The Worst Journey in the World, by Appsley Cherry-Garrard is fascinating, sad, amazing...I read it while living in a weeny apartment in a crowded and hot Asian city, about as far removed from a Victorian-era Antarctic expedition as it's possible to be.

And now episode three has appeared...
The economic cost of Auckland's car dependence, flaws in Government analyses of transport projects, and manipulation of decision makers by roading lobbyists.

Does anyone think recent announcements regarding changes to Public Transport Procurement Legislation and hints of rail electrification suggest significant improvements are in the works?

Mees & Dodson have written an academic paper which recounts the history of Auckland's public transport "system", and have a go at explaining exactly why it's as rubbish as it is.

They pin the blame on our various elected and non-elected governing bureaucracies, and suggest that the Auckland publics' apparent desire for an efficient transport system has been subverted by processes and systems which favour investment in roads ahead of other modes of transport.

See Backtracking Auckland - interesting, but a wee bit depressing.