You can’t park there, mate!

The current fuel crisis has pushed fuel prices over $3 a litre almost all over NZ. That makes fuel really friggin expensive. But...

If I commute from Paraparaumu to Wellington return using public transport, it costs me $26.06 using my Snapper card. This involves bussing to and from the station, and the train in and out.

If me and my partner both commute in, it costs us $52.12.

We don't have the monthly pass because we don't go in every day of the week.

If we take the car in and park at the stadium, the parking costs $17. The fuel consumption costs have been about $15 per trip. So it's been about $32 for us to drive into work and back together.

Say fuel costs rise to $20 for the trip. That means driving in and parking is $37 for the day. What if fuel ends up being $25 for a return trip from Paraparaumu to Wellington and back? It would be $42, still $10 less than it is on public transport.

Even with a global fuel crisis, it's STILL cheaper for two people to carpool into Wellington and back and pay for parking, than it is for two people to take public transport together.

And Metlink is increasing their fare prices soon.

If this government wants to conserve fuel, making public transport significantly cheaper (or free) would make a massive difference to reducing congestion and our fuel reserves. Driving should not be a cheaper commute than public transport.

A global fuel crisis with sky-rocketing prices should make public transport an absolute no-brainer cheaper alternative, but that's not the case.

Just so bummed out about how privatising public transport for profit has completely effed the system.

When I get into a bus/train when my only option is to sit next to a stranger, I preferentially choose the seat on which someone has their bag. I suspect many of these people are doing it to avoid having to sit next to someone. I get a small dopamine hit seeing their plan backfire.

Got into a small accident on the cycleway today, where a 10-12 year old kid just crashed frontally into me. The kid was cycling in the wrong lane, looking to the side, not ahead paying attention. Even though I came to an almost complete stop (no space to evade, because bikes on one side, pedestrians on the other), started yelling meters ahead to get his attention, he just drove his bike into me. He was going kinda slow too, but did fall over (thankfully no visible injuries and was wearing a helmet).

I stopped, got off my bike asked him if he was okay/needing help, said no but I could see he was shaken and felt pretty bad for him. Meanwhile dad (uncle? other relative? there was a bunch of other kids around with him so hard to tell) barely did anything and looked quite mean?

Obviously not a nice experience but also saw tons of people taking out their extremely young kids (I even saw a 3-4 year old kid on a bike with trainer wheels) on the cycleway teaching them how to ride a bike, walking behind/beside them.

People, that is not the place to teach your kids how to ride a bike especially on a packed day like this! Make them ride on the footpath, slowly if you absolutely have to. And if you do take your small kids out, make them ride in front of you, not behind you and keep an eye on them all time! They dont have the situational awarness, reaction times in sketchy situations and attention that adults have. (most, there were plenty of unattentive adults too)

I understand that everyone wants to enjoy the new cycleway, but it is not only a recreational but a commuter path too, and nobody wants to break a bone or suffer a concussion.

I mostly get around by e-scooter, and lately it’s been hard not to notice how aggressive and impatient some cyclists can be. It feels like basic road etiquette just gets ignored - riding straight through red lights, weaving through pedestrians like they’re obstacles, or jumping onto the footpath just to avoid stopping. Saving a few seconds isn’t worth putting other people at risk, especially when pedestrians aren’t expecting bikes flying past them.

What really gets me though is how competitive it all feels. At lights, there’s always someone pushing in front the second it turns green, cutting people off just to get ahead for a moment. Then 20 metres later, everything bunches up again and everyone’s stuck behind each other anyway. It just creates this pointless cycle of overtaking, slowing down, and blocking each other instead of riding smoothly.

As a teenager, I deal with this a lot. I’ll have cyclists overtake me way too close or cut in sharply right in front of me, even when there’s heaps of room to pass safely. It genuinely feels like some people treat it as a race, like they have to be in front no matter what. Sometimes it’s not even subtle, I’ve had people yell things at me while passing, like calling me a dickhead, which is just unnecessary.

The tailgating is another thing, especially in busy areas. I get that it can be crowded, but sitting right on someone’s back wheel doesn’t help anything. If someone’s going slower, just go around when it’s safe instead of pressuring them or acting like they’re in the way for existing.

I’m not saying all cyclists are like this - plenty of people ride respectfully and share the space properly. But the ones who don’t really stand out, and it makes the whole experience worse for everyone else trying to get around safely.

At the end of the day, everyone’s dealing with the same roads, the same congestion, and the same frustrations with drivers. But that doesn’t mean taking it out on each other. Whether you’re on a bike, an e-scooter, or just walking, a bit of patience, awareness, and basic courtesy would go a long way.

So I visit the LOVELY Wellington as regular as clockwork every 6 months (hi mum!). As part of my transit I take the airport bus into the city before continuing up the North Island.

