Summer holiday travel plans – blending cars, buses, and planes
For those of you who have been spending too much time on the blog, I just wanted to quietly let you know that summer is coming. And if the early spring weather patterns are any indication then it’s shaping up to be a cracker, which is quite a relief given last year’s disappointingly wet affair.…
37 Comments What to do about generational differences?
One topic that has received more attention of late is the idea of “generational differences” and how they might impact on future travel patterns. As many of our regular readers will know, there is considerable evidence emerging that shows some fairly stark differences in the transport and land use preferences of older and younger generations.…
Thinking about fares – Some perspectives on zones, products, and concessions
As many of you will know, Auckland Transport (AT) recently released the draft Regional Public Transport Plan (RPTP). One of the more interesting parts of the plan relates to fare systems, which proposes to establish several geographic zones that more or less radiate out from the city centre, as well as some changes to ticket products.…
Policy of appeasement: How to engage with transport engineers
This post has been brewing for a while. The reason being that threads on this blog are littered with comments along the lines of “I spoke to the transport/traffic engineers at Auckland Transport about issue XYZ but they simply fobbed me off.”…
And the transport prizes go to … Queensland Rail and Symonds Street
It’s been a serene little while since the last ATB transport prizes were awarded. For those who missed it, the last prize ceremony ended in somewhat spectacular fashion, with one commenter calling me a “self righteous prat” and telling me to to “stop moaning“.…
Public transport is cool
Call me a snob if you will, but there’s something cool about how those Scandinavians do public transport.
As an example, on a recent journey to a beautiful fjord in Norway, I snapped this photo of a mossy log cabin being used for a bus stop, complete with scooter park and ride.…
Guest Post: Taking the plunge – A newbie cyclist in Auckland speaks out
*** This is a guest post by my friend Victoria Neilson. It turns out that I’m not the only person in Auckland who cycles to pole-dancing classes ***
Introduction
My husband, Derek, me, and our silver Subaru Impreza had been the comfortable two people plus one car Auckland family until we moved into our first house.…
The times they are a-changin’ – Is our “love affair” with cars over?
Last week Patrick launched a brilliant and scathing critique of the “charge of the RoNs brigade.” He argued that times have changed: The socio-economic conditions we are currently experiencing (and seem likely to face in the future) are different from those that characterised the recent past.…
Is Brownlee stretching the truth? Fuel prices, vehicle demands, and the RoNS
Gerry Brownlee made some quite remarkable statements in parliament recently (this video is worth watching; Lockwood’s response to Julie’s point of order about halfway through was a moment of quite some mirth in my flat). To summarise Julie’s questions and Gerry’s answers (NB: I have quoted Gerry verbatim in some places, hence some of it is incoherent): Are the RoNs an appropriate use of money? …
Goodbye pork pie? The demise of major industries and wider implications for New Zealand’s transport sector
Several major industries in New Zealand may be in their death throes.
First came the news last week that Tiwai Point was looking to renegotiate their electricity price contract with Meridian, apparently because of plunging global aluminium prices. Then we heard that Norske Skog is looking to halve the production of pulp and paper at their Kawerau Mill, again because of plunging prices for newsprint.…
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