Public Transport, Walking, Cycling… much to be done!

So..Mayor Justin Lester has announced the responsibilities for Councillors, and personally, I think he has done a superb job of allocating roles and matching them to people’s areas of interest, backgrounds and abilities.

I came onto Council determined to see a greater focus on safer walking and cycling and better public transport and so I am really very pleased to have been given the public transport, walking and cycling portfolio for the coming three years.

Although I am totally up for the challenge, I’m not going to pretend it will be easy.

These are all areas which have huge community interest, where there are many competing demands for road space and resources, and where it will be necessary to work very collaboratively across a wide range of stakeholders to get optimum results.

I imagine we will have to make decisions that won’t be universally popular, and there will be difficult compromises. But these fundamental transport modes are so important! All sorts of people need to be able to get around our city in a convenient and affordable way, so that everyone can participate in the opportunities on offer in our city, whether that is for education, work, recreation, or cultural and social events.

And not everybody owns a car, or has a drivers licence, or can find (or afford) to park at their destination.

This work will be challenging, but I am totally committed to making the most positive difference I can, and getting on with it. I’ll be working closely with fellow Eastern Ward Councillor , Chris Calvi-Freeman, who will have responsibility for Transport Strategy and Operations. Chris and I are also grateful to have the support of other colleagues including Cr Foster with his huge experience in this area.

Good things take time so I don’t want to over promise on what is do-able in three years. However, I am interested in hearing feedback. You can contact me through this site, or if you prefer, email me directly at my Council address: Sarah.free@wcc.govt.nz