As a reluctant blogger, I’ve been bewildered by the success of AKT and its undeniable influence. First launched as aucklandtrains.co.nz, it began as an independent voice for improvement to Auckland rail pressing for a City rail loop and airport rail link long before it became fashionable and a key part of Auckland Council’s Plan.

I have created thousands of posts of original copy and there are more than 20,000 photos documenting the important last four years of Auckland’s development including the march towards rail electrification – photos and coverage not found anywhere else online. For that reason, the site remains live for the time being.

But this is my last post.

I want to especially thank those who have helped – you know who you are. Besides readers there have been the politicans both from central and local government, officials and staff from Auckland Transport, NZTA, KiwiRail, Auckland Council, Greater Wellington Council, Veolia, and others.

You’ve answered my queries, slipped me stuff and taken issue with me while recognising I’m entitled to my opinion. You are good people with your heart in the right place.

You, the reader, who have commented on articles have helped make what a good site should be – a lively vehicle for important debate. You have been awesome.

My favourite comment contributor remains a certain right wing Nat party politician with a good sense of humour who always got a bite but was remarkably and no doubt deliberately moderate here compared to what he does say in the more official public arena.

No-one ever guessed it was you, which was hilarious. Sir, your secret remains totally safe with me!

Thanks too to those in the mainstream media & Scoop who have paid me respect, quoted me, communicated with me, exchanged tips and even worked discretely together on stories. That has meant a lot.

In a few days from writing this, I will enjoying faster integrated public transport in Australia as I have in just the last few weeks decided to sadly join the brain drain.

Why? I love NZ , would love to stay and love running this site which is enjoying huge popularity and has a busy but fun project.

Auckland under Mayor Len Brown has offered a 30 year or so vision for how Auckland should be and it’s starting to show improvement that makes me believe it will become the exciting liveable city he wants it to be but he’ll need central Government to let him get there.

Nationally all our politicians are so focus-group obsessed they aren’t prepared to think beyond next week’s opinion polls let alone give us a vision of how NZ will ride out the world’s gloomy financial situation and take bold brave innovative moves to guarantee our future.

I want them to try things.

Why is there no gathering of ex-pats who have made their name overseas to find out what would entice them home or what they have learnt in the big wide world and trends they have been picked up that could be applied here.

No gathering of the creative bold thinkers amongst us to find out how to collectively work out solutions that ride above the usual gutter politics so that politicians from across parties work in the bigger interests of New Zealand to craft a long-term vision they buy into.

My reluctant decision to join the exodus is not financially driven as the media usually portrays in discussing why people move.  It’s because I’m increasingly frustrated if not depressed that NZ could be so much better, so much more interesting, and more able to hang on to people so they can do stuff here and still enjoy the lifestyle that makes NZ special.

I want to thrive in an environment that is positive, looks ahead not just obsessing about wrongs of the past and understands where the world is at in 2012 including in terms of transport, an issue obviously dear to my heart. And with a thousand people heading off a week, too many of my like minded friends have already made the move and I am sick of reading their Facebook posts about their life in their new world and how much more positive they feel about navigating the stormy global uncertainties ahead.

I’m not so naive as to assume Australia is nirvana without its own problems but it’s a big place and it will be a start, however hard it is to wrench myself away from family and friends, replace a nice laid back comfort zone at the bottom of the world  and, to be honest, to write these words that means this post signals the end of the fun of providing this site.

My blogging days are parked  so don’t expect an Australian AKT.  For as long as I can afford it, I’ll leave this running for a little longer as an historical  online record of  what’s happened over the last few years.

That’s it. Thank you. Good luck.

Jon C

Here were AKT’s craziest moments 

My wish list to Santa is very small and reasonable in view of the economic times:

• Full government funding of the City Rail Link
• An Auckland airport rail service
• Immediate implementation of full integrated ticketing
• Bus & train real time information signs that actually work
• A tunnel harbour crossing that allows for rail
• Queen Street to be closed to traffic at all times
• An Auckland Harbour Bridge cycleway
• Adequate funding for much needed railway station upgrades
• A government that accepts the wishes of Auckland Council’s project list

Santa better deliver!

That debate is back on the table after the recently established Productivity Commission released its report on the NZ housing situation – and challenges the Auckland Plan which tries to halt the march towards rural land on the outskirts of Auckland.

In fact it demands the draft Auckland (Spatial) Plan be reconsidered.

The Auckland Plan calls for an ambitious 75 per cent of growth over the next 30 years to be contained within urban boundaries.

The commission argues that home ownership will continue to elude many Kiwis unless bold changes are made.

Commission Chair Murray Sherwin argues that the 2001-2007 housing boom was unprecedented with house prices almost doubling over that period and young people and those on lower incomes especially in Auckland are missing out on getting their first home.

The Commission believes that the doubling of property prices over the last decade could be alleviated by an increase in land supply, improvement in consenting processes, streamlining of regulation, and reform of conventional building practices. These changes would lessen the proportion of incomes committed to housing, bringing a much improved standard of living to residents.

How far should Auckland spread?

The Commission  is likely to be taken seriously by the Government. The Commission  which is also called Te Komihana Whai Hua o Aotearoa (the Commission that pursues abundance for New Zealand) – is an independent Crown Entity that began operating  in April.

It describes its work on productivity as being “largely at the ‘framework’ level – that is, helping the Government to improve the laws, regulations, institutions and policy choices that guide and incentivise how individuals, businesses and other organisations make their decisions.”

The Commission’s key recommendations include:.

• Reconsideration of Auckland’s draft spatial plan. Auckland faces significant housing affordability challenges and the Commission found its current plan, with a target of accommodating 75% of new homes within existing urban boundaries, will be difficult to reconcile with affordable housing.
• The urgent need for more land to be opened up for housing, especially in urban areas, because sections now average about 40% to 60% of the cost of a house
• Improved processes for consenting, to speed up the service and lower costs.
• Improving how local council development charges for infrastructure are calculated and applied,including making them reviewable. The Commission found the current model has too much regionalvariation and is not transparent.
• The Commission considers that there is scope to improve productivity in the home construction sector and endorses the work of the Building and Construction Sector Productivity Partnership,established in 2010 as a joint industry-government initiative.

This issue has important implications for Auckland’s future public transport needs – as pointed out today by Stephen Selwood, CEO of NZ Council for infrastructure Development in the wake of the Commission’s report.

He says the report provides a timely warning that urban containment can have a negative influence on housing affordability in New Zealand’s faster growing cities.

“Past experience with urban intensification undertaken in isolation of public transport development in some areas of Auckland has also resulted in increased dependence on private motor vehicles and greater risk of urban congestion than traditional urban sprawl.”

Ranui is getting electric trains but some developing areas have limited PT

The Auckland Plan calls for an ambitious 75 per cent of growth over the next 30 years to be contained within urban boundaries. Urban intensification through smaller section sizes, developed with multilevel attached housing is intended to result in more affordable housing and enable greater density to support investment in public transport.

Stephen Selwood says that he believes past experience has produced completely opposite outcomes.

“Constraints on land availability leads to an increase in land values. This, combined with the higher construction costs of multi-level development, forces prices to rise – worsening housing affordability and reducing home ownership.

