Subscribe to RSSSinging In The Rain
Because public transport will not be able to carry everyone to the Eden Park games, the official view is that 3000 need to be walking to the Park.
Official estimates of how people will get to the big matches are:
- Rail Kingsland-CBD (14,500 people), Morningside-west (1500)
- Special event bus: North Shore, 40 buses (2300); Takapuna 12 buses (600); Manukau / Botany / Pakuranga 12 buses (500); Newmarket /Mt Eden 11 buses (800)
- 220 coaches (12,000)
- Cars 6400 vehicles (16,000)
- Special event buses from Midtown – 44 nuses (4800)
- Taxis (3000)
- and Walking (3000)
So I tried walking the journey last night from Queen St to the Blues game (not that I attended the actual match!).
It was easy. If you’re reasonably fit, it should not be a problem. It’s about a 40 minute trip.
The idea for the actual matches is that it will be a kind of mass school class trip, and that could be fun and boisterous especially with the different rival tribes represented.
And people shouldn’t moan about it. I’ve been in London and had to walk a couple of hours to an event. It’s the way it is for international events.
But the big problem is the weather.
Last night was not the worst of weathers and still rather humid for this time of year - but it was wet.
At Kingsland last night, fans head for the Park
When it was first talked about, crowds were walking some distance to the game in sunny conditions.
Walking to the Park earlier in the year
There is no knowing what the weather conditions will be at the height of the Rugby World Cup with the odd weather we are now having but it is safe to say at some stage we will get the usual seasonal heavy rain and windy conditions.
3000 is a sizeable number to expect to walk in those conditions.
Let’s hope any tourists of the loud moaning variety who expect better treatment decide to take the train.
6 Comments
You’ll need to remember that the weather is behaving really unusually this year. Usually by May the mountains in South Canterbury is covered in snow, but it is nearly July and there is none that I can even see yet!
Im hoping this would be a nice winter so that people in Auckland can walk to the RWC.
And that the people in Christchurch will cope more.
The weather is a key problem with the chosen route on Gt North rd - sept/oct gets very strong winds/rain - and that is a very exposed walk - straight into wind/ rain. It’s also 1km longer than the more logical route - Queen St / Ian McKinnon/Dominion rd.
That is more sheltered - and has a good line of site to the stadium/lights etc. It’s probably the route most taxis will use - so will have plenty of traffic / people about.
If the weather is really bad - they can walk along upper queen st and miss a bit of the exposed Ian Mckinnon. All in all a much better route.
The other big issue in the figures above is the huge under estimnate for taxis - a current All Black test gets 1000-1200 taxis - 3-4500 people. For the Finals, many overseas visitors are going to be taxi people not walkers…. Taxis have pretty much ignored.
As it stands now you should be able to take the train.
I am at a loss as to why the authorities keep putting trains on hold on the western line for poorly attended rugby games
There was nearly 30 buses stacked up in Fowlds Park and the western line closed for a game that drew an alleged 16000 spectators although on TV it looked a lot less.
Surely a few rugby special trains can be justified without major disruption to Auckland.
Who pays for this over estimation in public transport resources?
Apparently NO-ONE is going to cycle to the game. Yet you’re within a few kms of a lot of accommodation and entertainment (NW Cycleway is just up the road too), can go much faster than walking (and probably cars on the day) and have no parking hassles on site. I know we’re talking about Auckland but its really not THAT bad to bike. Given that the City Council is apparently looking to reinstate a hire-bike scheme for the Cup and many overseas visitors would expect reasonable cycling access to events like this, it seems a pretty bad blindspot…
Kurt, it proves that rugby fans are more important than regular passengers.
“Queen St / Ian McKinnon/Dominion rd”
Ian McKinnon Drive is getting footpath upgrades right now, but I suspect that since significant parts of that road have NO footpaths (and it’s a high-speed route still), they didn’t want to make it the main route.
Just think what the press would make of a group of drunken blokes wandering into the street somewere on the uphill stretch of Ian McKinnon, and then getting hit by a speeding downhill driver, scattering them so much like bowling pins. On Great North Road, it will be easier to keep the crowds interested and the on-road traffic slowed down.