V8 street race to be canned by Dick Hubbard??
Discussion
The day he gets that final vote, he goes and changes a few things that we need badly in Auckland. New motoway project been canned and now the V8 street race?? Hes hoping everyone is going to ride their bikes to work and spend zillions on buses and railway. Who will use it? OK you guys might, but I wont. We dont have the population to make it work and will never be able to pay it back. Anyway I hope the councils re think about Dicks options.
Yeah I don't reckon Dick's got it right.... but then again, I don't think any of the othe candidates did either, Auckland needs SOMETHING (I know not what) MAJOR to fix its problems...... I don't see that getting traffic into and out of the city is the answer somehow as no matter how many motorways you pump into and out of the city, at the end of it you have a city that's swollen with cars anyway and the same delays woulrd result..... I think Auckland needs a concerted effort to get more and more business OUT of the CBD and into the suburbs where people live.
All very good points.
Personally I think each of the candidates has focused on one aspect of the situation and stuck with it. It's obvious to me that improving the trains or the roads is pointless - you need both! You cannot expect Auckland to become a force in the southern hemisphere without sorting both public and private transportation.
Initially I think the best improvement that can be done to the rail system is have some bloody trains running on it! Every time I've looked at getting a train to and from somewhere it appears they either don't run there (goods only usually) or they stop at 7pm or something ridiculous. So, if you happen to live in Pukekohe (because you can't afford to live in central Auckland any more) for example, and you want a night on the beer in the city, how do you get home? Well unless you want to drive home drunk, you can't.
Some ideas :
Improve the rail service, then the trains.
Introduce passenger compartments on goods trains to open up the coverage (apparently there's no passenger service to the Hawkes Bay for instance).
Introduce a light railway connecting the North Shore to the CBD.
Build a cycle/pedestrian access path from the shore over the bridge.
Look into the possibility of combined trams/light railway as in Melbourne.
Government subsidised school bus runs (how much time does it save you going to work when the kids are on holiday?).
Build a second bridge to the shore.
Introduce private, tolled roading projects if money is a problem.
Have more V8 Street races, Americas Cups etc so Auckland and NZ is FORCED to improve it's transport system.
Reduce the cost of buses and improve the riding experience (would air-con cost soooo much to fit?).
Extend the bus lanes around Auckland and let people purchase special passes to allow them to drive in them during peak time - you get fined if you don't have one - this money can be ploughed back into the system.
Provide incentives to companies that encourage it's employees to work from home (I could do this easily, for instance).
Personally I think each of the candidates has focused on one aspect of the situation and stuck with it. It's obvious to me that improving the trains or the roads is pointless - you need both! You cannot expect Auckland to become a force in the southern hemisphere without sorting both public and private transportation.
Initially I think the best improvement that can be done to the rail system is have some bloody trains running on it! Every time I've looked at getting a train to and from somewhere it appears they either don't run there (goods only usually) or they stop at 7pm or something ridiculous. So, if you happen to live in Pukekohe (because you can't afford to live in central Auckland any more) for example, and you want a night on the beer in the city, how do you get home? Well unless you want to drive home drunk, you can't.
Some ideas :
Improve the rail service, then the trains.
Introduce passenger compartments on goods trains to open up the coverage (apparently there's no passenger service to the Hawkes Bay for instance).
Introduce a light railway connecting the North Shore to the CBD.
Build a cycle/pedestrian access path from the shore over the bridge.
Look into the possibility of combined trams/light railway as in Melbourne.
Government subsidised school bus runs (how much time does it save you going to work when the kids are on holiday?).
Build a second bridge to the shore.
Introduce private, tolled roading projects if money is a problem.
Have more V8 Street races, Americas Cups etc so Auckland and NZ is FORCED to improve it's transport system.
Reduce the cost of buses and improve the riding experience (would air-con cost soooo much to fit?).
Extend the bus lanes around Auckland and let people purchase special passes to allow them to drive in them during peak time - you get fined if you don't have one - this money can be ploughed back into the system.
