Restore Passenger Rail protesters have been removed from the road by police this morning after they blocked traffic near Parliament.
The group was sitting on The Terrace, between Bolton and Bowen Sts. Members of the public had gathered to watch the spectacle and heckle protesters, calling them idiots and swearing at them.
Five people were arrested and are facing charges.
“I don’t care, just f***ing let us get on with our lives,” one man shouted at the protesters.
One driver tried to squeeze his SUV past the protesters, driving on to the kerb to get past - however police arrived just as he got past and blocked his exit.
One woman in her car could be heard calling out the window that commuters are “just trying to get to work to feed our kids”.
It’s the sixth protest within six weeks in which the Restore Passenger Rail protesters have blocked or attempted to block traffic. A police spokesperson said they were aware of the planned protest and intended to monitor it and react accordingly.
Throughout April the protests have disrupted traffic on State Highway 1, Adelaide Rd and Vivian St - and attempted to block traffic on Johnsonville Rd but were stopped before they could start by police who happened to be driving through the area.
Acting Wellington District Commander Nicholas Thom said police have a rapid response team ready and waiting for the protesters on weekday mornings.
He said the protest action presents a huge risk to the general public – and the protesters themselves.
“They’re putting themselves at risk of being hit by cars that don’t see them and they’re also putting other motorists at risk of causing some sort of vehicle collision because they are walking out in front of cars that are moving and it is a 100kmh area.”
Several of the protesters have been arrested - some repeatedly - for endangering traffic and breaching bail. They appeared in the Wellington District Court last week.
The group protested similarly last year, blocking off Transmission Gully and the Mt Victoria Tunnel as well as the Johnsonville highway and SH1 again.
They demanded that the Government restore passenger rail services and make public transport free – however, after what they described as a failed meeting with Transport Minister Michael Wood in December 2022, they threw paint across several Labour MPs’ offices.
This move spurred Wood to rule out meeting the group again, and earlier this month the same decision was made by Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau.
Whanau had extended an offer to the protesters to meet with her and find a productive way forward – but when they once again blocked roads – this time Adelaide Rd in Newtown – she withdrew her offer.
“They have not moved forward in good faith, they have disrupted Wellingtonians, they have disrupted the lives of normal people instead of the Government’s.”
