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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →