Island Life by David Slack

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Island Life: Burn fat, not oil

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  • Stuart Coats,

    BTW I find this campaign tinged with irony, helmet or no helmet

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 192 posts Report Reply

  • JackElder,

    Hey, anyone else hear about BoJo nearly being killed while cycling in London? That's lorries for you.

    James - nice. I'd ride those tunnels.

    Wellington • Since Mar 2008 • 709 posts Report Reply

  • Gareth Ward,

    open two disused railway tunnels

    That looks very cool, and the link to the Gorge Train and Central's Rail Trail sounds great

    Auckland, NZ • Since Mar 2007 • 1727 posts Report Reply

  • Sam F,

    James - nice. I'd ride those tunnels.

    Likewise!

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1611 posts Report Reply

  • Kyle Matthews,

    I take your point, Gareth, but that's how it works on marathon day, and no-one gets hurt.

    Yes but marathon runners will behave a lot differently than a bunch of protesters who aren't supposed to be there. Marathon runners are trying to get across it as quick as possible. Protesters might try and climb things, put up flags, have kids doing who knows what.

    Particularly given that it sounds like the protest organisers didn't have marshals. You'll get one protester who thinks that they need to walk along the top of the median barrier to make their point, no one tells them to get down, oops they fall over while doing a wee "I'm walking on the harbour bridge" dance, whammo.

    As a protest marshal I once had to split a (illegal) protest march in half to let an ambulance through, and pull protesters off unsafe structures that they were climbing to hang banners. At other times I've physically stood in front of cars while they gun their engines towards you to drive through protest marches.

    Too cautious is not necessarily a bad thing.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report Reply

  • Standard-and-poors,

    open two disused railway tunnels

    Makita 18v cordless angle grinder - the tool of choice for vandals, protesters and children everywhere.

    Since May 2009 • 2 posts Report Reply

  • Rich of Observationz,

    Oops, forgot to revert to my real login...

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • James Green,

    The tunnels have only been blocked off for 5 years or so. The problem is not so much the gates or the lack of lighting, but the urgent need for a decent amount of gravel. It was extremely wet and boggy every time I went in (on foot). Estimates vary, but the cost of lighting, surfacing and security is not huge. The other apparent issue is that the one closest to town has a watermain running through it. But as I say, they have only been shut off in recent times.

    The other really neat possibility is that there is already a footpath running along side the railway for parts of it, and it would be easy enough to have a cyclepath well away from roads, which would be a great asset.

    Also, if you're in Dunedin, there's a great new cycle/walkway getting a lot of use, but at the moment it doesn't go very far.

    Limerick, Ireland • Since Nov 2006 • 703 posts Report Reply

  • George Darroch,

    BTW I find this campaign tinged with irony, helmet or no helmet

    No helmet, please.

    WLG • Since Nov 2006 • 2264 posts Report Reply

  • Nick D'Angelo,

    BTW I find this campaign tinged with irony, helmet or no helmet

    Yes, he's riding in the wrong direction down a one-way street...

    Simon Laan • Since May 2008 • 162 posts Report Reply

  • CousinMosquito,

    Here are the links to the Audio off National Radio this morning.

    http://jeffsbike.blogspot.com/2009/05/auckland-harbour-bridge-30-year-plan.html

    Jeff

    Wellington • Since May 2009 • 1 posts Report Reply

  • Terry Baucher,

    Close Up is going to have a story on the disruption. Not that I hold out much hope for some penetrating analysis.

    Devonport • Since Nov 2008 • 91 posts Report Reply

  • Terry Baucher,

    Great links CousinMosquito and I'm glad that Sean Plunket served it up to McDonald.

    Devonport • Since Nov 2008 • 91 posts Report Reply

  • Jason Kemp,

    Marathon runners are trying to get across it as quick as possible. Protesters might try and climb things, put up flags, have kids doing who knows what.

    I was there on the bridge and believe me most people were enjoying at a steady pace. For the most part the "protestors" were very sensible law abiding citizens making a point. Unlike some Otago students - not really in need of marshalling.

    Apart from a few photos it was a Sunday morning stroll witha fair number of hardened grand parents not known for their protesting ways.

    Like many I only found out afterwards that we weren't supposed to cross cause when there several thousand people moving forward its impossible to tell what is happening more than 1 km down the road.

