Posts by James Butler
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I just received this message from my work web filter proxy:
You cannot access the following Web address:
http://werewolf.co.nz/The site you requested is blocked under the following categories: Pornography
It worked fine last month, so someone must have reported it since then. Where am I going to get my decent-independent-nz-journalism-porn now?
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The question is whether an airport link is the best option for expanding the network. I'd argue that there are better options if the goal is to reach the greatest number of commuters.
Botany Downs and environs is an obvious choice.
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You can get styli for capacitive screens. Not sure who stocks them in NZ.
I was thinking of trying a 1uf tantalum as an alternative.
Corner of a damp sponge works, as long as you hold the sponge with your hand.
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I suspect the difference in population density probably has something to do with the lack of public transport in Auckland
Yes - the lack of public transport options has contributed to the failure to restrict the city's urban sprawl. Or is that not what you meant...
It's true that European cities tend to have both higher urban density and better public transport than Auckland, but there are any number of sound historical reasons why that might be which don't involve positing that "public transport is only viable in high-density cities".
A more in-depth discussion is here.
Edit: LOL andrea quin, you're always just that much faster than me :-)
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Question for those who do actually catch the train to the Britomart. Several people have mentioned that the line to the Britomart is single tracked, and I'm confused because I can clearly see two tracks on Google maps, going all the way to Newmarket. Is one of these not being used? If not, why not?
I suppose you mean:
Britomart, with a single line in and a single line out
So one (1) track in plus one (1) track out = two (2) tracks. You're both right :-)
Of course either track can be either in or out, but once there is at least one train in the station (or more accurately, between Newmarket and the station), that collapses the probabilities such that the line it's in becomes the only line out, and the other the only line in.
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Nice brisk walk never hurt anyone, eh?
It has killed considerably less people than cutting back on the provision of good pensioner housing, on council sports fields or on improvements to sewage networks.
Is this the civic-government-policy equivalent to being Godwinned?
You could have an argument as to whether providing an efficient and cost-effective transport network should be part of local government's responsibility; but I didn't think we were. Accepting for the moment that it is, then it's perfectly legit to suggest spending large amounts of money when extensive analysis over a large period of time indicates that it will pay off (for all transport users, not just public transport users!) in the foreseeable future. Let's have that discussion instead...
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the major impediment to uptake of public transport is most likely to be public attitudes to sharing a ride.
Except that the experience in Auckland in the last 5-10 years is that when a service is improved by improving speed, capacity, accessibility and frequency, almost straight away heaps more people use it. Suggesting that the major impediment to uptake of public transport (in Auckland at least) is that for a large number of destinations, it sucks.
Edit: @andrea - snap
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It's pork.
Central Auckland is already provided with excellent rail coverage. An additional rail loop in the CBD would merely put 3 additional stations in central Auckland where there are already stations at Britomart, Mt Eden and Grafton.
Except the loop doesn't only add stations, it adds capacity. As Britomart is a "stub" station, as dictated by the existing configuration of lines, any train currently stopped occupies in essence a route in plus a route out - no other train can come in behind it and share the same line, unless the trains exit in reverse order to how they enter, which would be a scheduling nightmare. Making a loop allows each line through Britomart to be effectively one-way, so increasing the throughput hugely compared to what it is now.
Hopefully Mr. Arbury will turn up soon with actual numbers to supplant my hand-waving :-)
Edit: Hence the other routes you're suggesting to increase the utility of the system would be impossible without first building the loop, as the current layout in the city couldn't cope with the extra trains.
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...a laptop has too many chords out the side...
Tell me about it. I had an Autoharp like that once.
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will fix the problem
Holy reflexive hyperlink, Batman!