Much like broken hearted souls pining over lost loves, too many transport conversations in Auckland lament “missed opportunities” rather than celebrate “what could be.” Self-centred navel gazing is never attractive and rarely worthwhile; we risk taking transport too seriously. I hope this post can slap us out of our overly serious mood.
The key question I want to consider is “how can we make travelling in Auckland more fun?” First I’d like to coin some new jargon: transport solutions whose main aim is fun shall be known as “funsport”. So we’re talking about transport that puts a smile on your dial; that you use because of the joy it brings you, not so much the mobility it provides.
We’re most certainly not talking about LRT or BRT – only freaks like me get excited about them. One Auckland initiative that comes close to “funsport” is the Wynyard Quarter Tram. My initial scepticism about this project has fallen away, because I realised that I was considering its merits from the wrong perspective. It’s not about mobility, it’s about fun.
Just imagine the Wynyard trams (shown below) bumbling along the waterfront filled to the brim with toothless kids and their equally toothless grandparents? Only Montgomery “Release the hounds” Burns would not smile at that.
But in my opinion the Wynard Quarter Tram sits at the unexciting end of a reasonably long funsport stick. Here are some of my ideas for other, potentially more exciting, funsport initiatives that Auckland could develop:
- Flying foxes – I’m not joking. I think there are places in Auckland where a flying fox would be flaming awesome. Imagine a flying fox running from K’Road down Queen street? Or Albert Park to Britomart? Or Three Lamps/St Mary’s Bay to Victoria Park? I realise there are safety issues that need to be considered, but if companies can run a vertical bungy jump in the middle of town and people can jump off the Sky Tower than I see little reason why we could not get some flying foxes up and running. I also think we need to stop seeing Auckland’s hills as a barrier and more as an opportunity, which leads nicely onto the next idea …
- Volcano Ventures – run a gondola up Mt Eden to the summit along the existing road. Ban cars/buses from driving up and use the parking space to provide some nice green space for people to have coffee/tea/waffles. Then develop a downhill luge (like you have in Rotorua) for people to zoom back down if they want (those that don’t can always use the gondola to get back down). Luge carts could be automatically returned to the top by being attached to the bottom of the gondolas. One Tree Hill could have a similar treatment, although I think a cable car might be more appropriate here because there’s less room at the top for a gondola. Here’s an image of the cable car that runs to the top of Fløyen in Bergen (Norway). I travelled on this in January this year and it provides exceptional views.
Of course there’s many other potential funsport solutions. Many scenic trips can combine public transport with cycling. My particular favourite, for example, is taking the train out to Waitakere, from where it’s only a 30 minute cycle out to Bethells Beach (first picture below). Or, you can take your bike on the ferry to Waiheke and cycle around golden beaches and green hills for the day before forgetting your aching muscles over a glass of your favourite pinot (second image).
Funsport initiatives target recreational and tourist users, which are of under-rated importance. Auckland does not seem to realise that it must compete to attract mobile labour and capital. Basically, if we want to grow then we have to get people and businesses to be based here. So quality of life is not just important; it is essential (of course a large part of quality of life comes from having a good job, so quality of the business environment is also important).
At the moment I think that Auckland fails to give visitors memorable experiences that make them want to stay in the city for a week, let alone live here. As much as I value effectiveness and efficiency, I think there’s a need for Auckland to look seriously at funsport initiatives (ignoring the inherent irony in trying to take funsport seriously!).
I see an obvious role for Auckland Council and Auckland Transport to coordinate funsport outcomes. Not only do many of these initiatives involve public land, but they could be integrated with the HOP e-purse. Visitors could then use a HOP card to pay for all of their funsport initiatives, as well as general public transport.
I’m actually wondering whether we should be giving international visitors to Auckland a HOP card, pre-loaded with some small money (say $10) to encourage them to get out and about, thereby overcoming some of the barriers to their Auckland experience. Together HOP and funsport could help create an image of Auckland that is welcoming, efficient, and exciting. That’s the image I want to present to the world.
