We look out the window over our Habour and marvel at the beauty of the changing skies. And some of these changes are now ominous for life on earth, with increasing frequency of unusual events and extremes.

Today, I would like to talk briefly about the future that faces us, and then about a choice we can make today, to enhance tomorrow’s life.

Each of us depends on the products and services provided by the earth’s ecosystems, ranging from forest to wetlands, from coral reefs to grasslands. Among the services these ecosystems provide, are water purification, pollination, carbon sequestration, flood control, and soil conservation. A four-year study of the world’s ecosystems by 1,360 scientists, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, reported that 15 of 24 primary ecosystem services are being degraded or pushed beyond their limits. For example, three quarters of oceanic fisheries, a major source of protein in the human diet, are being fished at. or beyond there limits, and many are headed toward collapse.

Climate change is one symptom of this crisis.

As a Meteorologist, I closely follow the arguments, as any scientist should, and there is an unprecedented amount of research being done, which is filling gaps in knowledge.  Certain trace gases in the atmosphere, act to trap energy that the Earth radiates to space.  The net amount of solar radiation has varied very little. However, the maximum solar energy that falls in any one spot, varies naturally over cycles ranging from 21,000, 26,000 and 41,000 years due to slow changes in the axis of rotation of the earth, variations in the elongation of the ellipse around the sun, and the precession of the earth’s axis of rotation, and are collectively referred to as Milankovitch cycles.  They bring about a slow change in global temperature, which has a feedback effect of increasing or decreasing trace greenhouse gases. Changes in greenhouse gas levels, alter the heat stored in the biosphere, triggering a much larger temperature change, and sending us into a warmer world or back to an ice age.

We have been blessed over the last 10,000 years with a usually stable climate with a human friendly mean temperature of 15 deg C. Then, about 150 years ago, humans began to burn the oil that was laid down under the crust 30 to 50 million years ago. This has now lead to an increase of about 30% in levels of green house gases over pre-industrial times.

Greenhouse gases include not only carbon dioxide, but the much more potent trace gases, Methane and nitric oxide, which have also increased due to agriculture activity and increased animal farming, disturbance of wetlands and exploration of fossil fuelsIn spite of the international recession, greenhouse gas emissions continue their relentless climb. We are, in fact, following along the worst-case scenario, with leading climate scientists warning that we are reaching tipping points, which can trigger abrupt climate change.

The biophysical warming signal shows up very clearly in the accelerated melting of the Greenland ice cap and the Arctic, the break up of ice shelves
along Western Antarctica sheet, the migration of plant and animal species and extreme events.
Water supply is also becoming constrained. Lowering water tables, the global retreat of mid latitude glaciers, and increasing severity of drought in major grain producing areas, portends food shortages.  And the pumping of underground water exceeds natural recharge in countries containing half the world’s people, leaving many without adequate water.

The stable sea level over the last 10,000 years, not only provided early humans with a high-protein marine food supply, but also made possible grain production in estuary and floodplain ecosystems.  At the warmest part of the last Interglacial 150,000 years ago, sea-level was about 6 metres higher than today.  Current warming will make the world hotter than the last interglacial within a few decades.

The disastrous outcome of Copenhagen was further proof that climate change is not the central issue in negotiations. For rich countries, the key issues in negotiations were finance, carbon markets, competitiveness of countries and corporations, business opportunities along with discussions about the political makeup of the US Senate. There was surprisingly little focus on effective solutions for reducing carbon emissions…. The choices we can make today!

When I was born in 1949, Homo sapiens were responsible for the burning of 10 million barrels of oil a day. Today, we choose to use 85 million a day, and we now take great risks, searching for oil 5 to 10 miles below sea level, witness the disaster in the Mexican Gulf! The legacy of oil we inherited from 30 to 50 million years ago will all be used within
the space of a bit over one century. And even though we have passed peak oil production, our continued use of fossil fuels over the next decade, will trigger major climate change and a collapse in our food production and eco-system.

At the same time, developing countries like China are following western life styles and moving to the western based high impact meat diet.

We need to despair and then turn our despair into action.

Lets review some of the impacts of animal farming on greenhouse emissions.

Half New Zealand’s emissions come from agriculture, and most of this is methane emitted by livestock. No techniques to sustainably reduce methane (CH4) emissions directly by ruminant livestock have yet been established.

Agricultural N2O nitrous oxide accounts for about one sixth of NZ’s CO2-equivalent emissions. It is a by-product of microbial degradation of animal excrement (mainly urine) and of nitrogen fertilisers in pasture soils. Recent innovations use “nitrification inhibitors” added to the fertiliser that slow down the N2O production.

An ICF study shows that three quarters of the potential that is economic to implement in the next few years is agricultural. However, the simple and most effective answer of moving away from animal farming is not yet taken seriously. Recent high prices for Dairy products have lead to a rush to Dairy Farming by New Zealand farmers, putting severe strain on water resources, especially in Canterbury.  It is ironic, that the areas converting to Dairy are also the areas where grains grow best, and it is more grains that the world really needs.

One billion people remain poor and hungry, and remaining global reserve stocks of grains are likely to disappear within a few years, due to continued population increases in developing countries, increasing drought in grain producing areas such as Australia and USA, and disappearing water aquifers.

Growing animals for food is also a very inefficient way of producing vegetable protein, using 7 to 10 times the water and energy to food crops. However, according to a report in World Watch Magazine by Robert Goodland and Jeff Anhang, the life cycle and supply chain of domesticated animals raised for food have also been vastly underestimated as a source of GHGs, and in fact account for at least half of all human-caused GHGs.

