tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2116163576169510252024-03-13T23:28:04.576+13:00NZ In TranzitIndependent public transport, cycling and walking news & comment.
Supporting all forms of moving towards a more environmentally sound NZDavid Welchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11986414622432134057noreply@blogger.comBlogger487125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211616357616951025.post-32171661130270946902022-03-28T10:03:00.034+13:002022-03-29T07:37:04.067+13:00<span style="background-color: white;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-family: arial;">... the difficulty of predicting the future?? Or is it just the timing of this 2017 article is is out'?</span><br />
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<span face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/news/92592333/petrol-cars-will-vanish-in-8-years-says-us-report" style="background-color: white;">Petrol cars will be obsolete in 8 years, says US report</a></span></span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">You'll probably want to read the article first....</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">My comment is..</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I take the eight years bit with a grain of salt, but there are many aspects of Sebo's vision or foresight that do seem likely to come true. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I like the parallel drawn with digital cameras - celluloid film cameras were gone by lunchtime. </span></div>
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<span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: black;">Equally awesome - and deeply concerning - could be widespread potential poverty in new areas, or dramatic shifts in the world balance of power - </span><span face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"> the sudden, and drastic reduction in income and status of major oil producing countries, such as Russia, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Nigeria </span><span face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"> etc.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">However I think there are some bits in the equation Tony Seba (or the newspaper report) gets wrong. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>"No more petrol or diesel cars, buses, or trucks will be sold anywhere in the world within eight years."</b> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span face=""Merriweather Sans", "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">That might be true for new cars, but there is no way that huge numbers of people in the bottom earning 50% of the western populations (let alone less developed countries) will be able to trade in used cars, whose value has rapidly diminished to virtually zilch, for electric cars selling at $20,000.</span><span face=""Merriweather Sans", "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></div>
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<span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">On one hand their existing car is rendered virtually worthless, on the other these folks can't afford, or can't get, credit, to jump to $20,000. </span></span></div><div><span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Or, if retired, perhaps the largest section of western poor, they may baulk at the risk of spending such a large portion of their rainy day capital on a car, when their actual amount of driving is anyway declining.</span></span></div>
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<span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">So I suspect however expensive petrol becomes, it will take far more than eight years for the car owning world's poorer half to let go of petrol cars. And if their value gets cheaper and the market is flooded with them.... well for a few years anyway it will be a buyers market. Anyone for a BMW ? </span></span></div><div><span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Trained mechanics may become less by virtue of no new ones being trained , but there will still be mechanics and that sort of know-how around, for a decade or two, and a good living to be made, official or backyard.</span></span></div>
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<span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">It will need a great many five, ten and fifteen year older second hand electric cars on the market, to bring down prices to accessible levels , yet the insinuation of the article is that is they never wear out (so to speak) and this will surely slow the rate of upgrading that goes on </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span face=""Merriweather Sans", "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">Nor will they have been produced in sufficient quantity (at the present time ) to flood the market in eight years time. Indeed if electric cars take off that fast any 2nd hand electric car will be in </span><span face=""Merriweather Sans", "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">demand and hold its price.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">This suggests that even if fuel is expensive (and that keeps the remaining service stations happy) the poor and those on fixed incomes, pensions etc - will find it easier to hang onto their car and pay by the week, just use it less. </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Logically the extra finance charges of buying new, will be more than compensated by cheaper electricity, but who is to say it will stay so low. </span></div>
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David Welchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11986414622432134057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211616357616951025.post-68288988728629202362020-02-16T07:34:00.002+13:002022-03-29T07:57:13.175+13:00Let's call a disaster a disaster - then we can roll up our sleeves and start facing it<span face=""google sans" , "roboto" , "robotodraft" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #202124; font-size: 27.5px;"><br /></span><div><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-family: arial;">A doctor doesn't begin to help cure a patient until he or she identifies the specific illness. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">There is little hope we can deal with the huge threat to life and health, prosperity and human rights, posed by our rapidly intensifying climatic disturbances - worldwide - if we keep talking politely of "climate change". </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-family: arial;">It is quite clear now that the correct over-all term is "climate disaster". </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-family: arial;">The foremost factor in the disaster is climatic events are intensifying, occurring in multiple ways (many of these unforeseen) and moving too fast for economies and people to easily adjust to. This will, at minimum, significantly divert spending and/or impoverish areas and individuals, depress economies - and at maximum will lead to mass starvation, societal breakdowns and conflicts, and disease spread on levels beyond anything in previous human history. </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-family: arial;"><b>On a local scale</b>; how many major weather bombs need to hit South Westland before land-based tourist traffic becomes impossible? How many times can massive slips and flood damage be cleared, before this whole southern tourist loop becomes no longer financially viable? </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-family: arial;">Compounding this problem is the fact that Franz Joseph straddles the largest earthquake fault-line in New Zealand, with a geological history of regular giant earthquakes. The latest is now "overdue", and when it strikes is sure to rupture the Westland roads in a thousand places including multiple bridge abutments, if not indeed tilting many of the hundreds of bridges themselves. </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-family: arial;">And - not least - another climate factor; the retreat into the far distance of the glacier itself, once the primary tourist attraction. All this and yet the direct local resident beneficiaries of such spending are small in number, the regional population barely equivalent to that of one city suburb.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-family: arial;">And of course, most of the international tourist trade, other (I believe) than cruise ships, is based upon generating huge amounts of carbon per passenger in every flight. </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-family: arial;">To describe this, politely, as "climate change" is actually a recipe for madness! It will itself create, in the long run, panic and mass hysteria and untold suffering. </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-family: arial;"><b>Humans have, in effect, made war on the environment in multiple ways and the only way forward now is to accept as fast as possible we are already in the early stages of a massive world-wide climate disaster. </b></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-family: arial;">This is not hysteria, this is the courage to "man up" (and "woman up") to face the fire ahead. Not least we need a "war economy" where we accept the old casual consumerism is no longer viable, we have to find new ways of being human and re-structure accordingly. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">There</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> will be</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> huge lobby</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> groups trying</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> to block this</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">, but in truth,</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> once people</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">readjust</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">their</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">lives, there will</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> be no</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> less satisfaction</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> and fulfillment</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> than before</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">-</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> possibly more</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">.</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">There</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">a</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">re</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> many</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> different</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> ways</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> of</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> living life</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">a</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">nd</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> nothing sacred in</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> the present</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">high-consumption/throw</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> away packaging</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">b</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">a</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">sed</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> m</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">odel.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The bold truth is whatever <b>"costs the environment" must start costing the consumer more; whatever benefits and repairs the environment, must cost the consumer less." </b> Some aspects may have</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">to</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">be banned outright, </span></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-family: arial;">Consumption and other practices that are "costing us the world" need to start paying their real price. Consumer products that can not be recycled or do not meet reasonable standards of durability should not be allowed licence. Sensible capitalists will start shifting their investments accordingly. </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-family: arial;">The South Westland potential devastation model is tiny,
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minute example, just one of the millions of such dilemmas now happening around the globe. </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-family: arial;">An example of a larger problem is the <b><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-01-16/southern-africa-has-45-million-people-facing-hunger-wfp-says">45 million people in Southern Africa suffering potential starvation</a></b> through lack of rain and crop failure. If not this year, then next year, etc. Based on TV news, these people are still looking healthy but with the chance of being reduced to living skeletons, if not, more horrible, real ones. Their traditional weather cycles and growing cycles have been altered through the effect of gases created by the wealthy consumer lifestyles of the "advanced" nations. </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-family: arial;">At the end of the 1960s classic movie "Judgement at Nuremberg" about the War Crimes tribunal about German atrocities during World War Two - as remembered - one of the defendants in jail pleads to a member of the legal team "But we didn't know". The legal representative's emphatic response - the essence of the movie -
was "Because you didn't want to know". </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-family: arial;">That was easier said that done when living in a murderous police state, but we have no such excuse. </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-family: arial;">Let us call a spade a spade. Let us call it "climate disaster" right from the start.</span></div>
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David Welchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11986414622432134057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211616357616951025.post-4060206694224120782020-01-30T07:39:00.001+13:002020-02-16T07:47:19.090+13:00 Labour Fails South Island voters<div class="adM" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
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<span style="background-color: white;">In an appalling dump on South Island voters, Labour is to spend $159 million on Canterbury transport projects of a total spend of $6.8 billion. The rest of the South Island gets even less</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;">As the South Island represents about 23% of New Zealand's population and presumably the equivalent amount in fuel and general taxes, this is a huge milking of the South Island. Labour appears to be even more aggressive than</span> National in this respect </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Nor does this massive spend-up do anything to build a public transport alternative to cars in the South. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Christchurch in the post-earthquake rebuild has opted to create a few on-street bus lanes and no form of <b>dedicated rapid transit</b> <b>corridors</b> capable of attracting and carrying large numbers of passengers, ignoring the success of these corridors in other similar cities and countries.<i>(see</i><i> footnote)</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">The latest farce appears to be the planned dumping thousands of extra cars and buses onto Bealey Avenue in rush hour. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Christchurch lacks <a href="http://buswatchnz.blogspot.com/p/niceride.html"><b>an integrated network where buses kriss cross with each other in a constant</b> </a>pattern ensuring access to workplaces, shopping centres and community facilities is virtually on a no-wait, two or more route option basis. It is little more than a rehash of public transport failure from 40 years ago!! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://buswatchnz.blogspot.com/2018/01/cut-and-cover-railway-tunnel-right-into.html"><b>Long distance travel</b></a> - whether from peripheral urban settlements, tofro the Christchurch airport, or between the main urban centres Christchurch and Dunedin - is yet again forgone. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Despite universities at both cities; major crowd-pull summer and winter sports events and music concerts in each city; the potential to link "rail & bike" to access popular cycle trails in the South; or drive on car transporters to allow business people to work "online on line" there still is no north<a href="https://buswatchnz.blogspot.com/2018/06/on-yer-bike-training-somerail-trail.html"><b>-south passenger rail service</b></a> options for the three-quarters of a million people along the eastern seaboard or visitors. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Instead, the citizens of Dunedin, Oamaru, Timaru and Christchurch etc are asked to fund increased commuter rail services and systems for the citizens of the Wairarapa! (serving smaller commuter catchment population than a rail service just to Selwyn and Ashburton alone, let alone catchment area that would logically include Timaru).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">This sucks Labour, what a joke. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;">A sick joke to celebrate </span><a href="http://content.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19700202,00.html"><b><span style="color: blue;">50 years of climate change forecasts in the mainstream media! </span></b></a></span></div>
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David Welchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11986414622432134057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211616357616951025.post-16480924329136091352018-06-24T12:31:00.027+12:002022-04-02T23:22:21.443+13:00City & Canterbury - rail link to Christchurch International Airport suggested <div class="m_-5797842774358744261gmail-separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><b style="background-color: white;">A 2011 map dusted off. The green space to construct this line (designated for future housing) is easier to see on Google Maps as is the way the line could be linked into and under Johns Road and an elbow in Orchard Road. </b></span></div>
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<span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Small spur to the right, at Redwood is now probably, truly spurious! </b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><b><i><span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-weight: 400;"><b>NOTE</b> This blog posting is a revamp of an original posting I made in 2011 and reworked in 2017. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">With a very real possibility that the current Labour-First-Greens Government might build and fund (most of) the re-introduction of commuter rail to greater Christchurch I have simplified and updated these ideas. At very least land could be purchased and possibily leased, for this possibility, even if seen as years away. DW 2022</span></span></i></b><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><i><span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></i></b>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif"><span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">New
Christchurch rail link suggested </span></b></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif"><span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span>
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</span><div align="justify" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span>I believe that construction of a railway loop, running from the Main South Line at Islington
northwards towards </span></span></span></span><span><span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">C</span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">hristchurch
</span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">international
airport, and running </span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">parallel
to Russley Road (through current farmland) should be seriously investigated and evaluated by
Government and KiwiRail. </span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;">Such
a line could continue past (under) the airport area and through the
Styx Mill area and join the Northern Main Trunk Line at Redwood</span></span></span></span>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span><br /></span></span>
<span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span>This additional link would in effect create;</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: white; font-family: arial;">(a)
a multifaceted orbital route</span></span></span></span></div>
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</span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: white; font-family: arial;">(b)
A loop route taking in multiple industrial zones and workplaces.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: white; font-family: arial;">(c) <b>direct
rail</b> tofro the international airport, from Greymouth; from
Picton and Kaikoura, from Dunedin and Timaru, etc.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: white; font-family: arial;">(d)
a route for trains to operate directly between the north and Lyttelton,
without changing locomotives at Middleton, including increased
logging trains as New Zealand plants to counteract carbon emissions</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">(e)
a much higher quality, faster and more secure freight corridor north </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">(f) a rail freight corridor that directly serves the airport and surrounding industries</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><br /></span></b></span></span></span>
<span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Suggested
nature - grade separated double tracked.</span></b></span></span></span></div>
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</span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: white; font-family: arial;">The
nature of this new Islington-Redwood link suggested here could be
double-tracked, and grade separated. That is to say, there would
be <b>no intersecting roads at all</b>, between Islington and
Redwood.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: white; font-family: arial;">ALL
roads (including any cycleways and farm access tracks) would be built over
or under the track. Other minor roads would be diverted to link to
the roads with underpasses or bridges, </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: white; font-family: arial;">The above ground sections of track might also be protected by embankments on either side with trees, shrubs etc. adding to the
local landscape, reducing sound and hiding high netting fences that protect the line from trespassers. </span></span></span></span></div>
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</span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: white; font-family: arial;">Freight
trains or "Rangiora via Airport" or
"Dunedin-Christchurch (via Airport)" trains would be able
to operate at higher speeds while on this protected corridor.</span></span></span></span></div>
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</span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">The
route - from Islington northwards to airport</span></b></span></span></span><br />
<span><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><br /></span></b></span></span></span>
<span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">The double track line would probably pass under a new four lane overbridge on Yaldhurst Road. This also offers access via underpasses to Russley Station - which includes a large Park and Ride car-park for residents from West Melton and Russley area - voiding the need to bring their cars into the central city. </span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">As
it approaches Christchurch International Airport the double
track rail line Would need to descend gradually into a <b><span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://www.cityraillink.co.nz/crl-construction-methods/">cut and cover tunnel</a></span></b>,
passing under George Bellow Rd, Sid Bradley Rd, Avonhead Rd and under the
grassed area immediately adjacent to the end of the east-west orientated runway. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">A cut and cover tunnel would be constructed under the alignment of Orchard Road with an station near (and beneath) the current roundabout and Antarctic centre area, </span></span></span></span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif">possibly constructed in a similar manner to that shown below.</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hn9wZCQz8xo/Wy7O5htrZDI/AAAAAAAADz4/Pnq7aY-sOeogkMR6tKhnoSVLBBr3Fa84ACLcBGAs/s1600/Stockholm_Tunnelbana_train_C20.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hn9wZCQz8xo/Wy7O5htrZDI/AAAAAAAADz4/Pnq7aY-sOeogkMR6tKhnoSVLBBr3Fa84ACLcBGAs/s640/Stockholm_Tunnelbana_train_C20.jpg" width="640" /></span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
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<div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span> A Swedish underfround station with a wall separating passenger trains from the freight corridor also passing underground. Potential still exists [just] to build a conventional double track railway line from a triangular junction at Templeton up and under the frontal parking etc areas at Christchurch rejoining the Main Trunk line at Redwood. The is creates a circular city route, plus a North-South freight bypass, and direct freight services tofro Lyttelton without need for reassembling trains etc.</i></span></span><br />
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<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: white; font-family: arial;">Passenger
trains would always need to be electric or <a href="https://buswatchnz.blogspot.com/2018/01/"><b>diesel-battery hybrid</b></a>, but
freight trains behind the wall could be conventional diesel, with
exhausting fans and ducts in the tunnel if needed.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: white; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">With
this new Christchurch corridor double tracked, the passenger trains
from either direction would stay on - or in some cases veer over to -
the westside track, that is, the one nearest the airport with its passenger
platform and facilities. This might also offer train passengers a
travelator to the nearby airport terminal itself.<br />
<br />
All inbound passenger trains, could take passengers to the city - whether via Hornby
or via Papanui, presuming many long distance passengers would alight at the airport, creating vacant seats for this last leg.<br />
<br />
Long distance passenger trains from Picton; or Greymouth; or Invercargill, Dunedin or Timaru, might always enter and
leave the city via the loop past the Airport.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">I would imagine that would probably triple the potential patronage of these long distant train services. Off setting the cost or bother of driving to Christchurch and leaving the car with friends or paying airport area long term parking, would be the simplicity of getting a lift to the local station, by friend ot taxi, boarding the train in one's hometown, and getting off at airport. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">This would, in effect, create a direct /continuous public transport service, for example, between "Temuka and Sydney", Otira and L.A., and Amberly and Singapore !!" </span></span></span></span></span><br />
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When there are major events,
such as rugby tests, big star concerts, extra trains could run tofro Te Kaha Stadium and the airport before and after the match, . </span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c9YOaoyFrdY/Wy7zJdOv0HI/AAAAAAAAD0Q/KrzIc742ZjIRhYKFF3-nDde99K45FXrqQCLcBGAs/s1600/styx%2Brail%2Bproposal%2B001.jpg" style="background-color: white; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="259" data-original-width="400" height="412" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c9YOaoyFrdY/Wy7zJdOv0HI/AAAAAAAAD0Q/KrzIc742ZjIRhYKFF3-nDde99K45FXrqQCLcBGAs/s640/styx%2Brail%2Bproposal%2B001.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: xx-small;"><b style="background-color: white;">Map of Upper Styx and Redwood in the north of Christchurch </b></span></div>
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<i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Possible route for rail corridor, coming from airport under Johns Road </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">in red, joining existing line in blue. Probably less than 25 built upon properties would need to be purchased . Within a few years all remaining chance to (relatively) easily build this track through northwestern Christchurch is likely to be built out. </span></span></i></div>
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this scenario freight trains during the day would always pass through
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the middle of the night, when passenger trains are not operating,
