Election 2020: Live panel discussion on Wellington transport

Transport is one of the biggest issues in Wellington this election. Photo / File

Transport has become a defining issue for the capital this election amid increasing frustration the $6.4 billion Let's Get Wellington Moving project doesn't feel like it's actually moving.

The city's infrastructure is desperate for investment to ease growing congestion.

Billions of dollars are on the line and Wellington needs to decide what sort of transport future it wants that will service generations to come.

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Today, panelists will discuss the pressing issues in a Spotlight on Wellington Transport Special hosted by Jason Pine live on Newstalk ZB for one hour from midday.

Who are the panellists?
• Oliver Bruce, an early stage technology investor and micro mobility expert
• Nick Leggett, chief executive of the Road Transport Forum
• Dr Caroline Shaw, of Otago University's Department of Public Health
• John Milford, chief executive of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce

Covid-19 and the economy are at the top of people's minds this election, but the issues of transport and housing are also right up there.

Wellington isn't moving and is becoming an increasingly unaffordable city to live in.

The issues of housing and transport cannot be divorced from one another.

That's the whole thinking behind a mass rapid transit spine running through the city in LGWM.

It's expected thousands of apartments will pop up along this route, especially with the Government's latest National Policy Statement on urban development.

LGWM has been talked about a lot in the lead up to this election.

That's because it was so light on detail when the project was announced, giving it plenty of air time as a political football until those details are worked out.

Unfortunately, the draft indicative business cases for two major projects in the plan are behind schedule by up to eight months.

LGWM comprises massive projects that will define transport in the city for decades to come.

What's up with Let's Get Wellington Moving?
• A second Mt Victoria tunnel, should it be built now or later?
• Mass rapid transit, should light rail or buses go on the spine?
• Widening the Terrace tunnel, should it have been included in the plan?
• Trenching Karo Drive, why does a State Highway run through the city?
• The Golden Mile, should private vehicles be allowed on it?

But there are other issues the region is grappling with apart from LGWM.

Transmission Gully was described as being run like a circus in the lead-up to a $208.5 million settlement and delayed opening date.

Road Transport Forum chief executive Nick Leggett. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The road itself is not really an election issue, but it does raise the question as to whether Transmission Gully has shaken people's confidence in Public Private Partnerships being used in the future.

The Petone to Grenada Link Road has come up on the campaign trail because National has promised to build it.

It's pitched as a package deal because it would also unlock the Lincolnshire Farm area for thousands of homes.

There's also a storm brewing on Wellington's train network, although the Government has started to address this with funding.

Rail investment is expensive and Wellington has seen the result of underfunding as little as a decade ago when old English trains were hauled out of museums and workshops to help ease overcrowding on the city's network.

Climate change will also influence the city as it confronts the question of how to reduce emissions.

The panelists are set to discuss the city's big issues as well as the less obvious ones.

Tune into Newstalk ZB Wellington from midday to hear what they have to say.