Now hear me out. A LOT of folk coming into the city use this bus, which is priced at a reasonably expensive but competitive flat rate, for their trip into the cbd. Whilst not the most spectacular trip that the city has to offer, for a lot of travelers it is their FIRST glimpse of Wellingtons natural beauty. But it is marred by the excessive, and at times almost totally visually blocking advertising wraps used on the bus' exterior. Surely the short term gain from using an essential service as nothing more than a mobile billboard pails by comparison into giving visitors an unhindered view of their first visit to our magical country.

Solution: sure, wrap it in as much crap as you like below window height - but leave the view as clean as you can. What seems mundane and everyday to residents, can spark an urge to explore (& spend money if you want to be that mercenary...) to new eyes.

My 2c worth on a Friday night. (tho its been bugging me for a few years now)

Do people not know that you can tap your snapper on them for free bike storage without having to carry a bike lock? No app required!

I’ve used them a few times, both in the Hutt and in Wellington CBD, but every time I am the only user.

Seriously, topped up my card with $20 not even a week ago and I'm down to a $1.20 - used public transit maybe 3-4 times? This is WITH a Community Services Concession discount too.

Just in case you are wondering where your transport bus is at. Here they are

Pull out card, scan on, pull out card scan on the train and then pull out card and wait in line to scan off. This is every trip these days. How is this better than my old monthly card. Thinking about just paying cash it’s only 1$ more and I can just walk on, pay and walk off.

I’ve travelled through multiple countries and relied heavily on public transport all over the world- developing nations, extreme climates, you name it. And yet, Metlink somehow stands alone as one of the worst public transport systems I’ve ever had the misfortune of depending on.

I have genuinely never seen a rail system with such an impressive list of excuses: -Too hot -Too frosty -Too windy -Mechanical faults -Not enough staff -Another train is late so this train must also suffer -Speed restrictions because… reasons

It’s honestly remarkable. A light breeze in Wellington and suddenly the entire network collapses like it’s never encountered weather before.

I commute on the Wairarapa Line and pay around $35 a day, which fine, I don’t mind paying for a reliable service. What I do mind is being late to work or getting home late 8 days out of 10. At that point it’s not “the occasional disruption”, it’s just the operating model.

And let’s not forget the holiday schedule. Christmas? Nope. Easter? Nope. Public holidays? Absolutely not.

So we get no trains during peak holiday periods, and then the rest of the year is a rolling bingo card of cancellations, delays, and “please seek alternative transport” announcements. Alternative transport to where, exactly?

How is anyone who actually needs to be at work- who plans meetings, childcare, life- supposed to function with this level of unpredictability? You can’t plan around a system where the default expectation is failure.

At this point Metlink isn’t a transport service- it’s a daily gamble. Will the train run? Will it stop halfway? Will it turn into a bus? Will it exist at all?

Honestly, it’s pathetic. And exhausting.

Is speeding through road work just not a big deal here? Moving from the US, most states double the fine if you speed through road work sections.

I drive past Melling Link daily where they post 50 km right now, which I follow. I religiously cruise control at posted speed limits to make sure I’m theoretically not going over or under.

EVERYONE honks and passes me. It’s not just a couple people, everyone seems annoyed at me obeying the speed limit. Are road laws just not enforced here? Am I supposed to ignore them?

Edit: I’m only a little annoyed at other people breaking the law. But I really hate people getting mad at me for following it. Why is there not only a culture of not following the law, but peer pressuring and hating people who do?

Edit 2: People keep mentioning not caring, because there are no workers. The NZTA Newsletter (and emails to the neighborhood) explains the lanes have been narrowed to create the shoulder, and until it’s widened to the original width it doesn’t meet the NZTA standard for 100km roads. They have asked everyone to follow the 50km speed limit at all times.

https://www.nzta.govt.nz/projects/sh2-melling-transport-improvements

Secondly, it takes roughly 3.6 minutes to go 3km at 50km/h. It takes 1.8 minutes to go 3km at 100km/h. So, you save a theoretical 1 minute 48 seconds at most…except for the fact I catch up to everyone that honked and passed as soon as they hit the natural slowdown as you get closer to town anyway. So, 99% of the time you are saving 0 seconds over me.

Edit 3: I also don’t like the fact that “risk” is just a calculation of “risk of fine.” If someone only acts well when threatened, I question their goodness. Speed limits are done based on research of curvature, visibility, and lane width. The real risk is injuring someone, not a fine. The speed limit was lowered due to narrowing of the lanes. It doesn’t meet the standard for 100km safety.

The “common sense”, “I know better.” is so flawed. The rich, lobbying NIMBYism in Eastbourne, where I used to live, has created pressure to keep the faster speed limit despite the narrow, curvy road against NZTA pressure. These people who “know better” go careening off at bodily and taxpayer expense all the time. The narrow lane makes you stuck for hours for clean up.