Or maybe I’m in lala-land. If so slap me and bring me back to (grey old) transport reality :). If not, then please share your own ideas – I’d love to hear them.
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i’m not sure about the fun aspect, but when i was at the University of Auckland several decades ago, much walking up and down hills to Queen St, and especially to friends’ flats in Parnell and near the Rose Gardens made us seriously wish there was a flying fox or two to cut out at least some of that slog.
Yes I’ve thought the same thing. One funsport project that I forgot to mention is opening the tunnels that run below Albert Park to pedestrians. You could provide a direct link from Victoria Street East to the bottom of Parnell Rise without having to go up and over Constitution hill.
I’d love that, but (sorry for being the fun-killer) how would one deal with the security issues? The tunnels even have baffles, so no real sightlines are possible! Likely to be a place where few people would dare to go in except in groups.
A better tunnel to look at re-using is the old Parnell tunnel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parnell_Tunnel) and make it into a walk- and cycleway. Not my idea, admittedly, but one of the “Greenways” concepts from Stephen Smythe.
Security is a very valid concern. I think the idea would be to activate the tunnels in some way, e.g. with shops (possibly requiring some extra excavation, although I’ve heard there’s quite a bit of space down there). The rents from the shops could cover the costs of maintaining the tunnel and keep it safe for users.
Mmmmh, what shop would want to go into a sub-basement in the middle of a hill when lots of retail spaces in the city stand empty? And how high would the ped traffic volumes really be? Where would people go to and from?
Heck, even underground passages to and from train stations are historically often major worries in terms of keeping them tenanted and up to scratch. The only thing I could see working down in the Albert Park tunnels would be things like cinemas or clubs. Still a dicey proposition – I work with a lot of retail people, and they would be very wary of something like that, in my opinion.
Okay, I’m not playing the “fun” game well here, am I? 😉 Some fun way of going up and down Albert Park to Queen Street – now THAT would get users. Maybe we could have a slide?
Karl – think about elevators going straight up into the university … how many lazy ass students would avoid Constitution Hill and/or Albert Park climb to use the elevators? Quite a few I reckon! But your scepticism is justified, I also dislike underground places. But I think this has the advantage of being the most direct ped route from Parnell to downtown, so would get commuter/social traffic.
They proposed a non-road based transport solution for Mt Eden a few years ago (around 2006 I think), to slow or halt the degrading top of Mt Eden caused by buses. As a stop gap measure they banned buses from the top portion of the road, but that seems to have become a long term solution. Maybe the new council can revisit the idea?
Yes, that proposal is what actually got me started thinking about the idea. I think it was Dick Hubbard’s council that came up with the idea, shame they did not see it through. Hopefully they can revisit the idea, in conjunction with iwi of course (who own the cones).
I remember the bus tour companies balked at the idea of having a train type system up Mt Eden as they were making money off the free access to the cone and I remember they saying something like, if something was put in they would just go elsewhere so tourists would have to find their own way to get there.
From memory the proposal was just a fancy tractor pulling a few trailers with seats on them, similar to what you see at some theme parks. Still I think that would be much better than the current situation.
That’s a nice simple interim solution. I don’t believe the bus companies – nowhere apart from Mt Eden and Maungakiekie gives you such good views of the city. And there’s no reason to subsidise the service: Most people would be prepared to pay $1-$2 for the trip up and back. Rents earned from commercial activities could also be used to cover some of the costs of running the service.
You don’t have to look very far for some funsport technologies–your homegrown Shweeb seems like it would fit the bill nicely. Imagine a mini-Link loop that goes to the top of Queen Street and perhaps over to the Domain museum. You could give people a free ride to the top and charge them for the ride down. Or, people could pay for a power assist to the top. I love the idea of urban funsport!
Shweeb!
That’s true – there are some quite cool transport innovations in NZ. Sky Cabs, electric bicycles, amphibious cars, cool yachts, maybe Auckland should brand itself through advanced/exciting transport solutions? How cool would that be? It definitely pulls together some of the key industries that are likely to underpin the region’s growth, at least if you believe the aspirations of AC’s economic development wing.