“In addition, failure to provide public transport that meets people’s mobility needs forces car dependence. Greater density means more cars per square kilometre of urban development, leading to increased congestion on adjacent road networks.

“An example of a Council attempting to achieve land use goals without satisfying the mobility needs of residents can be seen in Flat Bush in south east Auckland. Planned under the old governance regime, parts of Flat Bush represent relatively high density living without high density transport solutions, such as rapid transit, or proximity to employment and recreational opportunities.

“Property sizes tend to be in the order of 300m2, or less than half the size of more traditional stand-alone unit properties. Interestingly, unit floor space has remained relatively large often acomodating multiple families or shared living situations to spread cost. The need for mobility across Auckland for access to jobs has meant a doubling of private motor vehicles per square kilometre of development. The result is a much more intense living environment, and streets and sections crammed with cars.

“Compare that to a more traditional urban design. The cost difference, at around 25% per cent higher per square metre of floor space ($4,000/m2 in Flat Bush apartment living versus $3,000/m2 in Botany Downs and Flat Bush de-tached living).

“If Auckland Council is to gain greatest advantage from a more compact urban form, it is going to have to maximise the level of intensification in sought after urban areas which are well serviced by existing and proposed public transport investment. These areas include the CBD, Newmarket, New Lynn and Onehunga.

“Blanket intensification over the region will not only incentivise the delivery of lowest cost units by a market under pressure to meet land use objectives, but will likely result in a doubling of cars per hectare, increased congestion and a loss of liveability.”

Large blocks of land are being subdivided for housing or even motorway extensions

Will the Commission’s report, backed by business interests like Business NZ, force through a change?

The Council’s chief planner is reported today as pointing out the Spatial Plan is just a draft so “We are amenable to changes.”

Expect fireworks.

It was the first time the penny may have dropped for many in realising  that some disruptions start from now, prior to the full closedown.

You can read in faces the initial panic about .. how the hell will I get to where I am going from Monday.

I remain very disappointed that Auckland Transport has chosen to treat their regular fare-paying customers with such disdain. We all understand the need for network work to take place – it has happening at weekends for years. And the Christmas month long closedown is an accepted tradition. The work being done will benefit us all in the long-run.

But the main reason for bringing this forward this year – because of the one-day music festival Big Day Out- is outrageous. Regular commuters had to put up with being treated poorly for many weeks of the RWC. They came back to the trains afterwards but are now rewarded with this at the most stressful time of year.

Even though tertiary and other educational institutions have closed for the year and businesses are winding down, there is a lot to achieve in a short time for most of us. Many businesses are still in full flight. The last thing we need is to face interruptions to our journeys.

My most-used phrase on this site is that if public transport is not reliable people will not get out of their cars and use it. It’s the main reason people give me for not even trying to use public transport.

To mess with regulars such a short time after the RWC suggests they are easily dispensable.

Big Day Out 2012 in January is already a watered-down festival and may be the last one ever. The diluted line-up may well have put BDO veterans off already especially as there are so many summer music festivals happening over January with interesting lineups.That’s certainly what regulars I know tell me.

Music fans head for Mt Smart stadium

Buses already run to BDO and as buses were used to get the 50,000 to Western Springs for the Foo Fighters (admittedly in this case with disastrous project management) why do trains have to be used? AT said it’s a commercial agreement that exists between NZ Bus and Big Day Out for bus shuttle services from the top of Queen Street to Mt Smart.

“However, says AT, “this service has not met public transport demand historically and a special event rail service (fare paying) has been historically operated to meet the additional demand.”

Isn’t that selective use of the “historical” facts. The fringe bus service to BDO was never the only option so it’s inevitable people would chose to catch trains nearer their home than coming all the way into the CBD then walk all the way up Queen St to Real Groovy near Mayoral Drive to catch a bus. Putting on buses as was done for Foo Fighters has not be tried so why argue this using the fringe bus service done before as saying buses don’t work.

Buses were used during the RWC so why do they not work for special events anymore?

The report on this to the AT board justified an earlier closedown as impacting only a maximum of 2,850 passenger trips per day including both inbound and outbound while a closure when Big Day Out was one (January 18-25) would affect a maximum of 3,150 passenger trips per day including both inbound and outbound. This represents about 20% of the daily network usage. Therefore, it believed the minimum impact on regular commuters will be pre-Christmas closure.

Agreed that this is the best of two evils. But shame on AT for choosing the option that once again penalises those who continually support public transport, not offer up a decent bus service instead to those who use public transport once a year only when it is convenient.

Last night I had to walk away from the Foo Fighters public transport shambles it was so depressing. And it was happening almost exactly where the opening night fail occured.

Buses were to be operating every 5 minutes from Quay St around the back of the Britomart at the foot of Queen St.

The shambles resembled all the bad mistakes of the RWC opening night and gave me bad memories of that night .

• There seemed to be no info people visible and everyone was asking WTF was going on.
• No helpful signage. Many people from out of town or not used to buses were actually wandering around town asking how they get the buses -I answered a number of them
• Queues in all directions snaking right around the street
• Ticket collectors selling tickets in the middle of it with no semblance of an ordered queue
• No clear indication you used the same ticket home
• Ticket collectors mixed up in between people hawking Foo Fighter T-shirts
• No queueing barricades  as were also missing on opening night of the RWC so by the time it snaked around streets no one knew where the queue started
• Footpaths were blocked by people queueing while normal city workers were trying to find a way to walk along Quay St
• And after 20 minutes when I was there around 6pm, still no bus had arrived!
• To make the issue worse it was raining – but the crowd, excited about the show, was very well-mannered until they started despairing they would not get to see opening acts or even arrive in time

SHAMBLES: Foo Fighters bus snaking queue

It all had horrible memories of that awful RWC night and the potential for people to lose it.

RWC OPENING NIGHT: They queued around Britomart in frustration to get in to get a train

Did authorities underestimate how many people would use the buses even though promotors had emailed ticketholders to use buses because of limited parking near Western Springs and road closures – and AT had also publicised the public transport arrangements which looked good on paper.

Or can Auckland simply not cope with an event involving 50,000 trying to get somewhere in the middle of a weekday rush hour?

The rest of the RWC fixtures worked well – but most were not on a week night at rush hour and thousands picked to walk for fear of not getting to the event because of the opening night fail.

And buses use roads so once they had dropped Foo Fighter fans at Western Springs they had to battle rush hour traffic to get back to pick up more people.

As unprintable comments flowed around me about what people thought of the public transport in Auckland, I elected to walk to the stadium.
On the way I found others did too – but many people would not have know how to get through the back streets of Ponsonby to find Western Springs.

Why was the Fan Trail – a fan trail to Western Springs – not thought of?

It was a manageable walk not that much further than Eden Park was?

FAN TRAIL: Worked well and very popular

Other factors highlighted the Auckland problems.
Auckland motorists seem incapable of adjusting to driving in the rain and I saw some crazy irresponsible behaviour as one often does when the day turns wet.

But what else was going on with public transport?
I passed the Kingsland station where announcements were being made apologizing for delays.
At one stage I also tried to get a LINK bus from Albert St to at least get to Ponsonby.

In the course of 30 minutes, 2 LINK buses showed on the sign as being minutes away and then becoming DUE and then the kiss of death -DLY. And then vanishing never ever to turn up.

