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Thread ID: 87627	2008-02-28 02:42:00	Auckland's road condition	Nomad (952)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
644588	2008-02-28 02:42:00	Hey, I arn't from Auckland . So no flame :D How bad is the Auckland traffic, is it as bad as some of the larger cities around the world? Given that most of the country's pop lives there and its spread out, I presume it needs addressing but is it as bad as other places . I know that road tolls are not liked . I was thinking that if we don't use road tolls, can Auckland's traffic be better? Presuming that Auckland gets a good transport system do you think Aucklanders are significantly going to use public transport to go to work and school regularly or are they more likely to continue using their cars? Cos, most people think, if you build more roads more cars are going to use them, if you invest in public transportation more people may use public transportation but that frees up some of the roads so some people may prefer to drive again so its like a catch 22 . A car can be seen as more convenient, more comfortable, more privacy, maybe more of a status symbol and more fun to drive around . Conservations at work is that, people try to use public transport but half the time at least they fail to do it and just drive to work and they pay quite some money for the petrol and the carpark for the day . I think that given if petrol does get to whatever, if people do pay $60 more per week for petrol that is still just coffee / pizza money arn't it . Personally I find if they are attached to their car's, if road tolls are not enlisted, can Auckland fight traffic? Or is Auckland just joining the world that traffic cannot be fought but just to provide alternative transport for those inclined . :confused:	Nomad (952)
644589	2008-02-28 04:30:00	OK, I was born and brought up in Auckland during WW2 and lived there till the tender age of nearly 21. I escaped from there in the early '60s. I think I was there in some of Auckland's best years. I loved it as a youngster. Been back to live for a 5 year period in the late '60s -early '70s and it was still pretty good. To my mind, all of Aucklands problems have been caused by several silly things. Ripping up the tramlines because the trams held up cars! To many cities within cities. To many imported cars. Concentration on creating roads instead of public transport. (RIP Robbie, you were right!) Lots of problems there. Problems in sorting them out quickly. I can always remember the old joke where a Waikato cocky said that the best view of Auckland was in his rear vision mirror from the top of the Bombay hills. Ken	kenj (9738)
644590	2008-02-28 04:49:00	Too many road works going on that one time. Just down the road, we have council workers ripping up one third of the road for resealing, whilst leaving the other bit for traffic both ways. They never informed the locals who live there either. Heck even the council did not know what the heck was going on. And in Manukau City for the new Cavendish Drive Extension was the same. Though this time we were given a few months notice. Makes you wonder why we pay rates for then. :groan:	bob_doe_nz (92)
644591	2008-02-28 04:58:00	I'm just basing this on many other places . That is people tend to like their own cars than public transportations and are willingly to pay a premium to use their own cars . If Auckland develops more public transportation, me thinks that more people will use them but I don't believe it would help traffic significantly, cos people have this thing fixated that its my car or nothing attitude . From my overseas travels, all the major cities that have a good public transport system have traffic jams . So they end up with sardine cans in the trains and buses and on the roads its traffic . So I think maybe that as duty the govt provides people with public transportation but its not going to help road traffic . Maybe the only way to really cut the traffic is being forced to, like road tolls or private vehicles (other than commercial vehicles) not allowable into the CBD . That sorta thing . Unless you get to Hong Kong or Tokyo's scale that public transportation is the only practical way .	Nomad (952)
644592	2008-02-28 06:59:00	Auckland has a bus service that covers most of the City. It is slowly improving. There is a stigma attached to riding public transport in Auckland so those that feel that way use their cars. The main downside of Buses is that they share the same roads with the cars, apart from the new bus expressway on the North Shore. Auckland rail is minimal and I think it does get used a bit but with the same public transport stigma. Auckland compared to Wellington: Wellington has a far superior public transport system and it does seem to get used. Christchurch buses appear to be good from me as a visitor point of view. Comparing Auckland to other Cities i have been in that do have a good transport system, Auckland sux. Berlin, Munich, Melbourne, Amsterdam and many many more have made great use of trams and light rail and offer great public transport systems. We are only a population of around 4 million people, about the population of Sydney or some small USA or European cities, it is not cheap to get a good infrastructure in place but in saying that it gets more expensive every year. Maybe Auckland should not have got rid of the trams many years ago, but upgraded them instead. NZ as a whole maybe should not have got rid of it's complex national rail system many years ago.	Bantu (52)
