The Green Party is committed to investing in clean, affordable transport that makes it easy for everyone to get around.
Aotearoa was once a country with frequent, affordable bus and train services joined up right across the country — even to very rural areas. I recall when we lost the Hakataramea Branch line in the early 1980s because of the shift to road transport. We can reconnect our communities and safeguard our climate. All it takes is political will.
I’m a big fan of passenger rail and a long-time supporter of a local passenger rail initiative ("Get-the-Train"). Our first stop for rail in the South however should be regional rail rather than commuter rail, for low emission mobility connecting regions and major cities. Ultimately it may be possible to restore local commuter rail and possibly even tourist attractions like a restored High St cable car but decarbonisation of mobility has to come before tourist ventures.
For decades, successive governments have failed to plan ahead and meet the demands of our growing communities. Rather than investing in buses, trains and bike lanes, central and local government has designed our communities to work best for cars. Now our streets don’t work well for anyone, even people who drive — except for the new George St development of course, which is simply Totally Georgeous ...
A range of Green Party solutions are already making a difference, such as: the Clean Car Discount; building more routes for people to walk or use a bike safely, and investment in regional rail. We have also secured investment in a new fleet of trains in the lower North Island, free bus and train travel for under-12s, and half price for Total Mobility Passengers.
We need to revitalise rail through a programme to upgrade and expand the rail network to the South Island next. Despite the smaller population in the South there’s still a rail network and a strong community desire for the return of the Southerner passenger express train. Alongside restoring passenger rail we need to modernise trains — working towards a fully electric, high speed system that reduces the need for car trips and flights, and integrates with regional and urban public transport networks like light rail.
The transformation of mobility in Aotearoa New Zealand won’t happen overnight, but we already have much of the infrastructure in place and by progressively moving down the country from the populous North to the Deep South we can build an integrated low-carbon transport system, connecting town and country, integrated with the "blue highway" through good port connections.
The recent calls for a High St cable car and an underground station in the Caversham tunnel show the imagination and passion people have for rail and cable cars. But passion alone won’t deliver passenger rail and an integrated transport system.
To deliver decarbonised mobility we need to reverse the traditional prioritising of road development and private motoring over all other modes of transport.
For many people, car dependency is an unwanted financial and personal burden. Under the Greens, investment in rail, active transport, electric vehicles and public transport will be prioritised so that our towns, cities and rural areas become less car-dependent and the use of fossil fuels for transport is eliminated.
By working to a rational plan we will see a restoration of passenger rail in the South and a return of the Southerner.
— Scott Willis is the Green Party candidate for Taieri.