If this argument is right, it implies that replacing live-stock products with better alternatives would be the best strategy for reversing climate change. This approach, in fact, would have far more rapid effects on GHG emissions and their atmospheric concentration, and thus on the rate the climate is warming. The authors point out that livestock, like the automobile, are a human invention and convenience, not part of pre-human times, and a molecule of co2 exhaled by livestock is not more natural than one from a tail-pipe.  Today, estimates of cattle raised for human consumption every year, range from 20 to 50 billion head.  This is a sharp increase from a century ago.

Growth in markets for livestock products is greatest in developing countries, where rainforest normally stores at least 200 tons of carbon per hectare. Where forest is replaced by moderately degraded grassland, the tonnage of carbon stored per hectare is reduced to 8.  On average, each hectare of grazing land supports no more than one head of cattle, whose carbon content is a fraction of a ton. In comparison, over 200 tons of carbon per hectare may be released within a short time after forest and other vegetation are cut, burned, or chewed. From the soil beneath, another 200 tons per hectare may be released, with yet more GHGs from livestock respiration and excretions.

An earlier FAO report did not take into account annual GHG reductions from photosynthesis that are foregone by using 26 percent of land worldwide for grazing livestock and 33 percent of arable land for growing feed, rather than allowing it to regenerate forest. Leaving a significant amount of tropical land used for grazing livestock and growing feed to regenerate as forest, could potentially mitigate as much as half of all anthropogenic GHGs.

The capacity of greenhouse gases to trap heat in the atmosphere is described in terms of their global warming potential (GWP), which compares their warming potency to that of CO2 (with a GWP set at 1). The new widely accepted figure for the GWP of methane is 25 using a 100-year timeframe— but it is 72 using a 20-year timeframe, which is more appropriate because of both the large effect that methane reductions can have within 20 years and the serious climate disruption expected within 20 years if no significant reduction of GHGs is achieved. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change supports using a 20-year timeframe for methane.

Worldwatch report on a range of other aspects that all contribute to substantially higher amount of GHG attributable to livestock products vs alternatives. For example, farmed fish, liquid waste, disposal and creation of specialized packaging and medical treatment.  FAO estimates that global population will increase by another 35% by 2050, but in that same period, a doubling of livestock numbers.

Demand for oil will soon be impossible to meet, because of a terminal decline in production (the “peak oil” phenomenon). Petroleum’s price will spike so high as to bring about the collapse of many parts of today’s economy. Livestock products from factory farms may take an extra hit because every gram of biofuel from crops that can possibly be produced to replace conventional fuel likely will be produced—and thereby diverted from livestock—in efforts to stave off disaster.

The NZ Government is allowing further intensification of dairy farming, even allowing high country land to be turned into dairy farms. Landcare ecologist Bill Lee said moves to intensive farming practices over the past decade had “dramatically” wiped out native plants and animals. “The Canterbury Plains have probably suffered the highest level of biodiversity loss of any ecological region in New Zealand.” Fish species had suffered from pollution and loss of habitat from water extraction.

Now is the time to change.

Leaders in our food industry need to begin to replace livestock products with better alternatives now.

Food companies can produce and market alternatives to livestock products that taste similar, but are easier to cook, less expensive, and healthier.

Protein-rich legumes and grains are readily available alternatives, and these typically take one tenth of the energy to produce, and a lot less water.

The most important advantage of a plant based diet for each of us individually, is the ­huge health benefits, bearing in mind the high incidence of obesity and overweight conditions and chronic degenerative diseases linked to livestock products. Increased amount of plant, and fruit based daily consumption has lower possibilities of getting all types of cancer: breast, cervical, pancreatic, colon, bladder, stomach, mouth, larynx, esophagus, and lung.

The answers are life reaffirming.

Philosophers over the centuries have all celebrated the benefits of a meat free diet. I would like to share with you one story of a well-known New Zealander.

The man of the trees

Richard St. Barbe Baker, an influential English forest protection worker, moved to New Zealand in the late 1950s. Long before environmentalism was fashionable, Baker campaigned for forest conservation and vegetarianism, urging communities to save “Earth’s Green Mantle”. He pioneered practices now known as social forestry, encouraging local people to restore and safeguard their own forests.

In the 1920s he worked by the British Colonial Office in Kenya, where he encouraged the local Kikiyu  people to set up a tree protection society known as  Watu wa Miti. Members pledged to protect the native forest, plant native trees every year, and take care of trees everywhere. They devised a special secret handshake and a password, “Twahamwe,” meaning “All as one”.  Watu wa Miti flourished, eventually growing into  “Men of the Trees”, an international forest protection society with branches in many countries. It is now known as the International Tree Foundation.

In the late 1950s Baker moved to New Zealand to live with his second wife on a sheep station in the Southern Alps. Here he prepared organic compost for their vegetable garden, joined the New Zealand Vegetarian Society, wrote books, meditated, and gave lectures on tree planting. He lobbied the New Zealand authorities that forestry was more profitable than sheep farming. At the age of 74 he rode 1200 miles from the northernmost kauri tree in the country to the southernmost, near Invercargill.

In his autobiography, My trees, my life, he imagined a vegetarian future:

In some countries, such as the U.S.A., up to three-quarters of the land has been degraded to the use of growing crops to feed animals, which they kill to feed themselves. Surely a round-about way of getting food, when it is possible to get food for ourselves direct from the earth through fresh vegetables, fruit, and nut-bearing trees … I picture village communities of the future living in valleys protected by sheltering trees on the high ground. They will have fruit and nut orchard and live free from disease and enjoy leisure, liberty and justice for all, living with a sense of their one-ness with the earth, and with all living things.

Baker remained vegetarian until his death in 1982 at the age of 92.

