Speaker: Living under bridges
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I've just realised what this reminds me of: the late Owen McShane's tireless campaign against tunnels:
Many of us enjoy walking. Surely, however, most of the pleasure lies in our enjoyment of the passing landscape. Will anyone enjoy walking any distance through a long tunnel beneath the harbour? Tunnels are generally frightening places to even drive through – shades of Princess Diana spring too readily to mind. The prospect of walking through a tunnel would frighten most people out of their wits. Surely the same applies to cycling. And when cyclists or pedestrians are in a tunnel they have no easy escape route from crazed drivers who delight in driving into them, or even from potential kidnappers or molesters.
Later, as he railed against a tunnel in Waterview:
Many people are uncomfortable driving in tunnels. Some call it the Princess Diana syndrome, but many people suffer from genuine claustrophobia in such environments.
We wonder why the interests of the neighbouring residents of Mt Albert are regarded so highly, while the interests of the motoring public, who pay for the project, are totally ignored.
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I kinda want to know what a cultural musing hat looks like ...
Meanwhile why do things like the skypath evoke this kind of response? There seems to be something about other people getting something good that causes some folks to go completely off the rails.
That video is bizarre as is the web page from the Waihitian.
But we see this kind of response any time some group gets benefit from government or council, those that don't benefit seem to find all sorts of bizarre reasons to object.
And as for the dangers of cyclist versus pedestrian accidents - yes injury is possible as is, in extreme cases, death. But your chance of injury or death from driving over the bridge is not zero either.
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Apologies for the digression, but I can't believe I missed that Owen McShane had died. Always had a soft spot for him -- knew his brother and niece, and had cordial if implacably opposed correspondence from time to time.
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Mikaere Curtis, in reply to
He's right, you know. During rush hour in central Auckland, Fanshawe St, Hobson St and Nelson St are utterly gridlocked in all directions by desperate and frantic drivers who will do anything to avoid the chthonic doom of the Victoria Park Tunnel.
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Just had to pop in and applaud the phrase "chthonic doom". Bravo, sir!
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Bart Janssen, in reply to
the chthonic doom of the Victoria Park Tunnel.
Not to mention all those pedestrians who ran for miles to avoid the open day.
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Jolisa, in reply to
Cultural musing hat:
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Russell Brown, in reply to
That video is bizarre as is the web page from the Waihitian.
I feel slightly bad that I've gone from "we should consider the concerns of residents in good faith" to "these people are really weird" in the course of a couple of hours.
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The fear is not entirely unfounded. Rumour has it that prior to the Tunnel opening, a thousand troglodytes descended into the darkness and held a blasphemous feast. When will we learn ?
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Sacha, in reply to
see? :)
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Glenn Pearce, in reply to
I think that might be the projected figure for between 12 and 3pm on a Summer Saturday?
I think there are some genuine safety concerns on the path with a non separated 4m wide path with a 5 degree gradient. You'll have a mix of cruise ship visitors wandering up to half way from the Northern side and weekend warriors on cycles going in both directions. The visitors will be inclined to walk on the wrong side (right) to take in the view as well. -
Brodie Davis, in reply to
Just read this article then.
http://www.metromag.co.nz/current-affairs/skypath-the-path-of-most-resistance/
and consider that the author tried quite hard to not present the NRA as a bunch of crazy nutters. The more you see of their feedback, the less credible it all becomes. and one of their main complaints is that the onstreet parking will be taken up by people who are not them (and the correct response to that is "tough"). And then consider that they blocked the council wanting to put in a cycle lane to the bridge in preperation for the skypath. It almost looks like they want skypath to be built to devonport on a non existant bridge (and to be honest, a cycle path to devonport from the city would be amazing).
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Hopefully,
all its monstrous non-negotiability
will enter the national lexicon, where it clearly belongs.
Meanwhile, has anyone ever actually driven their car off the edge of the bridge?
Remember when they put the movable median strip in place? 'Cause there were like 2 lanes of oncoming traffic at about oooh 1m separation, each travelling at 80kph without separation.
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Russell Brown, in reply to
(and to be honest, a cycle path to devonport from the city would be amazing).
That's actually looking fairly likely as a result of the Skypath decision.
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Bart Janssen, in reply to
“we should consider the concerns of residents in good faith”
And as far as I can tell the good faith concerns are being considered in good faith.
The problem is the project seems to have drawn the attention of some who are determined to oppose simply for the sake of opposition. As each genuine concern is addressed a new concern is raised, the point we appear to have reached now is the remaining concerns are ... well ... a bit odd.
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Steve Barnes, in reply to
Speaking of unloveable opposition, Janette Miller's video response to the resource consent approval, in which she depicts Skypath as a potential "death trap"
Yes, it is a strange video but that is because the production values are not as high as we expect these days, her voice is a little off putting as well.
But the fact does remain, if the Sky Path attracts the patronage required for the Council to not have to compensate the operators then stampede is a real danger.People thronged to the grand opening on May 24, 1883. On that single day an estimated 150,000 pedestrians paid the one penny toll to walk across it. On May 30, 1883, the bridge was, as always, crowded with hundreds of people walking across, it when someone in the crowd shouted out “the bridge is collapsing!” Many in the public were still apprehensive of this gigantic and unprecedented construction of man, and when they heard this cry (untrue though it was), they believed it. In the resulting panic to get off the bridge, 15 people were trampled to death.
10 Tragic Human Panics and Stampedes
PATRICK WEIDINGER NOVEMBER 26, 2010
I do think that this kind of disaster could be at least mitigated if not nullified by having free access and sod the company that wants to make some cash out of it. The Council should, through the poor ratepayer, who actually gets quite a bit for less than the price of a packet of fags a day, stump up the whole amount in the name of public safety, after all, not having to set up toll collection and its associated running costs would save a large amount of the project's cost. -
Mikaere Curtis, in reply to
I feel slightly bad that I’ve gone from “we should consider the concerns of residents in good faith” to “these people are really weird” in the course of a couple of hours.
What is it about bridges and trolls ?
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Steve Barnes, in reply to
Cultural musing hat:
This one sprang to my mind...;-)
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Dont we have an existing 'Skypath' under a motorway bridge- Mangere Bridge motorway
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If interference between cyclists and pedestrians becomes too much of an issue, maybe a dedicated footpath could be added to the outside, using some sort of clip-on mechanism.
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Sacha, in reply to
free access and sod the company that *needs* to make some cash out of it.
fixed it for you. transport authorities have had over a decade to pull finger themselves.
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C for culture
C for cap
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Kumara Republic, in reply to
Meanwhile why do things like the skypath evoke this kind of response? There seems to be something about other people getting something good that causes some folks to go completely off the rails.
These objectors seem to be cut from the same cloth as those who want the RMA thrown on a bonfire, yet will be more than happy to use it if a wind farm or a Manhattan-style apartment is proposed.
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Allan MacLachlan, in reply to
The pathway under the Mangere Bridge motorway is not particularly nice. However there is an alternative not so far away over the old Mangere Bridge that is far more conducive to walking and cycling (and fishing, boating).
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Sofie Bribiesca, in reply to
Wind farm, they are noisy. What I saw and liked in the UK was wind farms in the ocean. Wind win I say. ;)
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