Letter to the Editor
Wellington LIVE – One Network

Dear Editor,

Cr Tony Randle’s unmasking of the negligent falsehood of the value of slow speed changes raises other issues equally concerning.

LGWM in their relentless spin and persistent falsehood, claim their planned changes on ‘Golden Mile’ have ‘overwhelming support’. They never did. That was from an opt-in online poll four years ago where cyclists and those anti-cars, in close contact with WCC, skewed a poll when they had advance warning of it.

Accordingly, 58% of 1300 people (that’s 754 people) chose the anti-car transform option so they could pretend to be Amsterdam. Can so few people so radically change our city?

Despite consistent correction from our group (SOS), LGWM, some councilors, and even the Mayor repeat this falsehood constantly.  LGWM now calls the radical, crazy transform option the ‘preferred option’. It simply was not, and this has become ‘the Big Lie’, which they have tried to embed.

In fact, there is overwhelming opposition. In Courtney place, there is 95% rejection of the changes, which are a ram raid on our Hero retailers down there.

The car removal plan will cause economic chaos for many retailers presently operating marginally above breakeven. Lives will be upturned.

And what gain for this pain? LGWM now concede that emissions will increase as cars go elsewhere, circle around more, or even go afar. Climate change is weighted at 40% of the decision of the car-free/transform option. So, because this radical intervention actually negates climate change, the 40% has been weighted on the wrong side. To save the planet, we should say no to this.

Resilience is weighted 10% of the decision. But there are only five ways across our city going north. To effectively remove one way reduces resilience for ‘the Big One’.

Again, this is an epic own goal by those muddling around with ideas that are not driven by clear thinking, but really by a visceral dislike of all things car.

Other falsehoods around congestion, crowded footpaths, and population growth have been spun to a fever pitch with a city quieter than in the past 40 years.

Barry Wilson
SOS Courtenay Place