Remember Red Peak?
It was the flag design that Twitter jumped all over and demanded be included in the final flag referendum.
It was immediately dumped in the first round.
It was a reminder that Twitter is not the electorate.
Labour & Green MPs seem to think 500 retweets is success – NO! Because Twitter is soooooo Uber Woke, if it’s popular on Twitter, it will be hated by the middle.
Militant woke cyclists scorched anyone online who challenged their stupid bike bridge, turns out it was hated by everyone else!
The latest Newshub-Reid Research Poll asked: Do you think the Government should spend $785 million on a cycle bridge?
A resounding 81.7 percent said no, while just 11.9 percent said yes. That goes for Labour voters too – 75.5 percent are opposed.
So the only people who loved the Bike Bridge were all on Twitter- with 81% of the rest of the country against it!
This really needs to be another reminder to MPs that Twitter is not the electorate!
Think about the actual dynamics of this cycle bridge.
Commuters on the Harbor Bridge for the next 5 years watching this billion dollar glorified cycle lane grow ever slowly while they are stuck in traffic.
People will start yelling at the bridge as they drive by it. Aucklanders throwing garbage at it as they drive past will become as ubiquitous as Wellingtonians honking their horn through the tunnel.
This cycle bridge is a performance art piece called ‘helping National win the next election’.
Does anyone actually believe Labour will build this in 5 years? We all know they can’t build one house in a room full of lego!
This will drag on and on and on.
It will become the new monument to Phil Goff’s dreaded ‘progress’ where infrastructure dooms viable use of public space for years and we all have to pretend it’s great.
Don’t get me wrong, as a Gold Star Public Transport User who has never driven a car, I support any infrastructure that pisses off car drivers.
One of the true joys in Auckland is doing the fingers to cars stuck in traffic as you whizz past them in the bus lane.
All that said, announcing a billion dollar bike bridge because militant middle class pakeha cyclists demand it is going go down like a cup of cold sick with voters who live in places where basic roading is the issue and not peddle powered self actualisation.
Grant will dump this stupid idea before the end of the year.
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Look at first I was against the cycling bridge thinking it would be a waste of money given all the priorities we have. But we have and continue to spend millions on cycle ways and I can see the benefits with people using them so I now think we should spend the money especially if its going to make people happy and improve transport woes in Auckland.
Tooting horns in the Mt Victoria Tunnel is a right of passage for Wellingtonians and not derisory. It is a connection with past history, a conversing with each other in the present, a signal to travellers that they’re home. It should not be equated with some dumb Auckland bridge. This is typical of Auckland’s cultural insensitivity towards different others – our rituals, our small pageantries, our enjoyment of the traditions and rituals which provide patterns to living – now being meanly trivialised just because of hypotheticals.
Nice flag. Better than the rich boy’s option.
Snow White: “It should not be equated with some dumb Auckland bridge.”
Hear hear!
The bicycle lobby borders on delusional most of the time not dissimilar to the mentality of a 3 year old. The latest I read is they think they are immune to road rules. They are very entitled and oh so privileged.
I don’t think they understood that causing gridlock on the Auckland Harbour Bridge and kilometres of roads and motorways with their tantrum protest invasion of the bridge, hurt their cause. But I have read some truly epic bullshit written by their lobby and supporters since.
81% rejection of this gold plated cycle bridge is evidence of that.
The question is why Michael Wood, who appears beholden to trendy lobby groups like Greater Auckland, seems to think these turkeys speak for the majority, panicked. They don’t and never have. More like the tiny minority.
🙂
If they could dissect out the place if residence of those polled, I reckon it might be nearer 90-something % for non-Aucklanders against the bike bridge.
That damned bridge should be twin tracked light rail with cycle lanes tacked on either side. That at least makes some sense.
Yes, if we are spending that sort of money let’s get bang for our buck. As long as it’s physically feasible, put some light rail on it to.
Interesting…
Robertson back tracking at speed now he realises its an election issue.
Winning is the only game in town.
Democracy in action. Maybe the age of miracles is not yet dead, thank goodness. The sooner the cycle bridge and trams to the airport ideas are canned the better, then they can start planning real solutions.
