#107: I like to move it, move it

On the joys of getting from A to B

Mōrena, and happy Tuesday!

Transport makes up 18% of New Zealand’s emissions, second only to agriculture. It’s also a necessity - we all need to get around. But what we don’t often mention is how low emissions journeys (particularly on public transport) can be a joy - a way of getting to know our cities or towns and appreciating the transitions from home, to work, to friends, to exciting new locations. I’m privileged to have experienced the beauty of public transport:

🚞 When I was 13, our class took the TranzAlpine train from Christchurch to the West Coast for school camp. We played cards, read books, listened to our iPods, and gawked out the window as Arthur’s Pass whipped by.

🚉 When I was 25, I lived in a hilly suburb in Wellington. I would bike downhill to work every day, arriving wind-freshed and feeling alive. On the way home, I would crush those hills with my massive thighs take the train, bike in tow.

🚌 The other day, I met some friends on the North Shore. There’s no cycleway across the harbour bridge, so I took a bus. I looked up from my book and watched the glittering sea as the double decker soared over the Waitematā.

Emily, Dhanya, and me on the Northwestern cycleway!

I’m lucky to have joyful transport options that fit my lifestyle. Many New Zealanders don’t have any affordable, reliable options for transport. Petrol prices are high, rural roads are damaged, bus networks are patchy, and traffic sucks, and the lack of other options forces everyone onto roads, making the whole thing worse. As a result, NZ is the #1 most car-dependent country in the world.

But as usual, what’s good for the climate is also good for everyone. By investing in public & active transport (buses, trains, cycleways, footpaths - which also cater to scooters, prams, wheelchairs, and skateboards too), we save time, traffic, emissions, accidents, roading damage, and millions in public health from people getting out and about. The result is healthier, happier, more liveable cities for all, drivers included 🤗

Our cross-movement Transport For All campaign!

The government’s recent General Policy Statement on Land Transport proposes to:

• 🔥 remove emissions reductions as a priority (?!)

• 🚌 slash funding for public transport

• 🚲 slash funding for walking & cycling

• 🚃 push heavy freight off rail, onto already-damaged roads

• 🚄 remove funding for inter-regional passenger rail

• 🚷 raise the prospect of new roads being built without footpaths (??! are we Texas??)

The policy is still in draft though, and we have time (and the actions!) to re-route towards a better path. We’ve teamed up with transport advocacy groups & professionals to launch this Transport For All campaign - actions are below. All aboard!

What can we do today?

The most-clicked link from last week’s issue was the petition calling for PM Luxon to protect our climate.

🐝 If you have 5 minutes: Don’t follow this GPS

• Join our Transport For All campaign to stop the government’s draft plan from slashing funding for emissions reduction (and so much more) in transport!
  Action: Sign this petition AND
  Action: Send this templated email (5 mins)
  OR Use our guide to fill out the few options on the survey (15 mins)
  OR Write a personalised response with our guide (30 mins)

🐇 If you have 15 minutes: Public goods for public good

• Auckland: Auckland Council is planning on selling public assets like the Port of Auckland to pay for future expenses. However, this is a short-term gain, and in return we lose all potential revenue and public control over the asset. This also sets our plans for the next ten years - and so it is key that we are taking climate resilience, and the resilience of our communities into account. 

  Action: Submit on the Auckland Long-Term Plan using 350 Tāmaki’s guide

💃🏽 If you have 30 minutes or more: Stop the Bill

• The government’s Fast Track Bill is next level in terms of endangering the environment on which we all depend.
  Action, 12:30pm Thu 21 March: Attend Environmental Defence Society’s webinar on the RMA Fast Track Bill
  Bonus action: Use EDS’s submission as inspiration to submit your own

• Wellington, 5pm today: Join cycling, walking, rail, and climate advocates at Parliament today. We’re demonstrating to the public, the media, and the politicians that we deserve a modern transport system that makes it easy, affordable, and sustainable to get around.
  Action: Join the Transport for Life rally at Parliament (FB event here)

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That’s all for today, folks 👋🏽 Thanks for taking action. Enjoy this video that I took on a recent bike trip through South Korea, following the 4 Rivers Trail that runs the length of the country 💚

See you next week, 

Jenny & the Climate Club team

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