Transport Agency witness makes revealing admission at Basin Reserve flyover hearing

Landscape architect Gavin Lister, appearing for the New Zealand Transport Agency, has made a revealing admission at the Board of Inquiry hearing into the proposed Basin Reserve flyover. Under questioning by Board of Inquiry member Mr David Collins, Gavin Lister said:

"Flyovers are anathema to urban design thinking because of what they represent. They represent a car dominated city, a sprawling car dominated city which is kind of the antithesis of the compact, mixed use, high intensity city supported by walkability and public transport"

Commenting on this admission, Save the Basin Campaign spokesperson Tim Jones said "Under detailed questioning from the Board, Gavin Lister admitted what the Save the Basin Campaign has been saying all along: that the idea of building a flyover at the Basin Reserve is a relic of the antiquated, car-dominated transport thinking that modern cities all around the world have abandoned."

"Having made this admission, Mr Lister then made a rather extraordinary turnabout to say that these were exactly the same reasons the proposed flyover was needed. He did not explain why."

"When the Transport Agency's own witnesses make such trenchant criticisms of flyovers, it's a clear sign that the Basin Reserve flyover project has been badly thought through and inadequately assessed against alternatives.

"New Zealanders are innovators and forward thinkers. It's time the Government and the Transport Agency consigned flyovers to the dustbin of transport history and started developing modern, meaningful transport solutions," Mr Jones concluded.

ENDS

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