Francis Reid
@FrancisLReid
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Interested in trade, conservation, politics, cycling, public transport, housing affordability, ending war & some music, history & sport. Views are personal.
Auckland, New Zealand
Joined December 2014
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Last Seen Profiles
My daughter’s science teacher gave the class an anti-vaccine rant today & said she supports National because they’re “good for business”.
Teachers have a tough job & I hate to be a difficult parent, but I’m considering making complaint or asking for my daughter to be moved.
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I wish Labour had lost the election with a radical policy platform rather than going out with a centrist whimper.
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Wayne Brown thinks Auckland should get a better return from the ~$1 billion Ports of Auckland Assets. Fair enough.
Let’s have the same rigour applied to the ~$3 billion of Golf Course assets owned or managed by Auckland Council.
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If the state gave everyone a basic income we could stop debating who was worthy of support.
No application process.
Low admin costs.
Everyone gets it.
Nobody goes homeless or hungry.
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I had a form teacher when I was 14 who explained to our class how moral boundaries exist - just because you can legally or physically do something doesn’t mean it’s a good idea or you should.
I’m reminded of that lesson often.
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The search for Monica is over & she has been found, but not in the way any of us wanted.
Thank you for all the kindness. The police and everyone involved in the search were amazing.
Monica was such a source of joy to so many people. There are many tears.
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Finland will win no medals at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Yet they have been ranked the world’s happiest country for 7 years running.
The New Zealand brain cannot comprehend.
It’s almost like sporting success is nice, but investing in education and healthcare is more important.
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I visited Central Auckland with the kids today.
Queen Street is a hot mess. The obvious way to improve it is to fully pedestrianise it.
I don’t understand why anyone thinks Queen St is improved by allowing car access.
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Imagine proposing a policy you know will lead to more people dying in the short term, and will negatively impact the health of society long-term by reducing the number of people walking and cycling.
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If we cannot safely leave lockdown, at least give us Te Reo on Duolingo.
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The search for my sister Monica continues. Thank you for your messages of support. I’m sorry I haven’t replied properly to most of you. Beyond keeping an eye out for Monica and your kind messages there’s nothing we need.
We just want to see Monica again.
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Auckland - where signs are erected in the middle of footpaths and protected by bollards.
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I’m a New Zealander born and bred, but sometimes I wonder if it’s a real country.
Can you imagine “Tony Blair / Barack Obama hits hole-in-one” being a lead story in the UK or US?
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Smales Farm bus station this morning - this is the fifth NX bus that’s come while I’ve been waiting and I finally managed to get on this one. The others were full and only let on one or two passengers.
The latent demand for regular public transport in Auckland is immense.
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It’s impossible to cycle in Auckland and not to become an activist.
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How I get to work:
10 minute cycle to bus station.
10 minute bus ride to office.
The cycle will not be recorded in the census because they don’t recognize multi-mode trips.
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If you’re building a new harbour bridge for cars adding a wide footpath would have negligible cost - you could basically have it for free.
Ruling out a cycleway and pedestrian access is about politics not economics.
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My theory - Auckland cycle lanes are built to make cycling marginally less dangerous for people who already cycle, not to get more people cycling.
To make cycling safe for everyone aged 6 to 80+ they should be segregated, continuous & unbroken by bus stops or intersections.
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We can transform Auckland without spending billions:
- Increase bus frequency on all routes to max 10 min intervals
- Cap fares at $2 a day
- Remove on-street parking on all arterial roads & replace with protected cycle lanes
- 30km/hr speed limit on all non-arterial roads.
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Listening to
@RichardHills_
on Radio NZ talk about buses reminds me that competent politicians trying to good things do exist - keep up the good work Richard!
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Auckland’s public transport doesn’t work for weekend activities
The system runs routes designed for weekday commuters on lower frequencies
Why not run weekend only services focused on sports fields, beaches & shopping centres? Higher frequencies also a must to reduce car usage.
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Thank you for your kindness towards me & my family over the last 10 days since Monica went missing.
In this divided world it’s easy to forget that most people are compassionate & wish others well.
Thanks for reminding me of the good will that is out there in our community.
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Having school aged children is a window into society. Other kids at school repeat what they hear at home without filtering in the way that most adults do.
Two themes come through:
1) Racism.
