Comments for Your Wellington http://yourwellington.org Building the city you want Sat, 23 Jul 2011 17:45:36 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 Comment on A summer’s day free of traffic by Being sensible about pedestrianizing Wellington · Your Wellington http://yourwellington.org/2009/08/a-summers-day-free-of-trafc/comment-page-1/#comment-4244 Being sensible about pedestrianizing Wellington · Your Wellington Sat, 23 Jul 2011 17:45:36 +0000 http://yourwellington.org/?p=65#comment-4244 [...] Ben Nolan: Making all the inner city streets dual use (so that cars had to give way to pedestrians at all times)... [...] [...] Ben Nolan: Making all the inner city streets dual use (so that cars had to give way to pedestrians at all times)… [...]

]]> Comment on A summer’s day free of traffic by Ben Nolan http://yourwellington.org/2009/08/a-summers-day-free-of-trafc/comment-page-1/#comment-1469 Ben Nolan Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:57:43 +0000 http://yourwellington.org/?p=65#comment-1469 Making all the inner city streets dual use (so that cars had to give way to pedestrians at all times) would be an epic improvement. Also reducing the speed limit to 30kph, and making the road around to evans bay 'local traffic only', would make a much more pleasant bike ride to work. Making all the inner city streets dual use (so that cars had to give way to pedestrians at all times) would be an epic improvement. Also reducing the speed limit to 30kph, and making the road around to evans bay ‘local traffic only’, would make a much more pleasant bike ride to work.

]]> Comment on An IT park in Kilbirnie? by Ben Nolan http://yourwellington.org/2009/08/an-it-park-in-kilbirnie/comment-page-1/#comment-1468 Ben Nolan Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:56:15 +0000 http://yourwellington.org/?p=67#comment-1468 Cool idea. A technology park facility would be interesting, if it was done with modern buildings and good facilities. Cool idea. A technology park facility would be interesting, if it was done with modern buildings and good facilities.

]]> Comment on What you want for Wellington, I want, too by Keith Flinders http://yourwellington.org/2009/09/what-you-want-for-wellington-i-want-too/comment-page-1/#comment-1305 Keith Flinders Mon, 07 Jun 2010 10:13:52 +0000 http://yourwellington.org/?p=80#comment-1305 What I want, Jack, is a city that even the unwaged and retired can afford to live in. Rates now at $10 a day, and soon to be nearly $11 with the increase proposed and higher GST are my single biggest item of household expenditure. When I have to rely on the pension 25% of it will be needed for the rates alone. How are you going to stimulate growth to ensure a wealthier Wellington with businesses contributing their fair share ? What I want, Jack, is a city that even the unwaged and retired can afford to live in. Rates now at $10 a day, and soon to be nearly $11 with the increase proposed and higher GST are my single biggest item of household expenditure. When I have to rely on the pension 25% of it will be needed for the rates alone.

How are you going to stimulate growth to ensure a wealthier Wellington with businesses contributing their fair share ?

]]> Comment on A summer’s day free of traffic by Kaye http://yourwellington.org/2009/08/a-summers-day-free-of-trafc/comment-page-1/#comment-1190 Kaye Wed, 12 May 2010 05:59:04 +0000 http://yourwellington.org/?p=65#comment-1190 I think car free days would be utterly fantastic in certain zones in the city - I think car free days would be utterly fantastic in certain zones in the city -

]]> Comment on Wake-up calls from Global Entrepreneurship Week by Paul Spence http://yourwellington.org/2009/12/wake-up-calls-from-global-entrepreneurship-week/comment-page-1/#comment-1042 Paul Spence Wed, 14 Apr 2010 10:28:03 +0000 http://yourwellington.org/?p=140#comment-1042 Wellington's startup ecosystem is continuing to gather momentum and we are expecting Wellington to the World to be even bigger and better in 2010. Some of the coolest startup companies in the world are being incubated right here in Wellington and a lot of the that is due to the fact that we can attract and retain clever people. That means we need to continue to build an environment that is business friendly and encourages creativity. Wellington to the World is a great showcase for what I call the city's "quiet achievers". By using social media, video and through the linkages we have begun building in Silicon Valley it means that our emerging technology ventures can reach out globally. It is important that local government continue to support such initiatives. We very much appreciated Jack stepping in to take up an impromptu guest spot on our entrepreneur discussion panel at W2W '09, by the way. Paul Spence Event Director Unlimited Potential - Wellington to the World Wellington’s startup ecosystem is continuing to gather momentum and we are expecting Wellington to the World to be even bigger and better in 2010. Some of the coolest startup companies in the world are being incubated right here in Wellington and a lot of the that is due to the fact that we can attract and retain clever people. That means we need to continue to build an environment that is business friendly and encourages creativity.

