Can we please mention climate change in articles like this? www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/5...

This finding of "hidden" public support for green policies strongly echoes our work on pluralistic ignorance when it comes to non-car travel: most people support non-car travel more than car travel, but at the same time they believe this is a minority view

*crying in Tamaki Makaurau*

One thing I wrote about here is how technology has made buses *way* more convenient while techno-futurists were obsessed with flying taxis and self-driving cars.

And if you want a Mamdani, you need to volunteer with a ground campaign. You need to talk to people irl about the policies your candidate is fronting and why they're a good thing. It's not just charisma, it's support. Support against bad actors and support to rally wider political momentum.

"We will govern expansively and audaciously. We may not always succeed, but never will we be accused of lacking the courage to try." Boy it would be nice to see more of this energy in politics broadly.

Happy New Year!

Wrapping up 2025 with our annual review of this year's big stories for transport & urbanism in Tāmaki Makaurau. Plus a few highlights from our tenacious work to help make Auckland an even better place to be. 😎 Enjoy the break – see you in the New Year! 🌞 www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2025/12/31/2...

“Fun is not only important, it is GLUE for civic life.” Just one of 10 ways the Zohran Mamdani campaign threw the better party (and won). A useful and invigorating read, especially in an election year… #nzpol priyaparker.substack.com/p/the-breakd...

Auckland Housing Happy Hour - Jan Edition Special guests from Wellington @rebeccamatthews.bsky.social & @geordierogers.co.nz! ⏰ Jan 5th 2026, from 5pm 📍Slattery & Sons (formerly known as Brew On Quay) All welcome!

Correct take from @connorsharp.bsky.social here

Anyways, my Christmas wish is to revive (surface) light rail in 2026

Scrapped light rail must become Auckland's long-term transport plan, advocate says

“Light rail & mass transit should be part of the supercity's long-term transport plan.” Great to see RNZ highlighting @connorsharp.bsky.social’s work to keep this smart option on the table. Also good: moral support from Cr. @hendowest.bsky.social. Will Council pick this up and run with it in 2026?

Important to celebrate some of the great transport and urban stuff that has happened in Auckland this year! But that pipeline is starting to dry up, and the mission for 2026 is ensuring we keep the good things coming. My op-ed for The Post today: www.thepost.co.nz/business/360...

Wild idea, why don’t we try it and see? If it doesn’t improve traffic, maybe then we try the expensive, hard to build idea? Except wait it will help traffic because it has in so many other places

The last six years here and worldwide has taught me that some people waste way too much time focused on hate. Hating groups. Hating individuals. Hating themselves. Imagine how much more productive and less violent society would be if that energy was put into something good.

Hold your crown Viv, another business association Chief Executive is coming for the worst transport takes title, this time saying we can't do congestion charging until we *checks notes* Widen the Northern Motorway to provide 'congestion relief'

So, I’m making one huge ministry of everything that matters most to people like me/us: Urban development, Transport and Environment. Or, for short, UTE

Over a quarter of a trillion dollars being poured into expensive & complex infrastructure (roads) with almost zero transparency. What is the public interest in hiding basic information about these billion-dollar projects from the public? Good question @connorsharp.bsky.social #releasetheRONSfiles

This should be a much, much bigger story. Commitments of tens of billions of dollars are being made to dubious projects without us being allowed to know anything about how decisions are being made. It's literally the future of the nation.

The RoNS: “the most complex & expensive infrastructure programme in NZ’s recent history.” A $56B programme… with a $49B shortfall. And all signs point to low-to-no-value for public money. Given the huge public interest, why are the details being kept from the public, asks @connorsharp.bsky.social?

Might this finally be the catalyst for a government to have the Electoral Commission run local elections (with in person booths)? Like seriously... how many more election issues do we need (whether its the catastrophically low turnout, or something sinister like this)?

The Canada Street Cycleway is open

Fences on Mercury Lane have come down!

The contrast between the shiny new protected cycleway and the legacy of faded green paint at the junction with Karangahape Road and Ponsonby Road shows how far cycle provision has come in Auckland. It deserves to come a lot further in more places. Everyone should be able to cycle if they want to.

🎵 All I want for Christmas is...a protected cycleway and new trees along Great North Road. The nicest thing about this cycleway is that it's w i d e. Also that it is happening. People are already cycling on the tiny complete bits. It will be great to see it fully open. @bikeauckland.bsky.social

The thing is. THE THING IS! Aspirations, values and visions are free! That’s the stuff that inspires people, and reminds us what (and who) politics is for… …so then we *can* have those realistic conversations about what’s important and how we’ll fund it. Let’s not pre-emptively sell ourselves short!

