Letters: Free public transport would help reduce congestion; waterfront stadium won’t go away because it makes sense

Everton Stadium, the new home of Everton Football Club, in Liverpool, shows the appeal of a waterfront stadium. Photo / Getty Images

Letters to the Editor

Make public transport free

Nick Clark of the New Zealand Initiative (April 28) ignores the most effective way to reduce congestion, which is to make public transport free. This would immediately take hundreds of cars off the road, reducing emissions as well as congestion.

It’s a solution that would help poor people instead of making their lives far more difficult as congestion-charging would. It would cost nothing to implement – just disable the Auckland Transport fare boxes.

All the most liveable cities in the world have high use of public transport. Fewer cars, safer roads, healthier, happier people.

Susan Grimsdell, Auckland Central.

Charging not the answer

Nick Clark of the New Zealand Initiative, a think tank that needs to look a lot harder at its own thinking, is suggesting that congestion charging is a solution to traffic woes.

He uses examples to show how well it is working, but it is, quite frankly, like comparing apples with lemons, Auckland being definitely in the lemon category.

The big winners he talks about, Singapore and Stockholm, have extensive metro systems and/or fast overground train networks, not to mention way more compact city centres with the vast majority of housing in apartment complexes.

And to suggest that we could compensate Community Services Card holders with a “congestion dividend” is just so much unworkable nonsense.

Clark could do us a favour by advocating more and cheaper, even free perhaps, public transport first. A way more equitable and useful congestion dividend!

Neil Andeson, Algies Bay.

Pope’s commitment to Gaza

Many pages of tribute to Pope Francis have graced the pages of New Zealand’s and other countries’ media.

Rightly, his compassion and his concern for the marginalised has been noted. “He was a Pope among the people,” the Herald on Sunday correctly announces. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, in his funeral homily, described, but without specific details, how the Pope, “faced with the raging wars of recent years ... incessantly raised his voice imploring peace”.

Given this emphasis in his ministry, why did so few journalists cover the Pope’s almost daily telephone calls since October 2023 to the only Catholic church in Gaza – a considerable commitment – and his call for a ceasefire in Gaza in his very last speech?

Elizabeth Eastmond, Waiheke.

Leaky Homes 2.0

Given that the National Party minister Paul Beck is going to introduce a bill that will allow house-building tradies to sign off on their own work, and since politicians are fond of giving legislation they are promoting catchy names, can I suggest this bill be called either “Leaky Homes 2.0” or “The Cowboys’ Charter”.

John Capener, Kawerau.

Listen to sports journos

It seems the only voices of reason in the Auckland stadium debate are those of sports journalists. As Paul Lewis (April 28) pointed out in his column on a possible stadium located on Wynyard Point, there is no sense coming out of the city’s politicians or bureaucrats.

Sports journalists experience a lot of stadiums around the world, and I don’t recall any of them thinking a revamped Eden Park is the best option for the city. But a spectacularly designed rectangular stadium at Wynyard Point could be just the business.

To envision what it would look like, take a look at an aerial photo of the new Everton Stadium. Very little imagination is required to see it transplanted from Liverpool’s waterfront to ours.

Tony Waring, Grey Lynn.

Waterfront site best

Location, location, location. From Trevor Mallard’s proposal ahead of the 2011 Rugby World Cup to today’s stadium debate, the reason that a waterfront stadium keeps rearing its head is because it is clearly the best site for a main Auckland stadium.

Paul Lewis’ article in Monday’s paper indicates that Auckland Council may not have come to its decision regarding the main Auckland stadium with clean hands.

Rather, Eke Panuku intends to use the area for apartment development.

Perhaps the only way to regain public trust is for the council to insulate a stadium decision from any competing financial interests and to set up an independent review body.

Peter Jansen, Mission Bay.

War on the horizon

America is going to have to have a war soon. This is just a fact.

American debt soon will be 125% of GDP. A trade war with everyone, China in particular, will exacerbate the economic problems which have the potential to be very severe.

What better way to reverse a slump than contrive an excuse for a war. It creates production, employment and stimulates the economy. The only question is with who.

I wonder who it will be, and whose side I will be on?

Paul Cheshire, Maraetai.

What’s with rising rents?

I’m confused. The Government promised that by making life easier for landlords, including allowing interest tax deductibility, rents would come down. Yet the Herald (April 19) reports that rents increased 3.7% for the 12 months to March 31. Or is it that landlords will charge whatever the market will bear?

Richard Gerard, Whangateau.