Currently Browsing: General
Minister Dampens SuperGold Talk
Posted by Jon C in GeneralMar 12th, 2010 | No CommentsThe transport minister is damping down talk of SuperGold card users missing out on public transport trips.
He says the government has to look at ways to control the cost of the scheme as our population ages but the government is totally committed to the SuperGold Card, including the transport concession as it stands.
The government will not be introducing any co-payments or any other way of changing those concessions. Grey Power says the Minister’s office told them the review of the card will be focused on two issues:
The level of subsidy paid to the public transport operators. Currently...
Highway Rockfall Cause A Mystery
Posted by Jon C in GeneralMar 11th, 2010 | No CommentsNo-one seems to be able to get to the bottom of a rockfall in the Mangorewa Gorge on State Highway 36 between Tauranga and Rotorua, that damaged two cars, trapping and injuring three people.
The rockfall happened last August near where contractors were working to replace two bridges and widen the highway.
NZTA and the Rotorua District Council have received the last of three independent reports.
It found the rockfall couldn’t have been anticipated and NZTA and Rotorua District Council took all practicable steps to protect the safety of employees, contractors and sub contractors, and other people...
Council Takeaway Update III: Taking No Chances For Cricket
Posted by Jon C in GeneralMar 10th, 2010 | 2 Comments
Good to see the council taking no chances this time with the car exclusion zone aorund Eden Park for tomorrow’s cricket.
For last weekend’s match, Auckland City had plastered Sandringham Rd with warning signs, days in advance, after this site had complained about parked cars being towed away where there were no signs -and patrons at a nearby cafe called Okra coming out to find their takeaway coffee had cost them $114 and a taxi fare to get to where their car had been towed in the city.
Then last Sunday afternoon, the traffic management sign people were back.
Before the event was even...
$168m SH1 Waikato Expressway Stage Approved
Posted by Jon C in General, Waikato, motorwaysMar 5th, 2010 | 4 Comments
The sign off this afternoon for a $168.7 million funding package for the design and construction of the Te Rapa bypass as part of the SH1 Waikato expressway.
Of the total cost, the NZTA will provide $156.7 million. The balance will be provided by Hamilton City Council ($11.7 million) and Waikato District Council ($0.3 million).
Construction of the 7.2k section will be underway by September, meaning three sections of the Waikato Expressway will be underway by next year – Te Rapa, Rangiriri and Ngaruawahia.
The design and construction contract has been awarded to a three-way partnership...
Video -Interesting Visitor from Gwangju In Queen St
Posted by Jon C in Auckland City, GeneralMar 3rd, 2010 | No Comments
Nothing like a visitor from Gwangju to liven up Queen St at lunchtime today. I wonder if he was taking a lunch break from making a submission to the parliamentary committee considering the super-city local government act?
Or can the NZRU hire him for the RWC haka?
At every pedestrian crossing he marched across the road to declare the Devil is here in Auckland.
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Newmarket’s Blue Crane Makes Light Work -Latest Photos
Posted by Jon C in General, Newmarket, motorwaysMar 2nd, 2010 | 7 Comments
Newmarket’s amazing Big Blue 140 metre long crane, towering 20 metres along the existing Newmarket viaduct, is making light work of a complex project.
In its first week of operation, it has installed 19 segments at the northern end of the new bridge. There’s a lot more work to do, though. It will be lifting a further 150 individual segments in coming months. This to complete the new southbound structure.
The unconventional crane is enabling the motorway to be kept open in both directions while the work is done to construction a new four-lane southbound motorway bridge in time for the RWC....
Videos – Southwestern Motorway Bridge Span Lift
Posted by Jon C in General, SH20Mar 1st, 2010 | No Comments
Here are videos of the main span of the new and spectacular Beachcroft foot bridge over the Southwestern Motorway being lifted overnight into place.
The videos are a little dark because of the fact it was in the middle of the night and only a full moon for light unless you were on the actual motorway. But I have decided to load them because the operation, which went so smoothly, was so amazing and has caused so much interest here on the site today with calls for more . (Earlier PHOTOS are here)
First up: the crane and trucks and workmen arrive and the motorway barriers get taken away:
The...
New Lynn’s Underground Platform In Use This Morning -Photos
Posted by Jon C in GeneralMar 1st, 2010 | 3 Comments
New Lynn’s new temporary train station is in operation this morning.
It’s proving to be a novelty for both commuters who are having to find their way to the new site – and train staff, who haven’t seen it before.
To pass the time waiting for a train, there are the specially commissioned murals on the wall.
Art work on the underground walls commissioned by the council
It’s confusing having only on track as some people on the platform didn’t seem to know which direction they were wanting to head when a train arrived.
ALSO;
Temporary station as seen above ground...
Super-City: How Transport Decisions Will Be Made
Posted by Jon C in General, auckland transport agencyFeb 26th, 2010 | No Comments
The Auckland Transition Agency today detailed how it sees local boards working in the new super-city scheme, including specific examples of how it will work for key transport issues, including building a new rail station.
