Draft Regional Land Transport Plan right out from the 1960’s
UPDATE:
From the Transport Minister
I’ve had sincere apology from AT chair Lester Levy for internal “budget” document mistakenly made public. The doc certainly doesn’t reflect my conversations with @phil_goff and @AklTransport board and our shared commitment to building a modern transport system for Auckland.
— Phil Twyford (@PhilTwyford) January 25, 2018
When your Twitter Direct Messages go off in very quick succession it signals something might be rather urgent.
It was
Greater Auckland were giving laying out the draft Auckland Transport Regional Land Transport Program (2018-2028) that dictates what transport OPEX and CAPEX (operating and investment) will be done.
I’ll let Greater Auckland do the talking:
If I'm reading this right, @AklTransport draft 10 year budget (RLTP) proposes significant cuts to PT, especially rail, and to walking & cycling. This goes completely against council and government policy pic.twitter.com/NwoMokTw3K
— Greater Auckland (@GreaterAKL) January 24, 2018
As a comparison, here is the operations budget in their latest statement of intent pic.twitter.com/b3uUxfgNsG
— Greater Auckland (@GreaterAKL) January 24, 2018
Not sure but given they still haven't delivered on the frequencies they promised for 2016, they need that funding
— Greater Auckland (@GreaterAKL) January 24, 2018
Looks like @AklTransport is going rogue. @phil_goff and @DarbyatCouncil need to get them to pull their head in. https://t.co/LoH381WiaC
— Greater Auckland (@GreaterAKL) January 24, 2018
No I think it's just because the old white guys on the AT management team find cycling "too hard".
— Greater Auckland (@GreaterAKL) January 24, 2018
The draft Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP) is going to the @AklTransport Board next week.
It is bad and if the Board signs it off without massive change then they should be sacked by @phil_goff https://t.co/SYBMJiZXWb
Let's work through it a bit.
— Greater Auckland (@GreaterAKL) January 24, 2018
Despite both Mayor @phil_goff and Transport Minister @PhilTwyford highlighting the importance of PT, walking and cycling, @AklTransport has ranked a bunch of roads as their top priority projects. pic.twitter.com/EHos4IbXKj
— Greater Auckland (@GreaterAKL) January 24, 2018
Despite light rail being the number one priority project for both @PhilTwyford and @phil_goff @AklTransport have ranked it 83rd and "below the line" so therefore unfunded. pic.twitter.com/irduNj3hKH
— Greater Auckland (@GreaterAKL) January 24, 2018
Despite recent cycling investment leading to a massive increase in people on bikes, @AklTransport propose no more cycling funding beyond current commitments in their funded programme. (I assume the green line is the funding cut off point). pic.twitter.com/yNwbfnPEqr
— Greater Auckland (@GreaterAKL) January 24, 2018
While I'm sure the final investment programme will be different to this, it shows that @AklTransport have gone pretty rogue as a CCO and nees to be brought into line.
— Greater Auckland (@GreaterAKL) January 24, 2018
The magical fairy dust of technology will save us. https://t.co/5H3gsXmTNQ
— Greater Auckland (@GreaterAKL) January 24, 2018
The whole "Smart Cities" thing just seems like a way to grift money out of Councils by getting them to adopt pointless technological gimmickry
— Francis McRae (@FrankMcRae) January 24, 2018
This is really gross. @PhilTwyford and @JulieAnneGenter anything you can do about this? Not the sort of budget I would hope to see from @AklTransport in 2018.
— Kieran, But In 2018 (@mrk_bennett) January 24, 2018
Excellent. Totally bizarre that with Council and Government finally aligned on transport, @AklTransport would go all 1960s road obsessed. Suggests a huge governance fail. https://t.co/8seD2JapIa
— Greater Auckland (@GreaterAKL) January 24, 2018
I think light rail is unfunded even with Regional Fuel Tax revenue under this nonsense from @AklTransport. Great way to totally undermine the Mayor and new government. 😲 https://t.co/ojG4KDME21
— Greater Auckland (@GreaterAKL) January 24, 2018
This is crazy. Pull them into line @phil_goff @DarbyatCouncil @PhilTwyford @JulieAnneGenter https://t.co/MOH24K2br2
— Greater Auckland (@GreaterAKL) January 24, 2018
New roads for sprawl i guess?