2) Vicious pro-car and anti-pedestrian/cyclist views.
These seem mainstream in NZ.
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Will I put my tax cut towards my kids’ bus fares or their prescription charges? So many choices!
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Experts and policy nerds: this will make congestion worse, transport more expensive for all of us and increase obesity rates and the number of people who die on our roads.
Newspaper headline: policy criticized for $50 car registration increase.
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Radio NZ reporter: “There are two ways to get to Devonport - take the ferry or drive along Lake Road”.
No, actually - you can take the bus, cycle and walk there too.
Language matters and turns cars into the default and alternatives into nice to haves.
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Back living in NZ for a month. Thoughts on Auckland’s urban environment:
1) roads are too wide, footpaths narrow & cycle-paths almost nonexistent
2) given the above, amazing how many pedestrians & cyclists there are
3) safer streets require political will, not loads of cash.
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It’s not a sinkhole.
It’s a portal to the Upside Down Auckland where there’s surface light rail, a cycle path across the Harbour, and the central motorway junction was never built and is instead home to a thriving cosmopolitan inner-city community.
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I have opted for the inform rather than complain option i.e. “here’s what I understand was said…might have been taken out of context or meant as ironic jokes…have other concerns been raised? Etc”.
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What’s the downside of a free bikes in schools & 50% subsidy on e-bikes for adults policy?
Flood the country with bikes & then separated cycle paths seem obvious. It feels more transformative than subsidies for e-cars, which is good but not as good as promoting mode shifting.
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I’m in San Francisco for work and this morning I ran up to the Golden Gate Bridge.
And guess what Auckland - you can walk and cycle across it, because that’s what civilized global cities do.
#liberatethelane
@efesocollins
@RichardHills_
@pippacoom
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Puhoi to Warkworth: 7 years and $880m to build one 18km motorway.
Why don’t we frame stories about motorways like that?
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It’s amazing that anyone could look at Auckland’s transport network and conclude “more roads is what they need”.
#NZPol
#TransportNews
: Transport Minister Simeon Brown has confirmed his high-level transport priorities for Auckland, in the lead up to releasing the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport.
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Cyclists want a lane on the Harbour Bridge.
Auckland Council has endorsed the Transport Emissions Reduction Pathway including 50% car usage reduction & 13% cycling mode share by 2030.
A Bridge cycle lane seems inevitable given the scale of change needed in the next few years.
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Smales Farm bike parking this morning looking pretty busy.
There are no cycle lanes to this place.
Imagine the demand if we had safe cycling infrastructure connecting to rapid transit stops like Smales Farm.
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New Zealand will bankrupt itself building roads rather than do anything to reduce the demand for new roads.
Congestion charging, bus & cycle lanes, removing on road car parks are all politically impossible or need to be accompanied by a promise to build an even bigger road.
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We cannot remove car parks because public transport isn’t good enough because there aren’t enough bus lanes because we haven’t removed the parked cars because we cannot remove car parks because public transport isn’t good enough because…
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I visited the Treaty Grounds today - my first visit here in over 10 years.
The museums that have opened since my last visit - Te Kongahu and Te Rau Aroha - are exceptional. I was glad I had my children with me. More New Zealanders need to visit this special place.
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In Milan for a few days. They have trams that run at street level including on sections of track that look like this.
Because I’m from the Auckland the questions are why isn’t the tram in a stupidly expensive tunnel and why isn’t this space used for additional car lanes?
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When I go to Albany I always ask myself why was the Bus Station built so far from the mall, stadium and university, and why are the walking routes to the Station so indirect?
This is a relatively recent development and it should be pedestrian friendly, but it isn’t.
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Penlink cost $830m
Christchurch stadium $683m
Auckland walking/cycling bridge (cancelled) $785m
Skypath (cancelled) $240m
Liberating a lane (too hard) $50m
New Zealand talks a big game on sustainability & transport safety, but our choices don’t align with our rhetoric.
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If you have some tax cuts left over after you’ve sorted the kids’ bus money why don’t you treat yourself to a prescription fee? - live large people, you’re worth it!
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The freedom of the car and New Zealand’s future transport policy as seen from an NX2 bus at 6:20pm on a Friday.