It gave a briefing to the a public hearing of the select committee considering the third super city bill and released a document.
Local government minister Rodney Hide called the boards a new entity in local government. “They are not community boards. They are more significant and will operate independently of the Mayor and Auckland Councillors.”
Labour immediately slammed...
Leaky Bus Shelters: Wellington’s 20 Year Plan
Posted by Jon C in General, Wellington, busesFeb 26th, 2010 | 4 Comments
We’re not the only bus commuters fed up with those leaky Adshel shelters.
Back in September, I blogged about how I was drenched while sitting in a shelter downtown waiting for a bus and by the time a bus arrived “I looked like a wet-soaked homeless trying to bludge a ride. “
So it’s good to see Greater Wellington Regional Council looking at the issue, (although only because it’s forced to for financial reasons) . The soaking of passengers is no doubt even worse in the capital’s harsher climate.
The Adshel deal is attractive to councils, because it saves the council thousands ...
Train Bike Lockers That Work
Posted by Jon C in General, cyclingFeb 21st, 2010 | 5 Comments
Pleasing to see these New Lynn transport centre cycle lockers, provided by the council, are so easy to work, without a whole lot of administrative paperwork needed.
They are effectively park n ride.
Unlike the ones at some other train stations, you don’t have to approach any authority to apply for three months or so hire.
These are the Manukau ones, provided by ARTA, with terms and conditions and you have to approach the council to secure a slot
:
These are the New Lynn ones, which is simple and just like using a gym locker.
You provide your own padlock and put the bike inside. And there’s...
Fares Up Today
Posted by Jon C in GeneralFeb 21st, 2010 | 5 Comments
A reminder that ticket prices for Auckland’s bus, train and some ferry services are at least 10 cents more a journey from today.
I suspect that, despite publicity, some passengers will raise their eyebrows tomorrow when they have to pay more, because they’re unaware of the change.
Considering the fact the fares haven’t risen for three years and there was talk of an 11% increase, we haven’t much to complain about.
Cameron Brewer & Newmarket marketing manager Lea Worth
They’re still reasonable, especially when you look at fares in places like London.
Cameron Brewer, chief executive...
Bill English: $7 Billion On Building State Highways
Posted by Jon C in General, motorwaysFeb 18th, 2010 | 29 Comments
Finance minister Bill English , in a speech in Auckland this afternoon, confirmed that the government will spend $7 billion on improving State Highways in the coming five years.
And he warned that the public sector needs to lift its game. He suggested public-private partnerships, or PPPs is one way.
Bill English told a combined Massey University and Auckland Chamber of Commerce lunch, that next month, he will release the first National Infrastructure Plan.
“It’s a snapshot of existing projects, planned investment and the Government’s priorities.” But the Government wants to learn...
Transport Auckland Secrecy Concerns “Scaremongering”
Posted by Jon C in General, Transport Auckland, auckland transport agencyFeb 17th, 2010 | 4 CommentsThe Council for Infrastructure Development says talk that the Auckland’s super-city CCOs will make all decisions behind closed doors is “scaremongering.”
NZCID Chief Executive, Stephen Selwood insists: “All CCOs will be operating in a public environment. This will require a high level of public interaction and consultation. The CCOs are there to serve the wider Auckland community and will inevitably have to build strong understanding of the needs of local communities as represented through the Local Boards.”
This statement is at odds with the fact that Transport Auckland’s agendas...
Local Study: What Sort Of City We Want
Posted by Jon C in GeneralFeb 15th, 2010 | 2 Comments
There is strong support for councils limiting urban development, promoting the quality of urban centres, and providing better conditions for the walker and the cyclist.
These are some of the findings in a book on sustainable urban form and transport to be released tomorrow night.
‘Sizing Up the City: Urban form and transport in New Zealand’, published by the New Zealand Centre for Sustainable Cities in Wellington, says New Zealanders want more and better inner-city housing, even if those with kids generally want a bigger house, further out.
And Kiwis don’t want urban expansion to...
Is The Otago Conservation Board Nuts?
Posted by Jon C in GeneralFeb 14th, 2010 | No CommentsWhere do they get these people from?
An Otago Conservation Board member has called for a national ban on campervans.
The Otago Daily Times reports on a board meeting in which first of all, one member said there should be a licensing scheme for companies hiring campervans, because the people that hire them then go and create a mess around the countryside. So how exactly is this the capervan hiring place’s fault?
Then another member went further and is going to lobby the government to ban all campervans throughout the whole country saying we’d be better off without any of them because...
Business Group: Why The Queens Wharf Rush?
Posted by Jon C in General, Queens Wharf, Rugby World Cup 2011Feb 11th, 2010 | No Comments
Auckland’s CBD business group Heart of the City says everyone needs to pause and not let RWC “over-excitement” drive development of Queens Wharf.
“The problem with the latest push is that it lumps Queen’s Wharf in with the development of Eden Park and a rugby event rather than looking properly as to how it fits in with the development of the central city waterfront,” says the group.
It continues: “The Ports of Auckland have been advocating for a cruise ship terminal on Queen’s Wharf and then further huge reclamations to make the container port 50% bigger than the Auckland...