And the way we live and eat matters not only for sustainability, but also for our safety, comfort and health

The quickest way to slash our greenhouse gas emissions on an individual and planetary scale, and the most effective means of preventing more environmental devastation on a major scale, is to reduce or eliminate meat and dairy consumption.

If you want to be safe, live close to where you work, travel by train, use a bicycle on car free routes … and become a vegetarian.

These are solutions that bring good friends and connectedness.

We do have ways to live more lightly on the earth that give joy and better health. Our end game can be a delightful, cradle-to-cradle, pollution free environment. Now is the time to wake up to community gardens, energy efficient buildings, the power of solar and a non-meat diet.

For more information

Contact Regional Councillor Paul Bruce
paul.bruce@greens.org.nz
phone: 04 9728699 cellphone:021 02719370

Presentation to the Rotary Club of Wellington, May 2010

Tena koutou katoa!

According to Charles Finny, CEO of Wellington Regional Chamber of Commerce, Greater Wellington is possibly the best performing regional council in the country, with highly dedicated staff, and a couple of significant plans produced during the recent triennium.

The major expenditure item has been the replacement of 1940’s trains, and the addition of some extra transit capacity.

However, as well as running the buses and trains, GW is the environmental manager of the region, does transport planning, water supply, flood protection, pest and land management, harbour safety, regional parks and forests, emergency management and funds a regional economic development agency.  Three years ago I talked to you about climate and weather.

Well, greenhouse gas emissions continue their relentless climb, as do signs of global climate change.

In fact we are following along the worst case scenario … in spite of what the climate deniers say!
The way we use energy and transport matters not only for sustainability, but also for our safety, comfort and health. The most dangerous thing we do in our lives is to travel in a car.  And two thirds of cyclist accidents are due to cars.

If you want to be really safe, then travel by train, they are doing so increasing numbers in Europe – the risk reduces ten-fold! Less hassle and you arrive safely at your destination.

Well, what about Wellington?

Our city hums with a vibrancy that comes from a denser inner core and the seat of Governance, and plenty of intellectual debate. And, we have other things, like a Sustainable Cities faculty (Otago University), the most used public transit system in New Zealand, and almost all our electricity about to be produced by a couple of wind farms. About 75% of public transport use, measured in passengers times distance travelled (passenger-km), is powered by electricity: trains and trolleybuses.

Thirty one percent of inner city residents no longer own a car, with 73% choosing to walk to work. A WCC 2006 survey, also showed 27% of trips in Wellington city between 1km and 2km were made by walking and cycling.

Yet, in spite of this only 17% of the wider regional population commute by public transport to the CBD, with about 70% commuting by car. But 70% of car journeys are not work-related: visits to the supermarket, sport, recreation, and for social occasions.

New Zealand has one of the highest per capita transport demand profiles, and is highly dependent on oil imports to support this demand. Thirty six percent of Greater Wellington greenhouse emissions come from petrol, diesel and aviation fuel.

This suggests that NZ would fare comparatively badly in response to high oil prices, especially lower socio-economic communities, with poor public transport connections. An interesting survey done at Griffith University shows how communities located in peripheral suburbs by cheaper housing suffer disproportionately from oil price increases. The same would probably happen here, in Wainuiomata, Porirua East, and Titahi Bay and so on unless there is strategic development of post-oil alternatives.

Oil Vulnerability in the Australian City – Griffith University

The sustainable response? Provide people with the opportunity to choose sustainable transport modes for most of their travel, generate services locally, increase efficiency of our services, give support to active transport and adjust our urban form.

Greater Wellington funds public transport

Our system suffers from decades of neglect. Trolleybus, and rail networks have been allowed to run down.  Since 1993 the National and Labour governments have invested roughly $14 billion in road maintenance and renewal and only $2 billion in rail improvements, so it is not surprising our railway lines are carrying less freight than the trucks on our roads.

Good news for Kiwirail today, making a modest profit, according to the half-year report [PDF].

96 new electric “Matangi” trains will start arriving from August this year. This has been accompanied by a year long upgrade of station platforms, signalling and electrification to Waikanae, with new double tracking. Work is continuing on providing real time information for bus and train travellers, with a pilot involving 25 buses under way at present.

Integrated ticketing is planned, but held up in order to coordinate with Auckland. NZTA has chosen Thales as the supplier for a national system.

At the same time, GW is reviewing bus efficiency on routes south of Wellington Railway Station.

A major deterrent to public transport use south of the CBD, has been the congested hub at Wellington Railway Station and along Lambton Quay. Multiple routes passing through this space, produces bus congestion, and poor timetabling.

A collaborative NZ/Australian transport study, directed by Prof. Gustaf Nielson, indicated the value of moving towards spoke and hub services (and sub-hubs) feeding into enhanced arterial transport routes, and I am very pleased to say the GW officers now believe that we can make significant improvements to the efficiency of our networks, which allow for increased frequency in outer areas, and less congestion in the CBD.

Roads of National Significance (RoNS)

However, these fine aspirations have been undermined by Government’s announcement of Roads of National Significance or RoNS, and has thrown into doubt the purchase of another 14 trains, that would allow for 3% annual growth.

Minister of Transport, Stephen Joyce, has outlined an additional $21 billion of investment in roads. The same National Infrastructure Plan lists only a further $0.7 billion investment in alternatives to roads.

It is indeed ironic that Prime Minister John Key can claim in Copenhagen, that NZ can’t afford to reduce GHE, yet National can find $2.2 billion public money for expenditure on non-performing assets in the Wellington region that saddle us with long term costs and more greenhouse emissions!

GW’s Regional Land Transport Strategy contains a vision that few would disagree with.