Wellington to the World is a great showcase for what I call the city’s “quiet achievers”. By using social media, video and through the linkages we have begun building in Silicon Valley it means that our emerging technology ventures can reach out globally. It is important that local government continue to support such initiatives.

We very much appreciated Jack stepping in to take up an impromptu guest spot on our entrepreneur discussion panel at W2W ‘09, by the way.

Paul Spence
Event Director
Unlimited Potential – Wellington to the World

]]> Comment on Welcome to Your Wellington by Michael Prince http://yourwellington.org/vox-pop-home-page/about/comment-page-1/#comment-906 Michael Prince Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:58:52 +0000 http://yourwellington.org/?page_id=2#comment-906 As great as Wellington is, there are a number of shortcomings that I have noticed since coming back after working abroad for the last 5 years. Two areas that stand out and are interconnected are public transport and the fact that Wellington is not a Bicycle Friendly City. Firstly there is the cost of public transport. I was horrified to discover recently that it costs approximately $3 to take a bus from a bus stop on the Hataitai side of the Mt Vic bus tunnel to Cuba St. This is not a fare deal in my opinion. Auckland city has the link bus which will take you from Ponsonby to New Market (easily 2-3 times the distance) for $2, that is a great deal. Secondly is a lack of bicycle lanes on our streets. The benefits of having people cycle are too long to mention here and if you don't have safe streets for bicycles, people just won't do it. The connection here is the fact that our buses do not carry bicycles. We all know that Wellington is littered with hills, this fact is enough to put a lot of people off riding whether it be to work or for leisure. Buses that carry bikes would change this. I've spent the last two years living in Vancouver where the city buses have bike racks mounted on the front of buses (carries two bikes). This is such a great idea, I feel that any city that doesn’t have this is really missing out. Mountain biking is very popular in Wellington and would be even more popular if people could take there bike for example, from the railway station all the way to the Macra bike park. If Wellington is to move forward and reduce it's carbon emissions it needs to become a more accessible and bicycle friendly city. As great as Wellington is, there are a number of shortcomings that I have noticed since coming back after working abroad for the last 5 years.

Two areas that stand out and are interconnected are public transport and the fact that Wellington is not a Bicycle Friendly City.

Firstly there is the cost of public transport.
I was horrified to discover recently that it costs approximately $3 to take a bus from a bus stop on the Hataitai side of the Mt Vic bus tunnel to Cuba St. This is not a fare deal in my opinion. Auckland city has the link bus which will take you from Ponsonby to New Market (easily 2-3 times the distance) for $2, that is a great deal.

Secondly is a lack of bicycle lanes on our streets.
The benefits of having people cycle are too long to mention here and if you don’t have safe streets for bicycles, people just won’t do it.

The connection here is the fact that our buses do not carry bicycles.
We all know that Wellington is littered with hills, this fact is enough to put a lot of people off riding whether it be to work or for leisure. Buses that carry bikes would change this.
I’ve spent the last two years living in Vancouver where the city buses have bike racks mounted on the front of buses (carries two bikes).
This is such a great idea, I feel that any city that doesn’t have this is really missing out.
Mountain biking is very popular in Wellington and would be even more popular if people could take there bike for example, from the railway station all the way to the Macra bike park.

If Wellington is to move forward and reduce it’s carbon emissions it needs to become a more accessible and bicycle friendly city.