Public transport is only useful when it is reliable and this joke with the electronic signs has gone too far. The same thing happened twice last week when I tried to get an Outer Link.

In all cases they lost my custom and made me feel less inclined to use the service in future when you need to get somewhere and believe a service turns up every 15 minutes but then doesn’t.

Was last night’s LINK problem a sign that public transport generally falls apart if  extra pressure is put on for a special event?

But let’s not get distracted.
I’ve had heaps of complaints about the Foo Fighters shambles today. Many said they gave up even trying for a bus back. And they lose faith in Auckland public transport which is always the sad thing. You won’t get people out of their cars if they have one bad experience with PT.

Typical of the complaints was this one from “OrangeKiwi”:

“Well, transport to the gig was a disaster. Could’ve taken the Outer Link to St Lukes and walk a short distance (1.2k I think), but for some reason opted to go 2 Britomart and catch one of the special buses instead.

Bad choice. It was very busy (as you would expect) but no communication whatsoever, ended up in a queue with other people who had no clue about what was going on either. After having waited in the queue for 30mins we found out from other people in the queue you couldn’t pay on the bus and there was a separate queue for tickets. No word on that on any website beforehand, no signs placed on location and no-one there to tell us about this.

That ticket queue went at least one and a half time around the block of buildings (bordered by Quay, Commerce, Tyler, Queen St) and was hardly moving. Looked liked it was going to take an hour at least just to get the tickets – then back to the second queue for boarding.

So just like many, many others we ventured off into Queen St and surrounding areas looking for a taxi. It was crazy, but managed to find one. Those taxi drivers had one of the best nights I can tell you.

On the way back we just went for a taxi straight away, which was fast and easy as – our taxi driver commented to us that the taxi pickup area was extremely well organised for once. Apparently the buses were still not leaving by the time we got home (it’s about 7k).

Foo Fighters rocked though, had a good night out…

Yes, at least Foo got it right.

It sets in chain a bid to covert the next trophy in the cabinet: the Auckland mayoralty.

One should expect no less from a crafty former foreign trader. About the only thing that has not gone right in the three years of National’s first term was that after all the drama of ending Auckland’s dysfunctional local government, the wrong man got to take charge.

John Banks, the man publicly supported at an annual National Party conference as its preferred choice for the Auckland supermayoralty, missed out. He is of course back in National’s fold in a clever ploy as a quasi-National MP set up to execute some more extreme right wing things that some in Cabinet wished they could do but would be politically risky if branded National.

But that still annoys National as it leaves Auckland’s mayoralty in the hands of a Labour supporter who keeps raving on about what some in National sarcastically term Len’s train set proposals. There are potential National friendly people in waiting to stand this time next year to challenge Brown. Auckland Councillor Cameron Brewer is the most visible but other names being whispered even include the actual architect of the supercity, Rodney Hide, if he hasn’t been given an overseas appointment by then. Public memories fade and the Tea cup Epsom saga triggered some nostalgia for the still likeable politician.

GERRY BROWNLEE; Mr Christchurch

So why Brownlee?

• Steven Joyce has become the most influential member of Cabinet and is now unstoppable as Da Man after being campaign manager for National’s win. He wants to be finance minister but dumping Bill English would cause uncertainty during the wobbly economic times and make a loyal Key lieutenant grumpy. So while English can continue to pour accountant eyes over the spreadsheets and take credit for the Budget, Joyce has become the true economic powerhouse, charged as the Mr Economic Fix it guy to create economic growth in these difficult times. He also can continue his pursuit of making tertiary education courses and degrees what he considers more relevant for the workforce and trim waste from the tertiary budgets.
• Giving one of the tight four (Key, English, Brownlee and Joyce)  the transport portfolio enables the Mafioso to keep it safely in The Family. Giving transport to some new kid on the block, even Joyce think alike and former associate minister Nathan Guy, opens up the risk of a re-think on some aspects of the Joyce doctrine or the chance a more novice pair of hands could be persuaded to consider something that doesn’t fit the policy to date. So expect no change from the set direction, thanks to Gerry’s old school thinking about the portfolio.
• A line missed by commentators yesterday is that infrastructure is now folded directly into Bill English’s finance portfolio, While English has always been infrastructure minister as well as finance, these are now one enabling infrastructure decisions to be around dollars and cents, based on their economic implications with no wriggle room for sentimentality.
• Brownlee is another of National’s election heroes. Besides boosting his own majority in Ilam, he helped wipe out Labour’s long-held hold over the Christchurch area with National winning seats previously held by Labour. Even taking into account some of the city’s Labour-voting displaced unemployed  workers may have left the country in search of a new beginning and employment post-quake and so not around to vote, National’s victory was large enough to be seen as a clear vote of confidence in the way the Government had tried to address the disaster.
• To some in the North, the Minister for Earthquake Recovery’s TV appearances tend to come across as that of a stubborn bombastic bumbling Cartman-type cartoon character. Christchurch still feels a shambles with not enough being done. Those in the South, obviously see a different picture closer to hand. The Christchurch recovery is going to bite heavily into the government’s coffers this term – including repairing Christchurch’s transport.

Brownlee has never expressed any love for Auckland’s transport wishlist and a scroll through the last six years of Hansard suggests the Minister does not have a lot of time for rail either especially the buyback arrangements for the trains. Like Joyce he has acknowledged rail’s role in moving freight –something he can visibly see helping move goods around the tricky terrain of the South Island.Understandably he doesn’t get commuter rail as you don’t see many trains while growing up in Christchurch.

Buses work fine as long as the road infrastructure is in place and not earthquake damaged. It will be Brownlee’s job to argue that with his knowledge of how much money has to be spent on Christchurch, there is no way Auckland can argue for money to be spent on a CBD rail link.

He will certainly be able to persuade the rest of the Auckland-hating country.

LEN BROWN: Brownleee won't make him happy

Mayor Brown will be able to go to his next election and say the designation for the Link has progressed and now it’s just a matter of finding the funding. But the problem is that  without any Government funding Brown will have to argue what some will see as unpalatable funding options such as bridge tolls and congestion charges and even those sort of measures may still not be enough to get it across the line.

A critical paper on funding options is expected before Council early in the year. At the election, a National candidate like Brewer will also strongly argue this is not the time for such projects which does not weigh up economically.

So under clever Key’s wand,Brownlee keeps transport in a safe pair of hands, being a trusted MP from the South Island, not swayed by Auckland’s ambitions.
He will be fixated on continuing to be a champion for the provinces, spending what money can be spared on increasing the smaller region’s economy such as repairing Christchurch and boosting North Auckland’s roading.
It’s true Aucklanders have expressed a wish for the train set.

But by this time next year, the chances are that a European-led recession will be biting and already some Auckland industries are reporting a worrying slowdown. It may be the last priority on people’s mind.

• Footnote: Since writing this, my attention has been drawn to a post today by Whaleoil blogger Cameron Slater – who is very close to the National Party in Auckland. It imagines a meeting between Brownlee and Brown in the New Year with the conversation going along the lines of:

Gerry: “While you push for a rail loop that neither you nor I can afford, people in Christchurch are expecting a sewer and water system to be rebuilt, along with homes on solid land, after the year from hell we had last year.”