644593	2008-02-28 07:11:00	Ripping up the tramlines because the trams held up cars! To many cities within cities . Personally, I hate the trams . Here in Chch anyway, they are annoying as heck . . . i mean sure run them when the roads are not busy, but when you're in a hurry trying to get somewhere in the middle of town and you gotta wait for a tram, it gets pretty annoying . And even worse when idiots try and pass them when you're not supposed to / can't . It would'nt be so bad if they would actually take you somewhere, but all they're really good for is a tourist attraction .	--Wolf-- (128)
644594	2008-02-28 07:40:00	I just thought that yeah NZ is small pop, no way can it afford a rail system like expanding the britomart underground via the CBD and into suburbs. A rail sys is great me thinks cos you dodge the roads. So either Auckland just improve public transport and if its still stuck in traffic just live with it, cos, Auckland is not as bad as overseas traffic of the major cities or b) road toll a lane or two - not sure as not sure of Auckland, at least traffic moves quicker. Or the other way ask people to fly helicopters and land on top of thier office building :D or build another Auckland bridge or that road under the bridge is it or something ... I heard.	Nomad (952)
644595	2008-02-28 08:15:00	Not only that, but if your in the 'lower socio economic' areas e.g anything South of Mt Wellington, you get the old derelict buses. While those in the city get all the fancy smancy super battery powered air con buses. Man I miss the old Mercedes buses they used to have. Reliable as heck.	bob_doe_nz (92)
644596	2008-02-28 10:27:00	Talking about buses I now live in the north of Wellington so we get the MAN or Mercedes :D They are newer and AC but it does still get misty inside. Even Porirua which is north than us, gets these fancy buses than the Greater Wellington. They gets a mixture I think, new and old. They are by good old Stagecoach ;) Sometime ago I caught a bus to my old suburb to see my Dr, man those are old. Wellington used to have red buses when I was a kid like 10+ years ago. Some of those buses are still being used now. The seats were hard and I had a overweight person sat next to me :rolleyes: I took up like 20% of that 2 seater seat. When I went out I thought in Wellington what can they do .. sure this what they have now is not sustainable into the future. They just did that motorway thing bypass or whatever it was called. No money so cannot build subway. The motorway is really 2 lane than a 3 lane cos when it gets to the tunnel its a 2 lane become 1 and then later it becomes 2 afterwards, too few lanes you cannot even do a toll lane. I think NZ is a bit like a small pop, it just cannot afford it. It may not be a Tokyo, I guess Hiroshima with the trams can be like Chch and maybe Auckland can be like Hakata with a small but expanded britomart. Wellington's tram is gone. I think for Wellington here maybe a monorail sys around the city. Cheaper than subway. The good thing with it is that north of it, the rail system is ok cos all it go is state highway 1 or 2 (northern east or west). I would think monorail to Newtown and Hataitia would be nice and thru to the airport so that greater Wellington is addressed. Its certainly a big project but me thinks subway is just out of reach, so maybe monorail. Roads to me appears not sustainable, build as much, it just invites more people to use it and over time it would just need endlessly expansion while the tracks you just install more carriages. Then its one thing. The Hutt Valley gets heaps of traffic, we arn't over there but there is a train going that way. Dunno. Lost. Maybe they want to drive or have to or lack of trains. Where I live I just miss the train, cos the trains goes into a hill so the both suburbs next to us get its but not us. I am sure they can knock a hole in the hill and we can wait for the trains inside that thing.	Nomad (952)
644597	2008-02-28 20:28:00	Auckland has 2 problems. It has the most people and its also long and skinny with bits of water all over the place. That makes it tricky to have decent public transport. Thats why trains don't cover all of it.	pctek (84)
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