Comments on: Redefining the flyover – “a slimline elevated street”

By: Nick

Nick — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 06:21:33 +0000

It’s called progress. The Basin will have improved capacity for when that first day of a test match is chocka-block. Anyone remember when the last time that was? Then you will be able to drive from the airport back to Wellington a couple of minutes quicker, so long as you’re not held up at lights after the flyover, otherwise it will probably take the same amount of time that it does now. Oh and you get a nice new park situated under a bridge, kind of a similar environment to the Terrace carpark as it is now, with those big structures overhead, don’t you enjoy hanging out there? And even better: you’ll get a bridge that is practically impossible to remove, so we can future proof our car travel through the city for eternity no matter what changes happen to personal or public transport over time. It also gives us the future option of an elevated park (i.e. the New York highline), that in itself is a stroke of nzta genius.

By: jp

jp — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 13:54:37 +0000

Because sport is sacred in New Zealand.

By: lindsay

lindsay — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 10:07:41 +0000

Over the last 3 years, there was a total of 17 days’ test cricket at the Basin. Why would anyone (even John Morrison) consider spending public money on a grandstand that will have such little use?

By: Kent Duston

Kent Duston — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 04:56:18 +0000

I reckon Maximus is right. The John Morrison “let’s have a new stand we don’t need” scenario will go like this:

1. NZTA will mumble about “necessary mitigations” without actually committing themselves to building a stand, and there will be no legally-enforecable agreement with the Basin Reserve Trust prior to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Board of Inquiry.
2. At the Board of Inquiry, NZTA will wheel out a whole pile of independent witnesses they’ve paid to arrive at the conclusion that a stand is not required for mitigation purposes.
3. Being a compliant group of EPA political appointees – who have yet to decide against a single NZTA project, or even apply significant mitigation conditions to one of their schemes – the Board of Inquiry will obediently roll over and agree with the independent paid-by-NZTA experts that no stand is needed.
4. Having been thoroughly out-manouvered by both NZTA and the Prendergast-headed Environmental Protection Agency – who, let’s face it, make him look like the rank amateur he really is in the political stakes – John Morrison will be seen standing at the entry to the Basin Reserve, holding the plans for the now-defunct John Morrison Lipstick On The Pig Memorial Stand, having a wee moment alone.

By: Maximus

Maximus — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 03:03:03 +0000

Ellie asks why Councilor John Morrison isn’t doing more to help. This may be because he believes that he is the linchpin in the whole Basin Reserve saga, with the ability to hold NZTA to ransom over the flyover, demanding a new stand as his prize. NZTA say, in contrast, that nothing of the sort has been agreed, and all they’ve said is that they’ll look at what mitigation is possible, and only if anything is proved necessary.

By: Ron M. Oliver

Ron M. Oliver — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 23:46:58 +0000

All the ideas that seem to be coming from the NZTA and the majority on the regional Council appear to me to be as slick as the oil lobbyists who support the idea that public transport, pedestrians and bicycles should make way for more motor vehicles on inner city transport, motorways or over flies.
As citizens who end up paying the bill for everything, it looks just a little bit like we are being told to bite our tongues and stop interfering with progress.

By: Nora

Nora — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 22:51:01 +0000

Ellie,
As usual he is sitting on the fence!

By: Ellie

Ellie — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 21:55:58 +0000

Why isn’t John Morrison negotiating with Council – he is well placed – to get the historic stand earthquake strengthened ? It is a historic gem.

By: traveller

traveller — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 09:24:52 +0000

Seventeen days of test cricket over three years. No justification for spending public money on a new grandstand.

By: Alana

Alana — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 09:06:43 +0000

Many of us cricket fans sincerely hope that the Basin Reserve Trust joins the effort to stop this structure that will degrade its environment. Even the proposed grandstand being negotiated will only put spectators up in the air and closer to traffic noise. I hope cricket players and cricket associations resist this shoddy buy-off and help preserve this historic and immensely enjoyable ground.