Len: “Christchurch’s problems are big, but we need to improve Auckland too”

Gerry: “And that’s why we will be building a road of national significance, recently mandated by the voting public, to help free up transport and economic growth for the North of Auckland and beyond. The whole reason why you now have a supercity is so you can deal with your own problems. It’s your own damn fault you over-promised on projects you can’t deliver.”

Len looks downfallen. An advisor brings in a plate of pies. Gerry helps himself.

Thus ends the first and only meeting between Len Brown and Gerry Brownlee, the new Minister of Transport.

Here’s my earlier post (and I’m pleased to be told Mr Shearer did read it at the time)
–

It’s bizarre watching Labour continue to commit suicide.

Unless the party chooses Mt Albert MP David Shearer as leader and Jacinda Ardern as deputy, they’ll be relegated to be a minor opposition party behind the Greens and potentially NZ First.

Even then there is no guarantee they have a future.

It’s extraordinary to see potential self-obsessed leaders scrambling around trying to crunch the numbers to become the leader, while it is only Shearer who is making speeches warning the core of the party is rotten and doomed unless they wake up.

Read the speech that Shearer made yesterday about a vision for NZ and admitting Labour needs to change – when have you ever heard any of the other hopefuls express such a wordly grasp of the issues?

“The Labour Party needs to be articulating a vision and narrative that inspires New Zealanders.

The party, as I said before, should be the voice of the dreams and aspirations of New Zealanders.

We need seriously think how we do that….

In my view we need to re-think our economy. This requires us to rethink the way we harness our science and innovation, and the way we unleash for people new opportunities in education and training….

We will be travelling through some difficult economic times in the coming months.

It will require some bold thinking…

The government’s current ‘strategy’ goes something like this: as China and Asia grows richer they will demand a higher protein diet. We grow protein, therefore we’re ideally positioned.

That’s a hope, not a strategy. We hope that it changes out there, so we won’t have to change here – so we can continue doing more or less the same thing as we’ve done the 1960s.

We need to shape our own future, not simply rely on the prosperity of others. We are an inventive people but we have relied on a number 8 wire mentality to see us through.

Great ideas, but too often we fail to commercialise them.”

Labour MP David Shearer on a train station

Labour’s basic fault is that they so underestimated John Key during the previous campaign, they went into shock and denial when Helen Clark was defeated and for the past three years blamed it on everyone but themselves, arrogantly thinking people made a mistake in voting them out when their policies were sure to have been right.

They have never fronted up to the public in a mea culpa moment to say they went too far with what become widely perceived as too extreme social liberal and controlling nanny state policies. That perception, enforced by exaggerated media coverage about regulations controlling hot water pressure in the last stages of the campaign, helped topple Clark’s government.

They had three years to come through with a fresh face and a vision but left everything to the last minute – and instead of a change at the top when it obvious Goff couldn’t compete with the popular Key, still fronted with a well meaning and good man but one from yesterday and tainted with all that had gone before including Labour’s asset sales Rogernomics era. There was never time to understand the reformed Goff who now did not believe in asset sales.

Ironically Chris Carter’s failed coup predictions about a massive Goff failure came back to bite them where it hurts.

They left it too late to announce policy even though they knew media would be obsessed with the RWC for 2 months and they had to make an impression before then.

In the short timeframe after the RWC, the public was weary, too weary to take in new complex policies with lots of fine print and and wanted the campaign over with and delivered simply. There was never going to be enough time to warm to Goff.

During the election they seemed to be making it up on the spot – a fact admitted by MPs when challenged why they opposed raising the super age a few months ago and then suddenly endorsed it. They admitted that policy was decided only a fortnight before its release. Remind me what the campaign strategy was suppose to be or is it that there wasn’t one? The latter seemed likely.

The party made mistake after mistake during the campaign including talking up more taxes including a Capital Gains Tax that was too complex to grasp.

Then it alienated its elderly base.

By raising the spectre of a super age raise, it sent nervous old people back into the hands of Winston Peters even though if they had read the fine print to see they’d be dead by the time it happens. Winston is that nice man who had given them free public transport and wouldn’t do such horrible things to them.

For a while Goff was kept hidden, then he pushed in front trying to smile and wave and kiss babies like Mr Popular. Just who did the media masters think they were fooling?

Yet Goff was out of the race early on,  the moment John Key challenged him on his policy numbers – and media replayed endlessly the “Show me the Numbers” line from the Christchurch Press online debate.

Yet Goff still bumbled along unable to deliver the figures when given the opportunity in two subsequent TV appearances a week or so later. This just enabled the “Show me the Numbers” soundbite to be repeated again ad nauseam to accompany the new shambles.

I can’t see how either finance spokespeople Cunliffe or Parker have the nerve to say they were not responsible for making sure Goff had those numbers and despite their denials one can only speculate whether it was part of a motive to make Goff look bad so they could soon get to jockey to satisfy their own hunger for the position.

Labour MP David Cunliffe has always shown leadership ambitions

In the final fatal blow, on election day, thousands of the Labour faithful either couldn’t vote for Goff and hated the alternatives so stayed away.

A taxi driver I had on the night before the election told me he had always voted Labour and hated National but could not bring himself to vote for Goff who had no credibility in his eyes and no sound policy so he was not going to vote. As a Mt Albert electorate voter, he was very impressed with Shearer and wished he was leader.

A sign of how low the coffers have got for Labour was seen when the once strongholds of West Auckland and Christchurch vanished from Labour’s strong grasp this election. Their remaining lonely supporters seem to be in South Auckland or staunch members of unions.

Urban liberals have flocked to the Greens, a party that feels young, energetic, honest and relevant. It has a bloody good public transport policy. It’s about the future and a smart intelligent looking Russell Norman and Metiria Turei have shed the party’s hippie overtones.

With more MPs to make a noise in this incoming parliament, the Greens will increase their visibility and popularity.

Yet under MMP, Greens will need more friendly partners like Labour to be able to form the numbers to be a voice in government.

For Labour’s pending leadership decision, Labour should not let the self-serving MPs  in caucus make their decision from the slim pickings – slim thanks to the party’s (again self-serving) union-driven choice of list MPs which prevented new fresh blood entering parliament.

However much it rankles, like it or not, a largely apathetic population, happy with their lot under president Key,  and celebrity-driven media, thriving on scandal for ratings,  have reduced politics to being all about personalities.

An independent  marketing team  should be brought in for Labour to pick someone to match Brand Key, a brand many women admit they find sexy. In Election Idol, Cunliffe and Parker would be eliminated from the survivor island immediately.

Here’s my take on how the hopefuls look on TV alone – not knowing any of them. This is how they come across on screen to me – not how they are in person. I am sure they are lovely people. These days, TV image is everything as we know from smiling and wave happy chappy Key.

Cunliffe does not have the looks and appears conceited, arrogant and aloof. He doesn’t smile and looks like a head prefect bully. His offsider Nanaia Mahuta looks scruffy and angry, a poor woman’s Tariana Turia.

Parker with his timid voice looks like an ineffective accountant who would run for miles in a crisis and – yes a sad indictment on society – Grant Robertson, as an openly gay person, will encounter some prejudice including from the Labourites who voted back in Damian O’Connor on the West Coast after his much-applauded attack on Labour having become a gaggle of gays.