Plus it links in with NZ’s wider adventure tourism brand, so nice synergies all round.
I think it would be essential to make sure you were clear which transport projects you were doing as “serious” transport solutions and which ones were primarily for broader reasons. Obviously there is some overlap.
Interestingly enough I think the biggest possible “funsport” project Auckland could embark upon is the walking and cycling connection across the harbour bridge. It would become one of the top five tourist attractions for the city, it would become surely the best possible outing on a Sunday afternoon during summer, it would be fantastic.
I guess to emphasise the “fun” aspect I reckon the harbour crossing needs to be “open air” at least to some extent. Sure some rain protection above might be useful, but crossing the bridge really needs to be an “experience” where you feel the wind/sun/etc. so you can properly connect with the amazing view.
Right on Josh. My thoughts were that “funsport” projects would actually run at a profit – i.e. that is the motive. So they would not compete with other projects. The flying fox, for example, could be coin operated.
The harbour bridge walking/cycling connection is an interesting one. While I support putting it on the existing bridge, I personally think that a purpose built solution would be far more attractive.
Imagine a new bus only and walk/cycle bridge from Esmonde to top of Wynyard Point, or something similar. NZTA pretend like they need more vehicle capacity, when they don’t really.
Plus, getting buses off the existing bridge would give you some extra capacity. You could also grade the bridge so it was more suitable to larger buses and/or light rail.
Everyday I dream about a gondola going to the Skytower from the museum. Quick link to the city centre and amazing views on the vulcanos and on the harbour. Driverless, too…
Something like this?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Vell_Aerial_Tramway
It’s a major tourist attraction in its own right.
Exactly Arnie, Barcelona is always on my mind! She’s got it right, tourism and transport together, like old school Orient Express.
Cable cars are good, gondolas seem less so for some reason. Perhaps this is just my rail bias showing through!
It’s a pity the bike-share system fell over. They offer cheap and simple fun for visitors. I do think that places like the Waitakeres of Waiheke make great places to give people bikes for a few hours. If the weather’s nice, much better than riding a bus or just sitting there! People come to NZ to experience scenery and the outdoors, but then leave Auckland the same or next day because they don’t feel like there’s an experience here. We have to change that.
I’d also like for there to be better walking-path access on Auckland’s two iconic cones, Mt Eden and One Tree Hill. While it’s possible to walk up both, in either case you have to dodge traffic. They’re not set up for it, which is a pity, especially if you’ve caught a bus to the base. A lot of locals would like to, and a lot of tourists have the expectation they can or should. Both groups can avoid the disappointment.
That said, I want any projects to have clearly defined objectives. Doing things for the sake of it, without working out who would use it, and why, is a risky proposition.
San Francisco’s cable cars seem like the ultimately successful version of fun transport. Although interestingly they also offer a useful transport option for people in Chinatown as well.
Wellington’s Cablecar is a pretty good funsport example as well. Serves Kelburn, Victoria University, and tourists. You might argue that Auckland’s ferries deliver some funsport too.
They do actually! When I get a Discovery Pass, I go riding around on the Inner Harbour Loop (Downtown > Bayswater > Birkenhead > Downtown) and it’s a blast.
I agree – Auckland’s ferries are funsport. Tourists like me take trips across the harbour because they are there and the views are good.
Goldolas or other form of aerial transport across the harbour would also act as a tourist attraction as well as – if the terminals are in the right place – providing another commuter link.
Gondolas even
Auckland Transport claim the re-opening of the Public Bikes is still on the cards, as a Council-supported system. We will see what comes of that. Nothing quick, that much is sure. I hope they don’t go for a gold-plated system that will never find funding!
Thanks for the reminder – the bike share scheme is a nice example.
No I think it’s a reasonable observation: cable cars seem to have a smaller impact on the landscape, both visual and physical. From what I can tell cable cars also require a smaller terminal footprint, which is important when you want to chuck one up our volcanoes. Cable-cars’ only disadvantage (that I can see) compared to gondolas is that the latter have greater capacity/frequency – which might be important where you have either a) a longish route or b) high demands.
