8 October 2004

Annual Monitoring Report (AMR)

Greater Wellington Regional Council have released the Regional Land Transport Strategy Annual Monitoring Report (AMR) containing the latest transport data from around the region.

Greater Wellington Access Planning Analyst Günther Wild said the data, collected between March and September this year, reflected regional co-operational in the information sharing area.

“We received useful data from all Road Controlling Authorities (RCA’s) which include Territorial Authorities and Transit NZ, from the Land Transport Safety Association (LTSA), Police, Automobile Association (AA), Transit NZ, Centre Port, Toll NZ, Strait Shipping, Wellington Airport and a number of other Regional Councils.”

Günther says information collected is used to identifying current trends or issues allowing for sustainable and future focussed planning in the transport area.

“While the Wellington region showed steady economic growth of just under 3% per annum over the past five years this growth rate was lower than Auckland and Canterbury and New Zealand as a whole. Other data results include-

- Total inter-island ferry freight movements showed substantial growth of 153% between 1996 and 2003, while rail freight continued to decline significantly (figures supplied by TollNZ)

- Regional fuel consumption fell 3.5% between 2002 and 2003 calendar years, driven by decreases in fuel sales in the western part of the region. Greater Wellington regional fuel consumption continues to show the lowest growth of all regions compared, with 4% growth between 1998 and 2003 (c.f. Canterbury at 19% and Auckland at 16%)

- Wellington City Council cordon counts show private car use in the am peak increased almost 10% between 2003 and 2004 financial years

- Harvesting of Wairarapa forestry blocks has seen a 13% increase in heavy vehicle movements over the Rimutaka Hill Road

- Greater Wellington’s congestion levels are no longer the lowest of all major Australasian cities measured. All-day average congestion levels are now higher than Canberra and Perth (2000 data) and Tauranga

- The 2004 perception survey found a 9% decrease in the public perception of bus network reliability, bringing it to the 60% level of perceived reliability seen in the road and train networks

- The 2004 perception survey found that 6% more people between 2003 and 2004 financial years believed that private vehicle costs were affecting their use

- Regional public transport patronage continues to grow, including a more than 5% increase in off-peak passenger numbers between 2001 and 2004 financial years

- Road crash numbers continue to be too high, although regional casualties per 100,000 population figures remain the lowest of all compared regions

- The 2004 perception survey found 71% of people feel ‘safe’ when walking, but only 23% think cyclists are ‘safe’ (c.f. 29% in 2003)

- Of the ‘active’ transport modes, cycling continues to have a considerably lower use level than walking.

- Implementation of the Regional Land Transport Strategy continues to be slower than anticipated, primarily due to issues relating to the Resource Management Act 1991, uncertainty about urban rail contracts and a lack of funding to enable the early construction of the Transmission Gully motorway.
And last but not least the private car continues to be the dominant mode of transportation”

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>