ARC slams farebox recovery ratio – again!
When NZTA released its final farebox recovery policy a week or so back, I explained quite carefully why I thought it was an utterly stupid policy. It’s quite nice to see that the Auckland Regional Council (ARC) has made similar criticisms of the policy in their latest Transport committee meeting agenda, just as they made fairly similar points to me in their submission.…
7 Comments Trams: where to next?
It has been interesting to see the reaction to last week’s announcement that the ARC will be bringing trams back to Auckland’s waterfront, through a 1.5 km loop around Wynyard Quarter.
Friday’s Herald Editorial was positive about the idea:
Statements supporting the tram circuit invariably mention its potential to be part of the region’s wider public transport network, with a route wending around the southern and eastern edges of the Viaduct Harbour to Britomart.…
Further confirmation that sprawl sucks
If there’s one message that I want this blog to get across more strongly than just about anything else (other than good public transport is really essential) it would be the need to integrate land-use planning and transport planning better. Connected in with that concept are questions of ‘how do we want Auckland to grow and develop over the next few decades?’,…
Trams return!
Some great news today from the Auckland Regional Council:
Trams to make a comeback on Auckland’s streets
Thursday, 3 June 2010, 12:04 pm
Press Release: Auckland Regional Council
All aboard the downtown tram! Trams to make a comeback on Auckland’s streets
Auckland Regional Council (ARC) sees waterfront tramway as part of its legacy to Auckland.…
2010-2040 RLTS Launched
The 2010-2040 Regional Land Transport Strategy was today formally launched (downloadable in two parts: one and two). I have blogged about the RLTS on a number of previous occasions as it has slowly wound its way through the process of becoming a reality.…
The electrification battle is not over
The battle to electrify Auckland’s rail system has been a very long and arduous one, and while good progress on the tendering of the electric trains and the upgrade of the tracks is happening, it seems as though there’s still a huge debate over where the cost of the electric trains will eventually fall.…
Onehunga Line: slow progress
There’s an item in the agenda of the upcoming (on Wednesday) ARC Transport and Urban Development Committee meeting about the Onehunga Branch Line and the progress that is being made towards ensuring that the line can be opened in the not too distant future.…
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.…
Bizarre rail funding controversy
There has been an interesting debate in recent days about a speech that Steven Joyce gave at the 2010 Australasian Rail Association Conference. In particular, I think that the controversy relates to these parts of his speech:
The fourth group we need buy-in from are the regional councils in Auckland and Wellington which, along with the Transport Agency, are responsible for the commuter rail services in their respective cities.…
Final RLTS tweaks being made
Tomorrow is a pretty important day for transport planning in Auckland, with the 2010-2040 Regional Land Transport Strategy taking its second to last step towards adoption, in its consideration by the Regional Transport Committee. In the appendices to the agenda for that meeting there is a summary of the changes made as a result of hearings conducted on the RLTS in February, as well as a marked up version of the RLTS showing changes that have been made.…
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