NZ In Tranzit

Some Auckland Suburban Stations/Transfers Points and Costs. Newmarket Rail $84 million; Panmure Rail/Bus $28 million; New Lynn Rail/Bus $160 million; Swanson $20 million; etc etc - all partly paid for by these Christchurch bus commuters and taxpayers. These generous folk are seen here at one of the equivalent Christchurch key transfer "stations" opposite Westfield, in Christchurch, a point linking east-west axis routes and Lincoln/Rolleston services with the Orbiter and Metrostar, as well as servicing access to city and Westfield Mall. ( Cost of bus shelter with wet seat unknown). The Government has announced over $10 billion dollars worth of transport projects for Auckland including the $2.85 billion underground rail link and a tunnel under Auckland Harbour. Regardless of which fund this comes from it represents a giant subsidy from the rest of New Zealand (or the same thing in reverse, a reduction in the total funding base available the rest of New Zealand). Thi...

The continuing farce of ineffective city Governance on transit and active mode transport reaches ever more heights of absurdity.  Councillor Yani Johanson moved to speed up a planned cycleway programme, from a five year  programme to a three year programme, so that new lanes and cycleways  can be created as part of the post earthquake roading rebuilt.  The intended cycleway network is to be funded from a  $20 uniform annual general charge (same for every property) on all rateable properties, though it is unclear how this could achieve $70 million in five years ($14 million per year) - A recent letter to The Press pointed out that the total number of rateable properties in Christchurch is only 100,000, enough to generate only about $2 million per year! However we have long been used to fantasy being a substitute for hard miles research and active implementation on Christchurch transit and active mode transport! This includes the Mayor's misguided ten ye...

Photo filched from Minnesota Sta-Tribune (see link below) Thanks This is one of the new door level stops (mini-stations) on the new Bus Rapid Transit line in Minnesota .  If people are even one tiny bit serious about creating effective public transport; serious about attracting people out of cars and creating more pleasant liveable and likeable streets and communities; if people serious about reducing the fossil fuel use causing massive rapid climate change with  devastating effects (even now in the rich countries!); this where public transport must go. On all major bus urban and provincial bus routes - quality public transport! Sure, light rail has its tiny place in this world, it is  a system that will need to be introduced, AFTER a city has multiple effective bus rapid transit corridor s and one or two of them warrant upgrading to light rail . This is usually when traffic on a single corridor exceeds 7000 passengers an hour in peak hours. Not likely in N...

Dame Bazley, head of the ECan junta has described Christchurch City Council " as totally incompetent" after the failure of Council to meet multiple deadlines  for the erection of a super bus shelter.   This situation involves less than a years planning  and raises question of whether Bazley is being premature and unfair    How effective the Christchurch City Council is in building quality public transport  infrastructure is probably better evaluated across a longer period, as for example in the city's low end alternative to a full rapid transit strategy. "Totally incompetent" ??    YOU BE THE JUDGE! 1996 Bus lanes  expected to reduce Chch travel times MATHIAS, Peter .  The Pres s . Christchurch, New Zealand:  Jun 13,  1996 . Riccarton Rd bus  clearway scheme axed MATHIAS, Peter .  The Press . Christchurch, New Zealand:  Jul 25,  1996 . The council last night voted 12-1...

Christchurch ... First we had a series of devastating earthquakes .....since then we have had a National disaster

In the last few weeks I have been out walking, or just commuting home from work, and wonder why  the council isn't doing more to help bus users. The easiest way to tell the story is in photographs; Whilst walking from Belfast one Saturday afternoon I snapped this rough shot of a B-Line bus approaching Northwood.  B-Line Saturday services are meant to operate every 15 minutes apart. services alternate with a bus to Belfast (edge of the city area) and then the next one, 15 minutes later to Rangiora (a satellite town) via Belfast; next one 15 minute later just to Belfast .. and so on. The important thing to note here is not the bus but small berm ot ornamental grasses and lancewood trees and the distance from where I was standing on sloping berm and the shorter word Belfast on the destination screen. According to my photo file download this was photographed at 4.34pm Less than a minute later, as I near the ornamental berm the Rangiora bus goes past - the photo f...

....they have no idea how appallingly bad public transport is in New Zealand if measured against any genuine vision of reducing car use in New Zealand Most bus systems are still running 1950's style, many places around the world.  Here a Christchurch example, on  weekend hourly bus services, these two serving adjacent locations, common key points, and the same broad suburban area of Christchurch,  by different routes running five minutes apart (yeah right!!).**   This typical waste of resources by bizarrely named Environment Canterbury reflects outdated and dis-integrated planning in this age when bus lanes, computers, computer chip cards, GPS should be offering "go any direction" effective interactive grid pattern networks.  Updated June 8 & October 2 2013  This is the second most viewed posting on NZ in Tranzit - 17, 452 page views to Feb 2018.  Imagine if school committees by law had to be run only by people who had neve...