OPINION

Auckland Transport wants shopping centres to proactively manage traffic during Black Friday sales and the Christmas shopping period.

Of course they do.

The call follows some shoppers waiting more than three hours to leave the Westfield Mall in Newmarket on Saturday.

[…] AT’s executive general public transport services Stacey van der Putten told Morning Report they will have staff on from 9am Friday helping to optimise the flow of traffic, including through the use of traffic light timings.

But she said shopping malls can also help by proactively managing onsite parking and having clear signage when car parks are full.

They can also encourage shoppers to use public transport, van der Putten said.

“Public transport is really really well serviced into those shopping centres. So shopping centres encouraging people to do that means that they can get more people into their facilities.”

Cough, sputter. Ah, no, it’s not.

[…] “Where practical we are encouraging people to look at alternative travel and public transport is a really good option for people to consider.”

Sure, if you don’t mind spending half your time waiting for the bus that takes twice as long to get to where you want to go.

And then there’s Sylvia Park…

Auckland shoppers experienced long delays at Sylvia Park shopping complex this evening, while Westfield has put plans in place to prevent chaos at their malls over the Black Friday weekend.

[…] In response to potential Black Friday gridlock in the coming days, Westfield said staff will be out in force to help alleviate delays.

Westfield also said, in the event of extended delays in the carpark, “PA announcements to advise of any delays, water and food for customers in their vehicles, and coffee vouchers to customers who choose to leave their car and re-enter the centre.”

That’s great if you need to take a leak, or worse, take a dump.

Despite what AT says, public transport in Auckland is broken and will always be broken. For example the train to Sylvia Park is out of commission (and the one to Newmarket as far as I know). And even if they were working they’d be sardine cans. Same for buses.

Here’s the deal, Stacey: if you think public transport is so great, then buy yourself a hop card and hand over your car.

But then again, public transport is for other people.

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Libertarian and pragmatic anarchist. Has voted National and ACT. May have voted Labour once but too long ago to remember. Favourite saying: “There but for the grace of God go I.”