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">With KiwiRail's new [2018] 5 metre safety margin from the centre of a track for adjoining cycling and walking paths, adding a second line to this railway corridor between Addington and Redwood might make this popular cycleway and walkway impossible. Transferring the main trunk line to a Islington-Redwood loop would help future proof it, and possibly could remove <b>ALL regular freight movements off this line.</b> </span></i></span></span><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo - Axel-Schwede, Wikipedia</span></i></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Preserving the current single line between Styx and Addington (and retaining the attractive cycle and walkway) and constructing the airport loop would in effect give Christchurch <b>three lines of access tofro the North. </b>This is good future-proofing.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">In the peak hours one or two commuter "express" trains will no doubt travel tofro Rangiora and central Christchurch direct via Papanui, Or tofro Rolleston and city direct via Addington. Most timetabled services at other times, including evening and weekend services and all inbound and outbound long distance trains - I would image - would loop via airport. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-weight: 400;">As a well used line, serving a multitude of functions, any service that runs via an International Airport, is likely to attract more passengers and more likely to have the most frequent services (similar to the Orbiter bus route in Christchurch). </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Speed of public transport is measured by total journey time across all travellers, including waiting time (i.e. the time span between each departure)</b> </span></span></span></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Frequent all stop services meet more needs and are per se faster than infrequent express services, the latter best reserved for targeted use only.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">The commuter rail benefits include a <i><b>reverse</b></i> pattern flow - comfortable inner city apartment life-styles fostered in central areas because it is possible to get to work by rail to almost every major employment zone - as far afield as Rolleston or Rangiora.</span></div><div class="m_-5797842774358744261gmail-separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div class="m_-5797842774358744261gmail-separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><b>Peak hour commutor flow that goes in both directions is of huge financial benefit to any public transport system.</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">Commuter rail in a low density, car user heavy city as small as greater Christchurch is a very big call but I believe this plan would make it viable.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">For years we have heard people [<i>myself included in early NZ in Tranzit blog postings!</i>!] saying it can't be done, we are too small - OR naively saying it can be done, cheaply by using tired old third hand carriages or units brought from Auckland, on the existing lines, or even, most absurdly, as a temporary trial. </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">That is not what quality public transport is about, following belatedly along behind other modes of transport, belatedly squeezing minimum impact, minimum cost, minimum game changing infrastructure into crowded cities.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Good public transport corridors should be built as an anchor infrastructure, at the very centre of city planning, ideally before housing is built (opportunity missed in Rolleston but still possible around Upper Styx, and north of the Waimakariri. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Good public transport is a city builder, a game changer, and an absolutely necessity for future proofing .</span></b></span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Auckland has well understood this and has spent (or is planning to spend) billions of dollars on public transport, with much of this Government funded, including from Canterbury taxes. </span></span></span></span></div><div class="m_-5797842774358744261gmail-separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b><br /></b></span></span></span></span></div><div class="m_-5797842774358744261gmail-separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Pro-rata, on population size compared, Canterbury is well overdue for a public transport investment very least, at into the low billions.</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">I believe creating a primary rail corridor, linking urban sprawl north and south to the <a href="http://buswatchnz.blogspot.com/2018/01/cut-and-cover-railway-tunnel-right-into.html"><b><span style="color: blue;">very centre of the city,</span></b></a> to the city's major hospital, the province's main sports stadium, to multiple industrial areas, and to the airport doorstep - all on one line is one helluva world class act. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">Ooops, all most forgot! Add to this the fact that residents and tourists alike would be able to hop on a train at Greymouth, Dunedin, Timaru, Marlborough and Kaikoura rail right to doorstep of the International Airport. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">Well worth the billion dollars it might take to build!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Noted</b> - <b><span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=211616357616951025#editor/target=post;postID=599942293742363733;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=5;src=postname">I see this concept as the twin investment to building a cut and cover tunnel under Hagley Park and Tuam Street</a> </span></b>and bringing rail right into the centre of Christchurch, including immediate access to the public hospital, bus interchange and main sports stadium and exhibition centre.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i><b>© copyright David Welch, updated July 23 2018 [upgraded Feb 2022]</b></i></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">Added Information (You Tube) </span></div><div class="m_-5797842774358744261gmail-separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="color: #741b47;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3DZr2Xja9F9DU&source=gmail&ust=1529878805218000&usg=AFQjCNH4zTv0IssjFeu0wgCujsqx0O-9ZQ" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zr2Xja9F9DU" target="_blank"><b><span>Christchurch Airport is planning for 12 million passengers per year by 204</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">0</span></b></a><b style="font-size: x-small;"> </b></span></span></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">an equal number of people expected to travel to the airport to greet or farewell passengers. </span></span></div><div class="m_-5797842774358744261gmail-separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Currently Christchurch International Airport area sees 50,000 vehicle movements a day.</span><br />
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David Welchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11986414622432134057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211616357616951025.post-43859010895678230462018-06-22T15:31:00.001+12:002020-01-30T23:39:19.484+13:00On yer bike training - Te Wai Pounamu "rail & trail" potential explored.<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Somebody or other - I think it might have been Carl Jung, the famous Swiss psychologist - defined "intuitive" as "seeing the possibility in things". We all have this ability, but with some people its more pronounced, just as logical thinking or a practical feel for things, or sensuous appreciation are more pronounced in other people.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">For better or worse I find it hard to look at anything at all, without trying to join up the dots to something else, constantly seeing the possibilities in how an object, or event, a concept might be developed further. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Two separate ideas on the boil for me at the moment are; <a href="http://buswatchnz.blogspot.com/2018/01/cut-and-cover-railway-tunnel-right-into.html">bringing commuter rail into the very centre of Christchurch</a> and, closer to home for me nowadays, promoting the concept of an <a href="http://buswatchnz.blogspot.com/2018/06/a-great-southern-cycle-touring-route.html">off road [mainly] cycle trail down through the central eastern seaboard of Te Wai Pounamu. </a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Me being me, it was pretty well inevitable as soon as I turned my back these ideas would hop into bed together! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">I have come to believe that this great southern cycle trail route would put tourists on to South line trains in far greater numbers than conventional tourism alone will do. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Although a lot of local people would drive to the start point of a cycle trail, unless you want to repeat the scenery in return journey, there is always the problem of getting back to the car. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">A cycle trail interacting at various points with a through line, between Christchurch and Dunedin, as suggested in a previous blog posting, and trains which have special train cycle carriages, could solve a lot of problems and between these two modes generate a lot of extra tourism. </span></div>
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<i><b style="background-color: white;">Indeed the influx of several thousand cycle trail tourists, mainly in the eight months suitable for open country riding, could be the very factor that would make a commuter service to and from Timaru truly viable.</b></i></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">And when I say cycle tourists I don't just mean, three wealthy middle-aged teachers from Auckland, or an older retired couple from Arizona, nor a lone athletic Spanish women, or three laughing nuns on holiday. All these will entrain, course... but also ....</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">I mean mum, dad and two kids (aged 10 and 12) and their four bikes, heading south from Christchurch for a four day off-road cycle from Timaru to Oamaru via Waimate and Duntroon. Train down and train back. Cheaper than hiring cycles, and the kids get a rare chance to ride the rails. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">"Rail & trail" Could also prove very popular with overseas tourists and those flying in from the North Island, particularly if the trains for Timaru and Dunedin travel <a href="http://buswatchnz.blogspot.com/2017/12/western-rail-corridor-loop-route-needed.html">via Christchurch airport before heading South </a>(and returning trains enter Christchurch via the Airport loop as well). A great way to cram a lot into a short break of a few days.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Railing from Christchurch is also a very handy way of getting cycle trail users, heading for Methven and the (potential) start of the trail, over the "mile wide" Rakaia, onto the south side of a very long narrow bridge. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Is it possible that even a test-the-water, bare-bones service, one train a day to Dunedin and return, and another from Timaru and return, only, could meet the needs of commuters AND cycle trail riders?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">As usual I could not resist playing with timetables to see. Here is one set of possibilities, times are reasonable guesses based on road times and memories of the evening railcar service Christchurch to Dunedin back in 1970s.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">(Y) x Christchurch </span><span class="gmail-aBn" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); font-size: 16px; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="gmail-aQJ" style="top: 2px; z-index: -1;">7.30 am</span></span><span style="font-size: 16px;"> x Timaru </span><span class="gmail-aBn" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); font-size: 16px; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="gmail-aQJ" style="top: 2px; z-index: -1;">9.40 am</span></span><span style="font-size: 16px;"> x Oamaru 10.50 arrive Dunedin 12.15 pm</span><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 16px;">(Z) x Christchurch 5.20 pm @ Timaru </span><span class="gmail-aBn" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); font-size: 16px; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="gmail-aQJ" style="top: 2px; z-index: -1;">7.30pm</span></span><span style="font-size: 16px;"> <span style="font-weight: normal;">[ for cyclists, still light in summer months]</span></span></span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">(Z) x Timaru </span><span class="gmail-aBn" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); font-size: 16px; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="gmail-aQJ" style="top: 2px; z-index: -1;">6.20 am</span></span><span style="font-size: 16px;"> - @ Christchurch </span><span class="gmail-aBn" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); font-size: 16px; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="gmail-aQJ" style="top: 2px; z-index: -1;">8.45 am (via Airport) </span></span><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 16px;">(Y) x Dunedin</span><span style="font-size: 16px;"> </span><span class="gmail-aBn" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); font-size: 16px; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="gmail-aQJ" style="top: 2px; z-index: -1;">2.00pm x </span></span><span style="font-size: 16px;">Timaru</span><span style="font-size: 16px;"> </span><span class="gmail-aBn" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); font-size: 16px; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="gmail-aQJ" style="top: 2px; z-index: -1;">5.15 pm</span></span><span style="font-size: 16px;"> - @</span><span style="font-size: 16px;"> Christchurch</span><span style="font-size: 16px;"> </span><span class="gmail-aBn" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); font-size: 16px; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="gmail-aQJ" style="top: 2px; z-index: -1;">7.45 pm</span></span><span style="font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 16px;">(via Airport) </span><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal;">The strength of this arrangement is it provides a commuter service between Timaru, Ashburton, Christchurch International Airport and Christchurch (presumably supplemented by local commuter service tofro Rolleston) at times not only convenient to workers, or South Canterbury residents flying overseas, but also to cycle trailer riders. Many different train & cycle options are inherent in these times.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 16px;">ps some recent news - <a href="https://www.scotsman.com/news/transport/cycle-coaches-to-be-hitched-to-trains-to-ease-bike-crush-1-4755533">purpose-built carriages planned for cycle touring passenger</a>s in Scotland </span></span></h3>
David Welchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11986414622432134057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211616357616951025.post-45133635133057733942018-06-21T16:03:00.001+12:002022-03-26T21:58:15.224+13:00A Great Southern Cycle Touring Route?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-caxZbcO53R4/WyrPhjqDzOI/AAAAAAAADzM/JVhqoCrhorwv_AwnYAgfnUOflJugRbKmACLcBGAs/s1600/Rakis%2BTunnel%2Bset%2B010.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-caxZbcO53R4/WyrPhjqDzOI/AAAAAAAADzM/JVhqoCrhorwv_AwnYAgfnUOflJugRbKmACLcBGAs/s640/Rakis%2BTunnel%2Bset%2B010.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><b>A southern cycle route down the eastern seaboard of Te Wai Pounamu would be unusually rich in built heritage, as well as varied in terrain and scenery, </b></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I live in South Canterbury these days and have been promoting the idea that a central Eastern South Island cycle trail be built between Methven in the Ashburton District and Palmerston, the southern most boundary of the Waitaki District. </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">This would offer 360 km of cycle trail incorporating many of the smaller centres of Mid and South Canterbury,and North Otago, as well as many scenic areas - inland, foothills, coastal and riverside. Full length journeys would probably take at least 5 or 6 days, relaxed journeys even longer.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The aim would be to create a Great Southern Cycle Trail of a consistent quality, size and stature to be accredited by <b><a href="https://www.nzcycletrail.com/">Nga Haerenga, The New Zealand Cycle Trail </a></b>as one of the "Great Rides of New Zealand". </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">If built this would be a cycle trail that would be easily accessible from multiple points along the route, for shorter rides. It would also be easily supported by bus and bike trailer support systems, for guided tours, for access from Christchurch and Dunedin, or for riders who wish to bypass some sections, where this is preferred. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Noted too, some trail users are people who prefer cross country walking*, and welcome heavier packs being transported between accommodations.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">All trails take routes through scenic areas, often unseen or unknown by motorists, and this trail would too. But unlike some of the Nga Heurenga rides constructed to date, a trail through this seaboard area would encounter relatively little true wilderness, tussock high country and rocky gorge, and only relatively small areas of native forest. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The route is much more consistently one of rural farmland, village life, and areas with much retained built heritage. </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">This could well suit some cycle tourists or others making return visits to cycling trails in the South Island Te Wai Pounamu. </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">It would also obviously draw a lot of immediate patronage, not only from several large towns and Timaru city en route, but also because, the trail sits between Christchurch and Dunedin along an eastern seaboard populated by three quarters of a million people. Usefully, for A to B rides, and North Island riders, the whole trail sits between two major airports.</span><br />
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<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">A <i>possible</i> trail route envisioned, North to South</span></b><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Note. I am assuming an <i>inland </i>loop route within Ashburton District, to avoid the more monotonous quality of the plains nearer the sea, and the wish to avoid heavy traffic or crossing busy highways. This includes the difficulty for cyclists [and hindrance to motorists] of crossing the Rakaia and Rangitata rivers on very long narrow road bridges, on busy State Highway 1. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The envisioned route (south bound) would nonetheless travel at first along fairly flat plains with an alpine backdrop (albeit snowless most of the cycle touring season), travelling from Methven and Mt Somers to Geraldine (or overnight at Peel Forest) and then a further section down towards the coast, via Temuka and along to Timaru. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The next leg would continue with coastal views (albeit mainly from cliff top) south to St Andrews, and then at some point (possibly Esk Valley) head inland to the small town of Waimate. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Leaving Waimate by the old rail corridor through the gorge, the trail would travel to Ikiwai and the banks of the Waitaki River. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">For this great southern cycle trail to have any status or credibility I believe it will be necessary to bridge the Waitaki with a cycle and pedestrian bridge at this point, a great chance to create a very attractive landmark bridge, and also an iconic promotional image for this diverse trail. Not least this bridge would hugely symbolise the linking of Canterbury and Otago by cycle trail. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">My guestimate is this would cost circa $10 million - the new wide (heavy traffic suitable) bridges further upstream at Kurow costs $20 million - and would definitely need to be a central Government project. Possible features might also include an interpretation centre, for river wildlife, fishing and history, Maori and European. Also car parks, for tourists in vehicles, who are also likely to want to visit the site and walk the well-publicised bridge high above such a strong river. Noted, South Islanders often forget that wide braided rivers of this nature are themselves relatively rare phenomena </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">in this world.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">A few kilometres after crossing the Waitaki River cyclists encounter Duntroon and the Alps 2 Ocean (A2O) cycle trail from Lake Tekapo to Oamaru. In this case the cycle trail already exists and links through Windsor and on to the route of a former branch railway line. The trail follows down into heritage gem and steampunk capital, bustling and reborn Oamaru. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Two "name" cycle trails would share the same route corridor through this area but this seems inevitable as New Zealand cycle trail networks expand.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The last section of this southern cycle trail would continue south to Palmerston presumably along the Kakanui coastline and down through Moeraki, and possibly Trotters Gorge. Such a trail is already consideration by the local authority, the Waitaki District Council, as an extension of the Alps to Ocean Cycle Trail. Waitaki has clearly seen the success of cycle trails and is well ahead of the game, not least the potential to get funding from the Provincial Growth Fund recently announced.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Over and beyond sharing the beauty of our country with fellow kiwis and overseas visitors - the greater purpose of cycle trails is to create an attractive conduit for money from the cities to flow back into provincial economies. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Re-cycling money, creating good health, creating good holidays, creating vibrant rural centres, it's just one big healthy cycle!</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Personal -</i></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>I am retired, an open country walker (including along cycle trails) rather than a cyclist, and have no official status in this matter whatsoever! </i></span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>However welcome expressions of interest, particularly from those living in the Mid and South Canterbury and North Otago tranzwatch@gmail.com</i></span>David Welchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11986414622432134057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211616357616951025.post-2416745370323335002018-06-18T09:22:00.001+12:002018-06-18T09:31:09.697+12:00UK Cycling industry is larger than UK steel industry<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In God we trust; all others bring data </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>- W.Edwards Deming</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Nothing in life is ever what it seems. Look at all parts, not just the obvious. This has long become my rule of thumb. An interesting example just appeared in a leading United Kingdom newspaper. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">According to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2018/jun/16/uk-cycling-steel-industry-strategy">The Guardian</a>; a report launched last week has revealed that the cycle industry in the United Kingdom is worth three times more than the steel industry and employs twice as many people. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">According to this report cycling-related businesses generate, at least 5.5 billion pounds in the UK economy and sustain 64,000 jobs. Some of these are in bike shops (and presumably manufacture) but most of these are in cycle tourism, of one sort or another.</span><br />
<br />David Welchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11986414622432134057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211616357616951025.post-5999422937423637332018-01-31T18:49:00.013+13:002022-04-01T19:01:22.405+13:00Christchurch - relatively modest cut & cover tunnel could bring commuter and long distance trains right into city centre<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">A diesel hybrid train in Japan - but under Christchurch city? There <b>IS</b> an option....</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This essay</span> <b style="font-size: small;">© </b></span><b style="font-size: small;">David Welch 2022 [updated from orignial published on this site </b></span><b style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">© </b><b style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">2018 ] </b></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">"Christchurch Railway Station is too far away from</span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> the centre of the
business and commercial area". Historic</span></span></span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 16px;">al</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 16px;"> rese</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 16px;">a</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 16px;">rch</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;"> reveals that</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;"> this w</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 16px;">a</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">s</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;"> a complaint </span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 16px;">a</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">s f</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 16px;">ar</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 16px;">b</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 16px;">ack</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 16px;">a</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 16px;">s</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">1863! </span></span></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">Strong criticism w</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 16px;">a</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">s expressed even before the city's first station opened on
"South Belt" (now</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;"> "Moorhouse Avenue"). Calls were made for horses to be used to pull the detached railway carriages (</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">arriving from Heathcote</span></span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 16px;"> wh</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 16px;">arf</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">)</span></span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;"> up
into the central business area. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;"> As researching old newspaper sites will reveal, the distance of the railway station</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;"> from the centre of the city it
has been constant Canterbury grievance for 159 years. </span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">In </span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">199</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">3,</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">and the then
privatisation of rail, </span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">the city's “central” passenger
station was moved to an even more distant location, at Addington.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;">Any
suggestion of re-instating a regional commuter rail network with the existing station falls at THIS, the first huge hurdle: - If virtually all of the passengers have to
transfer from the train service to buses to access the city centre,
it negates any time saving efficiency and renders the whole system
too clumsy and expensive to be attractive.</span></span></span></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"> Car usage in the modern
age has created a cultural expectation of door to door travel with
immediately adjacent parking – this has becoming increasingly
difficult to achieve in a congested city, but it is still the gold
standard.</span></span></span></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">However,
subject to further investigation, there appears to exist an unique
opportunity for Christchurch to bring commuter rail services right
into the heart of the city and to do so at a relatively low cost by
world standards. Train services from Invercargill, from Picton, from the West Coast and Southern Alps, as well as commutor services from greater Christchurch - Amberley and Rolleston included - would come right into the very heart of the city. </span></span></span></span></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Equally people in inner city apartments ans suburbs could access employment across the crescent spread of greater Christchurch - the big banana of tomorrow. Such a move seems likely to boost
central city revival and increase investment in new businesses, inner city housing and employment </span></span></span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 16px;">significantly. Not least, there appears a excellent chance to link rail access directly tofro the new 30,000 seat stadium and exhibition centre Te Kaha. </span></span></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Auckland's cut and cover tunnel
project</b></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I</span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">nspiration
</span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">is
offered by the</span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
construction of the [2019 figures] $4.4</span></span></span><a href="https://www.cityraillink.co.nz/crl-tunnels/"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">billion City Rail Link<b> </b>in Auckland, a </span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">3.5
km </span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">underground
loop line from the </span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">city's
main</span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
station, </span></span></span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.cityraillink.co.nz/crl-tunnels/">Britomart,up to Mt Eden and the western rail corridor.</a> </span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The
first kilometre of of the Auckland underground system, from Britomart
is a "cut and cover" tunnel just below the surface.
Most of the remaining underground will be bored at a deeper level -
this is a necessity because the Mount Eden part of Auckland is situated on volcanic rock formation with hills too steep in their incline to allow the railways to follow </span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">exactly
</span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">below
surface slope</span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">s</span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;">Of
particular interest, is the way the City Rail Link follows the
alignment of Albert Street through central Auckland, a huge trench
being dug out (one side of the road at a time) and then lined with
reinforced concrete walls, creating two parallel tunnels. When a
concrete ceiling is placed on these, and the various underground
services are reconstructed, the road above will be restored as it is
now. This concreted trench tunnel will allow commuter trains to run
in both directions some metres below the street.</span></span></span></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">At
a quick glance it seems surprising that such a massive excavation can
occur right in the midst of large tower buildings, but it is of
course common to excavate large holes for the foundations of </span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">high
buildings</span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">,
with one high rise excavated right beside another. </span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">A</span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">n
</span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">added
</span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">requirement, and an often huge cost </span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">of
tunnelling under established streets, is </span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">the
</span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">constructi</span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">on
of</span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
new </span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">alignments
</span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">for
</span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">other
underground</span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
services, such as water pipes, sewerage, electrical cabling,
</span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">stormwater
drains,</span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
etc., along or</span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">across
the street</span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">s</span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">.