]]> Comment on The water meter issue by Brent http://yourwellington.org/2009/09/the-water-meter-issue/comment-page-1/#comment-887 Brent Fri, 05 Mar 2010 09:09:34 +0000 http://yourwellington.org/?p=69#comment-887 I feel that while free, quality water is one thing which is great about Wellington, water meters could be useful in preventing wastage of this precious resource, which we take for granted (excuse the cliches). In the summertime I see too many people wasting water for hours on end, watering their lawns when grass naturally dies off anyway during the summer. People have long showers, etc, and let clean water go down the drain. People wash their cars by blasting them with the hose rather than using a bucket of water and a sponge. It might seem like nothing when you do it but it all stacks up. Too many people seem to have the idea that because the water is free, it must be unlimited as well, which obviously it isn't. We might be able to get away with this now, but as the population grows water usage like this will not be sustainable. It's common for people who live in towns with limited water supplies to re-use their grey water (dishwater, bathing water and so forth) by collecting it and using it to wash the car, water the garden, etc. This is an example of a way that water can be saved, not by reducing usage as-per-say, but by using water more effectively. And it's easy. Don't get me wrong, I do not think that water should be charged based solely on usage. I think that each household should be allowed a standard volume of water each year for each person living in that household, and once they go over their usage limit then they will be charged. That way I think people will be mindful of the amount of water they're using, and will use it more wisely. Well, that's my two cents anyway ; ) I feel that while free, quality water is one thing which is great about Wellington, water meters could be useful in preventing wastage of this precious resource, which we take for granted (excuse the cliches). In the summertime I see too many people wasting water for hours on end, watering their lawns when grass naturally dies off anyway during the summer. People have long showers, etc, and let clean water go down the drain. People wash their cars by blasting them with the hose rather than using a bucket of water and a sponge. It might seem like nothing when you do it but it all stacks up. Too many people seem to have the idea that because the water is free, it must be unlimited as well, which obviously it isn’t. We might be able to get away with this now, but as the population grows water usage like this will not be sustainable.

It’s common for people who live in towns with limited water supplies to re-use their grey water (dishwater, bathing water and so forth) by collecting it and using it to wash the car, water the garden, etc. This is an example of a way that water can be saved, not by reducing usage as-per-say, but by using water more effectively. And it’s easy.

Don’t get me wrong, I do not think that water should be charged based solely on usage. I think that each household should be allowed a standard volume of water each year for each person living in that household, and once they go over their usage limit then they will be charged. That way I think people will be mindful of the amount of water they’re using, and will use it more wisely.

Well, that’s my two cents anyway ; )

]]> Comment on The green bins’ issue by Virginia Fong http://yourwellington.org/2009/07/the-green-bins-issue/comment-page-1/#comment-677 Virginia Fong Tue, 09 Feb 2010 03:22:38 +0000 http://yourwellington.org/?p=44#comment-677 The recycling bins initiative by WCC is one of the most inept I have ever encountered. Recycling - a great idea. Open bins for plastic and paper for collection by WCC in one of the windiest environments you can think of? The effect is the redistribution of recyclable waste randomly across the landscape of the city - or more likely into the harbour and ocean. Nice one WCC. Jack, I hope your council will have a little more foresight than the genius who devised this scheme (And how long has this programme been running? Like, has nobody ever thought about this seriously?). I have a suggestion - what about a specially coloured wheelie bin. These will prevent most random weather caused redistribution, are probably easier to collect, and the bin itself is less likely to be blown down the street and in many circumstances lost. Too easy. The recycling bins initiative by WCC is one of the most inept I have ever encountered. Recycling – a great idea. Open bins for plastic and paper for collection by WCC in one of the windiest environments you can think of? The effect is the redistribution of recyclable waste randomly across the landscape of the city – or more likely into the harbour and ocean. Nice one WCC. Jack, I hope your council will have a little more foresight than the genius who devised this scheme (And how long has this programme been running? Like, has nobody ever thought about this seriously?). I have a suggestion – what about a specially coloured wheelie bin. These will prevent most random weather caused redistribution, are probably easier to collect, and the bin itself is less likely to be blown down the street and in many circumstances lost. Too easy.

]]> Comment on Solar power in the city by Eli Weir http://yourwellington.org/2009/08/solar-power-in-the-city/comment-page-1/#comment-497 Eli Weir Wed, 06 Jan 2010 02:35:50 +0000 http://yourwellington.org/?p=63#comment-497 How about rooftop gardens in the CBD that help lower ambient temperature (caused by all that concrete and glass), balance carbon emissions, circulate air, and soak up solar energy (via embedded systems and the plant-life)? A program of retrofitting large-scale office buildings would do wonders for the lifestyle of those that use them, as well as ensuring a lower power-consumption (and potential to return energy to the grid via those solar cells). How about rooftop gardens in the CBD that help lower ambient temperature (caused by all that concrete and glass), balance carbon emissions, circulate air, and soak up solar energy (via embedded systems and the plant-life)?

A program of retrofitting large-scale office buildings would do wonders for the lifestyle of those that use them, as well as ensuring a lower power-consumption (and potential to return energy to the grid via those solar cells).

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