NZ In Tranzit

Press Release: New Zealand Transport Agency – Southern region The NZ Transport Agency has announced an investment of approximately $1billion in Canterbury’s transport system over the next three years through the 2012/15 National Land Transport programme, that sees major investments in Christchurch’s roads of national significance projects, public transport and repairs to quake damaged transport infrastructure. This programme follows the direction outlined in the Government Policy Statement on land transport funding (GPS), with a focus on creating transport solutions that will support economic growth and productivity, improve safety, provide people with a range of transport choices and deliver the best possible value for money. The NZTA’s Regional Director for the Southern region Jim Harland, says between $130 and $180m is expected to be invested for each of the next three years of the 2012-15 National Land Transport Programme in emergency works in response to earthquake recovery ...

Christchurch bus usage continues to increase as the city recovers. One effect of rises in oil prices may  stimulate an even faster recovery   Photo; NZ in Tranzit I recently came across this interesting comment about the likely effect of oil price rises and reduced driving upon public transport, in an article written by Tod Litman, an executive director of the Victoria Transit Policy Institute , a well respected, independent, institute for researching transport based in Canada. Writing of the upsurge in public transport usage in reference to North America Tod said (the bit that caught my eye most) Most public transit systems are now experiencing severe peak period crowding which discourages some potential transit users and perpetuates the impression that public transit is an uncomfortable and inferior form of transport. This occurs because small reductions in vehicle traffic cause proportionately larger increases in public transit demand. Currently, about 98%...

Wellington's Airport Flyer - despite commuter rail from Hutt Valley to Wellington city, this NZ Bus Ltd service shows a quality bus service can win patrons - so much so a year or two back there were squawks about the amount of travellers using Gold Cards (free pensioner travel outside peak hours) to access Wellington and the Public Hospital via the Airport Flyer costing the taxpayer too much. Despite appearance could this bus be green - indeed far greener than light rail! NZ in Tranzit suspects as much!   Photo NZ in Tranzit 2010 An editorial in Wellington's main newspaper, the Dominion Post, Buses the way to get city moving has dismissed outright the fantasy of light rail through the business area of central Wellington.  This is one of three options, reported here, up for considerations by the City Council, Greater Wellington Regional Council and NZ Transport  to improve the central public transport spine from from railway station to the public hospital in Newto...

Why not? Post quake tourism  as Redbus drives it latest bus * on a tour through the "Red Zone" (photo actually through security netting, enlarged) past the remnant core of the former Bus Exchange** .  I have the deepest sympathy with those who died in the quake and their families - nothing can ever remove the vast unfairness and utter horror of this.  But for those who survive, what stupidity it would be not to look deeply - as deeply as possible -  upon this huge damage,  to better know the humble place of humanity in this huge universe, and in the scheme of things. And also take greater care to build cities stronger, stronger and stronger than ever. If anyone visits Christchurch why not share what we have been through, see how powerful the world beneath us all can be? All of which has precious little to do with this posting except to provide a eye catching photo and introduce the possibilities now inherent in combining the latest in quality bus tech...

Photos Wikimedia Commons After a long and painful birth, with lots of over-runs, delays and legal issues (some still due to go Court) the Cambridge guided busway    has reached its first birthday   and is proving very successful.     According to   a Cambridge County member, Ian Bates;    "The busway has been a magnificent success. In the spring we saw the number of trips had already gone past the two million mark putting the system well ahead of its business case. From the very start new services had to be put on to meet demand and the government has funded expansion to St Ives park-and-ride along the route as part of the overall strategy to reduce congestion along the A14.   The main operator, Stagecoach, has carried around 2.35 million people, double the number carried on the conventional services in the year before the busway opened. Now the longest guided busway in the world, the 40 kilometre long system links the Engli...

In  what appears to be a win-win situation for Christchurch Council Thursday's council meeting managed to publicly distance itself from Environment Canterbury's scheme to drastically cut bus service standards.  At the same time Council also managed to simultaneously avoid taking any responsibility for building long promised suburban bus transfer stations, replacing action with words for another indefinite period.  According to an recent report in The Press  Public transport overhaul plan raises cost fears " The council is worried that it is being asked to bear the cost of a  series of new suburban interchanges for Environment Canterbury's  (ECan) new "spoke and hub" transport system when there are doubts over  how it will work and how the public will react to it. "We want to be supportive but we don't want to do it at great cost to  our ratepayers," said Claudia Reid, the chairwoman of the environment...