By contrast Shearer comes across as a natural and honest, a kind of Kiwi blokey-er Key. Someone with an amazing backstory about leading teams in war-torn Iraq for humanitarian work for the UN.

I had several conversations with him during the Mt Albert by election (when he was on rail stations) and he came across as intelligent, upfront and in tune with people’s emotions. He can relate easily to people. There were lovely shots of him hanging out with primary kids in a low-decile school during a pre-election TV profile on The Saturday morning Nation programme. I can’t imagine Cunliffe and Parker doing hi fives down with the kids.

And that’s, pardon the pun, the key. New Zealand has become closer to a laid back Pacific nation of late where people are more relaxed. Shearer, like Key, has that air about him in his public appearances. Voters don’t do scary stern and grimace any more after too many years of the Clark era.

The stern-faced Cunliffe and Parker come across with the Labour disease highlighted by Clark and Cullen of academic aloofness and looking ill at ease out of their comfort zone. Remember Clark looking like a duck out of water when she swapped the opera for a Warriors game.

Jacinda Ardern does have sex appeal – a good look for the TV cameras- and is young fresh and also not tainted. She may be inexperienced in politics but will soon learn.

Again image is everything. She would help bring the needed generational change to the Labour leadership.

I have no personal stake in what happens to Labour.

But in the interests of democracy we need a strong opposition, not one party that will continue to dominate decision-making. And the energised Greens need some energy around them.

Prime Minister John Key and an equally smiling transport minister Steven Joyce today opened the new $47m two-lane Kopu bridge and the public was able to go for a stroll before traffic uses it from Monday.

The project involved the construction of a new 580m-long, two-lane bridge over the Waihou River, a new four-leg, two-lane roundabout at the junction of SH25 and SH26, and 2.5km of associated approach roads, including a new link road to SH26 east of the bridge.

The new bridge is 12.95m wide with 3.5m wide traffic lanes, 1.2m shoulders and a combined pedestrian/cycle lane on the north side of the bridge.

This pedestrian/cycle lane is separated from the traffic lanes by a concrete barrier with designs cast in the concrete.

The new $47m Kop[u bridge | NZTA

Kopu bridge was finished ahead of schedule | NZTA

The new bridge is built on soft soils, the piles are up to 55m deep, and 6-8 piles are required to support each bridge pier. NZTA Project Services Manager Bryce Carter says that if all the piles were laid end to end, they would reach from Kopu to Thames.

The piles extend up to 55m into the bed of the Waihou River. Soils in this area are soft silts laid down by the river over thousands of years, so long piles were needed to support the weight of the bridge.

Kopu bridge construction last June

The project was begun under Labour but the National Government brought it forward in 2009 as part of the government jobs and growth plan. The government says the project created 50 jobs that would not have been available and local services were able to supply their input.

It was due to be finished about mid-2012.

Obviously it’s been finished ahead of time so can be used at Christmas when there can be queues of cars for 10 kilometres.

Waiting to cross the old bridge

I’ve been stuck in such queues at that time of year – and am looking forward to trying out the new bridge on Christmas Day.

And I love HOP. It’s so much easier than waiting for your ticket to be clipped -so last century- and it gives you more flexibility as you can decide to “hop” off whenever you choose if you make a last minute decision to go further on the journey than would otherwise have meant paying an additional stage as you got on.

But 2 issues on buses are proving to be a frustrating distraction.

For the 5th bus day in a row, I have encountered a selfish seat hog who has put his bag on the seat next to him and not removed it although he can see the morning peak hour bus is filling up with adult passengers who have to stand.

Four of the offenders so far have been male tertiary students who get off at Wellesley St. Even if they are iPodders, they have visibly gazed around and noticed even elderly people standing – and that’s what makes me angry.

These are elderly people who should get the seats – seats which have included those 4 facing each other at the front of the bus which have signs saying elderly and mothers should take priority. I know some people have a social issue with those seats as you are staring right in the face of someone facing you but that is no excuse to then prevent someone from sitting next to you. It’s totally self-centred mean selfish behaviour.

Why don’t you stand up if you find those seats socially uncomfortable to deal with?

Offenders are mostly around 18 to 25 but it’s not exclusively a generational problem. The fifth offender I spotted was a grey haired woman who put her normal sized handbag on the seat. In none of the other cases was anyone carrying excessive luggage, just their normal small backpack.

Unfortunately I am always standing towards the rear of the bus watching it so am not close enough to say anything and I am bewildered why the Kiwi politeness comes into play as no one ever tells them off.

But then maybe it’s not just a Kiwi thing as even on a US site there’s a comment about the same problem that says:

“I admit, I do nothing to protest (unless quietly fuming and shooting dirty looks at the offending party counts). Like me, most people are too polite to question it and I’m not sure it would really be worth it to speak up and make a scene. I’m curious if others have see this occur. Are these people oblivious or just inconsiderate? Or could there actually be a legitimate reason for seat hogging?”

I notice reports around the world  like this story about “ugly commuters” in Singapore that publish photos of offenders. I was bitten badly by  the dear old Herald which wrote up my fat people on bus story and lied that I was photographing fat people on buses, which I wasn’t and had used an image posted in the US for that particular post.

Thanks to them, I got seriously nasty threats from obese people, human rights advocates and staunch feminists from all over the world who sent in vile personal emails or posted their views on their own sites.

So for now, no faces of the famous five on the bus! This was this morning’s offender.

Today's AUT student offender

In this morning’s case, an old person was struggling to cope standing up then finally another student close by who noticed the offender and got visibly rattled about it stood up for the old man. The seat hog noticed the student doing this but still did not take off the bag.

What is with people about this issue? I can’t get into their heads how they think it’s OK behaviour.

Take a look at this selfish woman on a bus in Denver who thinks being forced to take her bag off the seat violates women’s rights:

It’s not just a bus thing but becomes more noticeable in the confines of a crowded bus.

I have complained previously that this is often an issue on Auckland trains.

This was only seat available & used for student's books

Comfortable enough? Looks like she is waiting for the drinks menu to be offered

A quick Google search finds complaints all over the place about exactly the same issue.

And videos on You Tube also about complain about selfish seat hogs people at bus stops.

On one forum someone calling themselves Mezze writes:

“I was annoyed when a train driver asked me to remove my bags from the seat next to me, he explained that there were a number of people standing. However the way I see it is if people want to sit next to u they can simply ask. No one is stopping them. Of course we dnt want someone sitting by us so we keep our bags there so ppl r less likely to ask to sit down but when the table is turned I always ask to sit down. What do u guys think?”

He/she soon got shouted down:

“I think it`s very rude. If the bus/train is crowded, no one has the right to make people stand. The others paid the ticket the same way you did, so they also have the right to have the possibility to sit. Making people having to ask to sit makes you look like you feel you`re entitled to the seat, and that others can only occupy it if they ask your permission. They don’t need your permission, because you don’t own the sear, nor do you have the right to occupy the seat in a crowded space. I would be pretty annoyed if that same thing happened to me.”

On one UK forum, one poster gets a bit extreme saying seat hogs should be “beaten to death.”