</span></span></span></span>
</span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>A
cut and cover railway tunnel into the Christchurch central area </b></span></span></span>
</span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I
believe, </span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">if
the political will was there it would be possible to build </span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">a
similar 'cut and cover' reinforced concrete tunnel, offering two parallel </span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">railway
</span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">lines
(possibly more at station points) and three </span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">simple
underground </span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">stations, starting from </span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">a
point </span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">near
the current Christchurch railway station at Addington and continuing right into the very commercial and business heart </span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">of of central Christchurch.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;">The cut and cover tunnel suggested here could be built across - that is to say well beneath - Hagley Park, then under hospital corner (with an underground station there), and continue to an underground railway station complex, with escalators up into the Bus Exchange and Colombo Street, and Hoyts Cinema complex, and primary central city retail area. The lines would then continue to Te Kaha, the new sporting arena and festive events etc, arena intended to hold 30,000 plus. and an underground terminus at, near or under this new sports stadium and exhibition centre between Madras and
Barbadoes Street.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This
scenario would require the purchase of </span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">part
of </span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">the
former </span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">stock
</span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">sale-yards
site, </span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">in
Deans Avenue, </span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">now
demolished and currently in temporary use as a one level car-park for
the hospital, served by shuttle buses. </span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">All
other land required I believe is in the public domain, requiring no
land purchase costs or legal disputes. </span></span></span></span>
</span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">It goes without saying there are multiple synergies here, not least linking the main trunk rail lines to Picton, Dunedin and Greymouth, and past the South Island biggest hospital, and directly to the retail centre of Christchurch and bus transport exhange.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I
have included below some ballpark figures for likely costs. Noted; these
are not minimised to be appear more palatable to potential opponents, but broadly realistic in terms of similar projects in other cities. Large "game changing" and city building infrastructure of this nature, designed for long term benefits into the billions, can not be built by enfeebled suggestions of reusing third-hand cast off rail units ex Auckland, or (most bizarrely, as was suggested some years ago) creating a "temporary commuter rail system"! </span></span></span></span></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Rather costs agiven are broadly calculated in
reference to similar projects in Auckland and Wellington, obviously this can only offer a very rough guide, but not one I hope completely amiss.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"><b>A
tunnel under Hagley Park</b></span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: black;">It
is envisioned that from the main trunk line between Addington and
Riccarton Road </span><span style="color: black;">(</span><span style="color: black;">running
parallel with Deans Avenue</span><span style="color: black;">)</span><span style="color: black;">
</span><span style="color: black;">t</span><span style="color: black;">wo
</span><span style="color: black;">separate </span><span style="color: black;">lines
would branch off heading eastwards in to Hagley Park. One line would
offer access to trains tofr</span><span style="color: black;">o</span><span style="color: black;">
Rangiora and north, and the other access to trains to</span><span style="color: black;">fro</span><span style="color: black;">
Rolleston and south. Both these lines would follow a </span><span style="color: black;">gentle
</span><span style="color: black;">downward sloping curve that would t</span><span style="color: black;">ake</span><span style="color: black;">
</span><span style="color: black;">trains </span><span style="color: black;">under
Deans Avenue and </span><span style="color: black;">then </span><span style="color: black;">under
Hagley Park. This might require a slight </span><span style="color: black;">rise</span><span style="color: black;">
to carry Deans Avenue over the </span><span style="color: black;">tunnel
entrances</span><span style="color: black;">, or even a slight </span><span style="color: black;">landscaped
</span><span style="color: black;">hill at the edge of Hagley Park, to
allow a </span><span style="color: black;">sufficiently graduated</span><span style="color: black;">
slope into </span><span style="color: black;">the </span><span style="color: black;">two
railway tunnels. </span><span style="color: black;">Once </span><span style="color: black;">under
the park these two curving tunnels would come together and become
</span><span style="color: black;">either a </span><span style="color: black;">straight
double-track tunnel, or two parallel tunnels, </span><span style="color: black;">and
</span><span style="color: black;">head</span><span style="color: black;">
</span><span style="color: black;">underground</span><span style="color: black;">
towards "Hospital Corner." </span></span></span></span>
</span></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhVBLhsOH91y5-yMn4Nm6ux9ubfb9IXR8oZZFZ9pYlp92PJx7jKcG9AKs5D1dhgL5pKZiovLLjjs8t6SHoE4-co5l_zn6HDq-aGt4ePhQ-ZwljViZzDvxfqkLA7vXiUK_DQNrHKthPD_QdiXiyHWJOXKcV1tIPkRPTCyz9GlEqY8ZLBpvLV0RoKBjDj" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhVBLhsOH91y5-yMn4Nm6ux9ubfb9IXR8oZZFZ9pYlp92PJx7jKcG9AKs5D1dhgL5pKZiovLLjjs8t6SHoE4-co5l_zn6HDq-aGt4ePhQ-ZwljViZzDvxfqkLA7vXiUK_DQNrHKthPD_QdiXiyHWJOXKcV1tIPkRPTCyz9GlEqY8ZLBpvLV0RoKBjDj=w584-h438" width="584" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> </span><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> <i> Section of the cut and cover tunnel under Albert Street in Auckland nearing completion</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> <i>photo courtesy of CRL<br /></i></span><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;">Tunnelling
costs around the world, are greatly effected by the surface being cut
through but there will be no unexpected hard rock mass under Hagley
Park or central Christchurch. Drainage will no doubt be a factor,
but building a cut and cover tunnel through shingle or soft ground
across the open space of Hagley Park, is likely to be cheap
tunnelling by any world standards. Allowing for complex railway
junctions and all safety and ventilation aspects, on roughly similar
projects, I'd guess cost for this section, probably under <span style="color: red;"><b>$70
million.</b></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">After</span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
completion of the construction phase of the cut and cover tunnel, </span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">the</span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
earth </span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">and
grass </span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">would</span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
</span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">restored
over the tunnel ceiling </span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">perhaps
three to six metres</span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> below ground level. T</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">here
would be no </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">obvious
</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">change
in the appearance of Hagley Park, </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">other
than a possible repl</span></span></span></span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 16px;">acement</span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> of </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">a
few</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">large
</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">trees
</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">wh</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">ose</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
roots would </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">otherwise</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
interfere with the tunnel. </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">There
has been public resistance to past proposals to build car park facilities under Hagley
Park – </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">but
</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">that concept, by its very nature, feels a violation. I would imagine this option, intrinsically fostering a “greener” more pedestrian friendly
Christchurch, would encounter a much smaller rump of </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">opposition.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>A
</b></span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>station
at or near hospital corner</b></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">At
Hospital Corner, the tunnel would pass under Hagley Avenue and into
- and of course under - Tuam Street </span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">with
</span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">obvious
potential for </span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">station
at this point</span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">.
The existing </span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">under-road
</span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">pedestrian
tunnel for hospital staff and a separate public pedestrian tunnel
could link to </span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">the
hospital and outside areas to </span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">platforms
on both sides of an underground station, a</span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">s
well as to the </span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">bus
stops above. </span></span></span></span></span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Modern
underground stations typically have glassed off tracks, the platform length doors
only opening when trains are actually stopped, preventing accidents,
suicides, graffiti etc.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;">The "Hospital Corner" station would offer easy walking distance access not
only to the hospital and medical school, but also to the planned
Metro Sports Facility, Hagley Learning Centre, Hagley Park and the
cricket oval, the Botanic Gardens and boatsheds, Museum, Arts Centre, Christs
College, City Council buildings and to the office blocks and apartments west of the
Avon.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"><b>A
tunnel under Tuam Street to city centre station beside Bus Exchange</b></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: black;">Passing
under the alignment of existing streets will be considerably more
expensive </span><span style="color: black;">than tunnelling under open
park land. T</span><span style="color: black;">his said, </span><span style="color: black;">the
length of track </span><span style="color: black;">suggested here,</span><span style="color: black;">
</span><span style="color: black;">from hospital </span><span style="color: black;">corner
</span><span style="color: black;">to</span><span style="color: black;"> </span><span style="color: black;">the
suggested </span><span style="color: black;">terminus </span><span style="color: black;">is only slightly</span><span style="color: black;"> over one</span><span style="color: black;">
kilometre. Based on the one kilometre of cut and cover </span><span style="color: black;">tunnel
</span><span style="color: black;">being cut under Auckland's </span><span style="color: black;">far</span><span style="color: black;">
more intensely developed lower Queen Street and Albert Street (where
large storm water works etc. </span><span style="color: black;">also </span><span style="color: black;">had
to be shifted) I suspect that </span><span style="color: black;">such
</span><span style="color: black;">distance in Christchurch might be
constructed for about </span><span style="color: red;"><b>$</b></span><span style="color: red;"><b>20</b></span><span style="color: red;"><b>0
million</b></span><span style="color: black;"><b>. </b></span></span></span></span>
</span></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: black;"><b><br /></b></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: black;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjiLDk0Jx7p7GhWlAoCQ6DV81sQpIUIy_gIKevpAyH2erwKGhZwSzMFDexiFTP4sCZtR2Rnc6v3OcrVopetMCtpHWj5Vp1T4Iyq9WRZyzd1Wu0me6BYEmQGj4hj5y8-LBDNBRwoNTQRkTkBz8kABQk86-gVLXJQSkVNM3Hy6DJAO58XKom2LtwCcEmd" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjiLDk0Jx7p7GhWlAoCQ6DV81sQpIUIy_gIKevpAyH2erwKGhZwSzMFDexiFTP4sCZtR2Rnc6v3OcrVopetMCtpHWj5Vp1T4Iyq9WRZyzd1Wu0me6BYEmQGj4hj5y8-LBDNBRwoNTQRkTkBz8kABQk86-gVLXJQSkVNM3Hy6DJAO58XKom2LtwCcEmd=w569-h427" width="569" /></a></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <i> the cut and cover tunnel up Albert Street in 2018 before road reinstated </i></span><i style="font-size: small;">courtesy of City Rail Link</i></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Two simple u</span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">nderground through-stations with </span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">above
</span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">ground
entrance foyers, one at the Hospital, and one near
Colombo Street,</span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> linked into </span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">the
Bus Exchange by lifts and escalators, together might add another </span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>$70
million</b></span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">. </span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">These
stations are fairly close together, so the trains between them would virtually just slide
along at under 20km, but link directly to the different mass </span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">catchments, the second here including direct access to all Colombo Street and Cathedral Square. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">A
third station and terminus, only three blocks further east is also
suggested and would be needed, if only for operational reasons, anyway.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black;"> </span>
</span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"><b><br /></b></span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Central
city rail tunnel continues to Te Kaha Sports Stadium and Exhibition
Centre</b></span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: black;">The
terminus could be about 400 metres </span><span style="color: black;">further
along</span><span style="color: black;"> under Tuam Street between Madras
Street and Barbadoes </span><span style="color: black;">and</span><span style="color: black;">
directly beside or even directly underTe Kaha giant sports stadium and
exhibition centre. This </span><span style="color: black;">might</span><span style="color: black;">
also </span><span style="color: black;">sensibly </span><span style="color: black;">include
a</span><span style="color: black;">n </span><span style="color: black;">underground
</span><span style="color: black;">stabling</span><span style="color: black;">
area, four to six platforms/tracks wide, or similar. </span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: black;">This stabling </span><span style="color: black;">c</span><span style="color: black;">ould
create</span><span style="color: black;"> </span><span style="color: black;">significant
</span><span style="color: black;">operational econom</span><span style="color: black;">ies</span><span style="color: black;">
</span><span style="color: black;">as </span><span style="color: black;">overnight</span><span style="color: black;">
night, or during the </span><span style="color: black;">off peak </span><span style="color: black;">period
during the middle of working days</span><span style="color: black;">, </span><span style="color: black;">some
of the </span><span style="color: black;">trains could be parked </span><span style="color: black;">and internally </span><span style="color: black;">cleaned </span><span style="color: black;">here</span><span style="color: black;">. This is effective in operating terms as in the evening rush hour extra units are already in the city centre to bloster the outward rush hour traffic.</span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />
<span style="color: #222222;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: black;">Constructing a</span><span style="color: black;">
couple of </span><span style="color: black;">island </span><span style="color: black;">type
</span><span style="color: black;">platforms with stairs and escalators to the stadium above could </span><span style="color: black;">also
</span><span style="color: black;">allow various units, and longer locomotive pulled </span><span style="color: black;">trains, to load simultaneously (including those for Dunedin and South
Canterbury and Rangiora and Amberly etc.)</span><span style="color: black;"> </span><span style="color: black;">following
</span><span style="color: black;">major sport</span><span style="color: black;">ing
events</span><span style="color: black;">, </span><span style="color: black;">or
during large </span><span style="color: black;">exhibitions </span><span style="color: black;">and</span><span style="color: black;">
festive events </span><span style="color: black;">held </span><span style="color: black;">at
the stadium. With many people wanting to wine and dine before and after the game Friday and Saturday trains could be running not only before and immediately after events but into the early hours as well, a significant additional income stream to workday commuter traffic </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: black;">This </span><span style="color: black;">station alone </span><span style="color: black;">might cost another </span><span style="color: red;"><b>$7</b></span><span style="color: red;"><b>0
million, </b></span><span style="color: black;"> </span><span style="color: black;">although</span><span style="color: black;">
</span><span style="color: black;">possibly it </span><span style="color: black;">might be </span><span style="color: black;">built and leased back by the
stadium builders </span><span style="color: black;">or operators.</span><span style="color: black;">
</span><span style="color: black;">Potential savings in terms of
excavation, pile driving, stadium/station pillars etc. might also be
achieved by simultaneous construction.</span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: black;">Or alternately it may be under a companion parking building or surface level parking or lawns.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The </span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Central
City bus and rail station and a Madras/Barbados Terminus, in th</span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">e</span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
scenario</span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">s
here</span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
would offer easy walking access to the Justice Precinct, the new
Hoyts 7 Cinema complex, the Bus Exchange, Ara (Polytech), </span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Catholic
Cathedral College, </span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">High
Street and Cashel Street Malls </span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">and
Laneways </span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">and
</span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">only</span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
slightly longer walking distance, Cathedral Square and other parts of
the central city. </span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />
<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">T</span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">he
area of the central city south of Cathedral Square has always had
more capacity to form the busiest shopping, commercial and business
part of central Christchurch - the suggested railway line
</span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">conveniently</span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
intersects this primary activity zone.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<br />
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZrJSnoDE79I/WnFeKCuzv7I/AAAAAAAADus/PUmrwiz0EaMK5Lt1tmz3p7zXcyD9TFrxgCLcBGAs/s1600/ChCh%2BCentral%2BRail%2Bpic.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1132" data-original-width="1600" height="452" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZrJSnoDE79I/WnFeKCuzv7I/AAAAAAAADus/PUmrwiz0EaMK5Lt1tmz3p7zXcyD9TFrxgCLcBGAs/s640/ChCh%2BCentral%2BRail%2Bpic.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: xx-small;"><b>[ NOTE station symbol near Moorhouse Ave is intended as sample - not return to former station site!!]</b></span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b><br /></b></span></span></span>
<span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>Hybrid
diesel or hybrid electric trains, an obvious option</b></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: black;">Obviously
it is not suitable to use diesel power in busy underground tunnels.
</span><span style="color: black;">Electrification of Auckland railway cost
$1.3 billion, not counting the new trains. </span><span style="color: black;">The
huge cost of electrifying all </span><span style="color: black;">the
Canterbury </span><span style="color: black;">lines could be postponed for
many years, or even permanently avoided by using hybrid passenger
rail units </span><span style="color: black;">and locomotives</span><span style="color: black;">.
These </span><span style="color: black;">systems can</span><span style="color: black;">
operate with </span><span style="color: black;">batteries linked to either
</span><span style="color: black;">standard </span><span style="color: black;">diesel,
</span><span style="color: black;">or </span><span style="color: black;">with
</span><span style="color: black;">overhead as powered </span><span style="color: black;">electric
</span><span style="color: black;">trains.</span><span style="color: black;"> </span><span style="color: black;">
</span><span style="color: black;">When running <i>only</i></span><span style="color: black;">
on the batteries these locomotives or units are</span><span style="color: black;">
capable of </span><span style="color: black;">pulling </span><span style="color: black;">surprisingly</span><span style="color: black;">
large loads </span><span style="color: black;">(over a thousand tonnes)
</span><span style="color: black;">over </span><span style="color: black;">reasonably
</span><span style="color: black;">long distances, </span><span style="color: black;">typically
</span><span style="color: black;">60-100km</span><span style="color: black;">.
Several international railway vehicle builders now offer </span><span style="color: black;">hybrid</span><span style="color: black;">
options.</span><span style="color: black;"> </span><span style="color: black;">Indeed,
</span><span style="color: black;">Auckland </span><span style="color: black;">Transport
</span><span style="color: black;">ha</span><span style="color: black;">d planned
to purchase 17 hybrid </span><span style="color: black;">such hybrid
</span><span style="color: black;">electric units, until both the main
political parties announced they would fund overhead electrification
of the line between Papakura and Pukekohe. </span><span style="color: black;">
</span></span></span></span>
</span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: black;">The
</span><span style="color: black;">added</span><span style="color: black;">
chance to recharge batteries from an overhead power supply, </span><span style="color: black;">every
time,</span><span style="color: black;"> whilst </span><span style="color: black;">running
</span><span style="color: black;">through</span><span style="color: black;"> the
</span><span style="color: black;">central city </span><span style="color: black;">tunnels,
or while parked at </span><span style="color: black;">mid-day or overnight
in </span><span style="color: black;">the underground terminus, would
clearly support such a system and ensure </span><span style="color: black;">smoke
and exhaust free</span><span style="color: black;"> operation in the
tunnels</span><span style="color: black;">, </span><span style="color: black;">as
well as </span><span style="color: black;">quieter running trains as far afield
as Rolleston and Rangiora, </span><span style="color: black;">perhaps </span><span style="color: black;">using</span><span style="color: black;">
diesel </span><span style="color: black;">only </span><span style="color: black;">beyond
these points<span style="background-color: white;">.</span></span><span><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">A
fleet of, say </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">20</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">
hybrid </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">140
seat </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">passenger
units, </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">and
</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">several</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> separate hybrid locomotives to </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">shunt
or </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">pull
conventional coac</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">hes (including dedicated cycle coaches on the main peak hour trains) - </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">
</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">the
minimum rolling stock </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">needed
to operate a sufficiently frequent service </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">(</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">given
population and regional distances</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">)
- </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">
would probably cost about another </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: red;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">$30</span></b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: red;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">0</span></b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: red;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">
million</span></b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">.</span></b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> <img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="750" height="230" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QhbIvpKiVcE/WoH5hoDldDI/AAAAAAAADwA/jFSaXITdKzgUCP2SHxISCMpKiNLRZ8lWwCLcBGAs/w346-h230/mbta_bike_coach_train_8432.17xtfkqdw0000csccowkc8kw4.c4xtg9uu3r404wggo4ss0ss8s.th_.jpeg" width="346" /></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span><span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;"><i>a cycle carriage on a New York commutor train for those using cycles at both ends of their commute</i></span></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiqkPnTKPTgn2bkWRO_a67Z3wAof5-VhVMNALmFN52OndUT8s3Qg4X1WqFS5tiuBPUBzqIy5_qWlpJZaKSGM538wleoimol7FGD5lIfUHEMJbt2iCSv5KLup5V2uu7Raz3hKrfDI6q892j3pmY_D0RGlbCGWngEgoNrkap8zVmeXmtFykPDHzJUhWj2" style="font-size: 16px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiqkPnTKPTgn2bkWRO_a67Z3wAof5-VhVMNALmFN52OndUT8s3Qg4X1WqFS5tiuBPUBzqIy5_qWlpJZaKSGM538wleoimol7FGD5lIfUHEMJbt2iCSv5KLup5V2uu7Raz3hKrfDI6q892j3pmY_D0RGlbCGWngEgoNrkap8zVmeXmtFykPDHzJUhWj2=w478-h358" width="478" /></a></span></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><i>Copenhagens 'S' Train, including specialised cycle carriages - courtesy of ITF</i></span></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />
<span style="color: #222222;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span><span><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The
general upgrade of railway across the city to allow for commuter rail
and (and no doubt </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">a
chance to </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">improve
freight movement) would also be needed, this might absorb another
</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="color: red;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>$</b></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="color: red;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>200</b></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="color: red;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>
million</b></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">,
</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">and
might </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">includ</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">e</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">over-bridging
of rail tracks on some arterial roads </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">and
</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">the
</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">building
extensive car</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> parks </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">for </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">commuters</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
in outer </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">suburbs
and towns</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">.