It advocates modal shift to public transport and active travel, and transfer of freight to rail, as a response to climate change, rising fuel prices, health, safety and security.

However, the key outcomes listed - Reduced severe road congestion (6.4.1), and the related outcomes - Maintained vehicle travel times between communities and regional destinations, and Improved reliability of the strategic roading network, have been used to justify the inclusion of the Transmission Gully project (8.1r, 10.2.1), the “Road of National Significance” (8.5d, 10.2.1), and Ngauranga to Wellington Airport Corridor (10.2.4). The timing of the Mt Victoria and Terrace Tunnel duplications and the widening of Ruahine Street have been brought forward in response to the inclusion of the Road of National Significance.

I also say, “non-performing” non-reservedly, as the cost benefit analysis shows that all the different components come out at well below One.  This means, the Government is planning to build roads that will have no net benefit to the economy, that is a loss will be made.  And the Transmission Gully road lies on an active fault line, and soil mapping indicates that the area suffers the same propensity for slips after heavy rains, as the coastal route.

The latest OECD comparison (2002) shows that New Zealand is already suffering from a very expensive transport network, with the highest vehicle kilometers travelled (VKT) per unit of Gross  Domestic Product (GDP) in the OECD:

Vehicle Kilometres Travelled by Road – MfE website

Each year in New Zealand, traffic-related air pollution is a contributing factor to 500 deaths, a similar number of deaths to road accidents. Car drivers and passengers have a death/injury rate ten times that of bus passengers.
There are also a lot of hidden costs, and one Ministry of Transport study, estimates that car and trucks only contribute 65% towards the total cost to the community.

For example, wastes such as used oil, batteries and tyres require careful disposal and cost New Zealand $3.8 billion. Road transport is also a primary source of harmful air pollutants in urban areas, and waterways are affected by contaminated run-off from roads.

Roading projects are funded from the National Land Transport Fund [Government Policy Statement GPS 2009/10 – 2018/19 May 2009 - PDF].  Some funding also comes from local authority rates.  So ratepayers are paying for a portion of the cost of the Roads of National Significance (RoNs).

While most trucks pay road user charges it is not generally enough to cover the cost of road maintenance and the remainder is funded from taxpayers contributions.  Road freight causes significant damage to roads and the most efficient means of transporting heavy goods is by rail.  So in effect, roads are subsidized three times, firstly by vehicle registrations, secondly by taxpayers and thirdly by rates.

Many of us believed that peaking oil prices would see a shift in the car friendly culture irrespective of which Government was elected. We did not imagine in our wildest dreams that the Government would begin raising billions of dollars to keep the whole structure going and would prefer that our children inherit an impossible debt just to feed this addictive use of mineral oil.

The RONS proposal will result in unnecessary road capacity and community severance.

They will increase traffic speed and feed more vehicles into already congested Wellington streets. New expressways, like Karo Drive, may well lead to further high speed accidents, making a mockery of the recently launched Traffic Safety program, aimed at getting speed down.

The Minister wants a racetrack, in a similar manner to Muldoon’s think big projects, and they seem to be placing all their bets on bio-fuels and electric cars to replace gasoline.

However, electric cars are expensive, their uptake will be slow, with resource constraints on essential materials necessary for both batteries and electrical infrastructure. The Hon Steven Joyce has in fact estimated that there will be 300 light electric motor vehicles in the fleet by July 2013, and only reach 5% of the vehicle fleet by 2020. (NZ Energy Strategy PDF).

As a Regional Councillor, I have been advocating a balanced approach and seek the funds needed to fix the key problems with the rail system – the North-South junction, the fixing of the missing rail link from Wellington Railway station, that is light rail through to the Airport, and looking at our Urban form.

Urban form – access rather than mobility

A recent Health Department report, Healthy Places, Healthy Lives: Urban environments and wellbeing, provides detailed evidence about the strong link between poor urban design and poor health, and the large burden that puts on our communities and health services.

If designed appropriately, urban form and transport can increase physical activity, improve air quality, reduce road traffic injuries, increase social cohesion, and achieve maximum health benefits from services and facilities. Urban form can also help create a sense of place.

Urban form is a key factor in reducing the need for fossil fuels.

All the territorial authorities except Upper Hutt are signatories to the Urban Protocol (March 2005). The Regional Land Transport Programme has a vision that acknowledges the need for better land use, that people live closer to their main destinations for work and play, more vehicles run on renewable fuels, and that peoples choices recognise the risk and impact of climate change and diminishing non-renewable resources.

A vibrant city will facilitate compact development around transport hubs -

• safe cycle ways on all arterial routes, and speed limit of 30km/h on shared roads.
• electric trolley buses and light rail
• freight to shipping and rail powered by a combination of solar, wind and bio-fuels. Coastal shipping is the most energy efficient way to move freight around the country, producing only 14 grams of CO2 per tonne-kilometre compared with road at 92–123 grams of CO2
• moderate density apartments allowing regen heat, smart transport design,  car share, passive solar aspects, savings in building design, community gardens
• connectedness through broad band, social access
• time share
• free cycle and swap of used goods
• clean air and good health
• demand management programs run through workplace and schools, to encourage active modes, school walking buses etc.

Projects such as dual rail tunnels from Pukerua Bay through to Paekakariki, can enhance the public transport network and take cars and trucks off the road.

Tram – Train

Brent Efford, a recipient of a Winston Churchill Fellowship in 2003, to study transit in North America, says that extending the rail system into the CBD using tram-train would knock ten minutes off the journey time for thousands of commuters every day, the same time saving claimed for Transmission Gully, but at less than $100m – less than a tenth of the cost.

