If you have a nemesis and want to inflict on them a brutal punishment, put away the thumb screws. Wish instead for them to be reincarnated as a transport planner.

These are the officials whose job it is to plan and provide a network that enables economic growth. Yet judging by their recent track record, planners can do no right in the eyes of the public, local officials, or the courts.

Wellington seems to be particularly vexing for the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA). Earlier this month the High Court dealt a near fatal blow to the Basin Reserve Flyover proposal, a plan to free a notorious traffic choke point in the city.

The court ruled the agency had not given enough consideration to alternative options, essentially kicking the process into touch for the foreseeable future. The move was hailed by Save the Basin Reserve and various local officials as a victory for those living in the quiet streets of Mt Victoria and Hataitai.

Rightly or wrongly, it is worthwhile noting that the $90 million project has racked up planning costs of $11 million so far (who says the capital is economically moribund?). The lesson seems to be “do not fight the community”.

But even so NZTA can do no right.

In Auckland, a project to open cycling and walking lanes into the city via a disused off-ramp has riled the commentariat. The problem is that the route will be lined by three metre high barriers to prevent accidents from occurring as it sweeps over dual-lane bypasses. The barrier will be made of glass so as not to overly obstruct the view of the city, but the project has still been labelled a “trench”.

Transport Blog may be right that it makes the route “feel narrower than it actually is” and that it obscures the view from certain low angles. But one can only imagine the hell that would rain down on the agency if an accident occurred because the barrier was not up to scratch.

Although I hold the transport planning profession in high regard, I would not wish it on my worst enemy. Then again, a dose of “walk a mile in my shoes” might be just the thing the agency, and its detractors, need.