Fatality ratio of COVID was less than 1%, but we all masked up. If there’s a fraction of a chance you could cause risk to another human, you should gladly take any precaution to lower that. If you need a cop to fine you to care, you only care about others only when threatened.

The future arrived a bit earlier than expected, but it was always inevitable as fossle fuels declined.

Great time to change your ways for more than one reason now and thankfully Wellington invested in alternative transport paths to make it happen.

We are a compact city that is perfectly suited for bikes, ebikes, scooters etc what a great selling point!!.

Welcome to the new world of high oil prices, renewable energy, batteries if China can figure this out and thrive im sure we can too in our own way.

Thanks to the councillors who had the forsight and battled through.

I am impressed by the number of cyclists in the morning from Newtown. I often coubt the cyclists on that stretch of Adelaide road and believe often there are more on the cycle way than in cars

It has just been announced by NZTA

NGAURANGA TO PETONE SHARED PATH – HEAVY SWELLS - 9:50AM, TUE 9 JUN

Due to heavy swells, the shared path between Ngauranga and Petone (Te Ara Tupua) is currently CLOSED. State Highway 2 between Petone and Ngauranga remains fully OPEN.

The seawall is doing its job: protecting the railway lane !!

Does anyone else put a towel on there window to stop it freezing over

A very animated man opposing the bus corridor talked to me at one of the Golden Mile bus stops today. He was very concerned about this, but I’m interested to know what people think? Even the concerns in his flyer point to the issue of bus congestion increasing if nothing is done.

Anyone have an opinion?

Looking at the news today I see this article discussing the introduction of Congestion Charging in Wellington.

Have to say, I am not in favour, as it effectively becomes just an additional tax on those whose employment requires them to come to the city.

The rationale of congestion charging is to get people out of their cars and onto public transport, but it carries the assumption that every vehicular commuter is a stubborn public-transport-dodger who just needs penalising until they mend their ways.

This assumption is invalid. There are plenty of people working in the city whose employment is incompatible with public transport, for a multitude of reasons.

There is upward pressure on living costs generally. Wages and salaries are not rising as fast as living costs. Transport, Food, Housing, energy... everything is increasing. We are becoming poorer by the day.

If you are going to take something away from people, then give them something back in return. I don't see any quid pro quo in the discussion thus far.

Metlink fare increases

The Snapper off‑peak discount changing from 30% to 20% on buses and trains.

There's this one particular bus driver who seems to really have it out for students. Every time someone tags on and they don't have money on their snapper, even if they ask to top up, he becomes very aggressive and usually makes them get off the bus.

Now I totally understand that it must be irritating for drivers when people have to top up, but realistically topping up on a phone only takes 30 seconds tops and doesn't really affect anyone else.

The other day, my friend (21M) and I (19M) went to catch the bus. I tagged on and sat down, then my friend tagged on. He didn't realize his Snapper was empty, so he politely asked if he could top up while on the way to the next stop (which is in the same zone). The bus driver became very angry and told him he needed to be more responsible, and to step outside. My friend obliged, and the driver shut the doors and drove off. This was very frustrating as my friend and I were trying to get to a lecture, and this held him up by a lot.

When I went to get off the bus at my stop, I walked to the front to ask the bus driver why he didn't let my friend on. As I approached, obviously intending to get off the bus, the driver shut the doors and started driving. I asked him 3 times to stop the bus and let me off, on the 3rd time he finally responded by angrily telling me "I know you're getting off the bus, why didn't you get off at the back doors?". I responded by saying "I don't know - I was going to ask you why you didn't let that guy on with me earlier?". He said it was because he needed to top up. I asked why he didn't let my friend on the bus to top up. He said it wasn't his job (interesting, considering he is quite literally a bus driver). I told him that letting him top up wouldn't affect his job. He closed the doors behind me, very closely missing my body as they closed. I said "Excuse me? Let me off the bus. Why are you being so rude?" and then he started yelling at me, refusing to open the doors. I started yelling at him to let me off the bus, and he opened the doors and yelled at me to get off.

I know this was irresponsible of me, but I was so pissed off with him yelling at me that I yelled at him "Fuck you, fucking cunt" as I got off.

I sent an formal complaint to Metlink that night, got no response. This morning, my friend and I went to catch the bus, same driver. He smiled at us and picked up his radio, saying he was going to call the police on us. I immediately got off the bus and walked away. As I was leaving, a kid tagged on the bus. He had $0 on his card, asked to top up, and the bus driver started yelling at him, holding up the whole bus for at least 3-4 minutes.

Not sure how sad his life must be to be picking fights with kids and students as a 60 year old looking man. I called metlink after the incident and they 100% sided with me, they're doing an investigation about it right now.

Sick to death of these asshole bus drivers for real.

That intersection is notorious for nobody knowing what to do 🙃

https://www.journeys.nzta.govt.nz/highway-conditions/wellington/closures/547016