Jon SullivanThere's a standout article in #ThePress by Charlie Mitchell detailing how in the 1960s Christchurch city, NZ, came within a whisker of having a major motorway built through the middle of Hagley Park. That's the big park in the core of the city. The majority of local politicians were all for the motorway and it was only stopped by a coincidental administrative change in the way parks were managed that was backed by a national government decision.
Christchurch's mayor in the late 1960s, Ron Guthrey, was an ardent motorway supporter. The Press article notes how, in his inaugural speech as mayor, "he floated the idea of allowing cars to drive through the Botanic Gardens". At the next election he became the first sitting Christchurch mayor to be defeated in nearly half a century.
I see some parallels here with our current self-described "petrol head" mayor who wants to dig up a central city cycleway.
In the 1960s, opposition to the motorway was led by conservative councillor Peter Skellerup. “Surely the cult of the motor-car is not so strong that we carve through our oldest and most beloved reserve,” he said in 1963. “You can't land an aeroplane in the city… surely the car should be restricted from certain places.” "Skellerup, running to reclaim his seat, won more votes than any other council candidate in New Zealand’s history."
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