Month: February 2014

Berms – The Final Mow

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Time for People’s Choice

Isthmus Conservatives Continue to Disappoint

 

Bernard Orsman of the NZ Herald picked up on two Auckland Council elected representatives “rebelling” against Auckland Transport rules and converting berms into something more “green.”

From the NZ Herald

Berms: Politicians say it with flowers

By Bernard Orsman 6:17 AM Wednesday Feb 5, 2014

Pippa Coom says bees and butterflies love her planted berm. Photo / Richard Robinson

Pippa Coom says bees and butterflies love her planted berm. Photo / Richard Robinson

 

Two Auckland Council politicians are flouting council rules by planting flower beds on their berms.

Councillor Cathy Casey and Waitemata Local Board member Pippa Coom are proud of their flower beds, with Dr Casey saying it was easier to maintain flowers than mow a berm against a wall at her Mt Albert home.

Ms Coom said not everyone wanted verges to be mowed and her planted berm in Grey Lynn was about having a diverse landscape.

The bees and butterflies loved it and it gave her a chance to talk to neighbours, she said.

Auckland Transport could help out, she said, by setting guidelines about what could be planted.

A council debate on the berm issue yesterday also heard of cases of people planting flax and corn on berms.

Defiance of the rules angered councillor Denise Krum, who said the approach of planting corn, flax and flowers and politicians’ behaviour sent a message to residents that anything goes.

“The whole thing is a dog’s breakfast,” Ms Krum said.

…

Source: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11196784

Good on Pippa Coom and Councillor Casey for greening their little slice of the City up and converting the berm outside their property into something more friendly to nature (and appeasing to the eye). Also good to see Auckland Transport will not hound people down who do convert the berms over into a community garden as mentioned below:

Later, Auckland Transport communications manager Sharon Hunter said no action was taken against people who planted flowers and other plants on their berms. They would only be asked to remove plants that grew high, obscured a street sign or became a hazard.

 

The real pity I have those is what Councillor Denise Krum (a member of the National Party which believes in Individual Freedom, Choice and Responsibility) said in the article. Rather than help the Local Boards, residents and Auckland Transport set up some basic guidelines on what can be planted, the responsibility and maintenance onus, and the knowledge that contractors can dig up the berm at any time to access utilities; Councillor Krum goes all Nanny State on us and would pretty much dictate what Auckland residents can not do – in greening up their city as a potential solution to the “berm issue” (the other being kicking it to Local Boards and Local Boards via targeted rates having their own contractors mowing their berms).

 

North America and the EU nations often run community garden schemes in cities to often great success. Not only is the respective city more “green” and friendly to wildlife (like bees) but social issues decrease as communities feel involved in something that is tangible. That is they take pride in their work and feel more connected with the city fabric rather than being isolated out. This can be seen as a win for the physical environment and win for the social environment. Another win could be the tourism element as tourists see a greening and varied cityscape from these “community” berms.

Or as Campbell Live pointed out when on tour with the Mayor, convert a few berms to either off street parking or cycle-ways.

Either way there are solutions and I believe it is time to hand this one to the City citizenry and the Local Boards. Especially as a “review” of the berm policy pushed for by some of the Isthmus Councillors was defeated 15-7 (68%) in Council yesterday. With those super-majority numbers I do not expect to see this issue of berms come back up again for the rest of the term of Council – outside of kicking it back to the Local Boards and some basic guidelines for those who wish to convert their berm into a garden.

 

Cycling carnival to happen this Saturday

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Is this what Auckland’s Downtown Waterfront could be like in the near future?

 

From Auckland Council

Cycling carnival captures Quay Street’s potential

 

Aucklanders will get a taste of Quay Street’s potential as a world-class waterfront boulevard this Saturday as it is closed off to traffic for the cycle-themed street carnival, ‘Ciclovia on Quay’.

Delivered by Auckland Council, Auckland Transport and Waterfront Auckland, the city’s harbour edge from Britomart Place through to Silo Park in Wynyard Quarter will be car-free for the enjoyment of people on foot, bikes, scooters and skateboards from 10am to 4pm.

An array of family-friendly cycle-themed activities will span the length of the event and will include cycling obstacle courses for all ages (bikes provided), bike decorating and bike maintenance tutorials, interactive games, face painters and a children’s carousel. The Velociteers, Auckland’s only synchronised bike dancing group are set to wow the crowd, as will a game of bike polo from the Auckland Hardcourt Bike Polo Club.

The ever popular Silo Park Markets and the Britomart Markets will be in full swing and there will also be a chance to participate in hands on, live and static displays at the Volunteer and Emergency Services expo on Queens Wharf.

The event is one of several Auckland Council place-making initiatives planned for Quay Street and aims to give Aucklanders a taste for what the Quay Street area may be like in future years. It is part of council’s long term vision to transform Auckland into the world’s most liveable city.

Mayor Len Brown says, “The new shared spaces at North Wharf and Wynyard Quarter have been an extraordinary success and it’s fantastic to see that vibrancy extending to Quay Street through events like Ciclovia on Quay. We have a unique opportunity in Auckland to merge the beating heart of the city centre with the water and Quay Street is an important part of that vision.”