Let’s look at a schematic of a possible new tram-train network, connecting Johnsonville and Melling directly through the Wellington CBD to the airport. Of course this would be done in stages, and based on similar light rail developments in Adelaide, Melbourne and most recently in Christchurch, would cost no more than $20 million per km to lay down the lines.

Allowing an inland rail port at Waingawa in Wairarapa, would remove the need for heavy trucks to use the Rimutaka Hill road.

And we need more passenger connections – rail commuters are complaining of “Third World travelling conditions” and safety concerns on packed trains. Passenger counts of 1200 on the three peak morning services from Masterton to Wellington, outnumbered available seats last year (DomPost 12th March 2009).

And another way that John Key and Steven Joyce could give us real dividends is to ….

Active modes

… invest in cycle friendly infrastructure.  All TAs and GW have cycle plans specifying the need for safe cycling routes. In spite of this, change is slow and some times non-existent.  Riddiford Street was upgraded in January last year, with no provision for cyclists, though advance stop markings have since been added.

A cycle/walk way connecting Petone and Nguaranga was first mooted over 100 years ago.  Progress has been made here with the adoption of the concept of the Great Harbour Way by all TAs including GW. NZTA has also completed a study recommending a stand alone seaward track only between Petone and Horokiwi. We need political pressure to expand that to a fully fledged cycle way into the heart of Wellington.

Thirteen National cycle trails got the nod at the start of February to go through to the next stage for National Cycleway funding.  Wellington region was excluded!

Based on experience in other cities, a 3 to 5 metre two way track connecting Wellington’s two major cities, could lead to a 20 fold increase with up to 8,000 new cyclists.  This would significant number of cars off State highway 2 with corresponding benefits for us al.

The economic benefits are well established.

NZTA have found that a car driver shifting mode to cycling on a 5km commuter trip to work, brings $9,000 savings per year to the rider and the rest of the community.

A 10% shift back to cycling would bring savings of billions of dollars to the NZ economy.

30% of our land travel trips are for distances of under two kilometres.

Urban planner Richard Register recounts meeting a bicycle activist friend wearing a t-shirt that said “I just lost 3,500 pounds. Ask me how.”  When queried he said he had sold his car. Replacing a 3,500-pound car with a 22-pound bicycle obviously reduces energy use dramatically, but it also reduces materials use by 99 percent, indirectly saving still more energy.

Enrique Penalosa, Mayor of Bogota (Colombia), was responsible for numerous radical improvements to his city, and for its citizens. He promoted a city model giving priority to children and public spaces and restricting private car use, building hundreds of kilometers of sidewalks, bicycle paths, pedestrian streets, greenways, and parks.

Penalosa, said that he had seen transportation systems where people had to walk or bike unprotected on highways and risk being killed, because figuring out how to move people who choose to walk, was less important than figuring out how to move rich people who had fancy cars.

“There are 1 or 2% kamikaze cyclists who will mix it with car traffic. If you paint a white line on the road, the number of cyclists increases to 5%. Then if you construct a special cycle way, protected from the traffic by shrubs, then 30 to 40% will venture out”

Broadway in New York has removed car parks, and traffic lanes, and created really popular cycle ways and broader sidewalks.

Overseas cities are no longer investing in accommodating the motorcar. They are promoting and improving their public transport. In cities such as Toronto and Seattle, there are moves to demolish freeways (motorways).

Moving our City with Free Public Transport

Bob Jones hit the mark when he called for a car free golden mile. However, there a number of other things that we should do to help people move more freely about town.  One of these is free public transport, and the other is reducing the number of car parks.

Wellington City Council provides, through a business levy, free carparking at weekends to encourage shoppers to come into the city, but this may well be counter-productive. It costs $1.2m in forgone parking revenue, and contributes to vehicle pollution and traffic snarl ups as cars search for parking spaces. It may also put some people off coming to town, and actually decrease retail returns.

Wellington City Council “free” weekend car parks cost a lot in foregone revenue, in fact three to four times more than the cost of inner city public transport weekend fares. Wellington is in fact, an extreme case in terms of provision of car parks, with the highest number of parking spaces per job, according to figures gathered from around the world.

We outrank Christchurch and Auckland, and well known US cities, Phoenic, Denver, and Detroit. In his book The High Cost of Free Parking, Donald Shoup estimates that off-street parking subsidies in the United States are worth at least $127 billion a year. What societies should be striving for is not parking subsidies, but parking fees, reflecting the costs of congestion and the deteriorating quality of life as cars and parking lots take over.

In a time of diminishing resources, this isn’t the best message to send out.

Instead, we should aim for fewer cars in shopping areas, which would improve air quality and traffic flow, and hence ambience and retail sales. It also can give an added pull to tourists.

Number of CBD parking spaces in 1996 per 1000 CBD jobs

(figures collated by Kerry Wood)

Zero fare public transport services

Bachels, M, Newman, P and Kenworthy, J (1999). Indicators of urban transport efficiency in New Zealand’s main cities. Perth: Murdoch University, ISBN 0 86905 669 7

Newman, P and Kenworthy, J (1999). Sustainability and cities — overcoming automobile dependence. ISBN 1 55963 660 2.

The High Cost of Free Parking, Donald Shoup estimates that off-street parking subsidies in the United States are worth at least $127 billion a year.

Why not look at shifting some of the business levy to cover bus fares in the central business district? This would tie in with Greater Wellington’s intention to move towards integrated fares, allowing people arriving from outer suburbs such as Hutt Valley and Kapiti Coast to proceed through to Courtenay Place without any extra cost. Greater Wellington already provides a free connecting bus service on the Kapiti Coast to connect with train services, and has found this measure to be cost neutral.

Overseas experience has shown that zero fare inner city public transport encourages people to test the alternative.