</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Wellington
railway has over 4000 such car parking spaces across the region,
</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Auckland is struggling to create more. </span></span></span></span></div></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The tired old equation “public transport
versus private car” still occurs in local newsmedia or politician
speeches; - it does no justice to “park and </span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">ride”
</span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">character
of public transport in many modern systems serving sprawling built-up </span></span></span></span></span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 16px;">metropolitan</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 16px;"> areas</span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">. </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">(Boston
</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">for
example </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">has
over 46,000 park and ride spaces – </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">in
other words 46,000 cars that don't get driven into the city or on
congested roads). Secure bicycle day-storage systems would also be necessary at most suburban stations.</span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Local
and Regional authorities to meet only half the cost of construction?</b></span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"><span><span style="color: #222222;">This circa</span><b><span style="color: red;"> $1 b</span></b></span><span style="color: red;"><b>illion</b></span><span><b><span style="color: red;"> </span></b><span style="color: #222222;">seems </span></span><span style="color: black;">(and
is) </span><span style="color: black;">a huge amount of money, </span><span style="color: black;">BUT</span><span style="color: black;">
</span><span style="color: black;">on the precedent of Auckland and
Wellington </span><span style="color: black;">it </span><span style="color: black;">might
be </span><span style="color: black;">expected </span><span style="color: black;">that
</span><span style="color: black;">central Government would provide</span><span style="color: black;">
</span><span style="color: black;">a $300 million </span><span style="color: black;">loan
</span><span style="color: black;">for </span><span style="color: black;">purchasing
modern </span><span style="color: black;">rolling stock. </span><span style="color: black;">This
is then repaid over time, as part of annual operating cost by the regional authority
overseeing railway operations. </span><span style="color: black;">By
similar precedent, in Auckland and Wellington, central Government c</span><span style="color: black;">ould be expected to</span><span style="color: black;"> fund
</span><span style="color: black;">about half of the actual </span><span style="color: black;">construction</span><span style="color: black;">
costs, either</span><span style="color: black;"> </span><span style="color: black;">met
</span><span style="color: black;">directly </span><span style="color: black;">by</span><span style="color: black;">
central government </span><span style="color: black;">and</span><span style="color: black;">
</span><span style="color: black;">its </span><span style="color: black;">agencies, or </span><span style="color: black;"> </span><span style="color: black;">in </span><span style="color: black;">some
as</span><span style="color: black;">pects</span><span style="color: black;"> </span><span style="color: black;">as
</span><span style="color: black;">part of</span><span style="color: black;">
</span><span style="color: black;">KiwiRail's infrastructure budget. In these circumstances the city/region would be looking at financing about $350 million in a project that will hugely lift Christchurch's status and attraction to new residents, visitors and tourists.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: black;">That
greater Christchurch should seek about $</span><span style="color: black;">35</span><span style="color: black;">0
million</span><span style="color: black;"> </span><span style="color: black;">in
direct </span><span style="color: black;">Government support ALSO </span><span style="color: black;">seems to be </span><span style="color: black;">nothing but a bit of <b>"commutor rail</b></span><span style="color: black;"><b> equality</b>" and “</span><span style="color: black;">balancing of the books”,
</span><span style="color: black;"> given the </span><span style="color: black;">huge</span><span style="color: black;">
investment by Governments (</span><span style="color: black;">both </span><span style="color: black;">Labour
and then National) in commuter rail in Auckland and Wellington in the last 20 years, presumably with a significant portion of that financed derived from Canterbury taxes.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: black;">Both
</span><span style="color: black;">these </span><span style="color: black;">cities
have </span><span style="color: black;">had </span><span style="color: black;">a</span><span style="color: black;">n
obvious</span><span style="color: black;"> strong case for public transport
infrastructure funding from taxpayers, </span><span style="color: black;">Auckland
because of </span><span style="color: black;">its </span><span style="color: black;">larger
size and rapid growth, Wellington because pf its geography, </span><span style="color: black;">its
</span><span style="color: black;">restricted central area and bottleneck
approaches.<b> </b>T</span></span></span></span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">his
said,</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;"> the population of greater
Christchurch is actually larger, faster growing than that of
Wellington region </span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">and the extended metropolitan area
population of Christchurch is expected to surpass that of greater
Wellington region over the next 25 years. (NZ Transport Agency Stats - circa 567,000 versus 527,000) </span></span></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">E</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">xtremely
rapid growth of both Rangiora and Rolleston, and adjacent areas,
makes it clear tomorrow's “greater Christchurch” will, in effect,
</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">be </span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">something
of a banana shape extending over 2</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">5</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">
kilometres northward and over 2</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">5</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">
kilometres southwards. </span></b><br /><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">Exactly the sort of profile best met by
commuter rail.</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
<span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I
think this concept put forward here is a huge game-changing possibility. As such it deserves a full multi-discipline professional feasibility study of the core concept. </span></span></span></span></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Used
to assist this, the promised $100 million in Canterbury commuter rail
funding by the Labour Government offered [in 2018] might then go far further than
anyone ever dared.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b><u>Extras</u></b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span>For (fairly historic) info on historic Wellington expenditure <b><a href="http://buswatchnz.blogspot.co.nz/2010/05/take-money-and-run.html">"Take the money and Run"</a></b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span>For the gross imbalance of NZ taxpayers money invested in Auckland (2013) <b><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://buswatchnz.blogspot.co.nz/search?q=Government+asks+New+Zealand+to+massively+subsidise+Auckland+transport?">Government asks New Zealand to massively subsidise Auckland transport?</a></span></b></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif">Greater Christchurch to have a potential <a href="http://buswatchnz.blogspot.co.nz/p/lies-damned-lies-and-statistics.html"><b>commuter base 80,000 people more than Wellington region within 25 years</b></a>, or see [pages, see right hand column] </span><br /></span></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="color: #2b00fe;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><a href="https://www.cityraillink.co.nz/crl-tunnels/"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">City Rail Link (CRL) tunnels — City Rail Link</span></a> </span></b>This site offers a short You Tube illustrating how the cut and cover tunnel was made under Albert Street in Auckland. </span></span></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif">This site offers a walk through the cut and cover tunnel</span></span></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
<span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , sans-serif">Since the original blog was posted the new Labour (Plus) Government has announced - <span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/102876299/governments-new-transport-policy-means-christchurch-commuter-rail-on-the-table"><b>Regional Rail for Canterbury 'On the table"</b></a></span></span></span></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">For the latest government plan to spend<b> <span style="color: red;">$14.4 billion</span></b> on a <b><a href="https://www.lightrail.co.nz/">light rail link</a></b> serving Auckland Airport-city and (at a guess) about one sixth of the Auckland residential population catchment <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b> </b></span></span><a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/127305951/auckland-council-not-in-a-financial-position-to-help-pay-for-14b-light-rail#:~:text=Auckland%20Council%20has%20signed%20off,in%20the%20project%27s%20next%20steps."><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: arial;"><b>Auckland Council not in a 'financial position' to help pay for $14b light rail | Stuff.co.nz</b></span></a></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
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</div>David Welchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11986414622432134057noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211616357616951025.post-38118541375665333542017-11-22T16:43:00.002+13:002018-02-10T07:22:46.517+13:00Port to Plains - Visionary Transport<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GiV4LmhnITE/WhcRDjJegwI/AAAAAAAADms/ZGqxJ3s5xXAWPbcnFyE74lbd6AAZY_VTwCLcBGAs/s1600/360px-WilliamSeftonMoorhouseStatue_gobeirne%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="360" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GiV4LmhnITE/WhcRDjJegwI/AAAAAAAADms/ZGqxJ3s5xXAWPbcnFyE74lbd6AAZY_VTwCLcBGAs/s400/360px-WilliamSeftonMoorhouseStatue_gobeirne%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="300" /></a></h2>
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William Sefton Moorhouse, saw what had to be done, rolled up his sleeves and said let's do it. The most obvious thing of any major transport system is obtaining clear free run corridors that cut through the obstacles. <i> </i></div>
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<i>This excellent photo of the Moorhouse statue in Christchurch Botanic Gardens is by Greg O'Beirne, Wikipedia. </i><br />
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<i><a href="http://www.craigprint.co.nz/book-port-to-plains/">http://www.craigprint.co.nz/book-port-to-plains/</a></i><br />
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<br />David Welchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11986414622432134057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211616357616951025.post-30243691594048881282014-11-16T07:34:00.002+13:002018-02-24T08:16:48.929+13:00Revamped bus system essentially a booby prize from Government <br />
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<i><b>"As any form of rapid transit needs clear conduits - unimpeded flow across many kilometres - it inevitably involves identification of routes years in advance"</b></i><br />
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Environment Canterbury is about to launch a revamp of Christchurch buses.<br />
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Essentially it is a bus system designed by the Government not the two Councils in Christchurch.<br />
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Government policy has effectively dictated that public transport is low priority in Christchurch, that a conventional bus system is good enough for New Zealand's third (grade) city and, despite the ever growing congestion, that rapid transit (i.e on exclusive corridors) is not even on the books. In fact bus services to some areas are being removed to comply with Government demands of meeting a farebox recovery of 50%.<br />
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This over-riding of the city's future needs has only been possible because the huge vacuum in effective leadership in public transport issues that Christchurch has suffered across the last decade.<br />
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Had we had a "Len Brown" type leadership and had we had established game-plan for public transport in Christchurch it would not have been possible for such a simple takeover of public transport to take place in Christchurch.<br />
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It need hardly be said ECan itself is totally compromised and makes no public criticism of the Government.<br />
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Other cities around the world have sought significant ways to address congestion and pollution and quality journey times for transit users. This is true for our "transit sister cities" - in Auckland, Wellington and all the Australia and Canadian cities of comparable size or bigger than Christchurch.<br />
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These cities have done this by <b>planning, building or upgrading of rapid transit systems; variously commuter rail, or light rail or busways,</b> Christchurch's inept leadership has done nothing but introduce a few bus lanes (and then about a third of these came through Transit NZ!) that only work in peak hours and, most bizarrely,do not exist in the most congested areas.<br />
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The post quake rebuild central city bus lanes on Tuam and Manchester Street will speed buses in the central area but do not connect to any effective cross city conduits - it will still be a hugely long, tiresome and unnecessarily slow (slower each year) journey to Rolleston and Rangiora etc.<br />
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In Christchurch nothing but a few pipe dreams of light rail (hugely inappropriate) and basically useless ball-park figure investigations of commuter rail on existing tracks only has ever been done to address the long term issues of getting across the city to outer areas (and between outer areas).<br />
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Bizarrely neither of the council's involved in Christchurch public transport has ever initiated a serious professional study of bus rapid transit in the wider sense - a busway network - now a thirty year old technology that is cost effective for smaller cities and is described by international transport consultants (for all modes and infrastructure) <b>Parsons Brinckerhoff</b> as the <i><span style="color: blue;"><b style="background-color: #ffe599;"><a href="http://www.pbworld.com/pdfs/publications/pb_brochures/brt.pdf">"fastest growing mode in public transport history"</a> </b></span></i><br />
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All this inaction, year after year after year, despite the fact that rapid transit systems of any kind can not be planned, funded or built in a year or two, in the piecemeal style of public transit planning typical in Christchurch. Auckland has only now completed its step-by-step programme of implementing rapid transit commuter systems planned back as far as 1995.<br />
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As any form of rapid transit needs clear conduits - unimpeded flow across many kilometres - it inevitably involves identification of routes years in advance. This can mean purchase of targeted properties or Notice of Requirement for needed properties, as well residential and industrial roading and infrastructure design that can be supported by, and foster use of, future rapid transit.<br />
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If one seriously looks at rapid transit in Christchurch there is only a relatively few number of places these rail or busway systems could be implemented to effectively service large and extended length population catchments AND also address major traffic generators such as the city centre, employment zones, university, airport etc.<br />
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None of these have been publicly identified <b><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://buswatchnz.blogspot.co.nz/2012/01/xmas-gifts-for-auckland-rejected-by.html">or protected</a></span></b> and <b><a href="http://buswatchnz.blogspot.co.nz/2010/04/one-way-ticket-from-annex-road-more.html">several are already seriously compromised</a></b><br />
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The governing authorities of public transport have opted instead for cutting back routes to a basic structure which leaves thousands without easy bus access. And settling for repainting buses on the four crosstown major routes.Each major route a distinctive colour with a guaranteed peak hour frequency. Don't get me wrong - I think there is much to recommend this strategy - make things simple is always effective in public transport. As with repainting a house to sell it, it is an attractive way of making a little money go a long way.<br />
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And we get a new bus station in the city which will no doubt stimulate patronage (though let's be honest the preoccupation with landmark bus stations is mainly a car owner concept of improving public transport). If you want to get people out of cars you need a fully integrated multi-directional mosaic bus system, with all main route corridors <b><i>faster</i></b> <i>and easier</i> than car travel.<br />
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The new central bus station in the city is to be welcomed but - excuse me - I can't figure out where articulated buses will go - the most basic and cost-effective element in any rapid mass transit bus system !<br />
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But all this all really a booby prize forced upon an unresistant Christchurch because it lacks an effective integrated mass transport plan, the backbones of which are rapid transit corridors.<br />
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And today the city is no closer to getting an effective mass mover than it was 20 years ago.<br />
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<br />David Welchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11986414622432134057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211616357616951025.post-15482413042431345182014-09-23T07:42:00.000+12:002014-09-23T07:42:49.330+12:00Lack of Rapid Transit plan leaves Christchurch vulnerable<br />
Despite attractive new Metro marketing and an impressive new post quake central bus station being built Christchurch continues to blither around in the appalling incompetence which has long marked public transport planning in this city.<br />
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<b>Yep - Christchurch still misses the bus, train and everything else!</b><br />
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Any city worth its salt must look at making public transport work effectively, and the core of planning is a "rapid transit plan". This is the technology and land use to attract and move large numbers of commuters quickly from home areas to major employment zones. <br />
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Auckland's whole multi-billion public transport system is based around a rapid transit plan put together in 1995. They worked out where they needed to go and a step by step plan to get there. This consisted of four rail corridors (including a de facto loop around the central isthmus) and a segregated busway up the North side of the Harbour. Over the last 20 years Auckland's confident approach has won significant funding at every step, quite a lot coming Canterbury fuel tax dollars.<br />
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Likewise Wellington had identified how to upgrade its rapid transit network by the beginning of this century (almost 15 years ago) and identified it needed to upgrade its suburban rail network, including new carriages, stations and trackwork through to the Wairarapa; and double tracking and electrifying the Kapiti Line north as far as Waikane. Again year by year these goals won funding and were achieved. About $700 million of work done, much of it Government funded and also quite a lot of it coming from Canterbury fuel tax dollars .<br />
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Christchurch? I've been watching since I purchased my first computer back about 1995 (virtually 20 years) and the only thing even remotely comparable to a mass rapid transit plan I've seen was a plan in 2003 to put part-time, part-way bus lanes on nine routes.<br />
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It a minimalist policy which the various city authorities anyway proved incapable of achieving or even getting part done before the incoming National government withdrew (the tiny) funding in 2009. Within six weeks of the Government cutting their cycleway and bus lane funding in Christchurch from $4.5 million to $1,5 million, transport minister Joyce gave a cheque of $88 million to Wellington Regional Council for a second and final payment of the new Matangi electric units! Not a squeak from our insipid leaders!<br />
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<b>The aim of mass rapid transit is to create conduits where public transport vehicles do not have to compete with other vehicles</b>.<br />
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Another aim is to address longer journeys where these conduits allow for genuinely competitive journey times with private cars, and which address the longer commuting journeys which cause and suffer the greatest pollution and congestion.<br />
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Being a keen fan of public transport I have tried for many years to get public authorities in Christchurch to follow best practise concepts, used all over the world, of basing our public transport around a core rapid transit plan. This is like a skeleton around which all other public transport and active transport planning is built. Every single written or spoken submission, or approach to a civic leader or political candidate has been rejected, even when I have merely requested that concepts be investigated.<br />
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Once I was told by a very arrogant woman chairing an Ecan committee, patronising words to the effect "Don't you worry [your silly little head?], we are protecting our rapid transit corridors" . It is absurd as the city has never identified its rapid transit corridors!<br />
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These do not necessarily follow existing rail or main road corridors, because <b>often the greatest through flow advantage - and the least disruption and political resistance in the building or in operation of such a corridor is precisely away from existing networks.</b> The key is to link major housing, commercial and industrial areas - delivering people to key traffic generators - whilst simultaneously by-passing or minimising interaction with existing congestion.<br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">For example it is quite clear that it is not possible to built <u>mass rapid transit</u> on Riccarton Road</span></b>.<br />
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In the first case it is a major (car) traffic corridor, so any significant permanent and full-time tram lines or bus lanes, will further impede normal traffic. In the second place it is lined by shops and clumps of take-way outlets all of which rely upon motorised traffic and will resist bitterly by all owners. Thirdly it is intersected at Clyde Road, and Clarence Road by two very busy complex intersections, where giving buses (travelling several different ways) priority <i><b>every time</b></i> - a minimum requirement of rapid transit - is quite out of the question. Fourthly Riccarton Road has a very large rental housing/professional apartment/ university student flatting sector to the south - key transport users - but half of this is out of easy walking bus access, and by contrast correspondingly little by way of bus user catchment to the north side of the road.<br />
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How can public transport bring huge numbers of people through Riccarton heading for the city AND also directly to Riccarton (notably Westfield) AND to an effective exchange point to head north and south to Addington etc, without stopping for other traffic?<br />
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This is a busway corridor crossing many minor side streets and threading between houses (on a hedged and treed landscaped bus, cycle and pedestrian corridor ) in a way that buses can be given total or very high priority at every intersection crossed, between Mandeville Street and Wharenui Road. This by-passes Riccartion Road congestion but not Riccarton itself - giving <b>best option access</b> to the Mall at Matipo Street and again Rotheram Street (main suburban bus exchange) while directly servicing and helping to grow a huge potential commuter market in the block between Riccarton Road and Blenheim Road.<br />
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It requires the purchase of perhaps 15 properties (the line shown here is only indicative) mostly run-down old houses used as student flats which will soon be demolished for apartment blocks. This potential straight through corridor will be almost certainly be lost within the next few years.<br />
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A radical suggestion here is to split Middleton Park in two - the football fields there realigned but also given embankments with a shelter trees - and take a tar sealed busway through the middle of these embankments with safe pedestrian crossings included. This allows (a) very deep penetration of an area poorly serviced by immediate public transport (b) linking a future obvious busway under the motorway and under the railway - cut and fill tunnels costing less than $30 million all up - from the south-west via Annex Road to join up at Middleton Road, straight from to Riccarton and city, to be factored in for the future. (c) an exclusive corridor that can later if deemed necessary be converted to light rail - indeed taking straight under the railway line and Deans Avenue and a corner of Hagley Park (the 50 year plan!) .<br />
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Instead we have yet again as in 1996, and in 2007, the pathetic farce of pin -in-the-map planning at Riccarton Road as Ecan and the Council and the local retailers and Mall management fight over which in the worst place they can put a bus station!!<br />
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And of course with Gerry's jackboot on the throat of Christchurch our fuel taxes are sent to Auckland !<br />
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<br />David Welchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11986414622432134057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211616357616951025.post-44816152486234316812014-09-13T17:49:00.001+12:002018-04-24T21:11:34.719+12:00$100 million rail plan for Christchurch - nonsenseLabour and Greens are pushing for a $100 million dollar rail plan for Christchurch . <br />
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I can't believe these guys don't do enough research to know this is nonsense, you don't get quality safe public transport over the distances involved, city to Rangiora and city to Rolleston - at that sort of price. The idea of using the ramshackle, tired, third hand diesel units of Auckland commuter rail as the primary rolling stock is a particularly poor joke.<br />
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Auckland has spent/is spending billions of dollars on commuter rail - Wellington has spent around $700 million on upgrading the rail system in the area - mostly specifically on the commuter rail system (including $188 million just on the Matangi electric units) - get real ! $100 million won't buy shit.<br />
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Or rather it will.<br />
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Why not believe in Canterbury and create realistic policies with grunt??? Christchurch deserves - just on a pro-rata basis alone - spending of at least $300 million worth of quality rail development.<br />