Cable Cars from Takapuna across harbour to Britomart would be a nice commute rather than a bridge or tunnel
An Auckland version of the Roosevelt Island tramway? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roosevelt_Island_Tramway
Pretty funky but not quite sure what I’d think of its visual impact on the harbour.
I think that after a short while of being declaimed as an eyesore and “the end of the world as we know it” it would come to be loved and cherished as being iconic. cf Salford and the Imperial War Museum of the North
There is also the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vizcaya_Bridge Vizcaya Transporter Bridge] in Bilbao. That is a part of the PT network. The day ticket I got for the train also let me use the bridge.
Who the hell constructed “funsport” presumably as a pormanteau of fun and transport?
The aerial gondola, cycleway, coming down a hill fast, going through a safe well lit tunnel ideas all do add up to enjoying the city more as a resident or a tourist. Great ideas there.
If they were included in the wider transport system with standard ticketing, ie use a Hop card to ride to the top of Mt Eden and not get fleeced by tourist prices then all the better.
And hopefully Bike-share Mark 2 will be better implemented and not repeat the Australian system’s mistakes.
Chortle! “Pormanteau = a word formed by merging the sounds and meanings of two different words, as chortle, from chuckle and snort.” (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/portmanteau+word)
Thanks for the unintended heads-up on a concept I did not even know existed. I came up with “funsport” but am not particularly attached to it, so diss away – or even better suggest your own.
Matt, how do you propose to “not repeat the Australian system’s mistakes” – repeal the helmet law (for Auckland only)? Use rental tricycles – which for some odd reason are legally exempt from the helmet rule?
I had little issue with the implementation of the previous scheme. It worked, it only needed the permission of Council to expand, and maybe a slightly better (read: more extensive) marketing campaign. You can’t get all the bells and whistles for the price of a start-up system – and I don’t think Auckland needs (or should spend even if we had it) over 5,000 dollars PER BIKE like in London (costs of scheme for 6 years, divided by their 6,000 bikes). We need some Kiwi ingenuity, like the original NextBike guys have shown, being the only scheme so far that worked operationally in a helmet law country.
Lovely to see that picture of the Fløyen cable car. I went on that way back in 1976.
Re: cycling on Waiheke, lovely idea but be aware you need to be fit as the hills are fierce, the roads narrow and most on the eastern end made of gravel. It may take the fun out of your weekend on Waiheke. But lots of other fun too: the island coastal walkways are a treasure.
When I still lived downrown before all those apartment buildings went in, local skateboarders certainly had fun using Symonds Street from Khyber Pass down to Britomart as an efficient, fun and fast way of travelling (even if it was hair-raising in traffic).
Yes cycling on Waiheke would not be for everyone.
But apart from developing more funsport initiatives, the main idea is that AT package up existing journeys and market them to visitors through the HOP card. I was even thinking on the bus today that AT could strike a deal with the duty free stores at the airport so that un-used balance on the cards could be used to offset the price of duty free products.
So when people leave the country, they can leave their card with retailers at the airport, and get back the remaining credit, while AT get the cards back for re-use.
Being a MOTAT Tramways volunteer I can tell you that many people get on the tram simply for a fun ride, and will do the return trip without necessarily disembarking. On Saturday even though the weather was atrocious, and the Aviation pavilion is currently closed so a tramride is not merely a commute to this venue, we still had quite an impressive number of passengers. People just seem to like riding things on rails. I expect you could make it more fun by making it more into a rollercoaster format – wouldn’t suit the old heritage trams though.
Thanks Jennifer and that’s exactly my observation as well. Do you think Auckland could expand the funsport idea beyond trams, which really don’t appeal much to me (anymore – they did when I was a kid).
I’ve got to be careful not to extrapolate too far from my own perspective, because as a 29 yr old male I fit within the group of people that Jan Gehl calls “kamikaze cyclists.”
So I enjoy the thrill of cycling, and are attracted to the thought of luging down Mt Eden and Maungakiekie, or taking a flying fox down Queen Street. But maybe not many people feel the same way? What do you think?
