No Laughing Matter
1
Stools by $3 Freight: (South Island) $3.50 dompost.co.nz Saturday-Sunday, September 5-6, 2015 INSIGHT C2 WORLD CUP WALLCHART INSIDE WEEKEND Jemaine Clement gets serious Your guide to every game Y our gui d NO LAUGHING MATTER D2 A22 > PUZZLES C21-22 > iDOM A17 > EDITORIAL C4 > TELEVISION B8 > WORLD B1 > SPORT D8 WEATHER IT’S A CRACKER BUT BECOMES INCLEMENT TONIGHT. FOR MORE CLEMENT NEWS, SEE JEMAINE ON PAGE C2 Shelved The Basin Reserve flyover is officially a $12m dead duck. Plus four more projects go into the too-hard basket Motorists will continue to fume as the Transport Agency starts from scratch on how to ease traffic woes MICHAEL FORBES The issues are still there, the congestion hasn’t gone away, so it’s about going back to the community and taking a fresh approach. Jenny Chetwynd, Transport Agency acting chief executive 1. SECOND MT VIC TUNNEL 2. WIDEN RUAHINE ST/WELLINGTON RD 3. BUS RAPID TRANSIT NETWORK 4. NEW BASIN RESERVE PAVILION THE Basin Reserve flyover project is officially dead, leaving taxpay- ers $12 million out of pocket and some of Wellington’s major infra- structure projects facing an uncer- tain future. The New Zealand Transport Agency finally waved the white flag yesterday, consigning its plans for a $90m, two-lane bridge 20 metres north of the Basin Res- erve to the scrap heap for good. It now intends to go back to square one and work with the Wel- lington community, and its councils, on a new solution to the rush-hour congestion that plagues the Basin roundabout daily. Completely revisiting the prob- lem means other planned roading projects that were intended to link with the flyover will also have to be re-examined. Those projects include a second two-lane tunnel through Mt Vic- toria and the widening of SH1 towards Wellington Airport, ex- pected to cost about $375m. The capital’s proposed new high-capacity bus network be- tween the CBD and southern suburbs, which could cost up to $173m, also needs a solution at the Basin. The death of the flyover also spells the end of the proposed 12-metre-high pavilion the agency was going to build at the northern end of the cricket ground to block the highway from view. The $90m of funding earmarked for the flyover will go back into the Government’s National Land Transport Fund to potentially be spent on transport infrastructure elsewhere. Taxpayers have little to show for the $12.3m the flyover has already cost the Transport Agency over the years. Planning for the flyover dates back as far as 2001. The agency has faced a torrid 14 years since, battling community opposition groups and struggling to get Wel- lington City Council on board with the idea. The level of community oppo- sition was so fierce that it took four months for an independent board of inquiry to hear the agency’s case for resource con- sent, before it rejected the project in July 2014. An appeal was lodged in the High Court against that decision, but no fault could be found with the board’s decision. The agency had until yesterday to take its case a step further to the Supreme Court, but it decided enough was enough. Jenny Chetwynd, the Trans- port Agency’s acting chief execu- tive, said the agency was still com- mitted to finding a solution to the Basin’s traffic woes, but she could not say how long it would take. ‘‘The issues are still there, the congestion hasn’t gone away, so it’s about going back to the com- munity and taking a fresh ap- proach,’’ Chetwynd said. ‘‘It sounds like a big conver- sation, and it may well need to be a big conversation.’’ When asked whether a tunnel under the Basin or a different style of flyover would be looked at down the track, she said it would depend on what the community wanted. During the next six to 12 months, short-term ‘‘tweaks’’ would be looked at to improve the Basin roundabout, which could in- clude altering the traffic lights and adding extra lane space, Chetwynd said. ‘‘To make Wellington really hum, we need to address this as soon as we can.’’ Wellington Mayor Celia Wade- Brown was quick to reopen the debate about trenching State High- way 1 at the Basin. ‘‘Based on the success of the Pukeahu National War Memorial underpass, trenching could be an attractive solution.’’ Wellington Central MP Grant Robertson said the $12.3m of taxpayers’ cash ‘‘wasted’’ on the flyover saga to date was eye- watering. ‘‘This court case was the very definition of flogging a dead horse and should never have been undertaken.’’ Tim Jones, spokesman for anti- flyover group Save the Basin, said it had taken a long time for the Transport Agency to ‘‘come to its senses’’. ‘‘But the decision not to pursue further legal action means central and local government, and com- munity groups such as ourselves, can finally sit down and have a meaningful discussion about the best alternatives for Wellington,’’ he said. Christine McCarthy, president of the Architectural Centre, which also opposed the flyover, said the agency’s decision would be ap- preciated by the many individuals and community groups who voiced their opposition.
-
Upload
alexanderbisley -
Category
Documents
-
view
20 -
download
3
description
No laughing matter.
