The UK approach to Wider Economic Benefits
When the CBD Rail Tunnel business case was released late last year the Minister of Transport was skeptical about many of its details – and in particular its approach to various forms of ‘wider economic benefits’ (WEBs). He was reported as calling many of the benefits outlined in the business case “WEBs on steroids”.…
14 Comments Herald clueless on parking policy (again)
A week or so ago an article in the NZ Herald completely misinterpreted the results of an analysis into parking costs around the world – saying that Auckland had some of the most expensive parking: when in actual fact parking costs for short-term parking were extremely low, while parking for monthly reserved spaces were slightly above average: 41st out of around 120 cities from memory.…
Hamilton service to terminate at the Strand
The Waikato Times reports that some agreement at last has been found over the proposed Hamilton to Auckland rail connection that has enjoyed so much public support over the past couple of years.
A daily commuter rail service from Hamilton to Auckland’s inner-city Strand station is “a good first step”, say rail advocates.…
Measuring the economic impact of Auckland’s rail upgrade
Measuring the benefits of transport projects is usually done through a process of comparing how long it took someone to get from A to B without a particular project, how long it is expected to take from A to B with that project, compare the difference, apply some value to the time, multiply it up by how many people will benefit and get a big round number.…
A smooth(ish) start for HOP
The NZ Herald reports that implementation of the HOP card got off to a reasonably smooth start on Sunday and Monday:
North Shore commuters gave tentative support yesterday to an early version of what will become a seamless integrated ticket for public transport throughout Auckland.…
Why are rail projects (but not motorways) always delayed?
An article in today’s NZ Herald confirms some of the fears that I’ve had for a while now: that the Manukau Rail Link will not be completed in July this year – as originally planned – but rather delayed a massive seven months until February next year.…
Herald can’t resist bashing bus lanes
Last year, not long before the Super City election, there was an enormous campaign by the NZ Herald to demonise Auckland’s bus lanes. This grew from a relatively small debate over how clear signage was showing where bus lanes began and ended, to a huge campaign that demonised the mere mention of enforcing bus lanes by fining vehicles found driving in them.…
Road lobby wants to waste megabucks
I must say sometimes I really struggle to understand the logic behind many of central government’s transport decisions in recent times. Cutting back funding for public transport infrastructure improvements when PT patronage is booming, pushing for massively more state highway spending when traffic flows are declining, sometimes it’s just really difficult to make sense out of what thinking’s going on behind the scenes.…
Further mitigation for Waterview Connection
There was some excellent news today for residents in the Waterview/Owairaka area that much of their hard work to get a better mitigation package out of NZTA for the impact of the Waterview Connection project seems to have been successful. The NZ Herald reports the following:
A board of inquiry appointed by the Government to oversee a fast-track consenting process for the country’s largest transport project has accepted their submissions on where vehicle emissions towers should be erected at each end of a pair of motorway tunnels.…
Subways as urban identity
Reading through the very informative BrisUrbane blog I came across this lovely video of the Toronto Subway System: Toronto Transit from Preston Kanak on Vimeo.
Toronto’s subway system certainly has its pluses and minuses – for a city of its size the system is relatively small (although it is supplemented by streetcars and a commuter rail system).…
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