Small-steps towards a Northwest Busway
Last week the Regional Transport Committee confirmed the final form of the 2010 Regional Land Transport Strategy – the culmination of a couple of years’ work in creating Auckland a guiding 30 year transport document. As I have said before, the strategy is an overall excellent document, and really shifts Auckland’s transport thinking in the right direction – to a more balanced and sustainable future.…
3 Comments Quote of the Day
Like a gambling addict, Auckland fools itself into thinking it doesn’t have a problem. “Just one more bet or win and then I can finally quit.” “Just one more motorway will relieve congestion and then we can stop building them.” But one motorway leads to another, then another, until you’re building motorways to fix the problems caused by other motorways.…
MAXX website bizarreness
About a month ago I posted about the completely nonsensical results that the new MAXX website was giving to me when trying to make what seemed to be relatively obvious and simple journeys. On that occasion, somehow one of the suggested options included three different Link Bus trips for a simple “Herne Bay to CBD” trip.…
The magic one-hour travel limit
Following somewhat from the discussion on slow transit and travel times, I coincidentally happened to read a paper today that sheds some light onto the ‘magic one hour limit’. This idea that people are willing to travel up to an hour each way to work is more or less considered a fact in transport planning literature, but why is this so, and has it always been that way?…
Applying the “Network Effect” to the Auckland isthmus
A few days ago Nick R wrote an excellent post in which he applied Paul Mees’s “network theory” of bus routes to Auckland’s North Shore, to come up with a basic “grid” structure that could serve the whole area effectively, and potentially in a way that would use the same or less resources than are currently required.…
Changes to “Auckland Transport”?
On May 24th (delayed from an original report back date of May 4th) the select committee analysing submissions on the Local Government (Auckland Law Reform) Bill, more commonly known as “the 3rd Super City bill” will report back to parliament, with any suggested alterations that have arisen from the submissions process.…
Could slow PT be good?
A recent post on humantransit.org ponders an argument, put by Professor Patrick M. Condon of the University of British Columbia (UBC), that public transport doesn’t actually need to be “fast”, and in actual fact there are some benefits from it being slow.…
Regenerating Auckland
In late January, the government announced it would be establishing a group to look into housing affordability and the Metropolitan Urban Limits (MULs) in Auckland. The basic argument is that houses cost too much, so allowing sprawl will reduce house prices Auckland wide.…
Transport Blogosphere Roundup
Who’s talking about what in the amazing world of the Transport Blogoshpere? New Green MP Gareth Hughes has hit the ground running and has indicated he will be doing a series of posts on Auckland’s public transport system on Frogblog
On Auckland Trains, AKT, Jon C has reported that motorcyclists will have to pay the same toll as cars to use the Northern Gateway, between this and ACC motorcyclists can’t catch a break
Jarrett from humantransit.org…
Early Link Buses
A rather odd bus experience going on at the moment.
Usually I catch the 004/005 bus to work, but today I was already in Ponsonby for breakfast so the Link Bus was the next one into town. While I waited forever at traffic lights to cross College Hill I noticed a Link Bus sitting at its stop for a good 3-4 minutes with the driver outside having a smoke.…
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