land taken for road does need to be paid for, and at market value too.

Mrs Skin, good point and there are usually practical reasons for most decisions (which is why some of the more absurd recent ones stand out).

Both the Eastern and Waterview motorways involve land set aside…

Anyway, I think it's a side issue too. The bigger…

Considering that Joyce always justifies his motorway building projects by stating that they will contribute to increasing wealth and economic growth, it's kind of ironic that road-building lowers property values while public transport projects increase them.

Yes, but it's only poor people whose property values are affected by motorway construction.…

They aren't either/or propositions.

Agreed. Integrating public transport and roading projects makes sense – like busways, rail or cycling with any motorways.

However, look at the constrained budgets, and the difference one plonker in office can make to where they are spent. The balance needs to be pushed a long…

Giving traffic a fully-functioning alternative route between south and west can only really be seen as a good thing. Other than that, however, there seems to be very little consideration to transport plans that don't involve laying more concrete and asphalt.

I agree, Waterview makes more sense than the Northland…

this $100 million

Isn't it also approximately the amount that would allow the electric trains to be purchased right away

Hard to tell. The actual cost doesn't seem to be anywhere. What we do know is that Wellington's getting 96 new electric railcars, the cost will be $235m, and the taxpayer's…

I'm guessing this report has done the rounds of this blog: http://www.bettertransport.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/electrification-report.pdf

Not sure what the shortfall is, but $100 million is a pretty good guess in terms of what we need extra to do electrification properly and not the half-arse job that seems…

this $100 million

Isn't it also approximately the amount that would allow the electric trains to be purchased right away, despite Joyce's interference with that process?

Result – billions of dollars later, Melbourne's traffic speeds are actually slower.

Sacha, it gets better. According to this article in Scientific American, "when planners in Seoul tore down a six-lane highway a few years ago and replaced it with a five-mile-long park, many transportation professionals were surprised to learn…

The money they're going to spend on the scoping project would pay about 2/3 of the cost of an integrated ticketing solution, including the running costs for at least a couple of years.

Yup – $100 million for scoping and property acquisition without the tiniest bit of economic justification. I…

A motorway for weekend travellers to Omaha is absurd when there are so many other transport NEEDS in the region.

The money they're going to spend on the scoping project would pay about 2/3 of the cost of an integrated ticketing solution, including the running costs for at least a…

I recommend that everyone checks out Joshua Arbury's transport blog.

I particularly enjoyed the the post about recent research into the mythical "time savings benefits" that are used to justify pumping our taxes into building more roads. Result – billions of dollars later, Melbourne's traffic speeds are actually slower. Joshua…

I thought that Auckland was finally heading towards something that resembled a half decent public transport system, but in the last 12 months it has all been going backwards.

A motorway…

In terms of working out what it's cost benefit ratio might be,…

Labour's well-dragged feet.

Quite. I understand Cullen had to be forced to witness the congested glory of the New Lynn rail/road roundabout before he finally gave its major trench separation project the green light as Finance Minister – after many years of well-reasoned reports and delegations.

Anyone who has…

We need a motorway from Warkworth to Wellsford? Really? It'll maybe save 5 minutes – probably less.

Yes, but Andre, that's five fewer minutes that it'll take Shon Key to get to/from his mansion at Omaha. These things are a matter of great national importance! Oh, and Joyce is also…

We need a motorway from Warkworth to Wellsford? Really? It'll maybe save 5 minutes – probably less.

Awwwww yeah.

If Len Brown & Mike Lee take the Greater AKL mayoralty & deputy mayoralty respectively, I hope the two of them will show who's in charge. It could lead to some interesting political dynamics, à la Livingstone-vs-Thatcher in the 1980s.

It'll be tense all right, but the real power struggle is happening…

Thanks for the kind words, Russell! You were an excellent guest — bringing, as you did, most of a whiskey distillery with you.

It was like some weird re-run of my Cuba experience in Wellington last week. I hoofed it over from the conference to Whisky Galore, bought Twiglets three…

I concluded that Joyce must be only listening to advice from his trucking and construction buddies, and viewing Auckland as a place that people and freight drive through on their way to the surrounding regions.

If Len Brown & Mike Lee take the Greater AKL mayoralty & deputy mayoralty respectively, I hope…

Since landing back in Auckland at 12.20pm I've been subject to three alarming incidents on the road, one of which I felt moved to phone in to police (drunk or drugged driver weaving wildly and sideswiping a parked car…

"Adding comments has been disabled for this video"

And Cantabrians can relax: Emma and I are arranging a book-launch for Christchurch (in fact, Mr Dalziel's name has been mentioned). Of course, I just have the…

Next week == NZ Improvisation Festival in Wellington (sloganed 'Stumbling Towards Awesome', hence Lyndon's current gravatar).

Showcasing improv for round the country & melbourne @ bats, late night jams @ fringe bar; plus there are also workshops (including for beginners)

Wellington's population has a higher density

if that's not a misspelling of destiny
are you saying they are denser/thicker in the Capital?

Oh god. I don't want to start anything. It's just that I haven't organised anything yet.

no presha... happy to help out on the ground down here if…

A lengthy Herald piece last weekend describes the situation. Rudman follows up today:

“Mr Joyce now seems to be deliberately taunting Aucklanders, promising all will be well, while slowly and publicly plucking the…

did Apple never actually do a daylight savings update for 10.3.9?

Lyndon, quite possibly not. It took them long enough to produce an official update for 10.4 – to the point that everybody here had passed around and installed at least one of the various third-party fixes before Apple even…

I don't care if every Mac product...

Having recently got broadband and finally updated the software on my eMac: did Apple never actually do a daylight savings update for 10.3.9?

I know someone else already wrote one, but that is rather a steel-brush to the white plastic of my affection…

Minister of Auckland Roads and Other Centres' Transport

lol!

Charlie Brooker on same.

Chortle. Absolute genius. "I don't care if every Mac product comes equipped a magic button on the side that causes it to piddle gold coins and resurrect the dead and make holographic unicorns dance inside your head."
That pretty much sums up my thoughts on the…

higher density

Take it we're leaving Lincoln out this time then.

I suspect the choice in this case may have more to do with where book industry people are based..

Windows 7 launch party video

Charlie Brooker on same.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyas7BrbUFY

If only Christchurch had an ista to make things happen. But look at how suckily that's turned out for Auckland

We have an "ista"? I know we have an Anti-Public Transport-ista who goes by the name of Stephen Joyce – Minister of Auckland Roads and Other Centres' Transport is his…

Wellington's population has a higher density.

Particularly in the Beehive and its precincts, right? Ho ho ho.

Wellington City Council has 179,000 people but Greater Wellington (including Hutt Valley & Porirua etc) has 460,000 versus Christchurch's 369,000.

In addition, Wellington's population has a higher density.

Also, now that I'm back, I've added a link in the original post to last night's Media7, and another to a seriously awesome Beatle rarity.

two Christchurch writers and no Chch launch?

Hard to argue with that really, especially when Welli has only half as many people.

Snap.

nonetheless looking forward to their works and words
on wood pulp rather than screen and electrical interface
a small step towards…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgvKCfZqxrQ

Via TV Tattle. Thanks to Fiona for getting me on to that site!