The pitfalls of “multi-modal projects”
A previous post by Patrick highlighted his concerns about the phrase “multi-modal”, something that I want to explore further. Patrick’s general argument is that we “talk the good talk” about multi-modalism (is that even a word?) but in reality what we have built over and over again is “mono-modalism”.…
16 Comments IPENZ talk on the new PT Network tonight
Sorry for the really late notice (Stu was a bit late in sending it through). If your interested in the bus network redesign then you may be interested in a talk being held by IPENZ on the subject tonight.…
NZ Bus and Union issues drag on
One thing that came out on the weekend was that the bus drivers once again rejected the latest offer from NZ Bus. Here is the recent press release issued today by the company. Mediation Confirms Final Offer
NZ Bus has been involved in negotiations with Tramways and First Union since May this year to agree a new Collective Agreement.…
Improving our Farebox Recovery
Whether you support improved public transport or not, one thing that everyone probably agrees on is that we need to improve the efficiency of our PT services, particularly in regards to the level of subsidies required. Long time readers of the blog may remember a policy change the NZTA made a while ago called the Farebox Recovery Policy which set an arbitrary limit as to the amount of operating costs that need to be paid for by passengers.…
Does Brian Rudman need some new glasses?
It might be time for Brian Rudman to get some new glasses as in his latest piece he seems to have been confused by various route maps in the draft Regional Public Transport Plan.
What is alarming is the fate of Queen St, which in 2007 got a $40 million makeover, complete with nikau palms and Chinese granite paving.…
Northwest Busway Plans
Last week there was a report and presentation to the Council’s transport committee about the Northwest Busway, asking that a ‘staged approach’ to implementing busway be supported. The minutes confirm that the Committee did support this approach. It seems the main driver of the recent support for this project is the realisation that the northwest is planned to grow significantly over the next 30 years – with this fact being well illustrated in the graph below: The numbers are pretty massive, but that’s not too surprising when you look at the area in question and the changes proposed for it by the Auckland Plan’s development strategy:
One agency that seems somewhat far from impressed with the relatively recent surge of support for this project is NZTA.…
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.…
Northwest Busway update
AT the transport committee tomorrow there is a further update on work to get a North Western Busway built, something long championed by this site. The report recommends that a staged approach be taken to the development of a busway rather than to build it all at once with the first stages being to get some decent bus lanes along key routes along with some proper interchange facilities.…
How long will my bus trip take?
Regular readers of this blog may recall that I’m no particular fan of the Outer Link bus. While I think the concept is really nice, and the regular off-peak frequencies also are a great step up from what most of Auckland gets, the service has a number of significant flaws that have actually put me right off from catching it in recent months.…
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“.…
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