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Policies that excite me:
Land tax
First $20k of salary/wage tax free
Flat tax above $20k
Direct payments (universal basic income)
Subsidised/free e-bikes
Greater security for renters - right to remain
Auckland: pedestrian/cycle access to Harbour Bridge & surface light rail
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Cycle lanes are a litmus test for public policy.
You can measure how serious a government is about climate change in its commitment to cycle lanes.
You can also measure a government’s focus on land use, affordable housing and livability in its commitment to cycle lanes.
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And at the end of the day full NX buses are sailing past everyone waiting on Fanshawe Street to get back to the Shore. People are now booking Ubers and calling loved ones asking to pick them up. If we could walk or cycle back to the North Shore we would…
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Every time I get off the bus at Smales Farm I image a future where Takapuna Golf Course becomes a public park and medium density housing adjacent to the Northern Busway - the best public transport service in the country.
This will happen eventually.
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Somebody tried to steal my bike from Smales Farm bus station today.
They got through one lock but were defeated by the second lock, which they evidently tampered with but couldn’t break.
Stay safe out there everyone, and always lock your bike!
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Rents are determined by a market’s ability to pay, not landlords’ costs.
Housing supply is key - make it easy to build. Incentivize new builds.
Houses don’t magically disappear when landlords sell them.
If the concern is houses standing empty, introduce a land tax.
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After a lengthy wait for a bus to get back to the North Shore I finished my journey home on a mode of transport that isn’t delayed or cancelled because of rain.
Resilience in action.
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I’m experiencing the stages of grief on Auckland light rail because:
1) it might never be built
2) cheaper options are better
3) delivery plans are too slow
4) everyone’s afraid of removing car lanes & promoting mode shift
What would move me to acceptance & hope? Thread.
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W. Peters 2024-2025 agenda planner:
1) Deputy Prime Minister for 18 months.
2) Collapse coalition and force a snap election to prevent D. Seymour from becoming Deputy PM.
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Excellent - NZTA are running a virtual trial of the cycle lane.
If closing two lanes to resurface them is possible over summer, we’ll know that allowing cyclists and walkers to have access next year during the same period is also fine.
AKL HBR BRIDGE - 26DEC-09JAN
Weather permitting, maintenance & resurfacing work will see both northbound clip-on lanes on the Harbour Bridge closed Sun 26 Dec to Sun 09 Jan. Three lanes in each direction will remain open at all times. More: ^TP
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Removing parking on arterial roads to make space for bus and cycle lanes in Auckland isn’t radical - it’s long overdue.
I got excited by this article. Then I saw the plan is to introduce the strategy by 2030.
That’s way too slow.
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I’m just a boy standing before a National Land Transport Programme wanting it to be transformational and not greenwashed policy continuity.
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Allocating an Auckland Harbour Bridge lane for cyclists/walkers is only impractical if you’re unwilling to inconvenience cars.
Bus/ferry alternatives miss the point of why people cycle unless they have 5 minute frequencies.
Minister has mishandled this.
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If it’s an arterial route there should be no parked cars & there should be grade separated cycle lanes.
If it’s a suburban street & not an arterial the speed limit should be lower than 50.
Simple stuff Auckland. Make these the rules. Make a more livable city.
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I’ve been appointed Sales Director Europe for Fonterra. I’ll be leading an amazing team in one of Fonterra’s most dynamic regions. I love working for a farmer owned company - we exist to create value for the co-op and NZ. Pretty clear motivation to get out of bed in the morning.
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NZ cycling advocates are generally white & left-leaning.
But it shouldn’t be like this. The right should support cycling because it’s so darned economically efficient.
Cycling could be transformative for Iwi and Pasifika communities. We need more non-Pakeha cycling advocates.
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NZTA calling for an expensive 2nd crossing (for cars).
We’ve been waiting for pedestrian & cycling access since 1959 so let’s get that sorted before anything else.
Let’s put bus lanes on the bridge, open skypath & introduce tolls for cars at peak times.
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I want the new Auckland Mayor to deliver:
1) Prioritization of pedestrians & cyclists
2) Increased housing density in a 10 minute cycle of rapid transit stations & town centres
3) Turns selected golf courses into transit oriented residential developments.
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Doing my first official marathon this morning - eek! Wish me luck!
We run over the Auckland Harbour Bridge.
