... the difficulty of predicting the future?? Or is it just the timing of this 2017 article is is out'? , Petrol cars will be obsolete in 8 years, says US report You'll probably want to read the article first.... My comment is.. 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. I like the parallel drawn with digital cameras - celluloid film cameras were gone by lunchtime. Equally awesome - and deeply concerning - could be widespread potential poverty in new areas, or dramatic shifts in the world balance of power - the sudden, and drastic reduction in income and status of major oil producing countries, such as Russia, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Nigeria etc. However I think there are some bits in the equation Tony Seba (or the newspaper report) gets wrong. "...
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Let's call a disaster a disaster - then we can roll up our sleeves and start facing it
A doctor doesn't begin to help cure a patient until he or she identifies the specific illness. 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". It is quite clear now that the correct over-all term is "climate disaster". 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. On a local scale ; how many major weather bombs need to hit South Westland before land...
Labour Fails South Island voters
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 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 National in this respect Nor does this massive spend-up do anything to build a public transport alternative to cars in the South. Christchurch in the post-earthquake rebuild has opted to create a few on-street bus lanes and no form of dedicated rapid transit corridors capable of attracting and carrying large numbers of passengers, ignoring the success of these corridors in other similar cities and countries. (see footnote) The latest farce appears to be the planned dumping thousands of extra cars and buses onto Bea...
City & Canterbury - rail link to Christchurch International Airport suggested
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. Small spur to the right, at Redwood is now probably, truly spurious! NOTE This blog posting is a revamp of an original posting I made in 2011 and reworked in 2017. 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 New Christchurch rail link suggested I believe that construction of a railway loop, running from the Main South Line at Islington northwards towards C hristchurch international airport, and running parallel t...
On yer bike training - Te Wai Pounamu "rail & trail" potential explored.
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. 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. Two separate ideas on the boil for me at the moment are; bringing commuter rail into the very centre of Christchurch and, closer to home for me nowadays, promoting the concept of an off road [mainly] cycle trail down through the central eastern seaboard of Te Wai Pounamu. Me being me, it was pretty well inevitable as soon as I turned my back these ideas would hop into bed together! I have come to...
A Great Southern Cycle Touring Route?
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, 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. 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. The aim would be to create a Great Southern Cycle Trail of a consistent quality, size and stature to be accredited by Nga Haerenga, The New Zealand Cycle Trail as one of the "Great Rides of New Zealand". If built this would be a cycle trail that would be easily ...