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All this should be based on the principle bike & rail and rail & bus anywhere !<br />
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The only sensible use of rail in Christchurch is as shown on the map below (taking the gratuitous spur to Prestons out of the equation). The primary need is to identify the corridors needed and secure future right of purchase, not to run inferior jack-up services<br />
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<br />David Welchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11986414622432134057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211616357616951025.post-49699234017529265302014-07-14T23:45:00.005+12:002018-06-16T12:01:32.248+12:00Bus plan - a city going nowhere fast!<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Ramped access, door level loading, full veranda shelter, on busway system in Mexico</span></b> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://www.ccc.govt.nz/thecouncil/newsmedia/mediareleases/2014/201406203.aspx" style="background-color: #ffd966;">Christchurch City Council and Environment Canterbury are planning a new Riccarton Super Stop to reduce travel times on the city’s busiest bus route</a></i></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 19.5px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have campaigned for 36 years to get decent public transport. I still vomit when I see such nonsensical bullshit as this..</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.5px;"><b>Super stop??</b> As far as I can see this is just a bus shelter with a slightly enclosed bay</span> - very much like the semi-enclosed bus shelters that used to be outside the public hospital or in The Square when I first arrived in Christchurch in 1970. Except more glass. Back to the 1950s??</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">...<b>reduced travel times</b> - ....come on !! How does creating a often crowded bus stop on a busy arterial "increase travel times" in any significant way. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What utter nonsense </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">All the genuinely fast bus services in the world nowadays are being built on exclusive busways, not pissing around in the odd hope of saving 30 seconds ( if lucky!!)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I am going to use a really offensive term (to me too) here. I don't think I am a racist (or not more than anyone can't help being a bit at times) and but when I look a the level of public transport in Christchurch, I think this just <b>"bus services for niggers" </b> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Please be clear here; I am <b>not talking about skin colour here</b> but the sort of despicable arrogant attitudes that once ruled in South Africa or the Bible belt states in the south of the USA, where <b>funding of public facilities constantly shortchanged one sector of the population</b>. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In other words <b>"who cares how pathetic and outdated in style and concept the services and facilities are - they are only bus users!!"</b>. It comes through in almost everything the Government, the city authorities and regional bus administrations do, in Christchurch as in many other cities. Most of what passes for public transport is actual just "tokenism". How can we pretend to address this issue, whilst not really changing anything.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Years of being treated liked n------- (yuk word ) by various public authorities, all levels trying to avoid commitment to effective modern transport, have left most bus users ridiculously grateful for the clumsy shambles currently passing as an efficient bus service, because the buses look modern and have a few technological lollies to hide the real lack of vision and commitment. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It is the old theory if you kick a dog often enough it will be eternally grateful that one time a week you pat it.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Yet what intelligent 12 year old child could not <span style="font-size: large;">look at the technology we have on tap to day</span> and say why not <b>create a bus system where the buses hardly ever stop for anything but passengers</b>, where most <b>major bus corridors have exclusive roads, or (fulltime) exclusive space</b> on roads; where a few dozen properties are bought to create a <b>super effective interactive grid </b>(at about 20% the cost of the equivalent in light rail!); where all <b>core service buses run to the same pattern and same times all day and always interact in the same pattern</b> 9am-7pm Mon Sat and another pattern evenings and Sundays. Basically get anywhere within the city, anytime, and often faster than by car and usually so in peak hours..</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sounds impossible ??- Not so. Rather it would need much deep thought on how buses serve key functions ( malls etc) without entrapment in heavy traffic; it would require buses being given exclusive road space and priority access through traffic lights (less than 5% of the total asphalted road space in the city - and why not 5% of people use buses!!) ; it would probably require the purchase of about 50 properties, here and there, to create some "stents" - bus, cycle and pedestrian congestion bypasses ; it would require the building of four or five underpasses or overpasses exclusive to buses and active modes. It would include a whole set of interwoven support strategies and integrated computer listings to ensure buses run on time (within 5 minutes of time shown) <b><i>every time</i></b>. It would mean Hornby to city centre; Belfast to City Centre etc in 20 minutes journey time, whether at 8.15 am rush hour or 1.15 am at night - hugely uniting the city and making the city centre fantastically lively - literally a hub rather than a doughnut. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>However these are the easy bits to get</b> - they just take good planning, cunning strategies (I can name a dozen) and good technology - what we have <u><b>n</b></u><b><u>ever had in Christchurch</u> is a single person in public office who has the guts and nous to get up and say we are going to build the most reliable, fast and effective integrated bus system of any small city in the world. No half measures </b>(we might even study bus systems that are working well overseas!!)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Wouldn't it be better to stop wasting millions subsidising outdated concepts and ridiculously low patronage and actually get some return for all that public money?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What is the point of a wizzo 2020 bus exchange in the city centre when the actual journey times and (in most respects) journey quality are barely improved on 50 years ago - indeed in many cases worse?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Instead we are fed this ridiculous double speak about "super stops" and (magically) "reducing travel times" merely by building a shabby characterless c-grade class waiting shed.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>"good enough for...".</b> I won't bother repeating the word. But the heart weeps. Such an opportunity lost. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Nothing changes, year after year, same old crap.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #ffd966; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Exclusive bus corridor in South Hampshire UK - buses will never win the battle with cars and interruptions on busy congested roads and maintaining rush hour speeds of 50 km per hour even through built up areas can only happen with "stents" hugh congestion location by-pass corridors exclusive to buses. A corridor such as this could be built relatively easily through the actual bus user BUSY part of Riccarton from Mandeville Street to Wharenui Road, completely by passing queues and having bus priority at lights (for the 20 seconds it needs for a single bus to cross an intersection). </span></div>
David Welchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11986414622432134057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211616357616951025.post-74522321920290150522014-01-24T09:12:00.002+13:002022-03-27T22:56:03.475+13:00Strategy could boost Canterbury provincial bus services significantly<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i style="background-color: white;">Unlike regional councils in other areas ECan takes no responsibility for supporting or enhancing regional public transport systems, or addressing the environmental issue that it is the longest car journeys that do the most damage in global atmospheric conditions. There is no effective region wide commuter system at all, and no effective Riccarton bus interchange (for cross town links) that incorporates long distance services - as is obvious from the Intercity coach drop-off point above!</i></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span><i><b style="background-color: white;">NOTE This blog was originally posted on January 29 2010; it upgraded and amended, with all photos added January 24 2014</b></i></span></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #073763;">A couple of months back I suggested that Environment Canterbury had created reasonably effective services to some parts of the greater Christchurch metropolitan area (Rangiora, Kaiapoi, Lincoln etc) but seemed to pay no regard to regional services. </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #073763;">Over 30 million Government dollars have been funnelled into <b><a href="http://www.metlink.org.nz/assets/New-PDF-timetables/Train/Wairarapa-June2013web.pdf">Wellington's regional rail links to the Wairarapa</a></b> (pro-rata the equivalent of about $4.25 million ex Canterbury road taxes),</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #073763;">Environment Waikato has created a network of services to its region (and unlike Ecan features links to privately owned and long distance bus services in its region on its website site). Likewise Bay of Plenty (a Rotorua-Tauranga bi-directional commuter service was so successful <b><a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/rotorua-daily-post/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503438&objectid=11029529">the operator, let-go the annual $50,000 subsidy)</a></b></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #073763;">In contrast the road between Christchurch and Ashburton is one of the busiest in the South Island, and yet there is no user friendly commuter link between the Timaru district (42,000 residents) and the Ashburton District (26,000 residents) and Christchurch city and Christchurch Airport. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="color: #073763;">The arguments I presented in favour of this, and the potential to create a luxury coach service operated by Metro (and tendered out to a private operator) are in the archived entry </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">"Timaru to Christchurch - in three steps" </span></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #073763;">Recently I came across my own calculations of how such a service might look, if two coaches ran from Timaru early morning to Christchurch; back mid-morning to Timaru [which also allows driver changes, vehicle replacement for maintenance etc]; back to Christchurch early afternoon; and then evening commuter trips from Christchurch back to Timaru. </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #073763;">An obvious rider to this (or rather lots of riders, literally!) is that the majority of the regular - in some cases daily - commuters would most likely be be those joining the service between Ashburton and Christchurch. Commuters the further south the location the bus comes from would more and more likely be "irregular" or casual. These might include those catching early morning flights from CIAL - the biggest and most obvious market (?) given the high cost of storing cars in Christchurch. Other travelers might be attending business or business training courses or medical appointments or visiting friends or those in Christchurch hospital; or students and workers returning to Christchurch after visiting family in Timaru overnight or over the weekend. </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #073763;">But the middle of the day services through mid-Canterbury areas would also offer internal travel to and from rural areas and Ashburton, and ditto Temuka and Timaru, for shoppers, elderly, kids and teenagers etc. Obvious possibility exists to link to these north-south Metro bus services smaller shuttle van services to and from Geraldine and ditto tofro Methven, creating a comprehensive network, when integrated with existing long distance bus operations. </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #073763;">It does not seem a huge Ecan rate would need to be introduced to float such a system - divided between Christchurch, Ashburton, Timaru urban areas, and a smaller rate for all rural areas, it is hard to see this costing much more than a few dollars per household, in return for a service that will save thousands of needless car journeys each year. </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #073763;">Almost all locals stand to benefit at some time, for instance saving journeys to drop off or pick up friends or relatives from Christchurch International Airport. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #073763; font-family: "arial";">Below - a little crooked - I compared the current service levels (top chart) with what could be if a Metro organised service was strategically inserted, timed to run between existing patterns as well as offer completely new early morning city-bound/evening homebound trips (bottom chart). </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #073763; font-family: "arial";">I have not bothered to include my (equally effective) charts for southbound services but based on current bus services, these are entirely feasible, with the Metro evening commuter services departing Christchurch at 4.15 pm and 5.15 pm. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #073763; font-family: "arial";">It is often commented that as a concept Canterbury barely exists any longer, there's just Christchurch and the land beyond (shades of New Zealand as an adjunct to Auckland!) It may seem minor but I think it is an important statement about the integrity of a province, that cohesive, reliable and frequent public transport services link all parts of the province. [click on charts to get full size/complete image]</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #073763; font-family: "arial";">How Canterbury could have eight services per working day between Timaru and Christchurch - a level of integrated service that truly starts to challenge car use as always the better option.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #073763; font-family: "arial";">Please Note - existing operator names and times are included as an academic exercise and do not infer in any they support concepts put forward here. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #073763; font-family: "arial";">Note (2014) that some departure times may be altered but four years later ECan still hasn't created a quality <b><i>provincial</i></b> commuter link such as those offered elsewhere.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial";">Existing patterns* (see comment above) ...look good until closely examined</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">Suggested alternative, including franchised discount for Metrocard and two XP Metro commuter buses making two return trips a day.</span></div>
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<span><b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">*Error Here; re 1.50pm XP Metro service from Timaru - timing points add 30 minutes, actual arrival ChCh 4.35pm</span></b></span></div>
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<span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #073763;">Above, working from existing running times for other services (and allowing for added morning congestion in Christchurch) the blogster adds two Metro Express buses - two trips from Timaru to Christchurch early morning; two return to Timaru mid-morning; two return to Christchurch early afternoon; two services back to Timaru late afternoon (after schools and work). </span></span></div>
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<span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #073763;">The same lack of quality access, across the day or at times that suit full and part-time workers, and students and city appointments is evident in the reverse flow pattern Christchurch - Timaru. </span></span></div>
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<span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #073763;">Having two dedicated Metro buses covering two return trips tofro Christchurch from Timaru each working day AND negotiating with relevant existing long distance operators to accept Metrocard, and special fare structure (i.e. for resident Metrocard users only, within Canterbury only) and alteration of afternoon departure times 15 minutes later) could give a VERY attractive frequent pattern of services from Christchurch via Christchurch airport. </span></span></div>
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<span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #073763;">Based on the times above Southbound services to Timaru could depart at 8am 9am 10 am 11 am and at 2.15 pm, 3.15 pm, 4.15pm, 5.15pm and 5.45pm. </span></span></div>
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<span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #073763;">One suggested entry/exit route for Christchurch is (from Hornby) - Russley Road; Airport;Orchard Road; Wairakei Road, Rossall Street, Carlton Mill Road, Park Terrace, Gloucester Street to bus exchange. This links lifestyle blocks and rural communities to Rolleston Izone; Hornby; the international airport; high tech industrial areas, university (high frequency Orbiter transfer) several private schools; arts centre, public hospital and city council HQ. </span></span></div>
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<span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #073763;">People that are likely to commute regularly over longer distances to maintain rural life-styles are also more likely than most to work in the higher paid professions (eg air industries, computer tech, tertiary teaching, medicine, public authorities ) or be saving on the teenager's boarding school fees; or saving on travel and parking costs/stress if travelling to airport or public hospital. This route serves everyone but recognises many of the key potential user groups, needed to win a core frequent user group.</span></span></div>
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<span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #073763;">We are talking about a very user-friendly public transport backbone serving Canterbury that is every bit competitive with the five services a day that $31 million investment in rail delivers the much smaller population of the Wairarapa. </span></span></div>
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<span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #073763;">A pity that it is still beyond the organisational capacity of an organisation fictitiously called <b>Environment </b>??? <b>Canterbury</b>??? . </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Three seats across the aisle, fold down trays, e-leather seats - where long distance travel is heading - and all for a fraction of running costs of rail. <i>Photo first appeared in <b><a href="http://www.redcoachusa.com/">RedCoach </a>(USA) promotional material</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Below e-leather seats and fold down cup holder on Wellington's Airport Flyer service - <i>NZ in Tranzit</i></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211616357616951025.post-51261526116140242602013-12-26T15:23:00.001+13:002013-12-26T22:40:04.420+13:00"Think rail and build bus" - modern bus systems well advanced in parts of China <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><i>Photo thanks to <a href="http://go.itdp.org/display/live/Home">Institute for Transport and Development Policy </a></i></b></div>
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A bus rapid transit station in Chengdu, China. Modern bus technology if used well can deliver most the benefits of rail or light rail at a fraction of the cost, lower operating costs, greater frequency and more diverse spread of services.</div>
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A few years ago, watching TV I saw a a high ranking Chinese politician being interviewed (I think he was an associate minister of finance or something similar) on a BBC business programme. In response to a comment by the interviewer he said (i.e.to the best of my memory), "Oh no China is not trying to catch up with the western world, we are trying to jump ahead of it. We aim to try to learn from western mistakes and not repeat them."</div>
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China has many thousands of bus systems* and scores of commuter rail systems, a few underground metro systems but only a handful of light rail projects are planned. And indeed these few appear to be less about glamour trams and more about lightweight gravel bed trains. By contrast where a rail corridor is not seen as appropriate, bus rapid transit systems, often of the most sophisticated kind and with substantial infrastructure, have been implemented. </div>
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Chengdu with a metropolitan area population of 14 million has a full range of transport options the most recent a bus rapid transit system on a central suburbs orbital route, built on an elevated bus-only roadway. This busway opened this year and is expected to carry 300,000 passengers per day (clearly one doesn't have to have a rail based system to handle heavy loading if the right infrastructure and technology is applied). </div>
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While Christchurch doesn't need elevated bus roadways, applying the principles of rail to buses - a clear passage with minimum intrusion from shared and conflicting traffic and other modes - can lift main corridor bus services out of last century into what is virtually a whole new mode of transport, as the bus station in the photo above makes clearly evident. </div>
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As the term "bus rapid transit" is a somewhat loose one - now often used by cities that do little more than build partial on-street bus lanes, the <b><a href="http://go.itdp.org/display/live/Home">Institute for Transport and Development Policy</a></b> - the leading international body promoting bus rapid transit - <b><a href="http://www.itdp.org/microsites/the-brt-standard-2013/">has introduced grading standards</a></b>. </div>
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These allows bus companies and operating authorities (and the general public) to measure what sort of commitment is being made to create best practice public transport systems. </div>
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*According to World Bank figures, noted a few years back, China also has 294,000 inter-city bus companies. Phew!<br />
<br />David Welchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11986414622432134057noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211616357616951025.post-31644543148748450692013-12-16T09:04:00.000+13:002013-12-18T17:11:13.790+13:00Primary "Green Road" corridors suggested for Christchurch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><a href="http://buswatchnz.blogspot.co.nz/2013/11/road-sign-green-road-cyclists-and-bus.html"><span style="background-color: white; color: blue;">The concept of a "Green Road" strategy</span></a></b> as applied to Christchurch's two major traffic flow corridors - northwards and westwards. Indicative map only (busway does not pass through Paparoa School grounds!!).<br />
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<b>Red lines</b> = the four highly congested main arterial roads entering Christchurch from west (Riccarton Road; Blenheim Road) and North (Main North Road, dividing into Papanui Road;Cranford Street). Some conventional bus services, with or without, part time/part-way bus lanes will doubtlessly always run on these roads</div>
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Green Road services (see below) do not displace these existing services so much as build and channel major "trans-active" growth (cycling and bus travel) through new corridors. These primarily link outer suburbs directly to the city centre, by-passing major congestion. A secondary function is to facilitate easy movement around inner higher density suburbs on high frequency corridors.<br />
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<b>Green Lines = </b>Potential "Green Roads" linked roading corridors along which buses and cycles - usually on completely separate lanes - have priority and extensive supportive infrastructure and devices. On Green Roads the roading for cars is primarily related to accessing private homes or businesses, rather than through traffic, with some exits "left turn only etc. Reduced on-street parking - or specific residential or commercial visitor parking bays - rather than curbside would also be a feature on some sections.<br />
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<b>Green Lines dotted </b>= expansion in 20?40? years time - room for an underground bus or light rail tunnel under part of Hagley Park and under the rail line to link to Green road west. A cycle subway under the rail line from Brockworth Place could be built much sooner.<br />
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<b>Blue Line</b> = Northlands and Nor-West feeder route, not a Green Road beyond Northlands but with added infrastructure support for quality bus services, particularly "Express, via Edgeware" services</div>
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<b>Dark Green</b> (left hand side) = existing rail corridor; any subsequent expansion into commuter rail would add further connections, not compete or render obsolete the suggested Green Road corridors</div>
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<b>Commentary</b><br />
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Most of these Green Roads would be on existing streets upgraded to create superior smooth (and vibration free) roading surfaces to carry buses, including potentially (as patronage grows over time) articulated "bendy buses" or three axle double decker buses. Potential exists too for all-electric or hybrid buses greatly reducing noise. </div>
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The fact that buses given more or less continuous right of way on their passageways would offer very quick journeys without needing to speed or accelerate fast. Add in special landscaping and some residential buffering and small park zones and throngs of cyclists and this would create a scene often busy yet one leisurely in spirit.<br />
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Most of these Green Roads would be along existing streets but (importantly) along minor arterial and feeder roads where bus services and cyclists are not competing against huge volumes of conventional traffic and where bus and cycle lanes do not actually add to the congestion and road space reduction or fight other uses such as shop front parking. </div>
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However the key factor that makes these Green Roads viable is the "cut throughs" - the linking together of existing streets by new infrastructure and/or parkway boulevards that only active and public transport vehicles can use. Some of these involve public land, others require some property purchase. Some like the land around the Cranford Basin, below, has already been purchased for motorway, with ample room to include a completely separate busway (here shown red) skirting the area and crossing over Cranford Street. Adding together northern suburbs built and planned and rapidly growing satellite towns at Rangiora, Kaiapoi, Pegasus and Woodend, probably already 50,000 plus people stand to benefit from this smooth pleasant and quick access to Central Christchurch<br />
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It takes political courage to say the long term needs of the city and to relieve congestion must inevitably involve some purchase of private property (with an added compensation) but the areas in the way of these proposed "cut throughs" - on both west and north Green Roads are almost entirely older stock single story rental housing in areas that are anyway likely to be rebuilt as two or three storey apartment blocks within the next decade or two. It will also be much more difficult, politically as well as financially, to rebuild these neighbourhoods to retrofit transit corridors in a few years, and likely to lead to far less attractively planned solutions.<br />
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With property purchase comes great opportunity to foster better local community infrastructure, parkways and native bird conservation corridors, enhanced community facilities and new attractive transit linked housing at all social and income levels. Some of the projects could be joint public-private, such as redeveloping the South side of Maxwell Street to apartment blocks, deliberately designed to minimise impact of bus lanes below.</div>