What Key Had To Say About Transport
Posted by Jon C in GeneralFeb 9th, 2010 | 4 Comments
No surprises but here’s what prime minister John Key had to say today in his statement to parliament about his government’s infrastructure and transport policy in the next year:
The Government has begun its programme of infrastructure spending that will see an extra $7.5 billion spent over five years on productive infrastructure.
That will contribute directly to job growth through increased spending, particularly in the construction industry, and indirectly by increasing the productivity of New Zealand firms.
Total capital expenditure over the next five years is likely to be around...
Do You Want Fines With That?
Posted by Jon C in GeneralFeb 9th, 2010 | No Comments
Is it just my eyes or has Auckland City super-sized some of its street signs?
This is what we are used to:
But just along from that one above in the Viaduct area are these newer giant signs.
I reported the other day about the exciting plan to reduce the number of official signs and the forthcoming experiment in Kingsland.
I wonder if fewer signs means the ones left will be like these ones and make up for it in size so they can be noticed?
EARLIER: Auckland City plan to save our blighted streets
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Aucklandtrains.co.nz Makes The Top 30
Posted by Jon C in GeneralFeb 8th, 2010 | 10 CommentsA well known blogger emailed me this morning to say this site had jumped into the top 30 NZ blogs, according to global web measurement company, Alexa (which orders sites by their traffic rank calculated on average daily visitors and page views over the past month.)
He said it was a “‘mighty” achievement for a site just celebrating its first anniversary.
I’ve never paid any attention to this sort of stuff, although I have noted Kiwiblog, which rates number one, does from time to time mention these ratings (and noted the other day that controversial Whaleoil is also moving...
How To Avoid Sitting Next To Someone On PT
Posted by Jon C in General, busesFeb 5th, 2010 | 2 CommentsVariable delays on the Western Line because of Newmarket and Britomart platform berthing issues means I have been using more buses than I would like lately – for occasions I need to have a clear ETA -something not possible at rush hour if you’re heading to Britomart with little time to spare.
And I’m not greatly enjoying the experience of using the bus.
There is something slightly claustrophobic about buses compared to trains – that might be too strong a word as I don’t have that phobia – but whatever it is that makes me feel slightly uncomfortable has a lot to do with seating.
When...
Councillors Keen To Make Tamaki Drive Safer For Bikes
Posted by Jon C in Auckland City, General, cyclingFeb 4th, 2010 | 3 CommentsAuckland city councillors are trying to find a way to progress more actions to make Tamaki Drive safer for cyclists.
The council’s transport committee noted today that a number of “quick wins” had been implemented following a forum on cycling issues, the forum held in October after the much debated car versus cyclists crash on the waterfront.
Those quick wins included a cycle warning sign at the Tamaki and Ngapipi intersection and temporary safety message signs along the route.
Options considered at that forum were:
intersection cycle safety improvements,
a review of areas where insufficient...
Drivers’ Licence Fee Changes After $22m Shortfall
Posted by Jon C in GeneralJan 28th, 2010 | 1 Comment
Cabinet plans increases in fees for driver licensing and testing but has decided to throw it open for public consultation before a decision is taken.
A paper to Cabinet this week by transport minister Steven Joyce reveals a $21.78 million shortfall in this area and blames Labour’s “poor financial oversight.”
In the paper, he says he has turned down two proposals from his officials to deal with it.
One involved fees to provide a full cost recovery and the other a 20% increase in all fees.
“I rejected both and asked that further scrutiny be placed on costs of providing the services.”
The...
Cyclists Truce With Hummer Man
Posted by Jon C in General, cyclingJan 28th, 2010 | 1 Comment
A truce is being called between cyclists and the Christchurch Hummer man.
The restaurant co-owner wrote on a Yahoo forum discussing cyclists and motorists that he would “nail” cyclists and challenged “anyone wearing Spandex and shaved legs to get to my front door unharmed”.
He boasted he drove a black H2 Hummer and had put two cyclists into the curb over the last six months.
The comments ended on being discussed on bike site Vorb and made it to the mainstream media. His name and details were traced by angry forumers through means such as his Trade me profile which used the...
$1.4b Upgrade of SH1 Puhoi To Wellsford
Posted by Jon C in General, motorwaysJan 27th, 2010 | 8 Comments
A $1.4 billion strategic upgrade of State Highway 1 from Puhoi to Wellsford.
The first stage from Puhoi to Warkworth will be complete within 9 years.
NZTA says the second stage (Warkworth to Wellsford) will be more challenging to finish in that time but that remains the transport agency’s goal.
Transport minister Steven Joyce says that one option being investigated is to build the Warkworth Bypass first to relieve congestion at that point.
“However, we would still need to know where the road north and south of that links into the bypass route so it will still take some time to get the consents...
About
I began this as a diary about catching an Auckland train & to create an online record of rail & motorway development. Now it's called AKT as it covers news & views from rail to motorways, the Auckland harbour crossing debate & cycle trails.
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Auckland, NEW ZEALAND