Submission on proposed V8 supercar event
from
Cycle Aware Wellington
A non-profit citizen group
11 April 2005
From: Cycle Aware Wellington
PO Box 11-964
Wellington
email: caw_wgtn@hotmail.com
We would like to speak to our submission on 26 April.
Contact Paul Bruce at 972-8699.
Who are Cycle Aware Wellington?
We are a voluntary, not-for-profit organisation aimed at improving conditions for existing cyclists and encouraging more people to bike more often. We are the local advocacy group for cyclists who use their bikes as a means of transport. Since our inception in 1994, we have worked constructively with Wellington City Council on a wide variety of projects, including
· Bike to Work Day and other cycling promotion events
· safety and bike skills training for police officers, adults and children
· working with the transport sector to improve safety for cyclists in Wellington City
· improving infrastructure such as traffic calming, cycle parking, and cycle lanes
· Capital City Cycle Guide
We oppose the V8 event.
We oppose ratepayers financially supporting it.
1. Cycling issues
We are concerned about the changes to roading, footpaths and cycle routes that will be altered to suit the race. What is good for racing cars may not be good for cyclists. Cyclists require safe roading with adequate cycle lanes and effective traffic calming. The years of effort that CAW has put into engaging with the Council over cycle-friendly changes to roading infrastructure may be reversed by a one-off car race.
Even ten years after the Nissan-Mobil events, bolts from the barriers protrude in the roadway along Jervois Quay, as pictured above. This is a significant safety hazard for cyclists, who must share the left lane with other traffic.
2. Safety
Excess and inappropriate speed on our roads is the single biggest road safety issue in New Zealand today. (ACC)
Key facts about speed for 2003: (LTSA)
· Speeding contributed to 166 deaths, 633 serious injuries and 2,002 minor injuries.
· The social cost of speed-related crashes was about $850 million.
· 78% of speeding drivers were male.
· Of the 166 speed-related deaths, 90 were speeding drivers, 46 were passengers with a speeding driver and 30 were other road users (other drivers, passengers, cyclists and pedestrians).
· One in 8 road deaths was a pedestrian. The risk of death to pedestrians increases as the speed increases from 10% risk at 30 km/h, 70% at 50 km/h, 90% at 60 km/h, to 96% risk at 70 km/h.
The V8 event celebrates and glorifies speed. Three drivers from the recent Rally of New Zealand were ticketed for speeding (DomPost 11 April). There is clearly a link between racing and driving behaviour. This is the wrong message when we know that speed is the leading factor in road deaths.
3. Pollution and congestion
Few of the 100,000 spectators will be arriving by cycle or on foot.
Car racing is a poor fit with efforts to reduce carbon emissions and compliance with the Kyoto Protocol, which came into force in February. Unfortunately for the motorsports industry, conspicuous consumption of depleting fuel reserves, and the related pollution, will become an increasingly unacceptable activity.
For Wellington to buy in to a motorsports event when such activities are becoming less acceptable would be unwise and contrary to the internationally aware positioning we want for Wellington. Alternative events supporting moves toward less vehicle use in the inner city would fit better with Wellington's existing image, as well as trends for reducing inner-city vehicle use.
4. Disruption
Traffic disruption to main roads for 7 weeks.
5. Poor fit with Wellington’s brand
“Wellington is a vibrant city with a thriving cultural life, talented people, and cutting-edge businesses.” (source: WCC website) This event doesn't fit Wellington's brand.
The Council’s long-term strategic vision for the city is Creative Wellington - Innovation Capital. What is creative or innovative about a V8 event? Supercar racing does not fit with the brand of a clean, green city close to nature with a creative and innovative vision.
6. Financially irresponsible
The event doesn't meet the Council's own event funding guidelines. Ratepayers shouldn't be subsiding a commercial event. As ratepayers, CAW members express our disgust that this event should be funded by rates. This is a hijacking of our communal treasure.
7. Noise
Noise will affect residents and drive some visitors away. It will also induce many residents to leave town during the event.
Noise and disruption will increase the stress levels of Wellingtonians trying to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of living in a vibrant city on the sea, delay ambulances and fire engines. Nobody likes disruption, so construction projects of this magnitude should only be undertaken when the benefits outweigh the disadvantages to the people who will be experiencing the noise and disruption.
Isn’t modern life already fast enough? Noisy enough?
8. Alternatives available
Alternative motorsport venues are available: Te Marua, Kaitoke, and Manfield.
9. The event has failed elsewhere
Canberra paid to break their V8 contract because benefits were less than expected. The auditor-general found that costs exploded and benefits had been exaggerated. Even Auckland – a much more car-oriented city – rejected the event.
10. Flawed economic impact report
The economic impact report presented to support the proposal is flawed. It sets no dollar value on disruption, congestion, pollution and noise. It overestimates benefits.
The council’s figure for rates funding required, of $2.5 m per year, is a misleading underestimate, as Associate Professor Martin Lally has pointed out (DomPost 31 March). His argument that the true cost should include the $0.8 m per year already allocated to a general events budget is in CAW’s view sound economic advice.
11. Flawed residents survey
The residents' support survey is flawed because of misleading information supplied.
Residents surveyed were told:
“It is anticipated that $1 million could be required annually from the Council, which would result in a very small, yet to be determined, increase in rates.”
“Main roads would be closed for three days, Friday to Sunday, the duration of the race.”
Recent estimates put the cost at more than $3.5 million.
There was no mention of the seven week construction and dismantling period.
Recent letters to the editor indicate a pattern: Wellington residents oppose the event while non-residents favour it.
To conduct a survey with believable, scientifically valid results there are rules that need to be adhered to:
- Respondents must be given options that suit their preferences. Questions with forced answers are not appropriate.
- Pretesting the questionnaire to validate the questions is necessary. Are people making the choices that reflect their actual values and preferences?
If you really want an answer to your question (whether ratepayers favour the V8 car race or not), you have to design the survey to reflect the actual situation, not the view you are interested in getting support for. We question the unscientific survey methods of the Council’s contractor.
12. Effect on retailers
The Nissan-Mobil event killed downtown shopping, claim Wellington retailers (letters in Dom-Post).
13. Effect on sponsorship
It sucks sponsorship funding from other motorsport events (letters in Dom-Post).
Thank you for the opportunity to provide feedback.
We look forward to continuing our productive relationship with WCC.