“Is it just me or are some of the most annoying people in London those selfish bastards who sit in the aisle seats of buses and trains, deliberately leaving the window seats empty and difficult to reach? Why do they do it? Why? I hate them. Presumably they do it because they just assume that they’re going to be getting off the bus first, before whoever might sit next to them if they happen to sit by the window. I presume this because when someone says to them, ‘Excuse me’, they invariably stand up and force that person to shuffle past them, rather than just shifting up themselves.

“Incredibly annoying.Or maybe it’s just that they don’t like being penned in. Well tough shit. You’re on a fucking bus. It’s public transport. Deal with it. And stop being such a self-centred piece of shit.

Thank you, that is all.”

I never wish anyone any harm but can understand why that person got angry.

I’ve had dozens of emails this year complaining about another trend which I have only realised why it’s such an issue in the recent weeks that I have been using buses.

The issue: People who blast the whole bus with music from their phones without wearing headphones.

Like most people with loud bass thumping but crappy quality car stereos, such people usually have a bad choice of music – or one some of us in the bus do not appreciate hearing blasted.

Often these people sit right at the back like naughty schoolkids but you can still hear their music in the front seats despite the noise of the bus and the traffic.

They need to have their phones confiscated if that’s the only way to force them to buy a cheap pair of ‘phones.

It does happen on trains but seems to sound louder and more annoying in the smaller confines of a bus.

Time to wage war on selfish commuters.

If bus drivers and train managers feel too busy or timid to tell people, it’s time to campaign for Veolia, NZ Bus and other public transport companies to bring in instant fines that drivers and train managers are required to enforce.

In 12 months, the Victoria Government issued 18,347 fines to the city’s train passengers for what it judged bad behaviour earning the state a not-to-be-sniffed-at cool AU$3.1m.

Inspectors each day fined around 50 train passengers $160 each just for having their feet on seats!

The New York train rules forbid anyone to “occupy more than one seat on a station, platform or conveyance when to do so would interfere or tend to interfere with the operation of the Authority’s transit system or the comfort of other passengers.”

In the last year, the number of tickets issued for taking up more than one seat on a New York train leaped by 16%.

A total of 9,490 fines.

That’s a nice easy nest egg for the transit authority at $US50 a pop.

With the number of offenders in Auckland, maybe it will help pay for the CBD Rail Link without a congestion traffic charge!

At least it will start teaching these selfish people a lesson in manners and keeping an eye out for others.

We’ve now been able to see developed designs for the new town square and library, designs which have just been approved by the Henderson-Massey Local Board.

The town square is a large, shared space pedestrian friendly civic space of 4,500 square meters featuring raised and sunken lawns and a variety of seating and trees as well as outdoor dining areas.

WESTGATE SQUARE: Improving the West

The large civic space of some 4,500 square metres is described as aiming to “instill a sense of place, unique identity and cater for a wide range of activities and users.

WESTGATE SQUARE: A Shared Space

The official description continues: “The integral shared-space street environment will encourage and facilitate ease of pedestrian movement in a slowed speed environment, to and from key civic, retail and entertainment activities in the town centre. High quality paving surfaces, street furniture, and landscaped rain gardens will feature in the design, providing for outdoor dining, shade and shelter for visitors to the square, and places for public performances and spots for quiet contemplation.”

Note how people who frequent Westgate look like something out of a 1990 Sims game

The board’s approval is another milestone for the significant new community facility, which will give heart to the local community as well as Auckland’s north west generally.

The next step for the library and town square development is for a resource consent to be granted and the board to sign off on detailed designs. Construction is expected to start in April 2012.
It is intended that the landmark library on the western edge of the Square will not only b

A large regional three-level facility of about 3,500 square metres, the library will include a state of the art children’s ‘destination’ library, community meeting rooms and spaces, a Citizen’s Advice Bureau and a café.

WESTGATE: The new Westgate library

It will be built using environmentally sustainable design principles and will be the first building of its type in the country designed to attain a 5 Star Green Star Certification using the New Zealand Green Building Council’s Customs Tool Framework system. It will feature a green roof as well as a green wall – a large living wall of plants.

The library and town square are an integral part of the development of Auckland’s north west – the largest urbanisation project in the country. Auckland Council has invested more than $300 million in the first stage of the billion-dollar project.

The library and town square will be part of the exciting new, fully-fledged regional town centre being created at Westgate, one of the city’s eight key metropolitan centres and Auckland Council is partnering with New Zealand Retail Property Group in that development.

It’s going to get safer to cross to the station.

Auckland Transport is proposing to change the existing refuge island crossing on Railside Avenue near Henderson Train station to a pedestrian crossing.

This project has been initiated following public requests. I wonder if any come from people at AT who work in the former Waitakere council building there!

Safer to cross to the Henderson railway station

AT agrees pedestrian volumes are very high and continuous throughout the day at the crossing point.

It is proposed to implement  prior to next July.

Bill English is not budging  - but economic development is available.  Gerry Brownlee had it until he became occuppied with Christchurch earthquake recovery.

There is no doubt Steven loves his motorways but now that he feels the Government has a mandate to build Puhoi and ignore the CBD Link, he can safely leave it if he wants to.

So who gets it?

Hekia Parata  and Whips Chris Tremain and Jo Goodhew are among names mentioned as being high on the list for being in Cabinet in the first time. Joyce himself got a promotion first time around at the start of last term.

I hope it’s Chris Tremain, MP for his hometown of Napier, and a background of business that includes a successful real estate firm.

Chris won the Napier Electorate in 2005, the first National Party candidate to do so since 1951, and secured Napier with an increased majority of 9018 in 2008. His majority was 3383.

On his site he talks about a meeting he had with KiwiRail exploring how to keep the Gisborne to Napier line open and make it profitable.

“I raised the question of an additional hub in or close to Wairoa. This may be one way of helping to ensure the economic success of the Gisborne to Napier line.

I was told by Iain Hill, General Manager of Freight, that Kiwi Rail are in discussions to consider this very option with the matter being on the agenda at a HBRC meeting in Napier on the 23rd of August. Well done to those involved.

The majority of logs around Gisborne and from up the East Coast already go through the Port of Gisborne by truck. Iain Hill conveyed that the issue with hauling logs on rail from and around Wairoa is one of short haul distance. Iain said that it’s too expensive to put rail heads up into forest skid-sites so the best option was a collection point or hub, which still requires truck transport, therefore double handling and cost. He told me that once the logs are on a truck it’s a relatively short haul to either Panpac or either of the Ports so for a truck/rail option to be competitive it needs to be high volume high efficiency.

Despite these concerns this is a potential solution which may ensure that using rail is a real alternative to trucks. At the end of the day, however, the economics must stack up as forest owners will chose the transport option which gets their product to market at lowest cost.

This aside, it’s great to see Kiwi Rail taking positive steps to consider all the options.”

Chris Tremain in his 4WD

So here is a Nat saying, and I repeat: “This is a potential solution which may ensure that using rail is a real alternative to trucks. ”

Let’s make him Minister of Trucks & Rail!

They have been handed a trespass notice.

But goodness know what will happen now if police continue their politically correct stand that the tent people’s human rights override anything else and they won’t help the Council enact the trespass order -as they refused in Dunedin.