Next time I cross the Bridge on foot I hope it will be on a permanent path for walkers & cyclists. Ferries & busses don’t cut it
#liberatethelane
@michaelwoodnz
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NZ cannot afford not to reallocate space away from cars.
We’re not rich enough to build separate networks alongside existing roads.
The Light Rail proposals & cancelled active travel bridge show we must repurpose existing infrastructure. The alternative is ruinously expensive.
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Auckland:
We can’t remove car lanes or parking because PT & cycling isn’t good enough because we haven’t removed parking because...
I hoped
@michaelwoodnz
would break this car logic loop but on light rail &
#liberatethelane
he’s disappointed. Will
@efesocollins
change this?
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The Northern Busway is awesome - the best PT route in the country.
I spoke to a colleague yesterday who moved to the Nth Shore because of the busway.
That’s what good public transport does - it shapes where people live and how cities grow.
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Why are there so many shared paths being built in Auckland? Pedestrians and cyclists shouldn’t mix and shared paths are bad infrastructure.
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Gondolas & underground light rail are not what Auckland needs.
Surface LR & a lane on the bridge for walkers & cyclists are the answers.
Why do we go for the overly complex as if Dr Evil is running Auckland & when anyone suggests the obvious he answers “you just don’t get it”.
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Auckland comes alive in the warm sunshine. What a beautiful day.
It feels like we didn’t have any days like this in 2023.
Even though it’s my first day back at work I have a huge smile on my face.
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A ferry/bus won’t be free & frequent enough to encourage cycling.
Anti-cyclists will criticize the cost. Expect low patronage as it’s less convenient than a bridge.
Cyclists should oppose & push for Bridge access. Money is better spent elsewhere.
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As usual, Milford misses out, and there are no plans to remove parking from Shakespeare Road (aka “death alley”).
For balance can I do an article and photo with my arms folded to show how angry I am that parking isn’t being removed in my neighborhood?
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To deliver light rail & cycle ways in NZ projects should be split into the smallest feasible chunks & delivered as quickly as possible.
E.g. build Mangere Bridge to Airport LR immediately. Open it in a year.
Traditional project delivery risks delivering nothing.
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We need Auckland to be a walkable city. How to get there in 2 steps:
1) Allow all multi-storey apartments to have a convenience store or restaurant on the ground floor.
2) Require all new apartments & town houses to be within a 15 minute walk of a convenience store.
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Brooklyn Bridge’s new bike lane fills me with optimism for Auckland.
We can add a protected cycle lane by narrowing two clip-on lanes and reducing their speed limit to 60.
Cheap, quick and transformative solutions are the ones we should be jumping for right now.
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I’m a fan of using the transport infrastructure we have more effectively in preference to spending huge amounts on expanded capacity.
Congestion charging makes sense to manage demand.
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Such a good feeling running across the Harbour Bridge in the marathon.
We should be able to do this every day
#liberatethelane
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Milford, Auckland - 2023:
“Could we have some cycle lanes please?”.
“No, absolutely not - but here’s a sign asking drivers to Watch for Cyclists - I’m sure that’s just as effective”.
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Walking & cycling the Harbour Bridge at planned events is positive because people will see how wide the lanes are so just 1 is adequate for a shared path + the Bridge is not too steep or long to cross.
Momentum will build for properly liberating the lane.
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Would you support taking back 25% of Auckland’s roads from cars? I’d love to see this thinking become mainstream in New Zealand.
Today we launch
#NYC25x25
, a challenge to New York City's next leaders to take back 25% of our street space from cars by 2025.
As we recover from the pandemic, we must create a more equitable, safe, & resilient city for generations to come.
Learn more:
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I cycle to my 4 year old’s soccer with him on Saturday mornings.
We use the Milford/Takapuna golden mile - one of NZ’s busiest cycle routes with no cycle path.
To avoid the car door strike zone I must take a full lane.
Removing parked cars & adding a cycle lane seems obvious.
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On an Event Bus to Eden Park from the Northern Busway. They really need a real busway on the northwestern SH16…
We get the nice bus infrastructure on the Shore and out West they’re given crumbs.
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Are they surveying bicycle numbers in Auckland during Level 4?
This is the baseline for cycling numbers post lockdown if we had half decent infrastructure.
I’ve never as many cyclists as were out today. We could be the cycling capital of the Southern Hemisphere if we wanted.