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The Green Road projects as shown here might run up to $150 million in total (including some residential enhancement etc) but this seems to me a a very appropriate level of technology, spending etc for a city of Christchurch size, even as it protects corridors for future use. This might include possible later conversion to a light rail system, though the huge cost of these (averaging $56 million per km) makes these currently patently unsuited to such a small city and our rather modest GDP per capita by western economy standards.<br />
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In contrast I believe any serious international traffic consultancy study would show the cost-benefit ratios and multiple spin-offs inherent in this "Green Road" (bus and cycleways) suggestion represent a far better return on investment than the rather mediocre bus stations and squashed in low standard bus lanes that form the core of present infrastructure policy. Good transport shapes cities!! <br />
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It is also reasonable and appropriate that Christchurch model its 10 year public transport infrastructure around a budget of at least around $250-300 million - a relatively modest amount, mostly funded by national taxes (reclaiming some small part of our own local fuel taxes) and something quite apart from earthquake recovery funds. This is a more than realistic amount viewed against a minimum $1 billion (plus) spend-up in Wellington (adding the central spine decision, busway or light rail, to the $700 million commuter rail upgrade of last decade) and $4 billion plus spent or planned in greater Auckland.on public transport. </div>
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Why should public transport in Christchurch a city almost a third the size of Auckland, and only slightly smaller in population be treated in the obscene, amateurish, miserly and ad hoc way that it is currently planned?<br />
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Where is the wider vision?? </div>
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David Welchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11986414622432134057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211616357616951025.post-20347880887632073382013-12-15T00:21:00.000+13:002013-12-16T13:36:31.039+13:00Riccarton Road and Quality bus stations - level thinking needed in Christchurch?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><i>Photo: NZ in Tranzit 2010</i></b></div>
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This is a quality bus station, at Albany on the Northern Busway in Auckland. The then city Council for the area - North Shore City (now amalgamated with Auckland City), governing a population only three quarters the size of Christchurch (290,000) paid $84 million dollars for fours such bus stations. <a href="http://transportblog.co.nz/2013/09/23/24344/"><span style="color: blue;"><b>This investment in busways has seen spectacular growth of patronage</b></span></a> on the Northern busway which has virtually doubled ridership expectations, in the five years since completion achieving 2.3 million passenger trips per year. This is even more than Christchurch's highly successful <i>Orbiter </i>was carrying before the quake A $550 million extension of this busway- mainly taxpayer funded - supported by NZTA is expected to begin construction in the next two years.</div>
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Regarding the photo above - note the door level - and level bus - internationally now considered a defining hallmark of A-Class quality bus rapid transit systems. </div>
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<b><i>Photo: NZ in Tranzit 2013</i></b></div>
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This is the current situation in Riccarton, Christchurch, in-stops (city bound). Both sides of Riccarton Road have a considerable camber, and it is not uncommon for elderly people (in particular) to find entering a bus with a sloping floor somewhat hair-raising, and for people of all ages to occasional stumble backwards. </div>
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=211616357616951025" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><b>This is not a quality bus service</b>, and the Christchurch City Council it appears will have considerable logistic engineering problems, to restructure the roading and footpaths to achieve safe, comfortable and attractive entry to buses, and also meet existing shop doorway entry levels. </div>
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It is amazing indeed that OSH can consider such a steep tilted accessway, used by jostling crowds of all ages, and vulnerable people with age or physical disabilities or carrying shopping, or pregnant etc as acceptable. And has the Council scoped this work and calculated the real cost in remedying this situation, the time and disruption and loss of business to Riccarton Road shopkeepers?</div>
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It need hardly be said where buses run on lanes along steeply cambered roads, in gutter-side bus lanes as they do at some points in the current bus system, the sensation of falling off one's seat in to the aisle, or onto the stranger sitting beside one is not considered quality bus travel by most people. </div>
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<i>NZ in Tranzit</i> sees a better way to create quality public transport corridors - by adopting overseas best practice strategies. In these cases falling back on bus priority and on-street lanes is done <b><i>only </i></b>when other more effective choices are not available. Preference should be given to creating entirely segregated "bus arterials" where road space is predominantly devoted to - separate - physically <b>segregated</b> bus lanes and off-road cycle lanes . </div>
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To recognise their equal status with the grossly over valued automobile <i>NZ in Tranzit</i> calls these <b><a href="http://buswatchnz.blogspot.co.nz/2013/11/road-sign-green-road-cyclists-and-bus.html"><span style="background-color: #38761d; color: white;">"Green Roads"</span></a></b> . On such roads camber would be minimal and the mini bus stations (rather than stops) have door level loading.</div>
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<span style="background-color: #ffe599;">There is ample opportunity - at least currently, perhaps not tomorrow - to build such a <b><a href="http://buswatchnz.blogspot.co.nz/2013_10_01_archive.html"><span style="color: blue;">segregated busway corridor through "central" Riccarton</span></a></b> - <b><a href="http://buswatchnz.blogspot.co.nz/2013/11/busway-corridor-through-riccarton-ticks.html"><span style="color: blue;">with a very sophisticated bus interchange in Maxwell Street</span></a></b> - and to do so for less than the cost of two of the bus stations built by North Shore City. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #ffe599;"><b>But it all depends upon a city leadership able to build public transport infrastructure at an <u>appropriate level </u>for a city the size and wealth of Christchurch with in the New Zealand context. </b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #ffe599;"><b><i>NZ in Tranzit</i> believes the $6 million Government funding allocated for our premier Western Transport Corridor is absurd, trivial, debased,</b> <b>an insult</b> - measured against hundreds of millions given to Auckland and Wellington, <b><u><a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/local-papers/the-wellingtonian/8876518/Matangi-fleet-to-increase"><span style="color: blue;">not least the better part of $170 million given for Wellington's Matangi trains only months ago. </span></a></u></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #ffe599;">Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee and the National Government are <b><span style="color: blue;"><u>milking Canterbury fuel taxes for hundreds of millions to send to Auckland and Wellington,</u></span></b> while Gerry keeps his foot tightly placed on the jugular and airways of Christchurch city. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #ffe599;">This is blocking the <b><u>realistic</u> </b>funding base for a proper rapid transit system - rail and/or busway corridors. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #ffe599;">Even before the earthquake the central city was strangulating under congestion - easier to shop at a suburban mall etc Only mostly segregated public transport corridors that deliver <b>thousands of people quickly and easily right into the heart of city</b>, even those from the outermost suburbs, can really create a vital alive city. Bus lanes are mostly elastoplast, not many will get out of bed for a two or three minute faster bus ride, but attractive modern busways build cities.</span></div>
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<br />David Welchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11986414622432134057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211616357616951025.post-47832173924301223902013-12-11T06:10:00.000+13:002013-12-18T17:18:10.942+13:00Bus shelters attractive to passing motorists - less than fully effective for bus users?The upgrade of the bus stops and cycle lanes on Ilam Road, outside the University of Canterbury, present an attractive image, designed in a way sympathetic to the impressively large trees that line the road.<br />
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Despite giving bus services a more attractive profile, in real terms (and in university terms) <i>NZ in Tranzit </i>believes these changes bring few extra benefits for actual bus users<br />
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Under the new regime the number of seating spaces has been increased by 50% or total seating for about 15 people, on each direction, more if going cheek to cheek with strangers on a bench seat is your thing. </div>
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The area has been tiled, and also offers a better level surface. Unfortunately a rather thoughtless and narrow cycleway has been built far too close, immediately behind the shelters, a sure recipe for accidents and near misses, especially with less cautionary energies of the more youthful.</div>
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<b>Mixing cycleways, bus passengers and pedestrians - too close for sensible comfort or safety?</b></div>
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Unfortunately, too, the Ilam Road university stop us served by two cross town routes and two city suburban routes is probably the single busiest passenger loading zone in the city without some form of overhead veranda protection (including shop verandas), extensive windbreak or inside covered shelter. </div>
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In term time - essentially the colder half of the year - scores of passengers - students, university workers, transfer passengers - that crowd this area will be left unprotected from the elements. </div>
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The failure to design some attractive greater wind-block shelter from the colder winds and overhead roofing from sudden down pours, hailstorms, snow, and persistent wetting drizzle is obscure. </div>
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However uncomfortable walking to a bus stop may be in bad weather, at least the movement keeps the body warm. In contrast standing waiting at a stop without proper shelter can be almost unbearable. very exposed to cold or wet or both.</div>
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Why claim you are trying to attract people out of cars, reduce congestion, address the rapidly escalating climate change etc and treat bus user needs with such obvious distain? The bus shelter is as much a part of the journey as the bus itself.</div>
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It is obscure too why the university itself would not make some of land immediately adjoining the stop, the treed embankment, in the top photo, available - one would think universities at least would support any move to create more sustainable transport infrastructure. </div>
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One can only suspect busism at work here! Had this been a new tail or light rail facility no expense would have been spared in getting door level loading and more adequate or enclosed waiting facilities. </div>
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<b>Last Sunday's summer rain at the temporary central bus interchange. Capacity for s</b><b>helter from the storms and colder winds that will not be available at the busy term-time university stop!</b></div>
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I have said before and will continue to say our society is rank with "busism" - the transport equivalent of racism or sexism, that sees bus users as inferior or unimportant and only warranting token support. </div>
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In the same way that certain ethnic groups or women in general were so long cheated off adequate resources to advance - and then judged intrinsically "inferior" - bus systems are continuously cheated off the massive investment that rail and light rail receives and then deemed incapable of delivering quality service. </div>
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Most of the cycleway facilities in this Ilam Road rebuilt - <b><i>see below</i></b> - seem a major step forward for cyclists around this busy area. </div>
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It is a pity that political commitment to building quality <i><b>bus</b></i> infrastructure<b> </b>didn't go further than the (business as usual) mere tokenism and really seek to lift bus use onto a new level.</div>
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<b>Cyclists protected from opening car doors and a rather generous footpath north of the bus zone.</b></div>
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<b><i>Below</i> - attractive, quality, bus waiting facilities in Hangzhou China (<i>Photo Karl Fjellstrom ITDP)</i></b></div>
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<b><a href="http://buswatchnz.blogspot.co.nz/2010/08/quality-transit-bus-stops-here.html"><span style="color: blue;">More on the humble street side bus infrastructure at this posting</span></a></b> (despite the extremely dry subject much to this blogster's surprise one of the enduring favourites amongst <i>NZ in Tranzit </i>readers - almost 3000 page views in in last three years).</div>
David Welchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11986414622432134057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211616357616951025.post-45874642176202440632013-11-30T20:36:00.001+13:002013-12-01T12:08:44.306+13:00 Road sign = GREEN ROAD - Cyclists and Bus priority. Watch for pedestrians<h4>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">Following release of the Christchurch Central City (post earthquake rebuild)Transport Plan it has become clear that the city council is prepared to support having certain streets giving priority to a particular mode of transport.</span></h4>
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Rather than the private car and commercial vehicle being king and queen of every road and street - with bike lanes and bus lanes squashed into one side - this strategy will see wide pedestrian or bus or cycling lanes, taking priority in some central city streets. <i>See official map below</i></div>
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<b><i>NZ in Tranzit</i> believes this is an excellent concept and should also be carried into the inner suburbs and even city wide, on a select number of streets.</b></div>
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Indeed this blogster believes the city should create a concept called <b>"Green Roads" </b>- these are not just a single street, but a number of streets that can be linked together (sometimes by off road segregated corridors) to create attractive corridors in which private cars and commercial vehicles are largely absent, restricted. or take second place to other modes.</div>
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A limited number of properties would need to be purchased, demolished or relocated, and the landlords (or in rare cases, owner occupiers) compensated but this also allows heaps of options. These added features, such as drinking fountains, rain shelters, native forest landscaping, childrens safe play zones, or facilities for the use pf immediate local community such as a tennis or basketball court or a conversation pit.</div>
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Total land use planning would ensure a good mix of easy access to a rapid frequent bus service, but shielding and buffering of local housing from any pollution or undue exposure to buses.</div>
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Potential exists to create some very beautiful "green rivers" with a two directional busway (on beautifully smooth bus only roading and door level loading mini stations) and adjoining this bus lane <b>but separate</b> in almost every situation wide (4 plus metres) "roads" for cyclists, skaters, pedestrians.<br />
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The aim of each GREEN ROAd is to connect the dots - residential areas in outer areas, and in higher density inner suburbs, directly to the city centre and other high passenger traffic generators, such as malls, without being trapped in traffic jams and in ways that allow much higher quality infrastructure than conventional roads or just bus lanes can achieve,</div>
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<b><i>NZ in Tranzit </i></b>has long promoted the building of a GREEN ROAD (to use this new term) <b><a href="http://buswatchnz.blogspot.co.nz/2013/04/joining-dots-why-is-northern-busway.html">from CBD to Grassmere Street area, dividing into arms running tofro Belfast and Northlands-Sawyers Arms etc. </a></b></div>
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Campaigning on this modest busway suggestion, requiring purchase of about 15 properties, but remodelling a whole area near Edgeware into an attractive mix of higher density social housing, apartments and recreation facilities,first began in 2002. I would guess (based on other similar projects) would cost approximately $80 million (not counting some work done under housing and parks budget). </div>
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Special features of this Northern Green Road would include a wide landscaped transit and active boulevard, from Edgeware Road to Rutland Street direct; a elongated pak between Paparoa St and Grassmere Street; a bus and active flyover ramp across Cranford Street (about $8 million?) and a bus underpass - beside the bike underpass - under QEII Drive (about $6 million?).</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Simple infrastructure across Cranford street, near the pooling basin, a ramp and central viaduct (cost $8 million?) would allow millions of future bus and bike trips from north of city and from Waimakariri District to travel <b>directly into the city centre</b> via a Green Road under QEII Drive, over Cranford St, around the pooling basin through Rutland Street, Edgeware, Canon Street and Manchester Street.</span><br />
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Earlier this year, in <b><i>NZ in Tranzit</i></b> <b><a href="http://buswatchnz.blogspot.co.nz/2013/11/busway-corridor-through-riccarton-ticks.html">I have added a similar concept from Mandeville Street in Riccarton to Middleton Road</a></b>, and the University. This bypasses almost all the congestion along Riccarton Road whilst delivering maximum access tofro the main people generators of Westfield and the University, and core high density Riccarton residential block. This project would require about 25 properties (mostly run down rentals occupied by students) but come in under $50 million. Later it can be linked, under the railway line and back towards Hagley Park, Definitely a Green Road!</div>
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Both Green Roads could be the first sensible step (securing the land corridors) towards building light rail, probably not in this decade (it is far, far too expensive for our small city and GDP per capita!) but one day, and half the work done already. <b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=211616357616951025#editor/target=post;postID=1265956527274995691;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=7;src=postname">Alternately the rapid evolution of electric buses may make this unnecessary.</a></b></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">Two beautiful world class rapid transit corridors (but more aptly, potently and attractively called </span><b><span style="color: #134f5c;">Green Roads</span></b><span style="color: #222222;">) landscaped, a dream for walkers, joggers, skaters, cyclists, a natural environment for face to face community interaction. Corridors that steal almost nothing from motorists, residents or shopkeepers; add nothing to congestion, corridors that deliver on time (with 5 minutes) every time, corridors with smooth gliding buses (and mini-stations along the way, with minimum delay from intersecting traffic, with maximum opportunity for public-private high density housing within minutes of easy access to CBD. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222;">All this for $200 million, spread across say ten years, and with Government funding two thirds, and getting off bloody easy at that!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;">Road sign; </span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: arial;"><b>Cyclists and Bus priority. </b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: arial;"><b>Watch for pedestrians</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>Definition of road</i> - a pathway for traffic of all kinds (in New Zealand even beaches are legally classified as roads!) </b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222;"><b><i>... also</i> "road" as a spiritual and philosophical concept, as in "the road to recovery" or "the road forward",</b></span></span><br />
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David Welchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11986414622432134057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211616357616951025.post-39796106229120488722013-11-23T10:51:00.000+13:002013-12-02T06:02:03.916+13:00Wellington Transport Spine Study - Bus rapid transit assessed as a better option than upgrading bus priority or building light rail<div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-162ROkA-Xjs/UpHCB16iyGI/AAAAAAAADPg/zVV5s2SXPJs/s1600/Human+Transit+image+of+Willis+Stret+Wellington.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-162ROkA-Xjs/UpHCB16iyGI/AAAAAAAADPg/zVV5s2SXPJs/s640/Human+Transit+image+of+Willis+Stret+Wellington.jpg" width="425" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-brfD0e-GSQA/UpGRA5H2bVI/AAAAAAAADPQ/W1jssYkWnyk/s1600/800px-Paris_Shared_Bike,_Bus_and_Taxi_Lane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><b><br /></b></a></div>
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Jarrett Walker - <b><a href="http://www.humantransit.org/2011/06/can-central-city-transit-malls-work-in-small-cities-.html">Human Transit blog</a></b> - must have leaned out of the conference room </div>
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window to capture such a iconic photograph of Wellington buses! Here threading along </div>
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Manners Street, a bus only section of Wellington CBD city's narrow streets.</div>
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A study by international engineering and transport consultants <b><a href="http://www.aecom.com/About">AECOM</a></b> has identified a Bus Rapid Transit system from Wellington Railway Station to Newtown, and to Kilbirnie, as the most effective mode of meeting expected growth in Wellington public transport use on this primary transport spine.</div>
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The relative costs were Bus Priority upgrade $59 million; Bus Rapid Transit $207 million (both systems direct to either Newtown or Kilbirnie) and Light Rail $989 million, to Newtown only (with feeder buses to Kilbirnie etc.)*</div>
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<b><a href="http://www.gw.govt.nz/assets/Transport/Regional-transport/PT-Spine-Study/PTSS-Final-Reports-2013/FINAL-PTSS-Summary-Brochure-Low-res.pdf">A pamphlet outlining the study finding </a></b>(or indeed the <b><a href="http://www.gw.govt.nz/ptspinestudy/">whole report</a></b>) is available to read here, and has inevitably produced a lot of debate and perhaps also some justified criticism. </div>
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Almost 9000 passengers per hour in peak hours are expected to come off trains heading into Wellington central city and work and study zones beyond by 2031 (note; in 18 years time).<br />
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This presumes that Wellington rail commuting will continue grow <i><b>significantly</b></i>, something I don't think can be automatically assumed given <b><a href="http://www.humantransit.org/2010/10/further-cause-for-canadian-triumphalism.html"><span style="color: blue;">Wellington is already far ahead of many, much, much larger cities</span></a></b>, in the proportion of commuters using public transport to commute to work. Wellington may be prove to be a "mature system", unlikely to grow a higher percentage of commuter use, and any growth pegged to slower population growth. </div>
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Among the critics of the study finding have been <b><a href="http://wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=59860">retired engineer Kerry Wood</a></b>, whose analysis of Bus Rapid Transit in the built-up areas of Wellington suggests it is unworkable on a logistic level. I am no fan of light rail (on cost factor/even distribution of quality transport dollar factor, mainly) or of seeing millions more of Canterbury transport dollars sent forth to other centres, but Wood certainly makes a very intelligent and sensible case. </div>
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A bus operator, Mana Coachlines (also operating Newlands Transport, both part owned by Scots transport entrepreneur Brian Souter) , <b><a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/9361297/Mana-disputes-tunnel-vision-for-buses">has publicly challenged the way that the Bus Rapid Transit operation is distinguished from Bus Priority.</a></b> </div>
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It is hard to interpret either motive or logic of the latter critique, because bus rapid transit is given exclusive centre lane road space over much of its passage and its own bus corridor in a new (duplicated) Mt Victoria tunnel, reflecting the "think rail;build bus" status benchmark of properly constructed BRT. In contrast the bus priority only option assessed was pretty much "more of the same" using the existing <a href="http://www.heritagehelp.co.nz/tunnel.html"><b>Hataitai bus tunnel [originally built for trams in 1905]</b> </a></div>
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Mana seemed to be implying that use of the a new Mt Victoria tunnel gave BRT systems "unfair" advantage over bus priority using the Hataitai bus tunnel. Yes. It probably does. Isn't that the very point?</div>
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My late grandmother used to have a leather plaque on her wall reading <i>"Never put your wishbone where your backbone ought to be"</i>. As applied to the Wellington transport spine concept it is a rather useful saying!! </div>
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However wishbones may win all the same. A factor here is that every generation wants to redefine the world on its own terms. The generations rise to spiritual potency, centre stage and political leadership as they approach their middle 30s and early 40s and tend to set the dynamic coming ethos and style of their era, of the next decade anyway. The rise of the green public servant may be influential.</div>
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Wellington for all its small size has the compressed downtown energy of much larger cities and I have a suspicion that the influence of green, urbanist thinking, finding it hard to ride a bike in Wellington's hilly terrain, maybe extra likely to push through the light rail option, irrespective of the logic or cost-benefit analysis of any such study ! People don't always vote on money factors alone, and light rail is a stylish image, if absurdly expensive.</div>
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Several points interest to me in this study. Firstly it reveals further evidence of the growing trend in world public transport to <u>discriminate between types of bus system</u> in planning. It seems to be saying that the days of "good old bus" (chug a lug), shove it on a street and it goes anywhere, don't worry about how long it takes, etc, are passing. Likewise (low status, only partly effective) on-street bus lanes are best value option, if you are trying to build a vital city. We moving into an era of more discriminate targeted use of transit technology, and multiple bus use concepts are now in interplay.</div>
