Andrew Dickens Afternoons

It’s been two weeks since my last show on Newstalk ZB which means a fortnight listening to howls of outrage over cycle bridges and rail links. And I’ve come to the conclusion that New Zealanders do not and have not understood infrastructure and it’s planning. The news that a dedicated three quarter of a billion dollar pedestrian and bike bridge will be constructed next to the Auckland Harbour Bridge horrified me. And that’s saying something since I am a dedicated bike commuter and have been all my life. It’s just too expensive and the cost benefit does not stack up.  In parliament, the Prime Minister estimated the Bridge would have 3000 crossings a day meaning a cost of $12.50 a crossing.  That was a big underestimation and many calculate it is more like $50 a crossing. Well, cyclists are already crossing the harbour on ferries and it’s costing them $5 a crossing on their HOP card so its more expensive than the current regime.And here’s a point.  Why don’t we charge the cyclists $12.50 a crossing the same way