You're listening to the Canterbury Mornings podcast with John McDonald from News Talk ZB.

You're listening to the Canterbury Mornings podcast with John McDonald from News Talk ZB.

What's the thing you hear people say time and time again. What's the thing you hear people say time and time again about the way we seemed to just get on with the job of building infrastructure back in say, the seventies of the eighties. What's the most common thing you hear people say about that? They say, our four bears had the foresight. Our four bears had the foresight, they say. And that's what I hope Christich City councilors have when they decide whether or not to press on with the controversial Wings to Wheels cycle way on Herewind Road, because, believe it or not, it's back on the table after costs have skyrocketed, and after the government money that was originally going to be coming to help pay for it has been pulled. Running through some of the numbers shortly, but the overall gist is that if the council wants to go further with this particular cycleway project, it's going to have to come up with an extra ten million dollars over and above what's already been spent and what's left in the budget. So far, the Council has spent six point two million dollars on the project without any shovels hitting the ground, and it's only got eighteen point five million dollars left in the budget. There's a gap of about ten million, at least ten million. Nevertheless, despite that, I hope that our councilors have this foresight that people like to credit past leaders with, and I hope they have the fortitude to say, you know what, this is going to cost a truckload more money than we thought we'd have to spend, and it is a truckload more money than we want to spend, but we're going to do it for the generations to come. That's what I hope they think. That's what I hope they do. I'm not going to get bogged down in numbers, but you might remember that it was back in twenty nineteen when the Council came up with the plan for the four and a half killer meter cycleway on Herewood Road. At the cost back then was expected to be nineteen million dollars, with half of the money coming from the government through NZTA. Of course, as things do with these projects, costs went up. Initially they went up to twenty two point seven million, and now the figure is twenty eight point five million all up. So the council what it's done is it's put out a range of options to be considered, which range from pressing on with the thing at one end and spending millions more than they expected to at the other end of the spectrum putting the whole thing on hold indefinitely. And in the middle of those two extremes, there are other options, such as building a shorter cycle way that was still cost twenty million. The Council's also suggesting that instead of going for what we like to call the over engineered options, that could just paint lines on the road and put in traffic lights at three intersections. But that option, even that option would still cost ten and a half million anyway, So why would you bother with that half hearted measure. I know I've often said, you know what's wrong with a few white lines, But if you get to spend spend ten and a half million dollars, you mails we'll spend twenty eight million dollars. There are some other cheaper alternatives to seven of them all up. I'm not going to go into detail about every one of them. Otherwise I'm selling we're running some sort of council committee meeting, which we're not. I see though, in the news today, Victoria Henstock, Council of Victoria Henstock, is saying that she's pleased to see that there are several options on the table. But of course she's pleased because she's been opposed to the Herewood Road cycle away from the get go. But this is where she's wrong. She's saying today, quote, this is a sense of approach. We cannot keep pouring money into projects that we cannot afford and are not wanted by the local community, as they keep telling me. End of quote. And that is where Counselor Victoria Henstock is wrong. That's the problem right there, all wrapped up on that quote, when you get politicians who are only interested in what the people in the here and now think, and in particular the people in the here and now who complain. Because of course, of course Counselor Henstock is going to hear from people who are anti the cycle way. She's not going to hear from the people who, in say, ten years time, are going to think this cycle way is absolutely brilliant. She's not going to hear from the people who in ten years time will be saying, wasn't it great that our city leaders had the foresight to bite the bullet. They had the fortitude to spend the extra money and make sure we can ride our bikes safely. That's what I hope people will be able to say, and that's why instead of tinkering around the edges and coming up with some sort of half hearted alternative that will still cost a lot of money, I hope the council doesn't give in, and I hope it presses on as planned.

What's the thing you hear people say time and time again. What's the thing you hear people say time and time again about the way we seemed to just get on with the job of building infrastructure back in say, the seventies of the eighties. What's the most common thing you hear people say about that? They say, our four bears had the foresight. Our four bears had the foresight, they say. And that's what I hope Christich City councilors have when they decide whether or not to press on with the controversial Wings to Wheels cycle way on Herewind Road, because, believe it or not, it's back on the table after costs have skyrocketed, and after the government money that was originally going to be coming to help pay for it has been pulled. Running through some of the numbers shortly, but the overall gist is that if the council wants to go further with this particular cycleway project, it's going to have to come up with an extra ten million dollars over and above what's already been spent and what's left in the budget. So far, the Council has spent six point two million dollars on the project without any shovels hitting the ground, and it's only got eighteen point five million dollars left in the budget. There's a gap of about ten million, at least ten million. Nevertheless, despite that, I hope that our councilors have this foresight that people like to credit past leaders with, and I hope they have the fortitude to say, you know what, this is going to cost a truckload more money than we thought we'd have to spend, and it is a truckload more money than we want to spend, but we're going to do it for the generations to come. That's what I hope they think. That's what I hope they do. I'm not going to get bogged down in numbers, but you might remember that it was back in twenty nineteen when the Council came up with the plan for the four and a half killer meter cycleway on Herewood Road. At the cost back then was expected to be nineteen million dollars, with half of the money coming from the government through NZTA. Of course, as things do with these projects, costs went up. Initially they went up to twenty two point seven million, and now the figure is twenty eight point five million all up. So the council what it's done is it's put out a range of options to be considered, which range from pressing on with the thing at one end and spending millions more than they expected to at the other end of the spectrum putting the whole thing on hold indefinitely. And in the middle of those two extremes, there are other options, such as building a shorter cycle way that was still cost twenty million. The Council's also suggesting that instead of going for what we like to call the over engineered options, that could just paint lines on the road and put in traffic lights at three intersections. But that option, even that option would still cost ten and a half million anyway, So why would you bother with that half hearted measure. I know I've often said, you know what's wrong with a few white lines, But if you get to spend spend ten and a half million dollars, you mails we'll spend twenty eight million dollars. There are some other cheaper alternatives to seven of them all up. I'm not going to go into detail about every one of them. Otherwise I'm selling we're running some sort of council committee meeting, which we're not. I see though, in the news today, Victoria Henstock, Council of Victoria Henstock, is saying that she's pleased to see that there are several options on the table. But of course she's pleased because she's been opposed to the Herewood Road cycle away from the get go. But this is where she's wrong. She's saying today, quote, this is a sense of approach. We cannot keep pouring money into projects that we cannot afford and are not wanted by the local community, as they keep telling me. End of quote. And that is where Counselor Victoria Henstock is wrong. That's the problem right there, all wrapped up on that quote, when you get politicians who are only interested in what the people in the here and now think, and in particular the people in the here and now who complain. Because of course, of course Counselor Henstock is going to hear from people who are anti the cycle way. She's not going to hear from the people who, in say, ten years time, are going to think this cycle way is absolutely brilliant. She's not going to hear from the people who in ten years time will be saying, wasn't it great that our city leaders had the foresight to bite the bullet. They had the fortitude to spend the extra money and make sure we can ride our bikes safely. That's what I hope people will be able to say, and that's why instead of tinkering around the edges and coming up with some sort of half hearted alternative that will still cost a lot of money, I hope the council doesn't give in, and I hope it presses on as planned.

For more from Category Mornings with John McDonald. Listen live to news talks It'd be christ Church from nine am weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio

For more from Category Mornings with John McDonald. Listen live to news talks It'd be christ Church from nine am weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio