NZ In Tranzit

Photo thanks to Japanese language blog; http://blog.daum.net/syunlady/8 In a rare event for New Zealand a regular bus service offering multiple routes in a town of less than 20,000 people has proved it can offer an extensive service without rate-payer or tax subsidy Reports online media Scoop " " A 32 month trial offering bus services to outlying Queenstown suburbs finishes this month and has been hailed a success by two trial partners Otago Regional Council (ORC) and bus service provider Connectabus. The project was established with significant investment by ORC, New Zealand Transport Agency, Connectabus, and Queenstown-Lakes District Council. It was designed to provide improved and reliable commuter services which would become commercially viable, and therefore permanent, within the project time-frame. The town in question, Queenstown, is a leading South Island tourist spot offering spectacular scenery and a beautiful lakescape (is there such a word?) all year ...

Zip/Time, Zip/Time.Table/s and Zip/T.Card/s  ©   are unique expressions, copyright of David A. Welch. NZ Back about six or seven years ago I started making my own bus timetables for travelling from Papanui to the city - a route corridor then served by multiple routes. I could catch any of these different services to get to the city centre and they were so frequent a timetable was not needed; turn up a bus would come soon. But, when buses were less regular (and very poorly coordinated) in the evening or on weekends trying to figure out when the next useful service was due to depart my local stop involved opening and shutting five different timetables, each with long lists of small numbers, timetable details and maps right through to the other side of the city (the routes run suburb A via city centre then to Suburb F etc). The maps I rarely needed and I anyway knew the approximate journey time to the city and even in most cases to these outer hub points. Tracing fing...

Probably the only element that hasn't changed in this photo of New Brighton,  taken 100 years ago,  is the obvious strength and coolness of that nor-east wind ! Groups alongside trams, Christchurch. Jones, Frederick Nelson, 1881-1962 :Negatives of the Nelson district. Ref: 1/2-025868-G. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand.  http://natlib.govt.nz/records/22711484 The post earthquake plan put forward for New Brighton has some good features - Oram Avenue right through to Hawke Street and new entertainment centre directly across from beach and the (spectacular) library included.   However it misses the key thing that is needed - making New Brighton a place you can get a swim 365 days a year.   New Brighton has a gorgeous "here to eternity" long white beach and a good surf and by rights should be a hugely popular beach suburb but it also has on some days a killer on-shore "breeze".  The nor-easter that turns many a fine sunny day...