by Christopher Ruthe
The ‘Transport hub‘ being built (very slowly) at Paraparaumu Station has had a $9 million impost on Ratepayers. The hub is where train meets bus. Transport hubs are the responsibility of the Greater Wellington Regional Council. Yet this project has been built at almost entirely KCDC Ratepayer expense when it should have been funded by the NZTA and Greater Wellington Regional Council — at no cost to the Kapiti Ratepayer.
Greater Wellington Council has confirmed this saying: “Our funding model involves Greater Wellington paying 49% of the total cost of all transport hubs, and Waka Kotahi funds 51%.
Why did KCDC not get the funding it should have? The only rational explanation is that KCDC wanted to avoid having a consultation with the NZTA and GWRC and preferred to burden its ratepayers for a pretentious unnecessary attempt to create the great Paraparaumu Plaza. Annual maintenance costs are undisclosed.
The project is really a grand European piazza/plaza situated in one of the ugliest parts of the Kapiti Coast. Facing not glistening ocean, but rear ends of commercial buildings beside noisy railway tracks and in the windiest site in Paraparaumu, thanks to the nearby hills to the east.
In a letter KCDC said that this ‘attractive new plaza’ will be a nice place to wait for trains.
Perhaps trainspotting will be the latest craze for Kapiti youth?
The dozens of seats at the station, ready to be installed
No shelters were intended
There was no shelter for passengers running from bus to train who were going to be soaked to the skin in any rain. It was only because of the Kapiti Improvement Society raising concerns with the Greater Wellington Regional Council that there will be shelters, paid for by GWRC and not by KCDC and its $49 million budget. There is also loss of access to handicapped people because of lack of proper provision for taxis.
It required action by Kapiti Improvement Society to just get bus shelters built, by dealing directly with GWRC and confirming they are paying. KCDC continues to throw ratepayer money away with no concern.
Blocking the pedestrian underpass was intended
KCDC was going to block the sheltered underpass from the station to Coastlands to make people use the new pedestrian crossing over the road, Again this would expose them to weather and traffic rather than the safety and dry of the underpass. After hundreds of thousands of dollars had been spent on this absurdity, public pressure has meant the current underpass remains … for the moment.
No public consultation; Not in the Long Term Plan
There has been no public consultation on this expensive project. When asked why it was not indicated as a major project in the Long Term Plan, KCDC pointed to a pedestrian crossing marked “P” on a document of 2017 =- before the grandiose concept had been conceived. KCDC said the people approved this, so approved the $9 million project.
P5 (above) shows nothing of the grand plaza, just a pedestrian link.
The Local Government Act requires the following:
“The long-term plan (LTP) must
- Describe the council’s activities and the community outcomes it aims to achieve.
- Show accountability to the community.
- Provide an opportunity for participation by the public in council decision-making processes. , and specific funding and financial management policies and information.”
None of this appears to have been done.
The Grand Plaza will be a tourist hot spot?
KCDC spent hundreds of thousands of Ratepayer dollars preparing videos and other material to persuade Ratepayers of the grand new feature that will draw visitors. KCDC declares “An attractive public plaza will be created. The plaza will include landscaping features, shade, seating, and lighting… creating people-friendly, functional and safe spaces. KCDC’s expensive video (or one of them) is on YouTube here.
All the pohutukawa trees at the station were for the axe. Kapiti Improvement Society (KIS) became aware, stepped in and managed to save 3 of the trees (see this post —Eds).
This was all sanctioned by the previous Council. Will the current Council show a greater willingness to hold staff to account and ensure that there is real consultation on major projects?
Will it ensure it gets funding from the government or GWRC when it is available? At the present time the matter is under investigation.
The “Plaza” has also grind the community to a halt due to taking the road down from two lanes to one. My children attend Kapiti College but we live in Otaihanga where we have no public transport available. At 3pm the road and Coastlands are backed up a significant amount, often 1km or more down the road, sometimes even to the Raumati Road roundabout. This can also be the case at 5pm. What used to be a free flowing road is now a road block and it takes about 30 to 40 minutes to get to Otaihanga if we go this way. You don’t dare go to Coastlands between 3pm and 3.30pm now because you cannot move around it due to the traffic. For us, to get home, it used to take 12 minutes. We now go the back roads along the beach which takes 15 to 20 mins but is better than being at a stand still where my kids could probably get out, order from McDonald’s and still find the car having not moved much once they have their order. As both my husband and I work full time jobs, a lot of the time from home, it is reducing not only our productivity but the whole community’s. We’re not the only working parents that are upset about this. Another point, is that the Council have increased the region’s emissions by approving and actioning this plan with traffic spewing out pollution by idling in traffic jams. If they turn on the lights and block the underpass then the queue of traffic will likely go back to the Expressway ramps in Raumati South making both issues even worse. This would be a disaster so we must keep the pressure on.
Yes, That is 100 percent right Ryl!
Look at Wellingtons woes, Money spent on things they didn’t need, now massive infrastructure problems. Keep it simple and practical.
Needs not wants!
Doing dumb stuff with our hard-earned cash and making life harder for residents is not intelligent. Spending it on good traffic flow solutions, Basic maintenance, water and sewage projects is always what the council is required to do to future proof something we all rely on.
KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid!)
I heard that the underpass needed work strengthening pretty basic stuff.
I am not sure if this is how it all started. It does appear to be over the top and as stated a major bottle neck for traffic has been created.
We should probably be looking at on off ramps for all Expressway intersections of main roads to relieve and reduce local traffic and increase efficiency of travel in Kapiti. Thus also reducing emissions!
I believe that some cost cutting may have occurred in the building of the expressway in Kapiti. Obviously Raumati and Peka Peka half done.
Also Otaihanga could have on off ramps all making the area a breeze to get around. What happened to do it once do it right?
Both Kapiti Road and old State Highway one at coastlands have already become infrastructure issues with traffic jams. There doesn’t appear to be forward thinking in the traffic flow of Kapiti.
Lights or Roundabouts? Roundabouts seem to flow better.
More cars will be coming as time goes on. Regardless of whether they are electric or petrol we currently need our cars to get around. Good work has been done on the real cycle lanes that are safe, not sure what to say about unprotected cycle ways in close proximity to cars. What could go wrong?
Murphys law applies to health and safety in workplaces obviously to reduce risk. Different standards obviously apply to our roads. The results are a daily toll hopefully we can keep improving on that front.
Frustration on our roads can lead to accidents and unfortunately road rage incidents. All things we should want to avoid. Fingers crossed!
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