The world is poised to turn a corner with the advent of driverless vehicles and transport analysts are jumping on board. Trackless trams which run on virtual rail lines have been tested in China. Such autonomous technologies will revolutionise transport.
Political, legislative, regulatory and economic issues are going to be much more important than the technological issues, and the Governments of Singapore and the United Kingdom are very much on the front foot trying to plan for this.
Meanwhile our Labour/NZ First Government continues to push ahead with 20th century rail track technology, to solve Auckland’s transport woes. This is bad enough in its own right, but it is also sucking most of the funding necessary for provincial New Zealand’s transport programmes.
In the Bay of Plenty, congestion is increasing rapidly. We have outgrown our transport network, and improved safety measures and modal shifts to cycling just do not cut it. Labour is in total denial, and are being paralysed by its coalition partners. Something has to change for the Western Bay of Plenty, and soon – or else our city, and our economy will stall completely. I say = Wake up, Twyford. Wake up, Jacinda. Mooching around in Paris might make you feel good, but we need you at home, managing our economy. None of your Ministers seem to have a clue.
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