DCC spending + Cycleway redesigns #OutOfControl

ODT 8.2.16 (page 8)

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ODT 6.2.16 (page 34)

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Received from Lee Vandervis
Mon, 8 Feb 2016 at 10:11 a.m.

FYI The version with attached email that I sent to ODT.

—— Forwarded Message
From: Lee Vandervis
To: EditorODT, Nicholas George S Smith, Julian Smith
Conversation: Councillors kept in the budget dark
Subject: Councillors kept in the budget dark

Dear Editor,

Last year in my letter to the Editor I complained that DCC staff had wasted $500,000 on two incompetent unsafe attempts to turn the 4 lanes of Portobello Road [from the Andy Bay BP to the foreshore] into a massive cycle-lane plus an unworkable 2 lane road. I argued that a $200 spend on signage making the eastern footpath into the desired cycleway would have catered for the few cyclists that use this short stretch. In our Annual Plan opportunity to discuss big budgets last week when I asked our new head of Transportation how much the third attempt to create a Portobello Road cycle lane was costing, budget debate was effectively shut down with the answer that staff had no idea. This was confirmed in an email to me on 2/2/16 which said “Staff do not yet have a formal cost estimate for the works associated with the redesign.” yet the following day the ODT reported “a fresh redesign is expected to cost more than $500,000”, new design costs “about $70,000” with Mayor Cull saying “the community should be confident in its ability to roll out cycleways in the city”!!! I say we should stop throwing good money after bad, stop the $8 million proposed one-way separated cycleway experiment, and stop the obsession with further cycleway spending [which was justified assuming the crock of ever-increasing and unaffordable fossil-fuel prices] until we have clear evidence of the cost/benefit of such expensive projects.

Kind regards,
Cr. Lee Vandervis.

█ 2/2/16 email evidence:

From: Ian McCabe [DCC]
Date: Tue, 2 Feb 2016 01:21:49 +0000
To: Lee Vandervis
Cc: Sandy Graham [DCC]
Subject: RE: Portobello Road (Portsmouth Drive to Timaru Street) Redesign

Hi Lee

My apologies for the delay in coming back to you on this.

Staff do not yet have a formal cost estimate for the works associated with the redesign. The cost will become apparent once staff have evaluated tenders for the construction.

Staff are committed to tendering the works in order to get the best price possible.

Costs associated with the redesign will be met from the existing Strategic Cycle Network budget.

Regards
Ian

Ian McCabe
Group Manager Transport
Dunedin City Council

Related Post and Comments:
22.10.15 Bloody DCC —superlative cost blowout #cycleways #SUCKS

█ For more, enter the term *cycle* in the search box at right.

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Dunedin Airport dunnies —on approach or the quick sail/sale

Received from Jeff Dickie
Fri, 23 Oct 2015 at 6:59 p.m. and 7:03 p.m.

█ Message: I spotted these corny ads at the Dunedin Airport loo the other day. It may not be possible to flush anything more down the dunny given the quantity of ratepayers’ funds already being flushed!

Sat, 24 Oct 2015 at 5:13 p.m.

█ Message: The advt says “seated”! I for one would not want to be seated in front of this urinal!

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Malcolm Farry, revisited at Nine to Noon (December 2008)

WARM FUZZIES

### radionz.co.nz Friday, 12 Dec 2008
Radio NZ National
Nine to Noon with Kathryn Ryan

Carisbrook Stadium in trouble (Link)
09:30 Malcolm Farry, Chairman Carisbrook Stadium Trust; and Jeff Dickie, property investor and outspoken critic of the stadium.
Audio | Download: Ogg  MP3 ( 13′ 15″ )

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

*Image: Malcolm Farry tweaked by whatifdunedin

Jeff Dickie perpetuates the myths

On Nine to Noon this morning (National Radio) Kathryn Ryan had both Malcolm Farry and Jeff Dickie on the show, discussing the possibility for the stadium go ahead.

Apart from the usual hot air from the Anti Stadium folk, “I’ve lived here all my life, I love Dunedin” etc etc, there was so much about his rant that is just typical of this whole debate.

Well sorry Mr Dickie, my family too has been here for well over 100 years, there’s a street named after my family and their farm in Kaikorai Valley, and I too am proud to be a Dunedinite – what’s your point?

His assertion that if you are for the stadium you are a Zealot, and if you are against it you are more or less a patriot is just daft. I would guess 99.99% of the people that live in this town are fans of the place, we all love Dunedin. But it’s nice to be able to paint your opponents in the light that there is something wrong with them, and Zealot is a nice term – the implication is that you’ve been brainwashed etc.