NZ In Tranzit

Diesel railcar in suburban service in Adelaide   Photo Wikimedia Commons I have just made an updated version of the submission I made to the Central City Draft Plan to the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) Draft Recovery Plan calling on CERA to pressure the City Council to include Busways and commuter rail in the $4 million study of light rail. To me it seems absurd that city councilors with no obvious background depth in public transport principles, accounting or technology have already ditched by far the most established forms of public transport - systems used by over 95% of all public transport systems/users in the world* - in favour of one far more expensive and far less common, particular in CANZUS and in cities under a million population, light rail. Most of the ideas included in that submission to CERA have already appeared in my blogs over the last few weeks, but I expand here why I believe that for commuter rail to have viability in ...

                                         From Sockburn overbridge looking towards city centre There is a strong push for the potential of commuter rail to be investigated more thoroughly in Christchurch.  The various groups and individuals promoting it ( NZ in Tranzit included) see it as a far more sensible option than the hugely expensive per kilometre on-street "light rail network" being mooted. A major factor often mentioned is that there an existing current rail infrastructure to build upon. I do not have any great deal of learning in rail systems, but enough enough background reading to know this would certainly not be as simple as it sounds.  Ideally peak hour services would need to be not less than every 20 minutes from Rolleston and Rangiora/Kaiapoi ...

Tranzwatching in Hobart, Tasmania, a peek at Christchurch too. A Tasmanian academic has described comparing light rail in Hobart with Perth and Gold Coast City as "duplicitous" a word implying dishonesty, if not an outright lie, at least self serving in bending the truth. Bob Cotgrove, a regular voice on Tasmanian infrastructure issues is an honorary research associate at the University of Tasmania. He has special interests in urban geography, human development and environmental economics. Last month in an article in The Mercury Cotgrove drew attention to the campaign for light rail in Hobart (population 202,000) continuing to seek an $80 million upgrade of a northern rail line to carry light rail whilst ignoring a professional study which canned the idea. "Proponents of the NSLRS base their arguments on comparisons with similar light rail systems planned for Perth and the Gold Coast. The Perth system, due for completion in 2031 when Perth is expected to h...

NZ in Tranzit goes riding the rails with an eye for the costs Creating commuter rail, as part of the earthquake recovery in Christchurch, has been suggested in several recent newspaper articles and submissions to local hearings. It has been seen as a better alternative to light rail proposed down congested Riccarton Road.  NZ in Tranzit believes the existing lines in themselves do not offer sufficient advantage for commuter rail and has suggested creating a proper network by adding links to new residential areas and other key passenger traffic generators.   This posting is about trying to get an approximate compass fix on the cost of building new rail corridors around Christchurch. While there is no way of knowing exact costs it is good to get a close approximation if only to discover all the secret snags or other realities that can upend a good idea.  I get sick of the absurd claims that various cities are the same size as Christchurch or talk of tram-trains th...

Map updated 31 Oct 2011, alterations made for clarity and to bring in rail system between Woodend and Pegasus Posting updated 7 November 7 2011 to clarify and expand some points. CERA ( Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority) has released a document today, about 30 pages long with lovely coloured maps, defining the areas either previously planned or proposed and now adopted under "martial law" upon which new housing in greater Christchurch can been built. The city has to relocate tens of thousands of residents away from some eastern areas followed massive damage caused by a series of over 8,000 eathquakes. The main area map CERA has put out is too good to ignore and I have immediately seized upon it to illustrate the rail proposals that I have raised in NZ in Tranzit over the last year or two. I don't think these concepts are so odd, indeed appear to have far greater social, environmental and economic potential (city-wide) than the l...

NZ in Tranzit on comparing apples and bananas "Early Studies" As part of the Draft Central City Plan's development, early outline investigations have been taken city -wide into the system form and function, constructional and system operational implications,and economic viability of introducing a next generation light rail system at the nucleus of the city 's new public transport network. Appropriate comparisons have been sought with cties around the world of a similar size to Christchurch, including some with broadly shared objectives to stimulate economic growth and regeneration, as well as introduce fully integrated transportation systems in central cities for a host of wider social benefits." Draft Christchurch City Council Central City Plan section on Transport p90 This sounds very fluffy to me!! What is an " early outline investigation " pray tell?    What city does not seek "to stimulate economic growth and regeneration...

  NZ in Tranzit advocates moving forward with clear purpose The debate in Christchurch about rail and light rail (buses which are always likely to be the primary mode are usually taken for granted or disparaged!) obscures the real core issue - what sort of public transport strategy is needed. NZ in Tranzit blog sees seven key strategic goals of public transport in Christchurch, as follows; 1) To ensure ease of access to workplaces and educational centres for residents from all parts of the city , fostering a mobile, flexible and educated workforce - the economic motor without which little else can be achieved. 2) To protect resident mobility options and outer area property values in the face of coming oil price rises and increased living costs and in general to maintain and  improve social equality, prosperity and quality of life in a less favourable economic climate. 3) To directly target longer journeys to and from the city and its centre and across the city, ...

Hamilton Transport Centre - Waikato's well integrated public transport system surveys 1000 existing  customers and finds great satisfaction. Photos NZ in Tranzit 2010 NZ in Tranzit on bus passenger surveys No provincial area seems to be doing public transport with greater commitment than the Waikato. Over the last few years they have levered bus up bus patronage, by several millions, particularly in Hamilton, pop 160,000. Some years ago taking a leaf from the then successful Christchurch's bus system Environment Waikato introduced their own version of The Orbiter and also a central city circulator. "On Board" Learnt from Christchurch and elsewhere Leaving Canterbury behind in its wake Environment Waikato ensured there was provision not only for bus services tofro towns in its immediate metropolitan commuter reach (Te Awamutu, Huntly Raglan etc)  but also took responsibility that at least some level of public transport within - and across - the who...

Tranzwatching Autolib in Paris, France; dreaming of Zonkas in Christchurch Public transport is often defined relatively narrowly in people's minds, buses, trams or trains. But for people to live effectively without a car there needs to be a much broader raft of systems. Indeed this is really a major strength of combining active modes and public transport usage - one is not confined to using one type of vehicle, however inappropriate, for all trips which is pretty much the effect that occurs once one has invested heavily in owning a car.  If one lives car free but can join a car-share system , especially one as overseas with a range of vehicle options then one can hire a rough as guts (appearance) land rover for a day fishing trip; pick up mum frm the airport in a beamer, use a bicycle lane to visit friends a couple of suburbs away; take up only one seat in a bus or train in rush-hour; and get a cab home at midnight after one drink too many. A well organised and integrated public ...

NZ in Tranzit spotting bus cuts in state of Washington and USA It seems almost certain we - the world - have now passed peak oil, the point where it is impossible to extract more oil, or oil faster or cheaper than previously.  Production of oil, it has been predicted, will plateau for an unknown length of time before irreversibly declining and prices escalating rapidly. This plateau seems to be the case now, as shown in the graph below. The head of the world's foremost oil monitoring body, the International Energy Agency, an organisation long considered to be a rosy picture painter of oil's future, has recently stated the peak point seems to have been passed in 2005. It is probable capitalism will prove as big a failure as communism did, though for very different reasons. Basically it is a system that relies on borrowing to build sufficient growth to make a profit to pay back the loan. When cheap energy cuts out and products get too expe...