Our new government, so smart! Minister pulls brakes on cycling and walking initatives:

Simeon Brown said he told the New Zealand Transport Authority (Waka Kotahi) to halt work on cycling and walking initiatives … [and] the cycling and walking initiatives were a waste of time and money. … My priority in transport is to build and maintain the roading network

@Miraz I don’t know the different sectors sizes in ANZ, but in most places in the world the commuting has decreased. Maybe give cyclists and other soft traffic a chance.

@odd This is part of our new government’s attempts to turn back the clock: less things that will help reduce climate change, more roads and oil and mining and all the things that must presumably make rich people richer at the expense of the rest of us (and them too, because they’re not immune to climate change). They’ve repealed the Fair Pay legislation too. We’re heading right back to the 19th Century as fast as possible.

@odd The only good thing I can see coming out of this mess (and the 3 years to come) is that people will rise up against it with vigour so that the next election will win back what’s being lost.

@Miraz not great. I’m disappointed that my homeland is being so regressive. Hopefully will correct it in the next election, though I think many countries are heading the same way. But NZ should be better!

@dejus They can do a lot of damage in 3 years. They came out swinging a huge sledgehammer. They’re working on so many fronts though they’re upsetting a lot of people.