This is a hard blog post to write, because we had to realise that our last post was wrong – the big Auckland Council increase in walking & cycle funding was apparently just an accounting reshuffle, and in reality represents only a much smaller increase of several millions, rather than a doubling or tripling. The large-scale “extra funding” was apparently due to footpath renewals being included into the line item.
To say we are crushed would understate it – and we sincerely regret having misread this in our enthusiasm. We thought waiting for most of a week after the new budget got passed, and getting a confirmation of the increase via a Council source was enough, but it clearly wasn’t due-dilligent enough.
The proposed doubling or tripling of the cycle budget in the 2015-2018 Long Term Plan is still on the cards as we hear it – but we would understand if you are now a lot more cynical about the possibility. For us, it’s back to the uphill grind. Obviously, we have a lot more to do.
