Update on Otautahi

There's a massive amount of stuff happening in the transport/urban world in Christchurch right now. Here's a quick rundown. Spatial Plan / Rapid Transit The Greater Christchurch Partnership (Ngai Tahu, 4 x local councils, and central government) have released a bunch of material on their Spatial Plan for how the city is going to grow … Continue reading Update on Otautahi

Electric Car Update

If you don't know me in real life and only read all my blogs espousing the benefits of walking, cycling and public transport, you may be surprised to learn that I do in fact own a car and drive it sometimes. I'm in my mid-thirties and over my lifespan, jointly with my wife I have … Continue reading Electric Car Update

Urban Forest Plan Consultation

Christchurch City Council is currently consulting on a draft Urban Forest Plan. It's an interesting read. There are some great facts about trees in general - the one about intercepting rainfall is especially relevant at the moment. And then trees specifically in Christchurch. This one is such a nice infographic I almost want to print … Continue reading Urban Forest Plan Consultation

Missed, cancelled and removed bus trips in Christchurch

This is a guest post from Tim Frank. Anyone trying to catch a bus in Christchurch in the last year or so would have been frustrated by the frequent cancellations of trips, which can strike apparently randomly, but is certainly felt quite often on the Orbiter service. This comes in addition to a reduced timetable, … Continue reading Missed, cancelled and removed bus trips in Christchurch

Make Good Bus Routes Great

How do we make public transport in Christchurch better? We have several good bus routes in Christchurch that have OK frequencies, some level of bus priority and not terrible infrastructure. I think we need to focus on these routes to get them from just good, to really great. But I’ve been hearing more and more … Continue reading Make Good Bus Routes Great

Things to look out for in 2023

There's a lot lined up for 2023: national elections (and associated lolly scramble), a census, and a new mayor and council wanting to stamp their mark on the city. There are also a lot of transport projects lined up ready to go. These are a few I'm looking forward to seeing (in no particular order). … Continue reading Things to look out for in 2023

Rates on Vacant Sites

The Christchurch City Centre is in a unique position. Although the Earthquakes were 12 years ago, there are still some 300 sites sitting vacant, comprising 47 Hectares (roughly 10% of the central city). It is reducing but it's a very slow process. In 2015 there were 65 hectares of vacant land. So in the last … Continue reading Rates on Vacant Sites