And Auckland’s Mayor appears to be offering the squatters an “alternative venue” as long as they move.

The business community group Heart in the City has organised a Christmas market and buskers in Aotea Square during December to drum up Queen St Christmas shopping -and would want the square back for those activities and so the tent dwellers do  not scare people off.

Occupy Auckland tents share Aotea Square

The squatters have made public a letter they say they got from a Council official before the trespass order was delivered:

According to that , it says:

The Mayor requests the following:

• that Aotea Square be returned to all the people of Auckland for their use and enjoyment.
• that Occupy Auckland provide a date of departure from Aotea Square and for that date to be in the very near future i.e. within 2 weeks.
• that Occupy Auckland agree a small group of representative members with the authority to discuss and negotiate on behalf of the wider group and make decisions in response to those discussions and negotiations
• that Occupy Auckland consider these matters at the General Assembly meetings over the weekend and provide him with a response on Monday 28 November 2011.

The Mayor has heard the voice of the people of Occupy Auckland and the worldwide action the occupation movement has taken and has offered action from Auckland Council in support of the broad issues raised by the occupation.

The Mayor is prepared to consider an alternative location on at least the same terms as previously offered by Auckland Council for the occupation should Aotea Square be returned as requested.

Waikato Regional Council today decided against rating for Hamilton-Auckland passenger rail in its 2012-22 Long Term Plan but is keeping its options open for the future should circumstances change.

At a council meeting today, councillors accepted a staff report that said central and local government partners had formally advised they weren’t yet ready to contribute to a service.

There was also an absence of NZTA funding. This meant ratepayers would bear too much of the cost if it went ahead now. At this stage, neither Auckland, Hamilton City, Waikato District or Waipa District Councils, as well as NZTA, are prepared to put in funding.

However, councillors agreed to a recommendation that staff keep the situation under close review in case circumstances changed and there was a fresh opportunity to re-examine the idea of the regional council rating for a service in future.

The council’s decision and the reasons for it will be included in the draft 2012-22 Long Term Plan  providing opportunity for the public to comment.

The original recommendation to council suggested the council decline public consultation on the issue through the 2012-2022 LTP. However, Cr Russ Rimmington, seconded by Cr Lois Livingston, asked the wording be changed to simply say that funding was declined.

Cr Rimmington said the Greens, who favoured public transport, could be part of the next Government or at least have a significant influence on decisions and, therefore, it would be wise for the council to be open in the short-term to the possibility of looking at rating for a service again.

New look Silver Fern

The council also recommended that the idea of passenger rail be included in the Regional Land Transport Programme as an unfunded project at this stage.

It took the annual figure to a near 10% increase. Auckland public transport patronage totalled 68,590,762 passengers for the 12-months to Oct 2011 an increase of 6,033,457 boardings or +9.6%.

For the financial year-to-date, four months to Oct 2011, patronage has grown by +12.8% (2,827,107 boardings). Patronage for Oct 2011 was 6,355,121 boardings, an increase of +16.7% (908,606 boardings) on Oct 2010

• October monthly patronage was 6,355,121 an increase of 908,606 boardings or +16.7% on October 2010

•  Rail monthly patronage for October is 1,211,967 an increase of 431,702 boardings or +55.3% on Oct 2010, the largest monthly increase on record with a record +85.2% growth on the Western Line compared to October 2010.
• Northern Express bus service carried 2,208,393 passenger trips for the 12-months with a growth in Oct 2011 compared to Oct 2010 of +31.9%.

•  Special event bus and rail services were provided to all Eden Park matches with integratedmatch event and transport ticketing.  No significant operational issues occurred.

•  An average 38% of the match attendance at the seven RWC2011 Eden Park were moved by public transport prior to the event and an average 44% post event.  The largest volume of match attendees moves by public transport was post match from Eden Park after the Final between New Zealand and France on Sunday 23 October where 28,180 people used special event public transport and were cleared from Eden Park within 60-75 minutes.

RWC FINAL: Crowds pour off trains at Kingsland - or arrive via the popular Fan Trail

On individual lines and transport modes:
Southern and Eastern Line rail patronage including the Onehunga Line totalled 6,800,346passengers for the 12-months to October an increase of 965,844 boardings or +16.6% on the same period last year. Patronage for October was 702,520 boardings, an increase of +39.1% (197,295 boardings) on October 2010.
There were 80,375 passengers recorded using the Onehunga Line during October compared to 49,277 for the same month last year which was the first full month of operations on the line. For the 12-months to October 2011 there have been 717,977 passengers recorded on Onehunga Line services. Surveys indicate that 60% of patronage on Onehunga trains is wholly on the Southern Line (between Britomart and Penrose).

Western Line rail patronage totalled 4,010,915 passengers for the 12-months to October an increase of 963,005 boardings or +31.6%. Patronage for October was 509,447 boardings, an increase of +85.2% (234,407 boardings) on October 2010 a result driven primarily (although not wholly) by the additional special event trains operating to RWC2011 games at Eden Park during the month. For the year-to-date there have been 1,670,601 passengers recorded on Western Line services 497,423 (42.4%) more than for the same four months last year.

The Northern Busway along with the rail network forms the Rapid Transit Network. Northern Express patronage totalled 2,208,393 passengers for the 12-months to Oct 2011 an increase of 325,441 boardings or +17.3%. For the financial year-to-date, four months to Oct patronage has grown by +21.9% (151,503 boardings). Patronage for Oct was 225,830 boardings, an increase of +31.9% (54,563 boardings) on Oct 2010.

Other bus patronage totalled 50,536,427 passengers for the 12-months to Oct an increase of 3,294,481 boardings or +7.0%. For the financial year-to-date, four months to Oct, patronage has grown by +8.6% (1,429,983 boardings). Patronage for Oct was 4,407,247 boardings, an increase of +7.4% (303,134 boardings) on Oct 2010.

Ferry patronage totalled 5,034,681 passengers for the 12-months to Oct an increase of 484,662 boardings or +10.7%. For the financial year-to-date, four months to Oct patronage has grown by +21.5% (298,964 boardings). Patronage for Oct was 510,077 boardings, an increase of +30.5% (119,207 boardings) on Oct 2010.

Rail performance: 98.1% of all scheduled rail services arrived at their final destination and 84.2% were on time or arrived within 5 minutes of schedule.

Performance on the Western was 84.1% and on the Southern 83.8% – but only 77.7% on the Eastern. Onehunga was as usual the best on 97.5%

Veolia’s explanation this month is:

• There were two major infrastructure issues which affected the network in October. A monitoring device which required repair at Otahuhu on Monday 10 October and a signal fault at Ellerslie on Sunday 18 October led to delays for 45 services and overall seven train services were cancelled.

• Three mechanical issues had a significant impact on train services in October. These faults occurred on Sunday 4 October at Puhinui station on Thursday 22 October on Western line and at Westfield station on Tuesday 27 October. A total of 52 services were affected including six service cancellations.

• A freight train struck a bridge between Papakura and Pukekohe on Wednesday 19 October which affected 11 services, and meant eight services were cancelled.

• Increased passenger loadings as a result of RWC events across the region also had an impact on performance during the month.

It is served by only four southbound AM peak trains each weekday during school term time to primarily serve King’s College students. It will do students good to have to walk a bit more!

