Media release

29 March 2017

Transport workshops underway to help Let’s Get Wellington Moving prepare for wider public engagement

Let’s Get Wellington Moving (LGWM) is running a series of independently-facilitated community and stakeholder workshops, which started this evening, to discuss transport focus areas in Wellington and help LGWM prepare for wider public engagement.

“The workshops are a chance for the community to provide insight into the process and help us to refine material for wider public engagement later in the year,” says Let’s Get Wellington Moving Director Barry Mein.

“The workshops are not about making decisions. They are another opportunity for us to listen and be guided by the community as we work towards developing solutions,” says Mr Mein.

Let’s Get Wellington Moving is a partnership between Wellington City Council, Greater Wellington Regional Council and the NZ Transport Agency. We’re working with the people of Wellington to deliver an integrated transport system that supports their aspirations for how Wellington City looks, feels, and functions.

The workshops involve a mix of community and stakeholder representatives, and members of the public – invited from those who registered an interest. A separate workshop will include people randomly selected from the general public. UMR, an independent research company, has been commissioned to facilitate the workshops, select the members of the public, and provide independent guidance.

“Spaces at the workshops are limited. Unfortunately, some people who registered an interest will miss out. Because of that, we’ll be holding a public meeting in April to share the material provided at the workshops and present a summary of the workshop outcomes. We’ll also take some time at that meeting to gather further feedback,” says Mr Mein.

“People at the workshops are discussing a range of possible interventions across several focus areas. At this stage in the project information is high-level and conceptual. You won’t see plans or details.”

The focus areas include topics such as better public transport, improving the state highway, active transport improvements, and managing transport demand.

“We’re also exploring how each focus area impacts the others, and how they might be packaged into network-wide scenarios. Understanding interdependencies is critical to understanding how each focus area might work together to improve how people get around,” says Mr Mein.

“When we engage with the wider public later in the year, it’s vital we explain the impacts and interdependencies of possible options clearly and simply. That’s why we’re seeking input from the community at these workshops.

“We acknowledge some people may be frustrated that we’re not yet releasing a detailed list of solutions or scenarios. But it’s important to note we are only at the feasibility stage of this project.

“Wellington’s transport challenges are complex, and developing solutions in a multi-modal integrated approach will take time. We have started to consider and narrow down a wide range of possibilities. Input from the community will help us go to a greater level of detail.

“We’d like to thank Wellingtonians for their feedback and patience. We look forward to the guidance and insights we will gain from them, both at these workshops and as the project progresses,” says Mr Mein.

ENDS

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