Opinion: Let’s Get Wellington Moving - we can’t give up on transport plan

OPINION:

A faction of six city councillors say they have lost confidence in Let’s Get Wellington Moving (LGWM), which quite frankly reflects the sentiment of many Wellingtonians, but now is not the time to give up on the $7.4 billion transport plan.

The group is worried about LGWM’s governance and accountability structure, the scope and scale of the work, and the ability to deliver on budget. They are valid concerns but I don’t think they amount to the council needing to declare no confidence in the plan and withdraw its funding agreement.

People complain that Wellington is dying, that Lambton Quay has gone quiet, and businesses are closing. Years of inaction are partly to blame for this.

LGWM was born out of the failed Basin Reserve flyover, which means we have literally been talking about how to sort out our congested roads for more than a decade.

I’m tired of talking. I’m at the point where I almost don’t even care what’s built, I just want something to actually be built.

To be clear, this column is not in defence of LGWM. It has a lot to answer for as councillors and residents lose confidence in the very organisation tasked with making the transformational transport changes the city needs.

Even the name LGWM is cringe-worthy because the project has achieved so little to get the city moving since its 2015 conception.

Over that time there have been endless rounds of consultation, one pedestrian crossing built on a state highway, a few intersection improvements, and a roundabout on the way.

This is what the $7.4b transport plan has to show for itself.

An earlier scathing review of the programme, released in 2021, said it was at risk of failing to deliver a cohesive package, had a detrimental culture - and was inadequately resourced.

I was there in 2019 when then Transport Minister Phil Twyford announced outside the central railway station that Wellington would get a second Mt Victoria tunnel and mass rapid transit.

I was there in 2021 when LGWM officials then announced four options for a second Mt Victoria tunnel and mass rapid transit.

I was there in 2022 when current Transport Minister Michael Wood “announced” the Government’s preferred option included a second Mt Victoria tunnel and light rail.

Then Wellington mayor Justin Lester, left, and Transport Minister Phil Twyford announcing the Government's Let's Get Wellington Moving package in 2019. Photo / Mark Mitchell

It was painful to watch the Government effectively re-announce what had already been announced because there was hardly anything new to say after three years.

It was only upon conducting research for this column that I remembered I was also there in 2017 when LGWM officials unveiled a different set of four options for the plan.

The whole thing is exhausting.

LGWM is responsible for making significant transport changes in the capital, which I generally support, and it’s a shame it has done such a poor job of bringing people along with it.

So yes, I get it, it’s difficult to have confidence in LGWM considering this history.

But we can’t give up on it, we must hold the line, and we have to strive for change. I love Wellington and I think it’s far from dying, but we do need to make changes to make sure it doesn’t fall behind and so it can accommodate a growing population.

We are right on the cusp of meaningful change finally happening after all these years. The only reason work to remove private cars from the Golden Mile hasn’t started yet is that it’s being delayed until after the Fifa Women’s World Cup. There will be spades in the ground this year.

A detailed business case for mass rapid transit and a second Mt Victoria tunnel will be completed next year.

I realise the actual construction part of the plan is going to be a pretty awful process. We have seen what’s happened to businesses in Auckland during the City Rail Link project.

I empathise with those businesses that will be affected by this, with the commuters who will have to navigate a sea of road cones, and the years of disruption it will cause for anyone living in Wellington.

It’s a cliché, but you can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs. That’s hard to say to those affected, but at least it’s the truth. There is no point sugarcoating this.

LGWM paints a picture of a city with revitalised streets, more spaces for people, and real transport choices worthy of a 21st-century city.

I live in the eastern suburbs so I welcome a second Mt Victoria tunnel to ease the congestion out there, I love the idea of more opportunities for hospitality and small green spaces along the Golden Mile, we desperately need more housing so I think mass rapid transit is a good idea to help unlock that.

It will be too late for Wellington if we spend another decade talking about it.

We can’t afford to go back to the drawing board now that we are so close to getting serious spades in the ground.