Auckland Council Design Champion, Ludo Campbell-Reid adds, “We listened to the feedback from Aucklanders during consultation on the City Centre Masterplan 2012 and the Waterfront Plan 2012, which was to create a more vibrant people-focussed city and in the case of Quay Street, to reconnect the city with the harbour.” [Note: Mayor Len Brown and Urban Design Champion Ludo Campbell Reid will be at the event from 12:00 until 1:30pm at the Council information display next to The Fix on Princess Wharf to take questions and comments on the City Centre Masterplan 2012 and the Waterfront Plan 2012 which are both operative]

 

“Currently Quay Street serves the city as a major traffic arterial but its potential for greenery and recreation and as a high-quality pedestrian amenity remains untapped. We think events such as Ciclovia on Quay are the perfect way to test Aucklanders’ appetite for the potential Quay Street has as a people-friendly world-class waterfront boulevard.”

Ciclovia (si-kli-vi-a) is a Spanish term that means ‘bike path’. The Ciclovia event has its origins in Bogotá, Columbia where every Sunday and public holiday certain main streets are blocked off to cars for runners, skaters and cyclists. Ciclovia events have become popular worldwide with many major cities following the trend.  

Ciclovia on Quay is a free event.

 

—-ends—-

 

I might go trundling along for a bit to see what this event will be like. I note the trains are not going this weekend so its in the car and off to the Downtown Car Parking building again……..

 

Berms Issue Back

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And the Solution is oh so Simple!

 

Councillor Cameron Brewer made an off-hand remark to New Zealand Herald’s Bernard Orsman about how the special one-off Auckland International Airport Dividend of $101 million should be used to restore berm mowing to areas of the Isthmus that had it before the Super City came into existence.

From The Aucklander – Division of the NZ Herald

Council returns to mowing berms in Auckland

By Bernard Orsman  6:49 AM Monday Feb 3, 2014

Residents who can’t cut the grass, or refuse to, will get a trim but contractors can wait until it is 20cm high.

…

Orakei councillor Cameron Brewer said he planned an amendment for the proper reinstatement of berm mowing, which could be funded from a special $101 million dividend from Auckland Airport, or internal savings.

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Source: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/aucklander/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503378&objectid=11195808

 

It is one of the few times condemnation from both the Centre Left and Right were rather swift against Councillor Brewer for mentioned that a dividend would be used for a OPEX rather than CAPEX line (Opex means Operational Budget for Day to Day running of the Council, CAPEX is your Capital Expenditure – that is investment into things like infrastructure).

That $101 million would be best set for infrastructure like say some cycle ways, the St Johns Station, maybe the Manukau South Rail Link and some grade separation of our dangerous rail crossings, perhaps some storm-water infrastructure or paying down some debt which actually is not a bad suggestion from Councillor George Wood.

But to pay for OPEX expenses like berms for a few on the Isthmus? I think not.

 

Look the solution is dead simple for the berm situation.

I recommend that the issue be sent to the Local Boards for their final decision. That is if the respective Local Board would like berm mowing for their residential areas then they would have the chance to:

  • Pass a targeted rate for the service as two Local Boards did for universal free-swimming pools (rather than the Auckland-wide policy of free for under-16’s)
  • Have the opportunity to tender the service out to either:
    • Auckland Council’s Park Services main contractor
    • Auckland Transport’s berm contractor
    • Local private sector contractor

If I was to say the Papakura Local Board and was going to charge a targeted rate for berm mowing for the area I would tender the service out to a local firm in the area (if possible). This means a local business with local area knowledge has the chance of providing a service to the community of Papakura and providing employment to the local area. More local employment means more spending and more investment in the area. I call that a Win-win-win-major win if this was able to occur.

So lets kick this issue of berm mowing to the goal line once and for all and hand it over to the Local Boards to decide rather than the main Governing Body.

As for the Isthmus and their berms I found this rather telling from a comment on Cameron Brewer’s public Facebook remark on the issue (note Cameron did not write this comment but a ratepayer of Auckland did):

We drove to the airport back in October and went through Gillies Ave and Manukau Rd. Those who had not mown their berms in the upmarket area should be ashamed of themselves. The neighbours would be really annoyed with them. As we drove through the not so affluent area all the berms were mowed nice and tidily (bar one that had construction activity in the adjacent section). I would be mowing the neighbour’s unmown berm myself because it affects your own place. And most of the houses bedside the umown berms had lovely tidy mown lawns.

 

And I can vouch for that the numerous times I have travelled through the Isthmus. That said the commenter and myself are not painting our affluent areas all with the same tar brush as there are some who do mow their berms and look after them. What was telling though was where however, most of the issues were coming from on the Isthmus. Also at the same time there are those on the Isthmus who have converted their berms to gardens of different varieties. This should be encouraged rather than punished as it does add spice and “colour” to Auckland.

 

I Blog Therefore I Am

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Blogs and why we create them. Are they the online extensions of ourselves in the real world?

Andrew Sullivan's avatarThe Dish

Last week, Wilkinson reflected on blogging as an extension of the self:

There’s nothing wrong with blogging for money, but the terms of social exchange are queered a little by the cash nexus. A personal blog, a blog that is really your own, and not a channel of the The Daily Beast or Forbes or The Washington Post or what have you, is an iterated game with the purity of non-commercial social intercourse. The difference between hanging out and getting paid to hang out. Anyway, in old-school blogging, you put things out there, broadcast bits of your mind. You just give it away and in return maybe you get some attention, which is nice, and some gratitude, which is even nicer. The real return, though, is in the conclusions people draw about you based on what you have said, about what what you have said says about you, about what…

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