The six not to vote for

In the Dom Post:

Paul Bruce, Sue Kedgley, Daran Ponter, Roger Blakeley, John Klaphake and Russell Tregonning: The case for light rail for Wellington

This is a useful guide as to the six people whom you should not vote for under any circumstances.

You can be a huge fan of cycling, trains, buses, walking etc but you should not vote for these people as they ignore the evidence that every $100 spend on light rail returns a benefit of just $5.

As I blogged last month the Wellington Regional Council did an extensive study of the benefits and costs of the three main ways to increase public transport. Their findings:

• Bus priority – a return of $57 to $67 for every $100 spent
• Bus rapid transport – a return of $87 to $155 for every $100 spent
• Light rail – a return of $5 to $10 for every $100 spent

You must prevent these people from getting their hands on the regional chequebook. Otherwise us ratepayers will be landed with a bill ranging from $500 million (their estimate) to $1 billion (objective estimate) for their pet project.