“One of the true joys in Auckland is doing the fingers to cars stuck in traffic as you whizz past them in the bus lane.”
Hahaha, I’ll look out for you when I’m stuck in the work van.
L0l
I think it not unreasonable that if Labour think can do their standard go to, commission a report, and delay things, they’re delusional.
Labour via Twyford promised this alternative harbour crossing, then did nothing. Wood has promised an even more gold plated version in a blind panic and now they are backing away again.
This shit is quicksand and Labours growing reputation for non delivery just worsened!
It requires action, not indecision. But I don’t think they have a plan to match!
There are far more important issues confronting this country than a bike bridge. Anyone who says different is simply displaying their smug indifference. And any politician who in future spouts the neo liberal line ‘there is not the money’ for critical infrastructure yet supported this ridiculous bridge earns the title WANKER, and should not be listened to.
Exactly they could put that $768 million in to Pharmac and fund around 150 medicines for 5 years.
That would keep around a million people’s meds funded at a minimum.
Indeed,- people over profits.
Shot bro.
Democracy in action. Maybe the age of miracles is not yet dead, thank goodness. The sooner the cycle bridge and trams to the airport ideas are canned the better, then they can start planning real solutions.
What are the better solutions though?
I live in Hamilton and the density of traffic has magnified 3 fold in 10 years. My solution is cycling on fine days, 12 km return and as of today I have started using the bus on wet days given the only parking available close to work requires me to leave an hour early. I’m not one of the lycra wearing brigade and I cycle because of convenience and health purposes.
The concerns are a National government won’t look to alternative transport modes, just more roads and more cars. If I’m wrong can anyone show me Nationals transport policies on gridlock?
Most of the current cycle roads were build by national under John Keys ‘cycleways of national importance’
https://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/opinion/94022918/sir-john-keys-legacy-may-be-his-cycleways
“As I see it though, the legacy of the National Party’s cycleways will not be in the increased economic activity at the Remuera cafes, but that in 25 years time this initiative will have helped cycling become a routine form of transport for urban dwellers.
Getting more people on bikes is proven to make cycling safer, which in turn, gets more people on bikes, for leisure and transport too.
Normalising cycling as transport will reap huge benefits for cities like Auckland and Hamilton by removing cars from the road, making commute times much quicker and making us more sustainable and productive.
Cycle commuting does more than just that though. For me this is Key’s true legacy.”
I was cycling well before the term “cycleways” came about.
Cycleways are of no use around cities . Too many vehicles , too many people also under Key
Bert, I’m afraid cycle lanes won’t solve a cities transport woes, as you say on wet days you use the bus; so your expectation is a bus service will be available when you want it; who do you expect to fund it when your not using it? So to me the only solution to city congestion is to provide cheap effecient mass transport. For Auckland we need a mass transport link across the harbour – bus bridge or light rail you pick! Provision on this service for bikes across the harbour is a ‘no brainer’. The airport link should be heavy rail from the Puhinui Station linked through Mangere to Onehunga Station, this line should also service the prolific logistics companies around the airport. Then bus lanes city wide feeding into an extended rail network. Drive people to consider public transport with congestion charges. Those are my ideas for Auckland, not sure about Hamilton!
Finally someone offering ideas!
One proviso as you say, who will pay for it, because you know as well as I, there is a certain intellect of people, sadly thousands, who will say screw that, I’ll drive my car where I want and when I want. Thus gridlock.
As for your comment on my expectation that a bus will be available when I want it, yes, I’m certain paying fuel for my car and income tax gives me that right. I may even go as far to suggest car less days, now that would drive people onto public transport.
Yes they have no idea Wild Katipo & Geoff Lye.
I think they mean well but are to be frank incompetent.
Coffee around a University canteen and reality completely different.
As it’s said to build a house takes skill any fool can knock one down.
Wonderful XRAY
I’m not against a cycle/walk lane but why do they need to demolish houses around it and it costs $768 million? Is it really that hard to find 2 meters on an existing bridge and then dome it so it is all weather and safe?
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