Owen McShane, a resource management consultant who writes for the National Business Review is best known as a friend of the free market Right and rampant property developers. But on occasion his conclusions have resonance that greenies and public transport advocates should take note of.
Click here to read his views on the visit of Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker and council CEO Tony Marryatt to North America to study light rail.
In essence, light rail is a big black hole, down which vast amounts of money is thrown… your money.
McShane’s conclusion?
If the Mayor and his team ask the right questions, and collect the right data, it will be evident to Blind Freddy’s dog that if these boondoggle systems have failed in these major cities, with their major concentrations of employment, then there is no way, short of one of the Wizard’s magic spells, that light rail can provide a cost effective and efficient service to Christchurch and its environs.
If the Mayor thinks different, it’s about time he came up with the numbers. They won’t stack up. End of story.
McShane’s article here
