Ehh have to disagree on it being terrible scrapping the project. Light metro was an over-engineered solution to avoid disrupting general traffic on Dominion Rd and not having to figure out what to do with Fanshaw St.

Had AT been allowed to get on with their surface running proposal from 2017, rather than having Labour give it Waka Kotahi in 2018 to relitigate, we would have at least had something to Mt Roskill by now.

[–] Ilovethebomb 5 points 9 months ago (1 children)

It's a remarkably similar story to Wellington's trams, or lack thereof. Strong public support for the project, promises made, and just... Nothing happened. Endless consulting, litigation, and general beaureacry, no trams, no tunnels, no bypass around the basin, nothing.

A few hundred million spent, for a handful of cycle lanes.

[–] absGeekNZ 3 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I think you need the nail on the head, how much of the spend was on fighting the NIMBY's. Not just in correct cost but also on delays.

[–] Ilovethebomb 1 points 9 months ago

Some of them had a valid point, we should have been going under the basin right from the start.

Also, their proposal for a second Terrace tunnel would still have left us with only two lanes for cars, which isn't enough for the traffic we have now, let alone thirty years in the future. And I know people will say everyone will take the bus or ride, but they just won't.