I’m actually wondering whether we should be giving international visitors to Auckland a HOP card, pre-loaded with some small money (say $10) to encourage them to get out and about, thereby overcoming some of the barriers to their Auckland experience. Together HOP and funsport could help create an image of Auckland that is welcoming, efficient, and exciting. That’s the image I want to present to the world.
This is actually a brilliant idea, even on its own. You can attach it to fun/novelty things, but I think it works without them.
Currently the great majority of tourists arrive, walk around Queen St, go back to their hotel/hostel, and then get on a bus to Rotorua or the Bay of Islands. I’ve hosted a lot of tourists and overseas visitors in the last few years, and can tell you that without a guide with a car that’s what they would have done. Actively encouraging people to see the city would change that. Even if they only get as far as Ponsonby or Parnell, that’s still an achievement. You wouldn’t destroy demand because you’re creating, rather than replacing, trips on public transport. I presume the marginal cost would be low, and if it encourages even a small percentage to see the city or even stay another day, it will be worth it.
It deserves investigation anyway. Perhaps you could trial it by giving 1000 HOP cards to people arriving at the airport, and track their usage to see what eventuates.
As I wrote above, AT could also strike a deal with the duty free stores at the airport so that un-used balance on the cards could be used to offset the price of duty free products. So when people leave the country, they can get back the remaining credit – while leaving their card with retailers and allowing AT to re-use the cards for the next tourists.
Yes, Auckland does not do much to retain tourists. Personally, I think there’s huge market potential for getting people from the West Coast of North America to Auckland for short-medium holiday etc, e.g. from Vancouver, Seattle (although no direct flights from here yet), San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
I think the HOP card is a great platform to “complete mobility” – a payment technology that Auckland can use a marketing promotional tool. They could also team up with conference organisers to put a HOP card in every conference pack.
I agree stu! I have often thought of two (less exciting but still worth doing) fun transport initiatives we could introduce. One is to have a really high quality cycle way and boulevard for pedestrians that goes all the way along from Saint Heliers down Tamaki Drive, through the Viaduct and on across the Harbour Bridge and through to Takapuna. You could have bikes for hire at the ferry building and it could be a great way for tourists to pass a day exploring our fair city. The second is to have a little fleet of mini vans (don’t think the roads could handle great big buses) that took tourists out on a tour of our West Coast beaches. I think this could be a big hit with people living in CBD who don’t have cars as well. You could have a timetable of when vans went to different beaches and you could hop from Piha to Bethells etc.
An additional cycleway begging to be made is alongside the Eastern line from GI to the waterfront. remember there is a huge road reserve here for Banks’ crappy highway. Room for 4 rail lines [yes we’ll need them] and lovely walking and cycling routes, boardwalks down at the water… but need to move fast as developers with a vile track record [Scene buildings] have got hold of Orakei.
Great ideas guys, those cycleways sound awesome :).
I totally agree George about the lack of footpaths on One Tree Hill. It is just insane that at times you have to walk along the road with the cars or take to the (slippery in winter) hills.
also Stu – I think quite a lot of our tourists must be keen cyclists and potential funsporters. If not what would explain the profitability of businesses such as bungy jumping off the Harbour Bridge or the Otago Rail trail? I bet all those people who come here to do the Otago Rail Trail would just love it if rather than passing through Auckland and walking miserably up and down Queen Street they could instead set off on an intrepid cycle tour of Waiheke.
Yes I think Auckland completely underestimates the tourist draw card that active transport routes can provide. So many young tourists get to the city and are like “so what do we do now?” Before shoving off to more exciting places.
Apologies for the shameless self-promotion, but I run a website dedicated to Cable Propelled Transit (www.gondolaproject.com). You’ll find a run-down of all the planning information you’d ever need in regards to these systems.
You’ll also find reviews and summaries of virtually every major gondola built as a mass public transit system.
@ Steven Dale: Can you give an estimate of the cost of a cable car across the Waitemata from CBD to Takapuna say?