Traffic congestion and traffic are big issues in the eastern suburbs, and will get bigger with things like airport expansion and the sports centre, as well as population growth. So how will we cope?
The traditional approach has been to build roads, as both SH1 and SH2 from the bypass to the north of Wellington both demonstrate. But, cities round the world are now realising that you can't road-build your way out of congestion: all that happens is that extra traffic is created, and congestion points move. The major economic justification for road-building is almost invariably the value of anticipated time saved, but studies in places like Melbourne show that despite massive road building, average vehicle speeds have barely changed - time has no been saved, just traffic generated.
Studies also show that the greater the capacity and speed of public transport, the better all traffic moves.
So we need to look very carefully at multi-million dollar road schemes - particularly when they will cut into the town belt, create community severance, and take years to build. Instead, we should look at public transport, which can achieve better results more cheaply and faster.
As a first stage we should optimise the existing system. What makes Wellington's buses slow and unreliable is the tortuous grind along the Golden Mile, and the first thing to do is establish bus priority along the whole length between the railway station and Courtenay Place, and on to the hospital. That won't be that difficult or expensive, and will improve the reliability of nearly all bus routes at a stroke. Improved reliability means increased efficiency, with benefits all round, and a more attractive service all round. Market that service, eg by increasing the Miramar and Seatoun express bus frequency and providing similar facilities for Strathmore and Lyall Bay residents, and we would see bus patronage increase. At the same time speed up the Airport Flyer by running it direct rather than round the houses through Rongotai, and more airport users would find it attractive - after all, you can't take your car with you when you fly.
Having done this as a first stage, we then need to look further into the future. The way to move more people through the Golden Mile is to have higher capacity vehicles, and modern trams fit the bill. They can also run on existing railway lines, so a seamless inter-urban network throughout the region becomes a viable proposition. Extend this network from Courtenay Place and the hospital through to Kilbirnie and the airport, and we've got a world-class region-wide system for a cost that will probably compare well with the proposed four-laning between the Basin and Evans Bay. I'm not saying that we can do this tomorrow, but it deserves very careful study.
Walking and cycling are effective ways of tackling transport problems, too. Cycling is increasing in Wellington and worldwide, and most car journeys are short, short enough to be walkable if that option was more attractive. Improved facilities for walkers and cyclists are a must - and not expensive.
An area that often gets overlooked is freight traffic, including deliveries. Congestion is a great cost to business, and improving general traffic flow through public transport investment will reduce business costs.
And we mustn't forget road safety: the risk of injury for car users is ten times the risk faced by bus passengers, re swapping the car for the bus reduces risk by 90%! That's worth having.
We need to learn from the rest of the world how to travel more smartly: there's a lot to be gained.
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