Whenever Metro’s editor at large Simon Wilson writes a love letter to Auckland, we kind of want to write one back. Because he gets it. And this month’s billet-doux is a doozy: eight pages of tribute to Auckland’s charms and challenges, in the guise of a speech the incoming mayor could make. ‘Hey, all you people who want to be mayor!’ writes Simon, on behalf of the magazine and its readers. ‘Use this speech and we’ll endorse you.’ The speech covers the housing crisis, transport, representation, local knowledge and local pride, urban design and creativity, budget, rates, greenery, water, festivals, culture, technology… it’s honest, aspirational, and strong. And it’s aimed not just at mayoral candidates, …
Bike Auckland
With advance voting now open, we’re delighted to launch VOTE BIKE 2017 – a one-stop shop to help you compare party and candidate policies around cycling. Click the big pink button to get started! Questions? Check out the FAQ – and see below for a quick overview of what we did, and why. WHY VOTE BIKE? Cycling policy probably isn’t the only thing on your mind this election. But, even as the major parties approach consensus on bike-friendly cities as a Good Thing, there are still big differences in how they plan to get there… and how fast. And those differences may affect your party vote, as well as your candidate vote. …
So, National’s transport policy for Auckland was rushed out early yesterday, to hot takes by the NZ Herald (which ran with the story), Greater Auckland (cautiously positive, especially about the NW busway), and The Spinoff (hilariously critical). While there’s more information to come, what struck us immediately was the absence of any mention of National’s Urban Cycleways Programme and the impact it is having on transport choices in Auckland. We’re mad fans of the way the UCP has transformed the landscape for urban bike travel. So it was noticeable by its absence in the initial reporting of National’s plan for Auckland. To be fair, this may be an artifact of the way National’s …
Please help us achieve traffic speeds that put New Zealanders’ safety first – make a quick submission by 5pm Friday, June 16! In this guest post, Bevan Woodward of Skypath Trust explains the catch in the proposed speed-limit setting rule, and how to fix it… NZTA is updating the speed-limit setting rule… but it is unwilling to put New Zealanders’ safety first. This is a missed opportunity to make our roads safer, more liveable, more vibrant and more efficient. Instead NZTA continues to require that speed limits be ‘safe and appropriate’. This initially sounds good – who doesn’t want safe streets? And it’s appropriate for traffic to go more slowly on streets where we live, shop, and …
You legends! We’re barely started into our Bikeable Auckland campaign, and you’re close to cracking the four digits mark! Every single name, every single signature, makes clear how much a bikeable city matters to us – right now. Aucklanders of all ages are so grateful you’re giving it a push. And the higher the number of supporters, the stronger our voice. So tell a friend! Tweet it, Facebook it. Download and print out the gorgeous poster (with those beautiful pics by Carol Green) and pin it up at work, school, on your favourite cafe noticeboard. Meanwhile, take another look at the fabulous bouquet of logos on our campaign page. The flock of supporting organisations is growing by the day. Architects, software companies, non-profits, …
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