— Greater Auckland (@GreaterAKL) January 24, 2018
I'm so sick of having to fight for the bare SURVIVAL of the cycling programme EVERY 2-3 YEARS while cycling grows by 6-10% every year. https://t.co/ks62KYWIFm
— Max Robitzsch (@MaxRobitzsch) January 24, 2018
It wont end up that way in the end. But I am so sick of biking constantly getting a kick in the guts from the executive in AT. Read your own strategies, look at your own stats – and stop this bait-and-switch.
— Max Robitzsch (@MaxRobitzsch) January 24, 2018
Ridic. Rogue figures inside AT going against wishes of community, Council and Government (and planet) https://t.co/C3WXw3c6cv
— Sudhvir Singh (@sudhvir) January 24, 2018
Next week, just as children all over Auckland head back to school, Auckland Transport will debate whether to totally slash investment in walking and biking… after a record summer for both cycling uptake AND climate data. Something's very, very, very wrong with this picture. https://t.co/v2KHCLRnW8
— Bike Auckland (@BikeAKL) January 24, 2018
Gold Coast light rail is a continuing success as bumper patronage levels jump after opening of stage 2. Patronage “certainly above expectations” and expected to increase significantly next month when the university semester begins.https://t.co/KWRi4a6CnB pic.twitter.com/tc9eubF1ld
— Greg Vann (@GregVann) January 19, 2018
This sort of idiocy makes me lose even more faith in the people tasked with planning Auckland. https://t.co/PpIblv56o4
— Chris Wilson (@Chris___Wilson) January 24, 2018
Yeah it's a massive cut, right as we open CRL and need more services
— Greater Auckland (@GreaterAKL) January 24, 2018
Based on what I can find, even the $130m in 2018/19 is less than what we have now
— Greater Auckland (@GreaterAKL) January 24, 2018
Doesn’t read well does it for Auckland Transport?
This is the Draft RLTP heres: Approval of the Draft Regional Land Transport Plan 2018-28
Hi, this is a draft document which is subject to further discussion, debate and public consultation. The draft cycling budgets reflect the completion of a three year programme which has seen cycling numbers rise by 220,000 trips in 2017.
1/2— Auckland Transport (@AklTransport) January 25, 2018
Decisions on future budgets and programmes will also be informed by Council and Government direction. 2/2
^SB— Auckland Transport (@AklTransport) January 25, 2018
I don’t envy Comms right now but heck Auckland Transport have set a rather low mark to try to negotiate for future transport investment!
UPDATE:
We talk Light Rail but Auckland Transport doesn’t match it with budget:
Let's tell a quick story of light rail in Auckland.
In 2015 @AklTransport reveal exciting light rail scheme to a sceptical former mayor and an actively hostile govt.
Over next 3 years they spend tens of millions on design and land acquisition… 1/
— Greater Auckland (@GreaterAKL) January 25, 2018
In 2016 new mayor @phil_goff is elected with a thumping majority. His number one election promise is to advance light rail.
Previously hostile government slowly warms to the need for mass transit in next 10 years. 2/
— Greater Auckland (@GreaterAKL) January 25, 2018
In 2017 new government is formed with @PhilTwyford as transport minister.
Number one election promise from new govt for transport is light rail.
Meanwhile @AklTransport continue to spend millions of $$ on designs and business cases. 3/
— Greater Auckland (@GreaterAKL) January 25, 2018
In 2018 @AklTransport staff rank light rail as 83rd most important project in draft budget. Below the funding cut off.
Only a completely dysfunctional organisation would let this happen.
4/4
— Greater Auckland (@GreaterAKL) January 25, 2018
How, in 2018, does a proposal to cut #cycling and walking spending by 90% even get on the agenda @akltransport? #ridetothefuture https://t.co/r27IMc7L4s
— Smart Transport NZ (@smarttranz) January 25, 2018
It's not a budget cut, it's just a reduction in funding. Really, you couldn't make this up, no one would believe you https://t.co/NBb7mBM8lL
— Greater Auckland (@GreaterAKL) January 25, 2018
Talking Southern Auckland 