Provide incentives to companies that encourage it's employees to work from home (I could do this easily, for instance).
agree to both said. Its getting that balance right to suit everyone. Its going to be interesting. I am in favour of more bike lanes though if it means getting large people off their butts and getting some air.I just hate that Hubbard got elected on a 'Stop anything resembling progress' ticket- to stop and faff around doing all sorts of touchy feely crap that leads to nothing. He wants a cost-benefit analysis done on the Eastern Corridor- that's a crock because public infrastructure investment is generally never going to give a good return on money. Thats why the government do it. If it was going to be a brilliant money spinner then a private corporation would do it. Its just a fancy way of saying that he's going to turf it only he doesn't have an actual reason yet beyond the fact htat he doesn't like the idea. Its rubbish.
Just pulled this offf the on-line Herald. If its not done here in Auckland, could perhaps happen in the Capital.
New traffic information 'backs V8 race'
12.10.2004
1.20pm
Event organiser IMG is more confident of winning approval for the V8 Supercar race in Auckland following additional traffic information.
IMG and Auckland City Council were asked by independent commissioners hearing a resource consent application for more detailed information on traffic and other effects of the race.
They have been working with roading authority Transit on a full scale review.
IMG spokesman Dean Calvert said many questions have now been answered and the report said many perceived problems can be met.
Mr Calvert said they have gone back to the original data and asked if it all stacks up and the outcomes are very positive.
He said Transit's involvement has smoothed the path and the outputs are favourable.
The information will be presented when the hearing resumes next month.
However, a question mark still hangs over the proposals to run the race in Auckland following the election of new mayor Dick Hubbard and councillors, who may not be as committed to the race as the last council
The door is still open for the V8 Supercar race to take place in Wellington, according to mayor there Kerry Prendergast.
Ms Prendergast said initially her council did not bid for the race because it did not meet the benefit-cost ratio.
However she said with a little co-operation from race organisers in covering some of the financial risk, there is no reason why it could not be held in the capital.
New traffic information 'backs V8 race'
12.10.2004
1.20pm
Event organiser IMG is more confident of winning approval for the V8 Supercar race in Auckland following additional traffic information.
IMG and Auckland City Council were asked by independent commissioners hearing a resource consent application for more detailed information on traffic and other effects of the race.
They have been working with roading authority Transit on a full scale review.
IMG spokesman Dean Calvert said many questions have now been answered and the report said many perceived problems can be met.
Mr Calvert said they have gone back to the original data and asked if it all stacks up and the outcomes are very positive.
He said Transit's involvement has smoothed the path and the outputs are favourable.
The information will be presented when the hearing resumes next month.
However, a question mark still hangs over the proposals to run the race in Auckland following the election of new mayor Dick Hubbard and councillors, who may not be as committed to the race as the last council
The door is still open for the V8 Supercar race to take place in Wellington, according to mayor there Kerry Prendergast.
Ms Prendergast said initially her council did not bid for the race because it did not meet the benefit-cost ratio.
However she said with a little co-operation from race organisers in covering some of the financial risk, there is no reason why it could not be held in the capital.
kylie said:
However she said with a little co-operation from race organisers in covering some of the financial risk, there is no reason why it could not be held in the capital.
Yeah like thats gonna happen when plenty of other places will be prepared to pay money to have it there, let alone require a subsidy
I reckon the answer to Aucklands traffic problems is taking Georges idea one step further. Businesses dont need to be relocated out of the CBD, they need to be relocated out of Auckland. Im trying to find a job atm and trying desperately to not move to Auckland yet through various job websites etc I get offered about 15 jobs a day in auckland, maybe 2-3 in wellington and about 1 every couple of days in christchurch.
Auckland is too big now, theres no reason why most of the jobs Im looking for (finance/economics related) need to be based in auckland, they could do the same job in any of half a dozen other places with lower cost
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