Because folks, who wants to go to Tawa or Korokoro anyway?

If anyone would like to comment about possible Bypass improvements, feel free.

How much to dig it up and turn into some community gardens?

Failing that, how about turning the whole thing into a tunnel from the Basin (or the Vic Tunnel) to the motorway? Weren't they going to 'trench' it in the first place, so they didn't end up with countless intersections?

Go the congestion charges! I suggest setting it at the equivalent of a 3-zone return bus ticket: that way, unless you've got a lot of people in your car, you'll have no financial incentive to drive.

Congestion charges are much fairer than regional petrol taxes, because they concentrate the charging on places where congestion really is a problem, and because those places usually have good public transport options, so those affected have a choice.

I like the idea. But poor implementation could really screw it up.

Eg, the effect will be to encourage people into trains and buses. But those trains and buses need to be there to meet the new demand. So we should see investment in new buses and trains BEFORE this comes in, timed to be ready for the rush of commuters. Otherwise all commuters will be really unhappy. I don't want the bus to be even more crowded in the morning at rush hour...

Having experienced the congestion charge in London for 3 years, I'm not sure if I'd like to see it in Wellington - even though I am currently commuting from Tawa on a 50cc scooter and should therefore be exempt from the charge.

My memory is a bit sketchy on the details, but I seem to recall the stats on the London CC being only 85-90% effective. Meaning that the vast majority of users just pay the charge. And that is in London, a city with amazing public transport.

I'm especially concerned about the mention of the zone starting as far out as Pukerua Bay! There's got to be some implementation issues there, because why should I pay a charge for driving from Pukerua Bay to Porirua? Is there massive congestion in Porirua that needs clearing? At least in London, there was a ring of cameras (plus mobile ones in vans) that defined the border, and you're either in or out. Charging people who travel further seems a bit harsh, they're already paying more for petrol.

I think spending some of the revenue on improving more than just public transport is a good idea. Extend the bypass (which really bypasses nothing at all) much closer to the airport - and put buses on it of course.

How about before we start thinking about a congestion zone, we could perhaps build a decent motorway without bottlenecks and create more bus lanes?

Or we could build a seldom used bus expressway like Auckland. That will fix all of our problems!!

And it's all just a consultant's report at the moment, not a concrete proposal: see this rather horrified press release from GWRC.

"My memory is a bit sketchy on the details, but I seem to recall the stats on the London CC being only 85-90% effective. Meaning that the vast majority of users just pay the charge. And that is in London, a city with amazing public transport."

That at least means a 10-15% reduction in congestion, which can often make all the difference, plus a lot more money for public transport. I was in London at the time the charge came in (the cordon was in fact right outisde my window), and the immediate effect was that buses in central London suddenly became a viable option. Previously, they were usually slower than walking, but they're now a useful part of the transport network.

Love the idea that every car into wellington subsidises 4 people for a train trip.

I'd like to see more streets be for taxi, bus and vehicles with business in that street, just like manner street.

A car pool and bus lane all the way to the hutt, and completion of the cycle path to Petone would be awesome.

Funny you should mention that Tom
"and the immediate effect was that buses in central London suddenly became a viable option."
I was catching the bus from Spitalfields to Lambeth Embankment and it was taking 45min before congestion charging and 30min after. I was pretty stoked.

They have had an ERP system in Singapore for years now, and it seamlessly plucks a few dollars from your pocket each time you pass under a gantry. The system works well at keeping traffic in the downtown to a manageable level. It could work in Wellington, but there is one major difference: Singapore has the most fantastic public transport system. A vast network of clean, safe and cheap commuter trains can be counted on to arrive on schedule. And by that, I mean to the SECOND. Unless there is an efficient public transport system in place before congestion charging is introduced, the working stiffs of Wellington will continue to use their cars and mumble darkly as they are gouged again.

I note that the "horrified" WRC response stresses the need to have improvements in public transport before this is feasible.

Having worked in the transport industry, including work on road pricing I have a few points.

1) A 10% reduction in traffic will reduce congestion by MORE than 10%

2) Improvements in public transport are always (to date) undertaken prior to the implementation of any scheme

3) You can not build you way out of congestion. Even with road growth greater than population growth history has shown that congestion continues to increase.