Every photo in the HOTC Annual Highlights is of people friendly spaces, and the Chief Executive opposes making more of them! You can't make this up! www.hotcity.co.nz/sites/201802...

The Chief Executive of the City Centre's business association has constantly advocated against create spaces that would attract more people Then they complain about how no ones coming so we need to bring back cars, ignoring that areas WITHOUT cars are seeing foot traffic GO UP

In today’s Weekend Herald

Imagine, a city

I really don’t get the city centre hate. It’s become a beautiful place to be. Yet Facebook commenters insist on telling me it’s a wasteland with “roving bands of thugs”. I’m literally here multiple days a week and that’s just nonsense.

I expect this will be one of the first battles over the shape of the City Centre in the next few years... A few vocal people have been undermining good plans, while predatory delay in institutions has stopped a lot of delivery. But we can win this! So read and email please :)

Wait, what?! Yesterday, it emerged that Auckland Transport plans to re-open Queen St to all night thru-traffic. Boy racers, start your engines!🏎️🏎️🏎️ But why? And who on earth asked for this? Is this Project K all over again? @connorsharp.bsky.social has the scoop - and a campaign to restore sanity.

Lol. Mike Lee asked AT about a '60%' increase in residential parking fees for central suburbs. It's going from $70 to $114 for an entire YEAR. After not going up at all for THIRTEEN YEARS. To store private property on some of the most valuable public land in the country.

Listening the WLB workshop on Midtown circulation changes... every time I hear 'balance' it always mean giving back space for cars... The City Centre is the most spatially constricted place in the country there is no BALANCE when it comes to CARS they just break everything else.

What kind of person does it make me, when I have Auckland Council's Transport and Infrastructure Delivery Committee stream open in one tab, and the Waitematā Local Board Workshop stream open in another xD

Mike Lee with a commanding lead for the 'Wayne Walker talk the most in Auckland Council meetings award'

In Auckland, 19/60 transport projects were redesigned in the 24/25 delivery portfolio due to the 2024 GPS I'm sure that was a great use of time and money, and totally made those projects better. (Screenshot from NZTAs reponses to written questions for parliaments scrutiny week)

This iconic Fabian Todorovic cartoon is still one of the best I’ve seen at illustrating the remarkable amount of space we surrender to cars, leaving little space left for everyone and everything else. The text added later makes the bonus point that many drivers still manage to complain about it.

🧵 I like Auckland, but jeez the driving here is...AAARGHH!!! In a ten-minute journey, I witnessed: ▪︎ 2x cars without headlights ▪︎ VW Polo blatantly run a red light ▪︎ Multi-car pile-up in Park Rd (outside City Hospital) ▪︎ 3x lads in an AMG Merc which sounded like it had firecrackers up its bum 🧨 💥

Cowboy hat wearing cycleway sabatour putting these signs up all over Grey Lynn Shops and Surrey Crescent today, based on some completely deranged idea of whats happening. Interesting whos hoarding (cough cough Mike Lee) was used to make these signs...

"'The Others Way showed...that with the right creative approach you can do things that you wouldn’t have thought were possible.' Like close down a major arterial for an event. Holloway thinks Karangahape Rd should close six to eight times a year for a wide variety of events. 'That’s the vision.'" 😍🥰

It's only going to get better.

Honestly, with a lot of things happening right now, it's easy to feel down. But then you go see (and celebrate) the great things that are happening, and cheer right back up :) Need to talk up the good way more tbh!

Public open day for a 3km cycleway between Māngere and Māngere Bridge in south Auckland.

Great vibes and weather at the Party on the Path celebrating the Māngere Cycle Path! More of this everywhere please!

Notably, it seems the proposal to revisit light rail was the only project endorsed by Te Waihanga in this round that came from an *individual* (rather than from a council, organisation, govt agency, etc). Just goes to show that @connorsharp.bsky.social was right all along, as per his origin story 💪

NZ Infrastructure Commission/ Te Waihanga invited submissions for its Infrastructure Priorities Programme… …so @connorsharp.bsky.social smartly suggested revisiting light rail in Auckland💡 Breaking news: the proposal was “endorsed” as highlighting a pressing and solvable issue!👏🏼 What happens now?