesn't have anything supporting it – no business cases. It's all show and not a lot of substance,' Woolf said.

Young and Calvert also felt the plan lacked specifics, while Pannett felt she was unable to support all the measures proposed.

From left, Wellington Mayor Justin Lester, Transport Minister Phil Twyford and Greater Wellington Regional Council chair Chris Laidlaw launched the Let's Get Wellington Moving transport project outside Wellington Railway Station on Thursday.

Lester said 'plenty of analysis' was carried out in the lead-up to Thursday's announcement.

'I think we've taken the correct approach and focused on the package and the funding amounts, and acknowledging the business cases and detailed designs still need to be undertaken.

An artist's impression of a possible mass transit route for Wellington - part of the Let's Get Wellington Moving project.

'You don't have projects unless you have funding, but we've got enough information to give us the funding and also a very good idea around the projects we'll be focusing on,' Lester said.

However, not all councillors agree, with many expressing concern over how the 40 per cent share of the bill would be split between Wellington City Council (WCC) and Greater Wellington Regional Council – the equivalent of $2.6b.

Central Government would cover $3.7b, the remaining 60 per cent, despite Treasury advising against it due to the risks attached.

'You would have thought there would be much more around this. We're now getting briefings next week, but the announcement has been made – the 40:60 split was the first that we'd heard [of it],' Woolf said.

While he was recorded as being 'undecided', councillor Andy Foster held numerous concerns, particularly around the absence of a mass transit system business case.

Foster was also unhappy there was no planned public consultation.

'The funding side is a huge concern for me. Our rates projections are already too high. Our debt projections are already too high.

'On the basis of the numbers we've got at the moment, it looks like it will add another 12 to 16 per cent on the rates over the next 10 to 12 years,' Foster claimed.

However, councillor Chris Calvi-Freeman believed a one per cent rise on rates for both councils over that period 'seems both fair and right.'

Regional councillors were expected to vote for it by the end of June, but many were reluctant to comment on how the financial burden should be divided up on Friday.

Kāpiti-based regional councillor Penny Gaylor said discussions over who gets the most 'public benefit' were needed before a decision was made, while councillor Ian McKinnon admitted getting a consensus on the issue would be difficult.

Regional councillor Daran Ponter believed petrol and congestion taxes should be considered in consultation with central Government as a possible funding stream.

WELLINGTON'S TRANSPORT PLAN: HOW CITY COUNCILLORS ARE MOVING

FOR: Chris Calvi-Freeman; Fleur Fitzsimons; Brian Dawson; Sarah Free; Malcolm Sparrow; Jill Day; Peter Gilberd; Simon Marsh; David Lee; Mayor Justin Lester

AGAINST: Simon Woolf

UNDECIDED: Diane Calvert; Nicola Young; Iona Pannett; Andy Foster