Virus could be just the ticket to get city moving

Almost two years ago, the Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) embarked on fixing something that wasn’t broken and redesigned our bus network. It had previously ‘‘fixed’’ something else that was only slightly broken, but not nearly as broken as it made out, and took the disastrous decision to get rid of the trolley buses.

Add to that a contracting system that created a race to the bottom regarding wages and conditions for drivers, companies that lost contracts overestimating the number of redundancies needed, and a GWRC leadership and bureaucracy that had a combination of breath-taking arrogance and sheer incompetence, and the Bustastrophe was born.

But the world has changed and, for four weeks during level 4, I observed the unusual sight of empty buses, paid for by central government, driving past my front window. It was an event worth noting when there was more than one person on board. When we moved to level 2, I counted 10 people on a bus – a big event in bus-spotter Dave’s house.

Thanks to Covid-19, a problem one cannot blame on the GWRC, our buses can now run at only about 40 per cent capacity. Passengers must keep a metre from each other and practise social distancing at bus stops. Anyone who has been jam-packed into one of Wellington’s buses on a wet winter morning will know this is a big ask.

Isn’t this a recipe for a disaster of Bustastrophe proportions? Not necessarily. For a start, not everyone is back at work. A lot of people are either working from home or only going in a few days a week. GWRC transport committee chair Roger Blakeley estimated buses were only at about 20 per cent capacity yesterday morning, although he reckoned more passengers could be expected during the week as more workplaces open up.

Can we learn from our lockdown experience when it comes to transport? Yes. Many employees have worked from home and the sky hasn’t fallen in – some have even been more productive. Zoom meetings have limitations, but also mean participants not only avoid time-consuming travel but can be more concise and focused.

When we get back to normal, if we ever do, why not continue this combination of working at both home and work? Why not have fewer work meetings and more Zoom meetings? We don’t need a vaccine, or a second tunnel, to flatten the curve of rush-hour congestion; we just need to act in different ways.

GWRC is already working to persuade employers to be more flexible so that staff can travel to work before or after the normal rush hours. Have that early Zoom meeting at home, then zoom into work on a bus mid-morning. The off-peak concession is also designed to encourage this behaviour. This is a smart move, and the considerable public goodwill that the Covid-19 response generated makes me think that it’s an approach that could work.

Another reason our buses might not experience congestion problems is that some people will be fearful of travelling. While health experts believe bus travel is safe, provided social distancing guidelines are followed, it’s also true that travelling by car or bike subjects you to even less risk.

Biking numbers have been steadily increasing over the past few years and are projected to increase even more thanks to Covid-19. The Wellington City Council has received some NZTA funding through the small pilot Innovating Streets for People fund to complete seven projects giving better access for pedestrians and cyclists. Expect to see wider footpaths and pop-up bike lanes in some places.

TWhen we moved to level 2, I counted 10 people on abus–a big event in buss potter Dave’s house.

here will no doubt be critics, sneering derisively from their single-occupancy cars, but bear in mind that our plans are nothing compared to the major switch to biking and walking that cities like Paris and London are presently undergoing.

So, a combination of factors means that we don’t, for the moment, face a bus or train crisis. The current GWRC has inherited a lot of problems but I’m impressed at the way it has responded to the current pandemic.

For example, last week council chair Daran Ponter and colleague Roger Blakeley fronted up live on Facebook to answer questions from the public. It was low-key but simple and effective. Both councillors admitted it was hard to predict demand, that they wouldn’t necessarily get everything right first time, and that they didn’t have the resources to do everything they wanted.

This honesty and humility was light years away from the rancorous public meetings, disastrous parliamentary select committee denials, and expensive corporate spin generated by the GWRC during the Bustastrophe.

It will be interesting to see whether Wellington again becomes a congested transport basket-case or whether the experience of Covid-19 will make half a million Wellingtonians realise that changing our commuting behaviour could contribute to an inexpensive transport solution in the same way the ‘‘team of five million’’ helped defeat – fingers crossed – a pandemic.