Let's get Wellington moving - sensibly

During my brief time as General Manager Customer Experience at Auckland Transport I was exposed to some of the latest thinking around the pending paradigm shift in transport as a result of autonomous electric vehicles and a move to enhanced public transport networks. This has cemented my views on the need to build a phased approach to delivery of transport initiatives in Wellington, with an end state of autonomous electric vehicles delivering the bulk of transport for urban populations by the 2030s.

For many, the idea of autonomous electric vehicles replacing our current beloved cars is difficult to imagine, especially within a timeframe of the next 10-20 years.  Proof of the growing commitment to this future was General Motors recent laying off of five plants in the US; not because of financial issues but instead as a part of their commitment to a future of autonomous electric vehicles – something they say is 5-10 years away from being mainstream.

So how does this affect Wellington?  

Let’s imagine Wellington in 2035, with autonomous electric taxis circling the streets collecting passengers and delivering them to transport hubs or final destinations.  These taxis will charge cents in the dollar compared to today, due to no driver needing payment and fuel costs being a fraction of the cost of today.  An increasing number of Wellingtonians will forego personal car ownership, in favour of taxi and public transport solutions.

The challenge with this future is the volume of autonomous electric taxis needed to accommodate rush hour peaks. This can be addressed through increased flexibility in work start and finish times, and sensible public transport options as the backbone for commuter travel. A future with autonomous electric vehicles may mean we have more vehicles on the road, contrary to public transport enthusiasts’ assertions, with greater efficiency in the way these vehicles interact with each other.  At a stretch, the need for buses as we know them can be questioned, as commuters may choose to taxi entire journeys instead.

Wellington Council is currently undertaking behind closed-door discussions with the Government on funding the ‘Let’s get Wellington moving’ think tank’s initiative.  One of the main deliverables of this is light rail from the Wellington Railway Station to the airport, adopting a route along the waterfront and through Newtown via Taranaki St.

Roading related initiatives under discussion from Let's get Wellington moving include the widening of The Terrace Tunnel, duplication of the Mt Victoria Tunnel, and creation of a (mainly underground) extension of State Highway One between The Terrace Tunnel and Mt Victoria Tunnel.  

Providing a dedicated, near non-stop four lane route to the airport makes sound economic and liveability sense, and also allows for intensification of housing in the southern and eastern suburbs.  The timing of this project will depend entirely on funding and the ability to gain consent for the central city tunnelling.

The project that most comes into question is the light rail to the airport.  Light rail is a great solution for geographically constrained, high housing density locations, or through inner city streets as a place-making and pedestrianisation initiative.  The Council and NZTA publicly available reports on the proposed route to the airport offer no defendable RoI - and the proposed route is simply not needed now or especially given the autonomous electric vehicles paradigm shift discussed.  Added to this, the waterfront route will limit the capacity for cars or autonomous electric vehicles to travel along the waterfront in the future, on a crucial city arterial road.

An alternative light rail opportunity that is not currently being explored by Council and NZTA could make far more sense for Wellington.  

Instead of the proposed route to the airport, a limited light rail solution starting at the Railway Station and terminating at the Mt Victoria end of Courtenay Place could provide brilliant city place-making, allow for pedetrianisation of Lambton Quay and Courtenay Place (and possibly lower Willis Street), create transport hubs at the Railway Station and Courtenay Place/Kent Terrace, and leave a legacy that can be built upon with further routes as RoI for these develop over the next century.