Transcript of No Laughing Matter
Stools by
$3 Freight: (South Island) $3.50 dompost.co.nzSaturday-Sunday, September 5-6, 2015
INSIGHT C2
WORLD CUP WALLCHART
INSIDE
WEEKENDJemaine Clement gets serious
Your guide to every gameYour guid
p,
NO LAUGHING MATTER
D2
A22 > PUZZLES C21-22 > iDOM A17 > EDITORIAL C4 > TELEVISION B8 > WORLD B1 > SPORT D8WEATHER IT’S A CRACKER BUT BECOMES INCLEMENT TONIGHT.FOR MORE CLEMENT NEWS, SEE JEMAINE ON PAGE C2
Shelved The Basin Reserve flyover is officiallya $12m dead duck. Plus four moreprojects go into the too-hard basket
Motorists will continue to fume as the Transport Agency starts from scratch on how to ease traffic woesMICHAEL FORBES
The issues are stillthere, the congestionhasn’t gone away, so it’sabout going back to thecommunity and taking afresh approach.Jenny Chetwynd,Transport Agency acting chief executive
1. SECOND MT VIC TUNNEL 2. WIDEN RUAHINE ST/WELLINGTON RD 3. BUS RAPID TRANSIT NETWORK 4. NEW BASIN RESERVE PAVILION
THE Basin Reserve flyover projectis officially dead, leaving taxpay-ers $12 million out of pocket andsome of Wellington’s major infra-structure projects facing an uncer-tain future.
The New Zealand TransportAgency finally waved the whiteflag yesterday, consigning itsplans for a $90m, two-lane bridge20 metres north of the Basin Res-erve to the scrap heap for good.
It now intends to go back tosquare one and work with the Wel-lington community, and itscouncils, on a new solution to therush-hour congestion that plaguesthe Basin roundabout daily.
Completely revisiting the prob-lem means other planned roadingprojects that were intended to linkwith the flyover will also have tobe re-examined.
Those projects include a secondtwo-lane tunnel through Mt Vic-toria and the widening of SH1
towards Wellington Airport, ex-pected to cost about $375m.
The capital’s proposed newhigh-capacity bus network be-tween the CBD and southernsuburbs, which could cost up to$173m, also needs a solution at theBasin.
The death of the flyover alsospells the end of the proposed12-metre-high pavilion the agencywas going to build at the northernend of the cricket ground to blockthe highway from view.
The $90m of funding earmarkedfor the flyover will go back intothe Government’s National LandTransport Fund to potentially bespent on transport infrastructureelsewhere.
Taxpayers have little to showfor the $12.3m the flyover hasalready cost the Transport Agencyover the years.
Planning for the flyover datesback as far as 2001. The agency hasfaced a torrid 14 years since,battling community opposition
groups and struggling to get Wel-lington City Council on boardwith the idea.
The level of community oppo-sition was so fierce that it tookfour months for an independentboard of inquiry to hear theagency’s case for resource con-sent, before it rejected the projectin July 2014.
An appeal was lodged in theHigh Court against that decision,but no fault could be found withthe board’s decision.
The agency had until yesterdayto take its case a step further tothe Supreme Court, but it decidedenough was enough.
Jenny Chetwynd, the Trans-port Agency’s acting chief execu-tive, said the agency was still com-mitted to finding a solution to theBasin’s traffic woes, but she couldnot say how long it would take.
‘‘The issues are still there, thecongestion hasn’t gone away, soit’s about going back to the com-munity and taking a fresh ap-
proach,’’ Chetwynd said.‘‘It sounds like a big conver-
sation, and it may well need to bea big conversation.’’
When asked whether a tunnelunder the Basin or a differentstyle of flyover would be looked atdown the track, she said it woulddepend on what the communitywanted.
During the next six to 12months, short-term ‘‘tweaks’’would be looked at to improve theBasin roundabout, which could in-clude altering the traffic lights andadding extra lane space, Chetwyndsaid.
‘‘To make Wellington reallyhum, we need to address this assoon as we can.’’
Wellington Mayor Celia Wade-Brown was quick to reopen thedebate about trenching State High-way 1 at the Basin.
‘‘Based on the success of thePukeahu National War Memorialunderpass, trenching could be anattractive solution.’’
Wellington Central MP GrantRobertson said the $12.3m oftaxpayers’ cash ‘‘wasted’’ on theflyover saga to date was eye-watering. ‘‘This court case was thevery definition of flogging a deadhorse and should never have beenundertaken.’’
Tim Jones, spokesman for anti-flyover group Save the Basin, saidit had taken a long time for theTransport Agency to ‘‘come to itssenses’’.
‘‘But the decision not to pursuefurther legal action means centraland local government, and com-munity groups such as ourselves,can finally sit down and have ameaningful discussion about thebest alternatives for Wellington,’’he said.
Christine McCarthy, presidentof the Architectural Centre, whichalso opposed the flyover, said theagency’s decision would be ap-preciated by the many individualsand community groups whovoiced their opposition.