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South America has led the way in creating bus rapid transit - "<b>Think rail; build bus"</b> - a system of essentially making bus routes like railway lines, spiritually and often practically, separated from other traffic. A minor subsection of this larger mode - painted bus lanes on city streets where other options do not exist (first done in Chicago in the 1940s) - has lately been more or less hi-jacked by some cities that appear to be mostly trying to <b><i>avoid </i></b>major investment in public transport, and pumped up with a great deal of huff and puff as "Bus Rapid Transit" even when without any major infrastructure support.</div>
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The Institute for Transport and Development Policy (ITDP) is trying to counteract this dilution of a potent concept for transforming cities by <b><a href="http://dc.streetsblog.org/2011/05/26/itdp-american-bus-rapid-transit-can-catch-up-to-the-rest-of-the-world/">creating industry standards for bus rapid transit systems.</a></b></div>
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Recently it even created a set of Gold, Silver, Bronze grading for Bus Rapid Transit - <b><a href="http://www.newsday.co.tt/businessday/0,186177.html">reported fairly simply in this Trinidad newspaper.</a></b><br />
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The other thing that goes through my mind is "here we go again". While our new leaders in Christchurch debate how to spend $40 million across 6 bus transfer stations, five more bus lane corridors etc (lets forget about exclusive bus corridors, bus rapid transit etc)- while we piddle around on such matters - Wellington dismisses the bus priority option identified by AECOM on this corridor (as it surely will) and debates projects costing between (roughly) $300 million and $1200 million!<br />
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*Newspaper reports talk of light rail at $1.2 billion so there may be some subsequent adjustment upwards of all these figures that I am missing</div>
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Previous NZ in Tranzit blog postings on public transport expenditure in Wellington<br />
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<i><b><span style="color: #351c75;"><u><a href="http://buswatchnz.blogspot.co.nz/2012/08/dom-post-dismisses-light-rail-in.html">Dom-Post dismisses light rail in Wellington</a></u></span></b></i><br />
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<b><i><a href="http://buswatchnz.blogspot.co.nz/2010/05/take-money-and-run.html">Take the money and run</a> </i></b></div>
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David Welchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11986414622432134057noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211616357616951025.post-82897295500005369982013-11-16T10:12:00.002+13:002018-02-21T08:28:18.363+13:00Busway corridor through Riccarton ticks many boxes<div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qXWSIn3pAd4/UoZbmpUA-rI/AAAAAAAADNU/qgEohGdXhO8/s1600/Noosa+Bus+Station.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qXWSIn3pAd4/UoZbmpUA-rI/AAAAAAAADNU/qgEohGdXhO8/s640/Noosa+Bus+Station.jpg" width="572" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Noosa Bus Station, Queensland just after completion, stylish and spacious </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">(photo displayed on the website of designers <a href="http://www.guymerbailey.com.au/about-us-landscape/company">Guymer-Bailey Landscape Architects, Brisbane</a>)</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;"> (a link to further photos of this project below)</span></b></div>
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I have made a submission to the proposed Riccarton Road transfer station consultation.<br />
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As there is a very big chance this submission will be deemed outside the terms of reference of the review, and not even viewed, I share here publicly some of the aspects raised.<br />
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If nothing else, it is good to share a range of more realistic options for better public transport.<br />
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This submission suggested the "Smart Way" concept (<b><a href="http://buswatchnz.blogspot.co.nz/2013/10/opportunity-shop-approach-versus-busway.html">previously raised on this blog</a></b>) of building a mostly segregated busway corridor parallel to Riccarton Road from (at least) Mandeville Street to Wharenui Road and possibly (or later) Middleton Road. On-street Bus lanes would operate between the railway crossing and Mandeville Street, and between Wharenui Road and Church Corner. These lanes would affect very few properties (most commercial) that do not already include on-site car parks.<br />
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Essentially most buses coming from the city would make a 30 second deviation off Riccarton Road at Mandeville Street, then enter on a new cut-through bus/cycle/pedestrian only access lane to Dilworth and Maxwell Street, interconnecting with other routes at a bus station rear of Westfield mall. Most services then run south of,and parallel to, Riccarton Road until Wharenui Road and special signals to turn right towards Riccarton Road, making a 30 second return journey to bus lanes on Riccarton Road, This completely by-passes the worst of congestion, and by-passes the complex and bus slowing traffic signals at Straven Road and Clyde Road. New, simple bus only or bus priority, traffic signals at Clarence Road, Matipo Street and Wharenui Road would support this rapid transit corridor<br />
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No businesses in the central commercial core will be effected by bus lanes or indeed, as now, by having too many buses along this shopping street. Some additional on-street car parking spaces would be likely. Shop customers etc will be able to enter Riccarton Road commercial area from various points/bus stops and the suggested bus station location itself, less than 2 minutes walk away (equivalent to one city block away).<br />
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About twenty properties would need to be purchased but most in the path options of the suggested route appear to be older housing stock in poor condition rented to (what appears to be) groups of students and/or houses in streets reclassified L3 or L2 intended for higher density redevelopment. The indicative route does not appear to threaten many (if any) long established family homes or elderly residents, where special support in relocation in the same area may be needed.</div>
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In short a good opportunity still exists to stake out a rapid transit corridor before the spread of new developments - such as the flats being built in Rattray Street in the photo below - render an effective relatively straight running busway corridor route a dead duck. The development of quality high density housing should be in symbiotic and mutually supportive relationship with increased public transport access, not in conflict with it!<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mtk4-c3u1LM/Uobugg5Sb9I/AAAAAAAADOA/NtMa8TJCNBA/s1600/0031113-2+043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="570" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mtk4-c3u1LM/Uobugg5Sb9I/AAAAAAAADOA/NtMa8TJCNBA/s640/0031113-2+043.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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It is not possible to show the route suggested in submissions, which can only be indicative anyway, because I am not in any position to suggest which particular properties would be needed from several dozen possible, a sensitive area of course itself subject to negotiations and multiple other factors.etc.<br />
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However I estimated the busway corridor put would cost around $25 million - a very modest amount nowadays. To get perspective here, the former Christchurch Mayor Garry Moore said in 2005, "When we rebuild an intersection it takes a million dollars".</div>
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The cost estimate is of course highly amateurish but is based on purchasing the 20 or so properties including the usual compensation payout, at average cost of $500,000 - this is a fairly generous estimate with few over $400,000 - ($10 million). Further costs would come in construction /reconstruction of the roading surface of the busway at the back of the Westfield Mall and as it crosses these cleared sections and several small side streets heading westwards ($10 million). Potential exists to actually cut one or more of these smaller streets into two cul-de sacs, with bus and cycleway crossing in between the ends of these residential enclaves.<br />
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Lastly there would be the building of a proper, spacious attractive bus transfer station on Maxwell Street - probably the best site is at the end of Rotheram Street- - so the bus station itself becomes a very easily accessible and highly visible part of this very lively and busy entertainment and shopping zone (including Westfield Mall entrance and Hoyts 8 entrance).<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Rotheram Street, entrance to Westfield, Hoyts 8 and the street itself home to several major retailers and cafes and restaurants. Riccarton Road (see Metrostar bus in background) is less than 2 minutes walk from the area of the suggested busway corridor. Some property purchase, committing part of the street to median bus lanes and good design of a multi-platform bus and transfer station would lift this side of Rotheram St and hugely increase the presence, status and effectiveness of bus services on Christchurch second most important transport corridor.</span></b></div>
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Recent images of <a href="http://www.guymerbailey.com.au/landscape-architects-brisbane"><b>Noosa Bus Station</b> </a>(built for $10 million Australian, including much recycled material) above convey for me something of the feel to me of a <u>quality</u> bus interchange. This said Noosa's design is primarily built for the much needed shade from hot sun factor, at Riccarton in Christchurch a (smaller) design would need to focus on more sunshine and reducing wind effects, with perhaps s<b><a href="http://buswatchnz.blogspot.co.nz/2013/10/should-our-buse-services-go-gothic.html">ome distinctive Christchurch branding</a></b> element. Apart from a big illuminated Metro sign, and bright lights at key points, creative use of neon sculpture or neon banding around loading verandas, could add vivacity and the warmer tones, often so needed in public transport station design, to avoid overly cold or desolate night settings.<br />
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A major facet of the roadstead of the busway corridor itself would be the addition of a broad cycle and pedestrian way separate but beside the busway, the green park-like corridor landscaping, and a range of devices to reduce visibility and noise of buses to neighbourhoods. As quite a lot of park land and roadside berm is involved, and the width of most sections is equivalent to up to 10 buses parked/passing side by side, and only room for two lanes and a cycle-pedestrian way is specifically needed, there is a big margin here for re-orientating existing park footprints, or even selling surplus land to adjoining houses, adding buffering or redevelopment potential. Modern diesel is anyway much quieter and less polluting, but it is also likely some sort of fully electric buses will become mainstream over the next decade, While most houses will be no closer to passing buses than houses on bus routes on existing streets, one of the advantages of a segregated busway is that ideally houses (unless multi-level apartment blocks) will not even see passing buses, a chance perhaps also to screen the ugly carpark buildings for the residents of Maxwell Street! To give absolute "light rail quality" smooth operation (and avoid neighbourhood vibrations) the busway surface itself would be especially compacted to a high degree. If trees are saved or planted to the side (particularly where they do not overly block the sun) looking along the cycleway or busway would be avenue (and only 200 metres away from a clogged and congested arterial road!).<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Running between busy town centres yet completely by-passing congested roads, in the UK. The recently opened Eclipse Bus Rapid Transit system in South East Hampshire utilises a former rail corridor, the bus corridor suggested through Riccarton would have similar elements but a wider land area allowing an adjacent but separate wide cycle and pedestrian way and substantial landscaping. <i>Photo Wikimedia Commons</i></span></b></div>
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This minimum disruption effect is very important because, eventually and at its peak operating times the busway might be expected to carry 50-100 buses an hour, including possibly one day articulated buses or double deckers. This "phasing in" period over an extended period allowing residents (the area appears to be mainly rentals anyway) to relocate and their place to be taken by those who love the easy car free access to facilities the busway delivers -such as airport, university, Riccarton, city, Addington etc and the Orbiter and MetroStar routes. Noted too, this is an area where scores of houses were removed to extend shops, malls and carparks, and subject to extreme car traffic, and steadily being rebuilt in apartments.. Indeed, a major cost-benefit advantage would be the added development of new higher density housing - anyway expected - sooner and perhaps to a higher standard than some of the rather gross new "low block sheds on a concrete apron design" student housing units currently being privately built.<br />
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<i><b>The <u>central</u> public transport axis of Riccarton is not Riccarton Road but Maxwell Street - incorporating both the shopping and entertainment zone and bringing quality rapid transit bus services to the large high density and rental housing area, between Riccarton commercial area and Blenheim Road</b></i></div>
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A major "tick" factor is taken together the residential area north of Riccarton Road (much of it in motels, Deans Bush and single unit professional housing), the commercial area of Riccarton and the Mall, and designated higher density housing areas between Riccarton Road and Blenheim Road, despite superficial appearances, are better served by the Maxwell Street axis than Riccarton Road. Public spending should aim to serve the most people per dollar, and running bus services along side rivers, sea fronts, green spaces, or as current, along the northern edge of a huge potential bus user catchment, does less justice than centring the key route corridors through the middle of this sector. Capturing the residential fulltime working or studying bus user means buses supply 4-600 bus trips year for that person (and cuts car use by same amount) and this also needs to be equated against casual shoppers taking only one trip a week etc, in planning. </div>
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Another "tick the box" factor is the great flexibility both in building such a busway corridor, in day to to day operations, and in contingency. Not all routes need to operate the entire length - I have suggested <i>The Orbiter</i> would be the key one, because delays on Riccarton Road ripple right around Christchurch, leaving a lot of people pissed off at missing <i>Orbiter</i> to [less regular] radial route connections, and buses falling over each other, instead of evenly spaced. Just the increased efficiency of the <i>Orbiter</i> might generate another half million passenger trips per year. In the long run this might run right through to Middleton Road. </div>
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In contrast the <i>Metrostar</i> would need to return to Riccarton Road at Matipo Street to be able to access Clyde Road. (although why Clyde Road is not taken straight through to veer onto Wharenui Road, simplifying this clumsy intersection with its huge delay factor is not known). Longer distance services Hornby, Rolleston, Lincoln, Darfield, Ashburton, Timaru etc would more likely continue very much on the straight , dropping down Mandeville Street to a new busway through to Maxwell Street, the bus station, and then onto Wharenui Road, and back onto bus lanes along Riccarton Road, What can be adjusted is the portions "Vis Busway" "via Riccarton Road", and over time which new routes are introduced. Presumably the busway would be mostly double laned (though only half the tarsealed width of a conventional road) which allows buses to pass each other when one bus stops for passengers, and in appropriate situations for fire, police and ambulance provides fast access way through an often highly congested part of town.<br />
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Yet another 'tick' factor - not only is this concept future proofed for increasing capacity and the number of routes operating through the multi-platform station - it actually lays the groundwork for the future. In the first instance a cycleway under Deans Avenue and via Brockworth Place then under the railway line, crossing Mandeville Street and then straight along the new busway corridor, to Wharenui Road with minimum cycle car interaction. Later - when the city hits 750,000 in 206? - perhaps adaptation to also carry a light rail line, from hospital corner through Hagley Park under Deans Avenue, under Brockworth Place (that area) and the Railway Line to Maxwell Street and the interchange, then to Middleton Road. In a city as small as Christchurch and in a country with barely half the wealth per capita of Australia, the only sensible path to light rail - is (a) very long term and (b) via rapid transit corridors first established for buses, with capacity for future joint use by both modes. </div>
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This $25 million "guestimate" could be way out, I am the first to admit, but even at double the cost, measured across the 25 year cost-benefit evaluation of a major infrastructure project, it would seem to be extremely good value for money. I don't know how many passenger trips travelling by urban bus are made each business day on Riccarton Road nowadays, but ten years ago in 2003, according the New Zealand Bus and Coach Association* it was 9700, so let us say 10,000 nowadays. For simplicity let's also add only half that amount of passenger trips on Saturdays and Sundays (is probably higher but this can cover public holidays too). At a rough guess 60,000 bus passengers per seven day week, just over 3 million passenger trips per year.</div>
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That is to say - without any future passenger growth purely because of city population growth, or any added growth because of the popularity of an ultra-smooth, no delay, much faster (especially in peak hour) bus journey through Riccarton - of 75 million passenger trips over 25 years. (approx 30 cents per passenger added cost, decreasing in real cost with inflation). Actually busways have done very well around the world and there is every likelihood in the same period, patronage will increase dramatically, doubling or tripling in relationship to population size over 25 years. </div>
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This is a <b>city building</b> piece of infrastructure. This so in a way not really possible with merely some part time part way bus priority lanes and a storefront transfer station with limited capacity, lacking any larger style, grace or presence and without sufficient cycle-bus facilities or significant capacity for growth.</div>
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<b>I have requested that this idea - the whole question of servicing Riccarton Road area - be put out to a bona fide transport planning consultancy to fully investigate all the options</b>. I don't believe councils that are prepared to roll over and accept a mere $6 million input from Government for something as important as one of our two primary transport corridors* are doing their research or homework properly.<br />
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It is not appropriate that we in Christchurch expect the $5 billion plus in public transport infrastructure, received and planned for Auckland. </div>
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It is not appropriate that we in Christchurch - who do have the restrictions of narrow land corridor geographic factors of Wellington - would expect over $1.2 billion spending on public transport infrastructure, done and likely in Wellington (once a bus rapid transport or light rail city- Kilbirnie spine system is agreed upon, on top of the $700 million rail upgrade). </div>
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It is however appropriate that a city of metropolitan population 400,000, already struggling to recover from a major earthquake, on the verge of a genuine long term congestion growth, with increased growth on perimeter areas should expect to spent around half $500 million in the next decade on public transport infrastructure. And it is appropriate that a very significant portion of this come from central Government as is the case with virtually ever major infrastructure project in New Zealand, and as is the pattern in most countries of the world. And not least, appropriate as a reasonable minimum degree of equity with the northern cities, in support of Christchurch to build a prosperous economy and livable city.<br />
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As a starter - a busway corridor through the most congested part of Riccarton, with a bus station linked to every major corner and facility in greater Christchurch - built for somewhere around $25 million, (ok even twice that) - is tremendous win-win-win- win. <br />
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*(ie North to Rangiora; west to Rolleston)<br />
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**<strong style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><i>Lift bus use or spend $169m on roads The Press June 11 2003</i></strong></div>
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David Welchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11986414622432134057noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211616357616951025.post-36594596353001165722013-11-11T09:05:00.004+13:002014-11-25T13:35:05.097+13:00Yesterday's buses.....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is a photo taken <b>yesterday,</b> Sunday 10 November 2013, from a bus window, of two Orbiter buses ostensibly operating in a service where departures are 15 minutes apart . </div>
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Anyone who lives in Christchurch knows that a double-dipping of lime buses is a common sight.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i677cjgdE6o/Un--n4jLFoI/AAAAAAAADMU/LwhSWrhOtPo/s1600/Bertie+Bus+and+Busway+Diamond+12th+Dec+097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i677cjgdE6o/Un--n4jLFoI/AAAAAAAADMU/LwhSWrhOtPo/s320/Bertie+Bus+and+Busway+Diamond+12th+Dec+097.JPG" height="126" width="320" /></a></div>
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This next photo was taken over three years earlier, on 12 August 2010 - <b>note <u>before any earthquakes</u></b> - it is an image of what a weekday Orbiter service, ostensibly running at ten minute intervals, can look like on RealTime sign. </div>
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Reading between these tightly packed lines we can see that some poor bastards here, and down the line, will or have been waiting 30 minutes for this ten minute service!</div>
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In Christchurch we have a bus system that has proved chronically unable to use its advanced monitoring technology, or to develop <b><a href="http://buswatchnz.blogspot.co.nz/2011/04/space-travel-on-orbiter.html">operating strategies</a></b>, roading controls etc to keep a scheduled service running at even intervals, and arriving and departing at designated times. There may be all sorts of good reasons, and many factors involved - this posting is a reality check, not a finger pointing exercise - but that doesn't change a core fact, the system can not deliver as claimed..</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g5gVtlWLZFE/Un_CmB2m3lI/AAAAAAAADMg/Ei-2_cnu6Fc/s1600/four+reasons+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g5gVtlWLZFE/Un_CmB2m3lI/AAAAAAAADMg/Ei-2_cnu6Fc/s640/four+reasons+005.JPG" height="366" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here is another historic photo - buses queued up to get into the Bus "Xchange" on the 18 November 2011. </div>
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This was a central city bus station serving 360,000 plus people of greater Christchurch in 2000, built for the same price as a fairly minor outer suburban rail station in Auckland, $20 million. It was a joint scheme with developer Philip Carter and the city undoubtedly got a fantastic bargain - and a time bomb because this stylistic world leader bus station had a capacity for growth that was very limited. Oops! Unexpectedly (??) its very success helped grow bus usage much faster than projected.</div>
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In the late afternoon of business days, bus queues lined up trying to get in or out, indeed lined, Colombo Street, the main axial street of central Christchurch waiting to turn into the street upon which the bus station was situated. </div>
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There may be all sorts of good reasons this happened. It doesn't really change much what these reasons were - again the system could not deliver as claimed. </div>
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Now let us remember the organisations who have not been very effective in dealing with the problems above currently implying that they can operate an effective bus station with only three bays outbound (and one suspects only two inbound) and up to 70 buses an hour in peak hours, from a storefront bus station on Riccarton Road. All of this on one of Christchurch's most congested roads. </div>
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Yeah right, sure. So where are the other two Orbiters going to stop and wait their turn? And where are the rest of the routes running early or late going to mark time. </div>
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Oh yeah, buses can queue in their own special bus lanes. That should speed things up no end! </div>
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<b>To quote a famous saying - Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.</b></div>
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Unfortunately we are the punters that have to put up with this. </div>
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The much larger question is why is a corridor likely to be carrying (at very) least two or three million passenger trips a year getting only $6 million from New Zealand Transport (central Government) whilst <b><a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/north-shore-times/8928704/Busway-extension-proposed">New Zealand Transport Agency is perched ready to pump $550 million</a> </b>into the extension of the Auckland Northern busway towards Orewa?<b> </b></div>
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Auckland, Wellington, other cities around the world are building <b>rapid transit corridors</b> - commuter rail, light rail and bus rapid transit corridors and segregated busways - yet Christchurch is still struggling to get buses into the low budget, small benefit, lane of bus priority.</div>
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Rapid transit? Busways? Not in Christchurch thank you - definitely not our style. We are still driving yesterday's buses...<br />
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<br />David Welchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11986414622432134057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211616357616951025.post-11870298777491386292013-10-31T07:49:00.002+13:002019-12-24T23:00:35.424+13:00Opportunity shop approach versus busway option in Christchurch?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZLtZ5KsNmIo/UnB-Bgyg8jI/AAAAAAAADK4/kGrI5RM_E_Q/s1600/Maxwell+Smartway+029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZLtZ5KsNmIo/UnB-Bgyg8jI/AAAAAAAADK4/kGrI5RM_E_Q/s640/Maxwell+Smartway+029.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Maxwell Smart Way? The generous width of the Dilworth-Maxwell Street corridor, as well as the naturally slowed traffic created by car park buildings, suggests opportunities for an elegant, lanes unimpeded, busway and mostly car-free cycle lane through Christchurch's inner western suburbs. Depending on specific scenarios two or even three lanes could be built <i><u>left </u></i>of these parked cars allowing a spacious an attractively designed and landscaped multi-platformed bus station.</span></span></b></h2>
