I've seen a bit of discussion recently on how dense we are in Christchurch compared to other cities around Australasia. Density is very easy to measure – it’s simply the population (which we collect every census) divided by the land area (which we know from maps). However it is notoriously easy to misinterpret, because it … Continue reading How Dense are We?
Author: chrismorahan
Christchurch Battery-Electric Buses
This is a guest post from reader Tim Frank Since 2018 battery-electric buses have been used as part of the Christchurch urban bus fleet. By now 20% of the fleet are battery-electric buses. So there’s a good chance if you catch a bus in Christchurch it would be an electric bus. So what is it … Continue reading Christchurch Battery-Electric Buses
Bus Lanes – What are They Good for?
This is an unashamed bus lane appreciation post. It's a little longer than usual, so make yourself comfortable. A new bus lane has recently opened up on Lincoln Road in Christchurch and I think it’s great. Here’s why. Research on public transport consistently shows that the biggest turn-offs for people are when it is slow … Continue reading Bus Lanes – What are They Good for?
Mass Rapid Transit Business Case
Today Christchurch City Council, Selwyn District and Waimakariri District councils all endorsed a business case for mass rapid transit, following endorsement from Ecan and Whakawhanake Kāinga Komiti over the last few days. The report came out a week ago and there's been a wee bit of coverage. Business Desk did a good technical write up, … Continue reading Mass Rapid Transit Business Case
Knock knock. Hugh’s there?
I just learned about a local hero and can't believe I'd never heard of him before now. Hugh Wilson, self-proclaimed "Fool and Dreamer". He's a botanist who took over a farm on Banks Peninsula in 1987, ceased all farming activities and basically just let the weeds grow. Somewhat unintuitively, most of the weeds that grew … Continue reading Knock knock. Hugh’s there?
Integrating Christchurch Rapid Transit
This is a guest post from reader Tim Frank. Publishing this does not necessarily correspond to agreement - just that I think it's contributing positively to the discussion. The Greater Christchurch Partnership has just finished engaging on a proposed rapid transit scheme, which they call a “turn up and go service”. This would run between … Continue reading Integrating Christchurch Rapid Transit
Better public transport for Christchurch
The Greater Christchurch Partnership are currently engaging with the public on a Rapid Transit scheme for Christchurch. One of the overriding impressions I’ve been getting from talking to people so far is that, yes rapid transit sounds great in theory, but they don't believe we'll ever see it. We’ve been talking about trains and light … Continue reading Better public transport for Christchurch
Cycle Counts part II
I posted a couple of weeks ago about how many of the cycle counters around Christchurch are going gang-busters and recording personal bests for their daily cycle volumes. However that is a bit of a simplification. When you look at different periods the story can start to get cloudy. There were requests for a comparison … Continue reading Cycle Counts part II
Christchurch cycleways smashing all sorts of records
Cyclist volumes in Christchurch have made like the Black Caps and been smashing records all over the show lately. I thought I'd take a closer look (data available here). The Antigua Street bridge is the busiest counter in the city (possibly country?), regularly clocking over 2,000 cyclists a day. But in the 4 1/2 years … Continue reading Christchurch cycleways smashing all sorts of records
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