"The motorways were completely empty." (Sep 13)
The conversation at the bar yesterday ran something a little like this:
Me:
Did you have problems getting to Eden Park?
Mate:
Nope. I took the motorway. Hardly anyone on
it.
Me:
What do you mean ... no congestion?
Mate:
None whatsoever.
Me:
When was this!
Mate:
Friday night 5pmish going from the Greenlane ramp
down onto the motorway and into town.
Me:
Friday night 5ish... usually packed!
Mate:
Yep... but it was a ghost town. It was like 11 pm
on a Monday night. The motorways were completely empty .
Me:
Where was everyone?
Mate:
Trains.
I could hardly believe it. Anyone who knows the Greenlane turnoff knows how chocka it gets on a Friday.
So what we know is this: the Auckland Regional Transport Authority (ARTA) had big concerns about all this. And a couple of years ago they said so. A report, released under the Official Information Act in February last year, flagged concerns that Auckland is not ready to cope for the flood of visitors for the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
The Cup is the third biggest event in the world, with an expected tens of thousands of visitors, and the report said the influx would place more than four times the demand on public transport than Auckland had seen before.
The report also warned of complacency. It seems there was an attitude of "this is a small increase in business as usual", the original article in the Dom Post (2/02/10) says.
But Transport Minister Stephen Joyce and Mayor at the time, the Hon John Banks weren't overly concerned. A lot more work to do they said, but good progress and all that.
"There are a number of organisations with a lot of skin in this game, the government not the least one, so I think everybody is pretty focused," said Joyce early last year.
If they weren't so focused then, they certainly are now. Stephen
Joyce, as of this morning, is quoted as saying he wants answers
from Len Brown. Answers from a few others too, I'd like to add.
Talking about this issue at the pub tomorrow night.
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