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Thought for the day - you could buy everyone on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula an e-bike for less than 25% of the cost of Penlink.
Which would have better health, environment and transport outcomes?
Why do we do the opposite of what we know to be best?
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Today I celebrate 12 years at
@Fonterra
I’ve moved from strategy to trade strategy to sales.
In these difficult Covid-19 times I’m happy I manage an amazing team in Europe doing what we can to get nutrition to the world and income to our farmers and NZ more broadly.
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I’m not the biggest Boris Johnson fan, but I wish a senior New Zealand politician - particularly a right wing one - would make a statement this supportive of cycling and public transport.
Boris Johnson: "I support councils, of all parties, which are trying to promote cycling and bus use. And if you are going to oppose these schemes, you must tell us what your alternative is, because trying to squeeze more cars and vans on the same roads...is not going to work."
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I have watched a lot of football in my life. I love the game.
But I’ve never enjoyed watching it as much as during this World Cup. The Women’s game is a joy. I’m so glad the Tournament has got the attention and focus it has deserved.
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Most intersections in Auckland should look like this; currently none do.
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A guy has a bike on the NX1.
I’m a rule follower, so I’m split between being horrified that he’s doing something that’s not allowed & supportive because it’s ridiculous there’s no easy way to get bikes across the Harbour.
He probably doesn’t know this is against the rules.
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What transport initiative can you imagine that would have the biggest impact on emissions reduction & congestion in Auckland?
For me it would be getting people cycling.
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Policy idea: give everyone who turns 15 and 65 a $2,000 voucher to spend on an e-bike.
We want older people to stay fit & healthy when they retire, and we want younger people to develop habits that minimize driving.
Giving 15 & 65 year olds e-bikes would be transformational.
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BBC News at Ten leads with the cholera crisis in Yemen. Well done BBC, this is a terrible human tragedy & needs to be a story of prominence.
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I’m so lucky my commute is bike + Northern Busway. Super reliable. I never need to consult a timetable.
Rail in Auckland is a mess.
The CRL will be cool when it’s finished, but bike and bus priority lanes will be what get Aucklanders out of their cars at scale.
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Auckland: home to the world’s last surviving 1950s-style urban motorway fever dream.
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Great analysis of NZ media’s anti-cycling bias focusing on the proposed Auckland Bridge.
With no political leadership defending investments in active transport the reactionary media gets a free hit.
We need mode shift & fact based decisions, not mob rule
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When Auckland comes out of lockdown people are going to be less likely to use public transport.
What’s the plan to encourage them to cycle & walk rather than to drive? There should be e-bike subsidies, cycle lanes and improved footpaths going in everywhere.
Instead…tumbleweed.
Lisbon is one of many global cities to implement ambitious plans that will keep its streets moving in the post-corona world.
This includes 55 kilometers of segregated cycleways, 7,750 bicycle parking spaces, €3 million in (e-)bike subsidies, and a 30 km/h limit on most streets.
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Simeon Brown as Transport Minister and Minister for Auckland will help complete Wayne Brown’s rehabilitation arch.
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People: we’d like a lane on the Harbour Bridge for cyclists/walkers
Government: have a new bridge instead
Gov again: the new bridge is too expensive. You get nothing
People: we’d like street level light rail.
Gov: have expensive tunnels instead.
Gov 2022: [fill in the blanks…].
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Why are Auckland’s roads designed as if we don’t know:
Pedestrians should be safe & their routes as short as possible.
Lanes should be narrowed at intersections for safety.
There should be more cycle paths & fewer car slip lanes, median barriers & on road parking spaces.
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All truck and bus drivers should do a test riding a bicycle to get and maintain a class 4 or 5 heavy vehicle licence.
We need these drivers to understand the risk their vehicles pose to the lives of cyclists.
How can we set up a campaign to make this law in NZ?
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After consultations we’ve decided to remove 50% of the asbestos from the house rather than all of it.
Warning signs and mandatory masks should make it safer for all users.
Does that sound nuts?
But it’s what our cycling infrastructure decisions sound like.
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I’ve listened to
@michaelwoodnz
interviews & he wants the best for Auckland transport.
I’m worried he’s getting bad advice & his desire to do things properly could stop him doing anything at all. The perfect is enemy to good.
To help, what questions should he ask officials?
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