More about free public transport

“The Thrill is Gone”

There are signs of deeper shifts in consumer attitudes towards cars, notably among the younger people on which its future rests. Studies now show they will be less willing to spend on them than their parents –  Toyota, the world’s largest carmaker, concluded recently that in the US “frugalism is the new cool”, according to Bob Carter, brand head in the country.

We do have ways to live more lightly on the earth that give joy and better health.  Our end game can be a delightful, cradle-to-cradle, pollution free environment.

Now is the time to wake up to irresistible cities, with light rail, Great Harbour cycle walkways, community gardens, energy efficient buildings, and the power of solar.

One last thing…. remember that

The economy is a wholly owned subsidiary of the environment.

For more information

Contact Regional Councillor Paul Bruce
paul.bruce@greens.org.nz
phone: 04 9728699 cellphone:021 02719370

The Dominion Post reported; “Round-the-clock gridlock has been predicted if The Terrace and Mt Victoria tunnels are closed for five weeks to kickstart a $80 million project to remedy serious safety problems.”

Could we use this sense of crisis to achieve immediate improvements in public transport services and safe cycle and walk ways between Wellington CBD and its suburbs?

A report to the Greater Wellington’s Transport and Access Committee is proposing that all fares be increased from 1 October 2010, to take account of the GST increase, and to produce a 3% increase in fare revenue to balance increased costs

Fare increases: bad timing

Greater Wellington Regional Councillor Paul Bruce said that coinciding Public Transport fare increases with the Mt Victoria tunnel safety upgrades is bad timing. “If we are going to close off routes, we must provide some counter balancing measure to help people move freely about Wellington city.

One of these measures could be moving the subsidy for free weekend public parking to zero inner city fares. Mr Bruce said that many other cities provide zero fare services, including Auckland, Christchurch and Invercargill.

Use the business levy

Shifting some of the Wellington City Council business levy to cover bus fares in the central business district ties in with a move towards integrated fares, allowing people arriving from outer suburbs to proceed through to Courtenay Place without any extra cost.

This will attract extra riders and lead to fewer cars in the inner city area, which in turn will improve traffic flow and air quality and thus ambience and … retail sales. Convenient public transport will also give an added pull to tourists.

Other advantages to alternative transport

There are also health, social and environmental advantages to funding alternative modes of transport such as cycling, walking and public transport.

Physical inactivity accounts for almost 10 percent of New Zealand’s 20 leading causes of death. It is a contributor to obesity and type 2 diabetes, which together cost the health system over $500 million per year. In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency is now promoting “car reduced” communities.  And the British government’s 2001 planning document says: “Development comprising jobs, shopping, leisure and services should not be designed and located on the assumption that the car will represent the only realistic means of access for the vast majority of people”.

Car parking

Wellington is an extreme case in terms of provision of car parks, with the highest number of parking spaces per job, according to figures collated by Kerry Wood. We outrank Christchurch and Auckland, and well known US cities, Phoenic, Denver, and Detroit.

Wellington City Council “free” weekend car parks cost a lot in foregone revenue, in fact four times more than the inner city public transport weekend fare, and about half the total weekend bus revenue take. Free parking contributes to vehicle pollution and traffic snarl ups as cars search for parking spaces, and may actually diminish retail sales. In a time of diminishing resources, a subsidy for free parking isn’t the best plan.

Creative solutions

Improving Wellington’s transport network can happen with some creative solutions. Our transport network includes every bus, car, skateboard or pair of feet that people use to get around, each with different requirements, whether in use or not.

Wellington’s compact size means space is at a premium downtown.What goes unnoticed are the ways in which we prioritise and even sponsor car use above every alternative. Private cars are the part of that network that take up the most space and energy, for the least return.

Instead, providing some real alternatives, such as zero inner city public transport fares combined with safer cycling after the removal of some parking, enhances the village atmosphere that we all seek.

Paul Bruce concluded that the closure of the Mt Victoria tunnel for safety upgrades should be seen as an opportunity to promote our public transport system. “Greater Wellington provides a free connecting bus service on the Kapiti Coast to connect with train services, and has found this to be a great success. What about moving towards zero weekend fares for Wellington city?”

Number of CBD parking spaces in 1996 per 1000 CBD jobs

(figures collated by Kerry Wood)

Zero fare public transport services

Links

Economic benefits of people-friendly streets

Parking lots to parks – designing livable cities by Lester R Brown

Paved with gold – the real value of street design – by CABE, UK

Economic value of walkability – Victoria Transport Policy Institute [PDF, 233KB]

Bachels, M, Newman, P and Kenworthy, J (1999). Indicators of urban transport efficiency in New Zealand’s main cities. Perth: Murdoch University, ISBN 0 86905 669 7

Newman, P and Kenworthy, J (1999). Sustainability and cities — overcoming automobile dependence. ISBN 1 55963 660 2.

The High Cost of Free Parking, Donald Shoup estimates that off-street parking subsidies in the United States are worth at least $127 billion a year.

For more information

Contact Regional Councillor Paul Bruce
paul.bruce@greens.org.nz
phone: 04 9728699 cellphone:021 02719370

Submissions close 4pm Friday 23rd April, and oral submissions will be heard 12th to 14th May.

Areas of interest:

1: Public transport fare increase of 3% (plus amount GST increase) for upgrade improvements

My suggestion:  This increase be applied evenly over the network, while using the WCC downtown business levy to provide free public transport services during weekends for the CBD sections. A free CBD fare will allow those arriving by public transport to the city to move about the city without having to pay for an additional fare. Note that the rail fare terminates at Wellington railway station not Courtenay Place.  The integration of fares between services is making very slow progress, and this would be a step in the right direction.