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<b style="background-color: #ffe599;">A joint committee of ECAN and the Christchurch City Council are proposing to build a new bus station on Riccarton Road. </b></span><br />
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The building plans can be viewed at the Council site <a href="http://www.metroinfo.co.nz/promotions/Pages/riccarton-lounge.aspx" style="color: #1155cc;"><b>HERE</b></a>, and show an attractive lounge area with cafe in a space that appears to about the size of a large village or school hall.</div>
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<b>A consultation is being held and if you wish to make a comment you can do so via the website.</b></div>
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It will be of benefit if making a submission to first to look at the <b><a href="http://www.metroinfo.co.nz/promotions/Documents/riccarton-faqs.pdf" style="color: #1155cc;">Frequently Asked Questions section;</a></b></div>
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This section opens with a description of the current situation - </div>
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<i><b>Westfield Riccarton is the busiest suburban bus stop in Christchurch, second only to Central Station</b>. Currently, over 2,800 people board a bus in Riccarton between Matipo and Clarence Streets every day. This number has grown 40% from just over 2000 in February 2011 before the quake so the importance of Riccarton as a destination has increased since the quakes. This is impressive at a time when overall patronage has declined, but is also placing a strain on the limited passenger facilities offered there. </i></div>
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Another motive also expressed, is the need to have good facilities for the hub and spoke transfer system (of sorts) that Metro is now operating. </div>
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This said, because the proposed bus station's nature and location is essentially storefront and roadside, on one of the busiest and most congested roads in Christchurch, the bus station will not have the normal hallmarks of a transfer station - dedicated stands for all buses heading in a similar direction, as has proven so successful in the city's Central Station bus station. <br />
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Riccarton road also has a hefty camber, and the roadside location of the bus station amongst shops severely reduces opportunity to create something more akin to level buses and door-level loading, a quality bus feature overseas.</div>
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Instead of various services to one broad area (eg South, East etc) grouped around one platform or loading area the proposed bus station will have three allocated stops, with RealTime signage indicating at which of these stops their bus is about to pull in - theoretically in time for passengers to make their way to that location. This worked well in the Bus Xchange, but of course the loading bay pattern was slightly circular and sheltered, and not a public footpath with passengers coming off buses, and others approaching along the street, also filling up the relatively narrow (3 metres wide?) footpath as at the proposed Riccarton site. And also of course without passengers having to cross a busy road to access platforms on the opposite of a busy road.as proposed at Riccarton.</div>
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People wishing to transfer to a bus travelling in the opposite direction (before peeling off north or south) will be advised in advance so they have time to cross the road at crossing lights. <br />
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This is certainly no small flaw, with added poor weather exposure and likelihood of teenagers (and others) running across the road when their connecting buses have run late. Situations of obvious stress for the elderly, those with young children, people carrying luggage or parcels etc are clearly likely to arise. The pedestrian crossing will need to operate often, or crowds will block the footpath and/or jay walking will become the norm, and frequency and length of crossing time will tend to increase bus and car delays on Riccarton Road. </div>
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But it is hard to see, anyway, how passengers even on the same side of the road as the lounge itself will not clash with pedestrians, the inevitable smokers outside or those rushing forwards or backwards to get whichever bus they hope to get.. The pretty picture of the proposed <a href="http://www.metroinfo.co.nz/promotions/PublishingImages/riccarton-front.jpg"><b>bus station's front facade</b></a> drawn by an architectural artist is literally one sided, shows only part of the equation - all passengers are moving in the same direction!!<br />
A busy reality will obviously be much different.</div>
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Despite a bit of commentary on the Council website about working in with bicycles, it is pretty clear just from the width of the footpath it would be quite impossible - not least for public safety - to load bikes at this particular stop.</div>
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Another aspect is policing - any facility with thousands of people a day including a higher than average number of younger people (with their natural exuberance - innocent or otherwise! ) is likely to encounter a small proportion of regular "people management" problems - misbehaviour, drunkenness,,public arguments or displays of anger or pestering and panhandling for money or cigarettes, in worse case bullying and occasionally fighting and assaults. This has never seemed a big element element in Christchurch, but as a contingency that does occasionally happen it must be factored in and properly so. </div>
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Also medical emergencies - heart attacks, asthma attacks, nose bleeds, vomiting etc. These sorts of things are not easy to handle in a tight space where a crisis situation can not be isolated out, ring fenced to allay fears or misguided public interventions, and police or emergency crews cannot arrive quickly, park in a clear space and access the problem easy with facility to create clear safe space for the crisis recovery situation. There is a sort of public misconception that just having CCTV or security guards is enough, but in my experience of working in a busy public space good design also.plays a huge role/ It is not entirely clear this sort of implicit situation governance can be achieved in this lounge, with its very limited space and forecourt zone over which no ultimate control can be guaranteed.<br />
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Incidents may be rare but no public space attracting thousands of people per week can afford to not be very carefully designed to cover all possible contingencies - police park in bus lanes after what appears to be an urgent call out at Central Bus Station on a recent evening.</div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Why is this being planned in such haste?</b> According to the<i> Frequent Questions</i> section </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Riccarton is a thriving commercial and retail area so lease opportunities for frontage premises on Riccarton Road itself are scarce and do not last long once they are on the market. The proposal to create a new street front </i></span><i style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">passenger lounge will be part of a wider Riccarton Corridor project next year. Suitable premises have been found, but the Council cannot wait to lease this property until the corridor enhancement is complete, as it is very unlikely that these premises would still be available.</i><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Opportunity knocks - and with a low budget shopping basket - opportunity shops! </b></span></div>
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We have already had one Bus Exchange that became - very rapidly - to be far, far too small, leading to bus queues everywhere- how much future proofing - for people or bus movements - is inherent in this proposed design And let's face it - nothing is less attractive in public transport than what the Aussies have dubbed "cattle class" - overcrowding and body crush. </div>
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Good design in public transport is not ad hoc as this project is but part of an overall 20 year plus vision, growing a city in every aspect by growing the infrastructure needed to sustain vitality, prosperity and quality of life. It is hard to see low quality bus lanes [not curb segregated, road surfaced, signalised priority 100%, bus stop platformed etc] on Riccarton Road and a storefront bus station as a major city builder! </div>
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Another aspect is there seems to be <b><a href="http://buswatchnz.blogspot.co.nz/2013/10/intercity-couldnt-go-distancenor-can.html">no provision for long distance passengers, or tourist and sightseeing buses to interact at this useful point</a> </b>with its added <i>Orbiter </i>and <i>Metrostar connection, offering</i> faster more frequent access to multiple areas, city wide. In so far as public transport is the only transport for about 10% of the population (probably over 20% in high student population areas like Riccarton) the "missing link" between urban and inter city travel, is roughly equivalent to buying a car and being told it is not permitted to take this beyond the city boundary.</div>
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<b>In the larger sense I wonder whether this constant ad hoc response is actually taking the city far.</b><br />
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According the the <a href="http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/preparing-a-public-transport-funding-proposal/docs/preparing-a-public-transport-funding-proposal.pdf"><b>NZ Transport Agency funding policy</b></a> introduced by the National bully boys Christchurch (and other NZ area) taxes are mainly expected to subsidise public transport infrastructure in Auckland and Wellington. This imbalance dates back to the 1920s and is inevitable to some degree but the extreme attitude of the Government, <b><a href="http://buswatchnz.blogspot.co.nz/2013/10/massive-auckland-transport-spend-up.html">where - at very least - 15 times more per capita is being spent on Auckland public transport than Canterbury</a></b> ensures Christchurch is so far below the horizon we can barely build effective modern public transport.<br />
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<b>According to the Frequent Questions section<i> The proposal to create a new street front </i><i>passenger lounge will be part of a wider Riccarton Corridor project next year. </i></b></div>
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Despite the $5 billion spent or planned for Auckland public transport, and $700 million spent on public transport in Wellington (similar to Christchurch in population size!) this rapid transit option along Christchurch's busiest transport corridor is only being Government funded to the tune of $6 million. This will buy little more than a storefront bus station and a few part-time bus lanes <b><a href="http://buswatchnz.blogspot.co.nz/2013/08/proposed-riccarton-road-bus-station.html">(against strong local shopkeeper resistance, as in 1996 and 2010, no doubt!!). </a></b></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/transport/9507045/Livestream-Christchurch-City-Council"><span style="color: blue;">AND AGAIN TODAY </span></a></b><span style="color: #222222;">- <i>[added 14/12./13]</i></span><br />
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<b>In this sense the new bus station and the primary decision, to build it on Riccarton Road, represents more of a defeat (of a battle not even fought yet) and a turning away from high quality mass transit by Christchurch authorities.</b><br />
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Not for the first time in this city's recent history there seems to be a failure of vision by those elected and paid to lead, a refusal to even look at the bigger and better long term opportunities, a failure listen to any other voices than paid officials (often repeating past mistakes), a readiness to carelessly throw away windows of opportunity without even investigating them. </div>
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With the purchase of less than 25 properties (all but a few seemingly older stock rental properties occupied by students) the city could build a bus rapid transit corridor and landscaped cycleway all the way from Mandeville Street to Wharenui Road, or even Middleton Road, allowing buses to pass through the greater part of Riccarton ) - about 2.5 km in less than five minutes during peak hour!<br />
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Moving the axis of the Riccarton public transport corridor over also makes good sense too because the greater depth of adjoining housing (and potential patronage and "transit orientated development potential) is south of Riccarton Road - the north side activity and density compromised by motels (only a small proportion of guests transit using), Deans Bush and the lower density up market properties. Ideally public transport should be growing the city not just a knee jerk response to earthquakes and the momentary effects of unsympathetic Governments.</div>
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<b>Rotheram Street entrance to Westfield Mall and Hoyts 8 Cinema Complex, from one of the car-parking buildings. A bus station in the vicinity of Rotheram Street here, built to the same principles as the Central Station bus station, could address many of the flaws inherent in the proposed shop front model, and help grow the higher density neighbourhood.</b><br />
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In time (30 years or whatever ahead) an added cut and cover tunnel could be built straight across from from Riccarton Avenue under Hagley Park and under Brockworth Place and under the railway line, allowing <b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=211616357616951025#editor/target=post;postID=1265956527274995691;onPublishedMenu=posts;onClosedMenu=posts;postNum=6;src=postname">electric buses** </a></b>or even (if not an outdated technology by then), light rail, to sail effortlessly through Riccarton, a mere 200 metres from the traffic queues on Riccarton Road, <b>but, being a transit priority corridor, along a free-flow pathway where public transport vehicles reign supreme. </b></div>
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Future proof, city building, top quality facilities. Or the bus opportunity, shop now approach?</div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Mandeville Street to Wharenui Road via Dilworth and Maxwell Street - the potential to incorporate a bus priority corridor stretches into the future - or not! </span></b></div>
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<i>**There can be little doubt now quick wire-less recharging (15 seconds), smaller battery rack electric buses will replace diesel as the main form of urban bus transport around the world. over the next decade or two.. </i><br />
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Reminder - Clicking on most <b>wording in bold</b> will link to other sites</div>
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David Welchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11986414622432134057noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211616357616951025.post-7079034379825597822013-10-22T12:44:00.001+13:002013-10-23T23:18:03.526+13:00Massive Auckland transport spend-up fails to meet transport funding demands.As I have said on past occasions, it is only by looking at the sort of money being spent on public transport infrastructure in Auckland and Wellington that one can really measure just how successful infrastructure progress in Christchurch has been over the last decade.....<br />
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By this token today's <i>NZ Herald</i> has done another expose of the comparative state of public transport infrastructure planning in Christchurch! <br />
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<a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11143807"><span style="color: blue;">Obviously the case for funding public transport infrastructure of the northern cities <b>IS</b> stronger - but 15 times stronger?? Come Onnnn</span></a><span style="color: blue;">!**</span><br />
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Incredible. <br />
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** Stripping out the public transport projects (and part aspects) only from these figures I get a <b>very conservative</b> figure of $5.1 billion for Auckland public transport infrastructure and a <b>(very generous?)</b> guestimate of $100 million on Christchurch public transport infrastructure (as per last posting).<br />
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Despite (greater) Auckland only being 3.5 x the size of greater Christchurch, approx $51 dollars is spent in Auckland on public transport infrastructure for every $1 spent on this in Christchurch; per capita this translates to "only" 15 times more per person on public transport infrastructure!<br />
<br />David Welchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11986414622432134057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211616357616951025.post-61612709921173316082013-10-21T07:08:00.000+13:002013-11-17T15:06:19.071+13:00Should our buse services go gothic?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-94aCdD9w3_E/Ul1p7Gwm1LI/AAAAAAAADJA/OjdLsbR5jYc/s1600/Bus+shelter+format.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="598" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-94aCdD9w3_E/Ul1p7Gwm1LI/AAAAAAAADJA/OjdLsbR5jYc/s640/Bus+shelter+format.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i><b>An entrance veranda of Knox Church, captures the city's Gothic revival roots in modern form</b></i></div>
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It is to be hoped with an almost entirely new council elected that the Christchurch metropolitan area public transport system will be placed in "catch up" mode. Many of those elected have strong proven records of service on community boards - one is a former three-time city Mayor - or socially orientated organisations, . The pre-dominance of left leaning coalition People's Choice candidates, hopefully will also bring some greater sense of common purpose, which seemed to missing in the last fairly disparate and unreadable bunch of individuals. </div>
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In Christchurch public transport was on the "up and up" between 1992 and 2003, an inspiring turn around, but apart from a few new bus routes to outer areas, and cross town, very little more has been accomplished in public transport in following decade, if measured by the standards of many other cities. </div>
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So far this century over two billion dollars was spent on public transport infrastructure in Auckland and Wellington but I would guess less something less than $60 million in Christchurch. A significant portion of this was spent on the first Bus Exchange (locally funded? $20 million) which was munted in the earthquakes, and the simple but popular temporary bus station since. Other infrastructure expenditure would have been for installing Real Time and Metrocard; upgrading the number of simple bus shelters and recently building Northlands "super shelter"; completing about half the original bus lane programme planned to be completed by 2013; and some traffic signal and GPS bus tracking technology. </div>
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Much of the expenditure in Auckland and Wellington has been involved in upgrading or building from scratch commuter <b>rail</b> systems, but probably at least $500 million has gone on similar technology to Christchurch (as described above) and also busways, bus lanes and bus stations, including park and ride parking. Also the bus component (usually a fairly small portion) of the total cost of rail and bus centres such as Britomart and New Lynn, both of them architecturally designed to enhance the streetscape and the public transport experience.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OEdieWrQf-Y/UmQNN0DtmsI/AAAAAAAADJY/IIqGHFk1P6g/s1600/New+Lynn+Station+002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="368" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OEdieWrQf-Y/UmQNN0DtmsI/AAAAAAAADJY/IIqGHFk1P6g/s640/New+Lynn+Station+002.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><i>Award winning New Lynn Bus and rail (underground) station in Auckland, built at a cost of $168 million, as shown in" Architecture NZ", May/June 2012 (a good magazine also for those who love city infrastructure).</i></b></div>
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<b>One of the main attractions of light rail is often stated to be the inherent public confidence accredited a route by virtue of the permanent infrastructure.</b> </div>
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Actually the world has hundreds of tram and rail and even underground rail lines that were built and sometimes even flourished for decades but have since been closed, removed, sealed over or abandoned. Viewed across the longer term the "permanent" aspect is more illusion than reality. But there is no doubt that good infrastructure says "this city takes public transport seriously" and "in our city public transport has status and is something more than just a 'last penny in the pound" "throw a few buses into the traffic" effort. </div>
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The popularity of <i>The Orbiter</i>, the <i>Metrostar</i>, <i>The Shuttle</i>, and now the <i>Blue Line</i>, also bear testament to the importance of good clear branding in making specific services easy to identify and access. These distinctive buses also, importantly, create a familiar and known or knowable city - for residents and short term alike - and even a certain pride, echoing London and its red double deckers, a sense of "our buses" </div>
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Rather than go any further down the road of the fairly mundane "industrial" style bus shelters inherent in Northlands and the current Central Bus Station (both temporary) no different from many millions of others around the world in form, <i>NZ in Tranzit </i>believes the city should consider looking for a defining style that distinguishes and brands all of the major public transport stations, and transfer nodes and any bus shelters that cover the whole footpath. </div>
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Indeed the same style in distinctive "large" and "medium" style could itself immediately indicate the level of service and facilities that passengers could be expect to find at that size station. </div>
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For example, I would expect a (large) <b>transfer station</b> to have public toilets with baby change facilities; a cash machine, a drinks machine; a pay phone (to back up cell phone failure); sections for both indoor and outdoor waiting (the latter partly roofed and partly open to sun etc) and a fully enclosed section of waiting room with automatic temperature modification system (at least eliminating the extremes of cold or heat) open at least till 8pm at night. (Large size) Transfer stations would also of course have CCTV - live and linked to a monitoring centre - bus stations should aim to be"safer than houses", safe zones which bad eggs avoid. Included of course, Real Time "next buses due" signage but also city route maps and paper format all services timetables. Ideally bus docking should be at close to door level (rather than conventional footpath height). In this scenario passengers can safely expect a transfer station to be served by three to six routes including at least two cross town routes, and be able to take it for granted that from a designated transfer station at least one route, or other, will take me to (a) city centre (b) university (c) airport. </div>
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Unlike local planners I find the concept of just six planned bus transfer stations (all based at the major malls) grossly inadequate, and believe that a second layer of about 12 bus "node points" is needed to create a city wide grid pattern bus system where it is possible to travel virtually anywhere across the city, with transfers, including minimum wait and very little doubling back and often as not easy to understand options. These node point transfer stops would mainly be at secondary malls and major people traffic zones - think Parklands, Burwood Hospital; Belfast, Sheffield Crescent, Avonhead Mall, Halswell etc. </div>
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In the branded-by-building style scenario these would echo the transfer stations but be smaller, have Real Time signage but have no public toilets (though usually some are handy), no en site money machine etc, and only semi-enclosed or wind and rain sheltered facilities. At a transfer node, rather than a full transfer station, one would expect to find only two or three routes intersecting and only one of these a cross town route, per se routed through other transfer stations. A key factor of transfer nodes - this current nonsense of making people walk hundreds of metres between one route and another, to transfer, would be eliminated as far as absolutely possible. All buses would be routed so they all pass through the same immediate stopping zone, albeit some may be on the opposite side of the road with pedestrian safety zones or signals to ensure ease of access between stopping platforms .</div>
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A key factor in the concept of branded transfer stations and branded transfer nodes is they have a distinctive design and I believe what better than a design that gives or retains an unique character to Christchurch. </div>
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Despite the earthquakes, and the likely loss of Christchurch Cathedrals and the loss of many beautiful [and some so-so] Victorian and Edwardian buildings I believe Christchurch will still be distinguished from other cities in the Southern hemisphere by its unusually large numbers of buildings in the Gothic revival style. </div>
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The Arts Centre [the old university complex]; the Museum, Christs College, the Provincial Government buildings, St Michaels and belfry tower, the Trinity Centre, the Christchurch Club on Latimer Square, spring straight from the core roots of Christchurch as a "conservative utopia" - recreating a fantasy of England before the ugly industrial revolution wrecked it all! This city was not a casual settlement that sprang up as most do at a crossroads or river or convenient harbor point, but avery consciously planned attempt by dissatisfied residents of the United Kingdom, keen to move forward but also build a better world. </div>
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I put forward the suggestion that the abstracted form of Gothic entrance way used on Knox Church, see photo above offers a very good and practical design. The uprights are essentially just steel poles, coupled together with steel ties, and along with the gothic arches could be made in kitset form - four poles joined for uprights on larger transfer stations, three poles on transfers nodes. Like wise the arches could be manufactured in two sizes, with lugs or ledges to fit reinforced glass roofing panels. Side wings at a flatter roof inclination plane could be added (the classic NZ "lean to" profile" ) as an option in needed for larger rooms. Being fairly steep and adding wide-gutters, these shelter roofs should largely self clean, not trap leaves and quickly disperse hail and snow. </div>
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Their pointed height will be a big advantage especially if a large illuminated "M" for Metro is inserted in the top part of a trefoil arch; likewise real time signage and cctv cameras can be fitted up into the roof cavity, way beyond the reach of vandals and taggers. Also heated trapped in this cavity should be easier to redirect down again with a slow moving redistibution fan.</div>
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We are a city rebuilding from an earthquake and one where there seems to be a contest in architecture going on called "How many ways can you make a square box look interesting?" (only a few as far as I can see!). The old pointy gothic style, with its vaguely religious overtones, restated in modern form, and use to make distinctive larger bus stations and transfer nodes really stand out in the streetscape, seems to me a very good way to say, buses not cars are what we should be worshipping!!</div>
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<br />David Welchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11986414622432134057noreply@blogger.com2