A few days ago there was an article in the Press about a recent survey which suggested that house prices in Christchurch were too high, and that land-use policy being pursued by local government, which imposes an urban area limit, was effectively to blame. The annual Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey appears to be a… [Read more…]
Due to the downturn in patronage, Redbus have pulled their two commercial services, the 29 Airport route and the 10 Harewood-Cashmere route. The #29 will become a tendered route with some changes, while the loss of the 10 will be covered through changes to other routes. This development is not entirely surprising, and ultimately shouldn’t… [Read more…]
Not really transport related, but certainly nice to see some positive views on Christchurch for a change. Lonely Planet has labelled Christchurch as one of New Zealand’s most exciting cities, which may sound odd to many people around the country used to all the negative news and who probably think the place is some sort… [Read more…]
Is Christchurch’s old railway station on Moorhouse Avenue to join the list of demolished historic buildings? Repair costs could mean the building is too expensive to fix for its current owners, with Science Alive looking pretty keen to vacate the building regardless. Grand Ltd, which owns the Hoyts side of the building, has previously indicated a… [Read more…]
Here is an interesting animated video I found this weekend. It is an animated flyover from NZTA of the proposed four-laned section of SH1 from Rolleston to Templeton (MSRFL) and stage 2 of the Christchurch southern motorway (CSM2). It is interesting to note that MSRFL will essentially be a continuation of the motorway, with the only… [Read more…]
2011 was a bit of a stink year all round really. It was, however, also an utterly fascinating one, which means 2012 will be a year the likes this city has never seen, as plans are put into action and the rebuilding gets underway. The biggest event will be the reopening of the CBD, possibly… [Read more…]
“A cost effective and carefully staged reintroduction of a rail network for Christchurch, designed specifically for the city’s short, medium and longer term growth needs, could, if these requirements can be satisfied, provide a transformational transportation project for the redeveloped city.” – final draft Central City Plan For the last few days I have been pouring my eyes over the final draft… [Read more…]
Patronage and revenue on Metro bus services is tracking upwards and ahead of post-earthquake forcasts. Year-to-date, patronage is 191,239 trips up on the forecast and revenue $286,235 ahead. Ecan believe that this has a lot to do with recent improvements such as Central Station, new routes, and the reintroduction of key cross-town routes. The reopening of Cashel Mall has… [Read more…]
The Ferrymead bridge, which carries the bulk of traffic to and from Sumner, Redcliffs and Mt Pleasant, is to be replaced, with work expected to start in the New Year. In a previous post I recorded the project as a “rebuild”, while now it is being billed as a “replacement”. I assume it is now… [Read more…]
Two good-news items this week. Christchurch’s Central City has been cleared to rebuild upon, and the Red Zone is to be lifted in April 2012 (except for a few “drop zones” around key buildings). With the final draft Central City Plan set to be adopted by the CCC tomorrow, and presented to the Minister for… [Read more…]
It is expected that the Christchurch City Council will adopt the final draft Central City Plan tomorrow, after which it will be presented to the Minister for Earthquake Recovery on 21 December. “Thursday will be the most significant day for Christchurch since the city was settled in 1850. It is when we, as a Council,… [Read more…]
I had noticed that the 5 December date for release of further details on the Western Corridor and the Alpine/Brasilia fusion Memorial Ave flyover had been and gone, so it is no surprise that NZTA have now made an announcement saying the date has been rescheduled. There is no indication of when that date might… [Read more…]
The title of this post pretty much says it all. Not sure what to make of this. He is from Christchurch, which could be a positive, but his vision for Christchurch has sounded like something out of 1950′s America. Like Steven Joyce, Brownlee seems to run with certain ideas, despite what expert analysis or public opinion might say. He has… [Read more…]
Demolition work is about to begin on the Crown Plaza Hotel on the corner of Durham and Kilmore streets. Once down (it will take 27 weeks) the basement is to be backfilled and the site eventually grassed over. Whether this is a permanent or temporary move remains to be seen, but is probably an interim measure until a future… [Read more…]
Ernest Henshaw, founder of Click-Clack International and property developer, had an opinion piece in The Press the other day, in which he urges a rethink on the draft Central City Plan. I won’t analyse the whole article but rather focus on some of the comments made about transport, because he seems to be reading from… [Read more…]
Not really transport related (although it is urban development related), but I think the gap filler initiative is utterly brilliant and deserving of high praise. The latest initiative is a huge piece in Sydenham called I seem to have temporarily misplaced my sense of humour. It is absolutely huge. It is a timely reminder that… [Read more…]
Prior to the 2008 election, the Labour Government introduced legislation that would have allowed individual regions (i.e., regional council’s and unitary authorities) to introduce a regional fuel tax to pay for their own transport projects. When National came to power, Minister of Transport Steven Joyce reversed that policy. Now it turns out he did so against the advice of… [Read more…]
Christchurch has been listed by US magazine Foreign Policy as one of 10 global cities to watch (hat tip JP), illustrating once and for all that this is actually a big thing, much is expected, and the worlds eyes are upon us. We certainly have a great opportunity to make a great city, and make an… [Read more…]
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jhumm
January 25, 2012
by jhumm
14