2: Refurbishment program of the Ganz Mavag rail fleet at an estimated cost of $8 million (page 25 on full report)

My suggestion: Proceed no further with refurbishment of these units which will not match the quality of the new Matangi trains.  Instead investigate the purchase of modern light rail units for travel through the city CBD.

3: Water Supply

Expenditure of over $ 7 million on upgrades to infrastructure.

My suggestion: Extend the clean heat (also referred to as Warm Greater Wellington) rating financial expenditure program to domestic rain water collection tanks as an additional item.

Proposed Wellington Regional Land Transport Strategy 2010-2040

The Wellington Regional Land Transport Committee is seeking public feedback on its proposed Regional Land Transport Strategy, which is an update on the current strategy adopted in 2007.  Submissions must reach Greater Wellington by 5pm on Friday 23 April 2010.

The RLTS document contains a vision that few would disagree with.  It also advocates modal shift to public transport and active travel, and transfer of freight to rail, as a response to climate change, rising fuel prices, health, safety and security.

However, one of the key outcomes listed -  Reduced severe road congestion (6.4.1), and the related outcomes -  Maintained vehicle travel times between communities and regional destinations, and Improved reliability of the strategic roading network, allow the inclusion of the Transmission Gully project (8.1r, 10.2.1), the “Road of National Significance” (8.5d, 10.2.1), and Ngauranga to Wellington Airport Corridor (10.2.4) .  The timing of the Mt Victoria and Terrace Tunnel duplications and the widening of Ruahine Street have been brought forward in response to the inclusion of the Road of National Significance.

A small portion of the $2.4 billion allocated to road upgrades would provide for double tracking and tunneling of the main truck rail line,  light rail, safe cycle paths, and consequent increase in resiliency of region to price increases, storms and earthquakes.

The incompatibility of this outcome with the other outcomes and the Proposed Regional Policy Statement 2009 (Appendix 4.1), needs to be highlighted.

My suggestions:

1. Faster movement towards integrated public transport services
2. Inclusion of light rail in the Ngauranga to Wellington Airport corridor to address limitations on capacity
3. Fast track construction of the Petone to Nguaranga cycle/walk way as an essential part of the regional network
4. Cycle racks on buses (note new amendment to the road rules)
5. Introduction of road pricing or congestion charges (Appendix 3.1.6)

For more information

Contact Regional Councillor Paul Bruce
paul.bruce@greens.org.nz
phone: 04 9728699 cellphone:021 02719370

Location:

Come and join Sue Kedgley and the Coalition against the use of Methyl Bromide to protest the use of this highly toxic gas at the Wellington Port. This is part of a nationwide series of protests organised by the coalition. There will be speeches outlining the risks of Methyl Bromide and options for better practice.

Methyl Bromide is currently used to fumigate logs at various ports around New Zealand. It is often released directly into the atmosphere and is very ozone depleting. It poses serious health risks to the port workers. The protest starts from 12.00.

Contact – Malcolm Larking 04 3814640, 0211838952.

Kapiti suffers from significant traffic congestion at peak times.  We need sustainable solutions soon.

The NZ Transport Agency has decided to build an expressway, designed to motorway specifications, through our precious coastal community.  The decision process has been divisive, manipulative, and lacking information. Instead of consulting the community about possible solutions to the problems, we were only offered a choice between three equally unacceptable expressway routes.

The construction of a major expressway through the heart of the Kapiti district would drastically change the coastal suburban/rural character of our community.  It would have dramatic impacts, including community severance, noise, air pollution, and the destruction of waahi tapu and significant natural and cultural sites.

Such an expressway would not address local traffic issues and would not provide through-traffic solutions for several years. This is not a solution.

How you can help

• Sign the electronic petition
• Print a petition and gather signatures
• Check out the website www.thesustainableoption.co.nz for more information

Who are ASK?

The Alliance for Sustainable Kapiti (ASK) is an informal alliance of community organisations and individuals who have united to preserve the character of Kapiti and its local communities, by opposing any new expressway and lobby for a sustainable approach to transport and development.

We believe that our local communities should not be sacrificed for the Minister of Transport’s perceived national interest, and should be recognised as part of the overall environment and economy.

We support sustainable transport solutions which consider community interests and the Community Plan, as well as our obligations to lower our reliance on fossil fuels and to reduce greenhouse emissions at a local and national level.

These solutions include

1. Safety and flow improvement to State Highway 1 : Along the current alignment, including four lanes as and when necessary, median barriers, removal of traffic lights etc.;
2. Two-Lane Western Link Road (WLR) and Waikanae River bridge: Built NOW to provide significant relief to State Highway 1 with maximum local connectivity, fully integrated with the surrounding centres and environment;
3. Continue improvement to the Rail System: Support the efficiency of the road network through passenger and freight rail improvements including passenger services to Otaki and Palmerston North

NZTA’s decision

On 15 December 2009, the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) Board announced its decision for the “Sandhills” route as the preferred corridor for a new expressway.  NZTA provided very little information  to assess the actual path of the expressway and hence specific impacts on the community.  We have overlaid a map provided by NZTA on a Google Earth image of Kapiti.

Route proposed by NZTA overlaid on map of Kapiti

Likely impacts:

Any decision to proceed with the Sandhills route would result in [1]:

• Continuing traffic delays until 2020, the likely completion date;
• A four-lane 100kph motorway with major overbridges on the scale of Mackay’s crossing through QE Park and through a residential region
• Loss of dune lands, wetlands, native bush and waahi tapu;
• Severance – a community further physically divided;
• Loss of local connectivity provided by a two-lane Western Link Road, which means little improvement in travel times for people making local trips;
• Poor connections for cyclists and walkers from the loss of major CWB route (Cycleways/walkways/bridleways)

How you can help

• Sign the electronic petition
• Print a petition and gather signatures
• Check out the website www.thesustainableoption.co.nz for more information

Artist's rendition of the Basin Reserve Flyover - overhead view.