    I was a bit disappointed by reports of protestors trampling bushes and climbing fences. The fence in question was obviously new and a gateway onto the clip on lanes was steadfastly blocked by the police so everyone just had to walk back along Curran St to the end of the fence.

    I'd guess there were way more than 2000 out. The sun was shining and quite and exciting morning really.

    Whats more I'd love to do it again just like I do every time I'm in Sydney. The bridge is a tourist attraction and we should make more of it.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 368 posts Report Reply

  • James Green,

    Just a thought, but if you accept Transit's figure as a worst case scenario, Dunedin is slowly finding $3 million for the harbourside cycle/walkway, but Auckland is what 10x the size of Dunedin, which is the $30 million suggested. Again, scaling up, the Dunedin one (above expectations) gets 500 people a day. Would a 10x scaling figure be innappropriate for Auckland (including sight-seers, exercisers, and commuters)? The Dunedin path is co-funded by councils, transit and a variety of other organisations...

    Limerick, Ireland • Since Nov 2006 • 703 posts Report Reply

  • James Green,

    Ooops. The correct link. Other reports indicate figures of up to $5 million, and suggest that they're trying to get central govt funding for it.

    Limerick, Ireland • Since Nov 2006 • 703 posts Report Reply

  • bronwyn,

    I am a touch biased, of course, but the on-the-money Jose Barbosa also managed two "live crosses" (or perhaps just calls from people on the bridge), including one from one of the organisers - who was rather explicit about how excited he was...

    tamaki makaurau • Since Nov 2006 • 86 posts Report Reply

  • Terry Baucher,

    Close Up is going to have a story on the disruption. Not that I hold out much hope for some penetrating analysis.

    F**k me but that was utter rubbish. All three participants were just mugged by Paul Henry. Throw some light on what happened? Nah too much like hard work. Cheap grandstanding at its worst.

    Devonport • Since Nov 2008 • 91 posts Report Reply

  • David Slack,

    Paul Henry is "Your Views" with syntax coaching.

    Devonport • Since Nov 2006 • 599 posts Report Reply

  • Paul Campbell,

    After watching that I just figured he'd been stuck in traffic for an hour and wanted revenge

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 2623 posts Report Reply

  • Terry Baucher,

    Colin Espiner made a comment about today's Hikoi in his blog that whilst it provided great camera pictures it was irrelevant to the rest of the country and especially Wellington where the Budget is dominating everyone's thoughts. It's an interesting point possibly also applicable to the bridge protest. Although the attitude also reveals why Auckland's transport infrastructure has been allowed to become so vulnerable.

    Paul Henry is "Your Views" with syntax coaching.

    LOL. Excellent.

    Devonport • Since Nov 2008 • 91 posts Report Reply

  • Nick D'Angelo,

    All three participants were just mugged by Paul Henry ..... Cheap grandstanding at its worst.

    I was struck by the same thought. He seemed to be having a go at each of them in the belief that that would endear him to 100% of the audience. I didn't expect him to support the Getacross guy but it seemed ridiculous to keep badgering him with "But what gave you the legal right?".

    BTW - where did Henry get the idea that 10,000 motorists were stuck in traffic for half a day? Bollocks!

    Simon Laan • Since May 2008 • 162 posts Report Reply

  • 81stcolumn,

    Could the world be any more different as NYC bans cars from Broadway .

    Nawthshaw • Since Nov 2006 • 790 posts Report Reply

  • Stephen Judd,

    Wellington where the Budget is dominating everyone's thoughts.

    This Wellingtonian had forgotten all about it.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 3122 posts Report Reply

  • Glenn Pearce,

    Henry was hopeless, totally concentrating on the "civil disobedience" angle instead of the issue they were actually protesting about.

    Just out of interest to anyone who was there, what was the ratio of walkers to cyclists ? The pictures I've see don't have a large number of cyclists in them.

    I wonder whether concentrating on the "lets have a walkway across the bridge" angle would be better than "lets have a cycleway across the bridge" angle in terms of garnering public support.

    Cyclists can be polarising at the best of times.

    I think the tourism/day tripper angle might be better than the commuter angle. Esp. with Prime Minister as Tourism Minister.

    Auckland • Since Feb 2007 • 504 posts Report Reply

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