Auckland Transport says  that the station would require significant upgrade works to continue to operate as the platform would need extending to accommodate 6-car trains and EMUs, AIFS fare payment devices and vending machines would need to be installed for HOP integrated ticketing and the shelter, CCTV and PA system would need upgrading to current standards.

AT says that based on the service provision the cost of lengthening and upgrading cannot be justified.  King‟s College students, the overwhelming majority of users of the station, can use Middlemore Station in the morning, which is a few hundred metres walk  – as they already do in the afternoons  – from the beginning of the 2012 school year.

AAT had consultation with King’s College and users at the station and says one piece of negative feedback was received.

The new February 2012 rail timetable is currently being finalised and approved by the joint KiwiRail, Veolia and AT transport committee. The timetable will include the Manukau Branch Line and improved Western Line frequency.

A report to the board of Auckland Transport says the new bus service designs in central Isthmus introduced in August, including the City, Inner and Outer LINK services are showing a 9% higher patronage than the targeted +12% growth from the business case during the first 11 weeks of operation to November 6

• The City LINK has grown from week one in August of 45,300 passengers to 65,600 passengers per week,
• The Inner LINK has remained constant at an average 43,800 passengers per week
• The Outer LINK has grown from 25,700 passengers in the opening week to 30,300 passengers in the week to  November 6.

Outer LINK proving popular

Rail patronage for the month of October achieved 1,211,967, a new monthly record and an increase  of +55.3% on October 2010.

But AT acknowledges that the increase in patronage in October is partly a result of Rugby World Cup.

583,000  passengers used public transport to and from match venues on special event public transport in addition to the overall increased use of public transport during RWC2011.

On average, public  transport was used by 38% of match attendees to get to and from match venues in Auckland.

It sounded rather over the top for a Labour candidate to be ordered off the Onehunga station by a bellowing message from the overhead speakers. Someone monitoring the closed circuit TV at Britomart obviously blew a fuse about it.

Standing on a platform waiting for the train can be a boring affair especially with some of the stark landscapes one has to be face in front of you but there’s also an argument that this is a time of solitude that is interfered with by salespeople getting in your face.

General elections only come around once every 3 years and we’re entitled to enough information as possible – difficult when the media concentrates on sideshows, delivers 10 second soundbites and blows up trivial differences between parties and candidates. Anyone seen any comprehensive TV debate yet abnout the MMP referendum? I’m struggling to understand what the different potential systems mean.

Labour MP David Shearer on a train station

During the Mt Albert by-election I enjoyed talking to prospective candidates at stations and so it’s interesting that in the era of Auckland Transport, that practice has been banned, according to the weekend media.

ACT's departing MP John Boscowen hands out leadlets

I thought it was cool that the candidates recognised rail commuters by popping up at stations.

And the Greens have been famous for taking actual rail trips out of Britomart and walking through the carriage. I had a great long conversation once with the late Greens’ Rod Donald on the Western Line. He was a very fine person and is missed.

Pro-rail Greens know how to work the stations

No-one stopped Greens MP David Clendon and campaigners protesting at Mt Albert station one morning about  the possible closure of provincial lines.

Greens MP David Clendon campaigning for provincial rail

And Greens launched its CBD Rail Link petition campaign at Britomart, but then they were aided by powerful allies and no doubt got permission.

Len Brown spoke at the Greens CBD link launch at Britomart

Security guards at stations are bad enough with their often often over- zealous if not aggressive behaviour.

One nasty piece of work tried to evict me from the Newmarket station a few months ago and looked as if he was going to seize my camera just because, when I was leaving the station after a trip,  I took a photo of the historic Newmarket mural at the end of the station near the ticket office. He mumbled about banning me.

NEWMARKET: Taking this photo almost got me evicted or banned from the station

This is the second time I have been stopped taking a photo at Newmarket train station.

I explained what I was doing but to honest, both guards were not the brightest or most coherent on the block but they insisted they were acting on instructions about no photographs. A Newmarket security man stopped a TV3 interview with Councillor Cameron Brewer taking place some time back. So it was not a one off mistake.

So what do you think? Should Auckland Transport ban candidates this week from station platforms or do you want the chance to meet and greet, smile and wave and engage in a conversation about the questions the media is not asking?

I would welcome it.

A few months ago a taxi driver in a cab I was in actually swore out the window at one of the cyclists going through a stop sign.

In the Canadian accident, a 38-year-old woman died after she ended up beneath the wheels of a truck while turning a corner. The truck driver won’t be charged because authorities said it wasn’t he who was to blame.

Hundreds of cyclists staged a memorial ride -and an MP has introduced legislation that would require trucks to add side guards — barriers installed on the side of trucks to prevent people from being crushed beneath them in the event of a collision while turning. It would cost trucks about $2500 per vehicle.

Heavy trucks are involved in 19% of Canadian cycle accidents.

But the issue that has been raised with this tragic accident is whether cyclists should be excused form having to stop at stop signs and just have a mandatory glance each way for safety as they burst through.

You see cyclists doing that every day in Auckland’s CBD.

In the Ontario city of Hamilton, a city council committee has recommended legislation “to permit an ‘Idaho stop’ style traffic control for cyclists”.

An ‘Idaho stop’ is so-called because of a 1982 law passed in Idaho that permits, in essence, cyclists to treat stop signs like yield signs.

The law does not say you can roar through a stop sign. It says cyclists must slow down to a reasonable speed and, if required for safety, stop when they come to a stop sign.

And cyclists “shall yield the right-of-way to any vehicle in the intersection or approaching on another highway.”

CYCLISTS: Should they be able to ride through stop signs if they think it's safe?

The campaigners are quoting for their case, an article on a San Francisco bike group site called: Why cyclists hate stop signs, which argues:

“Bicyclists can work only so hard.

The average commuting rider is unlikely to produce more than 100 watts of propulsion power, or about what it takes to power a reading lamp.

At 100 watts, the average cyclist can travel about 20 km/h on the level. When necessary, a serious cyclist can generate far more power than that (up to perhaps 500 watts for a racing cyclist, equivalent to the amount used by a stove burner on low).

But even if a commuter cyclist could produce more than a 100 watts, she is unlikely to do so because this would force her to sweat heavily, which is a problem for any cyclist without a place to shower at work.

With only 100 watts’ worth (compared to 100,000 watts generated by a 150-horsepower car engine), bicyclists must husband their power.

Accelerating from stops is strenuous, particularly since most cyclists feel a compulsion to regain their former speed quickly. They also have to pedal hard to get the bike moving forward fast enough to avoid falling down while rapidly upshifting to get back up to speed.

For example, on a street with a stop sign every 90 meters, calculations predict that the average speed of a 150-pound (68 kg) rider putting out 100 watts of power will diminish by about forty percent.

If the bicyclist wants to maintain her average speed of 20 km/h while still coming to a complete stop at each sign, she has to increase her output power to almost 500 watts. This is well beyond the ability of all but the most fit cyclists…”

It’s been a hot topic in the Canadian press with many newspaper readers predictably sounding off about cyclists’ behaviour – while one column fought back saying motorists also sometimes slip through stop signs.

It’s a debate worth having here because the practice is so common.