Date: Thursday, December 10, 2009
Time: 7:30pm – 9:00pm
Location: New Crossways Community Cr, 6 Roxburgh St, Mt Victoria.

The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) is making progress on plans to build a flyover over the Basin. It plans to go out to consultation on a design or designs starting from next February and will be meeting in a few weeks time to vote on how many options will be considered.

From what we know of the Agency, it is likely that only destructive roading options will be considered.

Come along to a planning meeting to hear the latest news and to get ready for the next phase of the campaign. We’ll report back on progress to date and will look for suggestions and ideas on how to achieve a more sensible outcome than an unnecessary flyover.

All welcome, see you there!

Links

• Sign the petition to Save the Basin Reserve
• More info, plus download and print petitions
• Join the Facebook group

Traffic signals are being installed on the pedestrian crossing near Reading Cinemas. Originally this was part of a package designed to improved bus priority that included 30k limits and giving buses priority during peak hours. Wellington City Council agreed to consult on the details of bus priority lanes in Courtenay Place in June 2008 but a couple of elected members changed their minds and revoked that agreement.

I have walked, cycled, caught a bus and driven my car along Courtenay Place at different times of day.

There are considerable peak hour delays in this part of the route caused by private cars, especially in the evening. Sometimes there are ten cars per bus going through Courtenay Place. We should have collectively had the vision to improve public transport by reducing car access at peak times, not simply restricting people on foot!

At the moment many Wellington traffic signals give very poor priority to people on foot. I say that as the founder of Living Streets Aotearoa, the national organisation for improving urban walking.

Walking increased

Wellington is the only metropolitan region where walking to work has increased between 1991 and 2006. More people live downtown and in inner suburbs and enjoy walking to work. Giving priority to a bus with 40 or 50 passengers is acceptable but why should walkers have to give way to one person occupancy cars?

Natural allies

Walkers, cyclists and public transport should be natural allies in improving the liveability of downtown cities, improving access and economic success without increasing congestion, pollution and parking problems. The private car has its place in Wellington’s transport system but not at 5 p.m. on Courtenay Place! Drivers could use other roads to get across town in these busy times instead of paralysing our public transport spine.

References

1 Original Bus Priority Plan [PDF] -  http://www.wellington.govt.nz/haveyoursay/meetings/committee/Strategy_and_Policy/2008/12Jun0915/pdf/3_Bus_Priority_Plan.pdf

Extract: “During peak periods Courtenay Place is no longer adequately coping with the competing demands. This is especially the case for buses and bus users, who unlike cars, have no alternative routes through this part of the central area. Currently passengers and bus companies experience significant delays on Courtenay Place, which filter through the entire transport system and affect public transport users and drivers across the city.
The average journey time for buses along Courtenay Place in the morning is 1.5 minutes and in the evening is 4.25 minutes. This is against a free flow journey time of 40 seconds. Of more concern is the variability of the bus journey time ranging from 40 seconds to in excess of 10 minutes. ”

http://www.ijbnpa.org/content/6/1/64
Extract:
Two New Zealand regions that bucked the overall trends by revealing increasing levels of walking warrant further comment. Regional strategies in Wellington and Nelson have made substantial investments in active transport. Wellington has proposed an urban development strategy, based on the idea of a “growth spine” (a strip of land along which more intensive urban development is encouraged), a bus lane programme and school, workplace and community travel plans.

Contact me

celia.wadebrown@greens.org.nz

phone: 04-938 6691 cellphone: 027 483 6691

Celia’s Councillor profile on the Wellington City Council website

Cr Celia Wade-Brown, a member of the local steering group promoting Fair Trade, said “I’m delighted Wellington City Council has taken this step. Fair Trade businesses have continued to flourish despite the recession, showing that social responsibility and business success can go hand-in-hand.”

The Mayor successfully moved a resolution at Council on September 17th, making us the first Free Trade Capital City in the Southern Hemisphere and the first New Zealand Fair Trade City.

Other Fair Trade cities include London, Yarra and Manly.

We’re nearly there!

Wellington has already achieved all the other necessary steps.

Fair Trade products are available in more than a hundred retail outlets, including cafes such as Finc, TradeAid, Peoples Coffee, Celcius Coffee, Starfish, Kowtow and Commonsense Organics.

Fair Trade products are used in a range of workplaces, schools and community groups, there has been positive media coverage and there is a local steering group to support progress.

What happens next?

Now Council must work towards providing a choice of Fair Trade tea and coffee at public meetings and for staff.

Several departments already buy Fair Trade coffee and its purchase is compatible with Council’s procurement standards. There are plenty of choices of supplier in Wellington.

Cr Wade-Brown says “While many Wellingtonians can still afford to enjoy a cup of coffee in our world-class cafe culture, we can also feel pleased that growers are receiving a fair price for the beans. We all have a responsibility to think about where our purchases come from and what impact is caused by their production.”

Fair trade

Fair Trade is a way out of the poverty trap for growers and their families. Commodity prices are volatile and can leave farmers without enough income for their health and education needs. Fair Trade organisations are independently certified.

More about Fair Trade Communities

Contact me

Celia Wade-Brown
celia.wadebrown@greens.org.nz
phone: 04-938 6691
cellphone: 027 483 6691
Celia’s Councillor profile on the Wellington City Council website

More about the Stop the Basin Reserve Flyover campaign