The Green Party Talks About Cycling

thekiwi · *by **thekiwi** on Fri 24/Oct/08 10:06am*

maestro wrote:
Also by the way, my garage is too full of bikes to fit a car in, and I am a gay cyclist!

Is that as in "Im always happy" gay cyclist

happybaboon · *by **happybaboon** on Fri 24/Oct/08 10:51am*

maestro wrote: Hi there. I'm Kevin Hague, the Green Party's candidate for West Coast Tasman and number 7 on the Green Party list (next into Parliament after our current MPs if we can increase our vote). Some Vorbii will also know me from quite a few years involved with MTBNZ (specifically on the Heaphy/National Parks/land access stuff), CAN, and other cycling stuff. We're working over the next few days to put together a more mountain bike oriented statement, which I'll make sure we post here.

And BTW we will fund the plan posted above by redirecting funding away from the currently vast spending on more roads. Our tax policy is based on reducing income taxes (especially for those on low incomes) and replacing this with taxes on stuff that we don't want (like pollution, waste) and capital gains (except your own home).

Also by the way, my garage is too full of bikes to fit a car in, and I am a gay cyclist!

Hope my vote helps get you into Parliament Kevin

Kazmeistyr · *by **Kazmeistyr** on Fri 24/Oct/08 11:06am*

All good policies so far.

Taxes should be raised on certain modes of transport, such as SUV's. In fact, I would go as far as increasing it for vehicles exceeding a certain engine displacement level, and/or emission levels. They've done it here in OZ, albeit in a less focussed manner, by introducing a "luxury" car tax. But this is not focussed enough, it's on anything above 60k, methinks - you can still buy plenty of gas guzzling bricks for well short of 40k.

I would even go as far as increasing rego etc. for these vehicles.

I would rather see these increases on taxes come from areas of people's "wants", rather than "needs".

Then pump that money raised directly into building 4 or 5 nationwide world class mountain bike parks, complete with coffee shops and a Hooters restaurant. Beauty.

:paranoid:

phunk · *by **phunk** on Fri 24/Oct/08 11:20am*

mob: Its just a pity that a vote for the greens is a vote for labour, and if worse comes to worse, a vote for winston peters as a minister..

philstar · *by **philstar** on Fri 24/Oct/08 11:38am*

phunk wrote: mob: Its just a pity that a vote for the greens is a vote for labour, and if worse comes to worse, a vote for winston peters as a minister..

and its a pitty a vote for ACT is a vote for national. we can only pray that Winston has cooked his goose (though I do think he made a good oposition MP). IMO voting for "3rd parties" is better than voting for the red/blue midle ground. :thumbsup:

Kazmeistyr · *by **Kazmeistyr** on Fri 24/Oct/08 11:42am*

phunk wrote: mob: Its just a pity that a vote for the greens is a vote for labour, and if worse comes to worse, a vote for winston peters as a minister..

I feel they may have shot themselves in the foot a bit, by committing to Labour. They are now left with two scenarios:

Labour get in - The greens are left in the backgorund getting paid the odd lip service by Uncle Helen. They will probably be in coalition with another 3 parties or so, causing plenty of stalemates etc.

National get in - they're completely out in the cold.

I could actually see the green's working with National resonably well. IF they did go with National, it is quite likely they would be able to get much more of a say, i.e. It is feasible that a two party coalition is on the cards, which I would think would give them a better position to bargain.

I would rather see a NAT/Green scenario than a NAT/ACT ( too far right) situation, or a LAB/GRN/NZF/PRO/UF ( way too far left) rabble.

Fango · *by **Fango** on Fri 24/Oct/08 11:50am*

Didn't the Greens get shafted by Labour last time - people have short memories...

RussS · *by **RussS** on Fri 24/Oct/08 12:29pm*

All lovely thoughts, however like most stuff from them ..... not practical.

For crying out loud - we are already one of the most taxed societys in the developed world without adding anymore.

I wanna see all that road tax on petrol actually go into roading and not into some fund for silver crested, hairy legged whipowills - or whatever.

The only part of that which is remotely achievable is .....

* Increase driver education that is focussed on sharing the road, not bursting cyclistsâ€™ bubbles;
* Make sure that public transport services are â€˜cycle friendlyâ€™ as a condition of receiving public funding;
* Expect government departments to equalise travel reimbursements regardless of the mode of transport used. (We hope that this practice will flow on to the private sector employers too.)
* Require all new major public investments (such as new hospitals) to ensure that appropriate access and secure parking is provided for bicycles

philstar · *by **philstar** on Fri 24/Oct/08 12:36pm*

RussS wrote:
I wanna see all that road tax on petrol actually go into roading and not into some fund for silver crested, hairy legged whipowills - or whatever......

the (auckland) north shore bus way (lane/ what ever its called) is a good example of how publick transport can be the most efficent way of imporving trafic problems.

JK2 · *by **JK2** on Fri 24/Oct/08 12:47pm*

RussS wrote: For crying out loud - we are already one of the most taxed societys in the developed world without adding anymore.

no we aren't

HairyLegs · *by **HairyLegs** on Fri 24/Oct/08 1:59pm*

I agree that these ideas may be over ambitious (& over simplified) but at least the Greens are looking in the right directions and at the "big picture". They have had my vote ever since the McGillicuddy Serious Party folded. That way at least I'll get to be self righteous and say "I told you so" as the earth inhales it's last breath in the next few decades. I also recognise that the one thing that the planet needs is less humans, but killing them off with carbon monoxide seems too random so we may as well get some cars off the roads and enjoy the space from our saddles.
Think Green. Act Green. Vote Green.

phunk · *by **phunk** on Fri 24/Oct/08 2:03pm*

mob: If the planet needs less humans, why have you not topped yourself yet?

JK2 · *by **JK2** on Fri 24/Oct/08 2:03pm*

the planet doesn't give a shit about how many humans live on it. the issue is whether the number of people impacts on the lifestyle we can lead.

mostly that invloves people in the first world telling people in the 3rd world to breed less.

Antho_man · *by **Antho_man** on Fri 24/Oct/08 2:09pm*

Kazmeistyr wrote: All good policies so far.

by introducing a "luxury" car tax. But this is not focussed enough, it's on anything above 60k, methinks - you can still buy plenty of gas guzzling bricks for well short of 40k.

but i like my 100,000 merc that not fair

JK2 · *by **JK2** on Fri 24/Oct/08 2:14pm*

Antho_man wrote:
Kazmeistyr wrote: All good policies so far.

by introducing a "luxury" car tax. But this is not focussed enough, it's on anything above 60k, methinks - you can still buy plenty of gas guzzling bricks for well short of 40k.

but i like my 100,000 merc that not fair

luxy cars run cleaner and are safer. there should be a tax for shitty vans with green party stickers that haven't been tuned since 1982 and spew black smoke

The Green Party Talks About Cycling

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