Posts by Sam F
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Well, I'd say that it's good to encourage people to become regular cyclists, but not all regular cyclists have to become keen cyclists. In Wellington at the moment, anyone willing to brave the traffic is likely to be a keen cyclist, and may want to do it the hard way because it's as much about exercise as transport...
I've found it precisely the same here in Auckland of course, and I agree with the rest of your post - we're a long way from the tipping point to true bike-friendliness, where regular use of bike provision breeds further provision and thus further demand, and so on.
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Personally, I cycle around the bays - an extra 2k each way on my commute, exposed to the full force of Wellington's wind - rather than ride through the Mt Vic tunnel twice a day. I'm astonished that anyone does it, frankly.
I've often wondered about this as a quandary for planners trying to provide for cyclists: the idea is that the easier you make it the more people are likely to cycle, but once they actually become proper keen cyclists they'll likely just do it the hard way instead on purpose.
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Before getting too misty eyed about Paris, might be worth thinking about how much of it was due to people like Georges-Eugène Haussmann who, not to put too fine a point on it, didn't give a flying fuck at a brioche about people who objected to having their homes totalled in pursuit of his grand design...
Ah yes, Haussmannisation. Got to love streets designed with cannonballs in mind.
And Keith: well played!
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You have to understand that Owen issues his fatwas against selfish suburbanites and their families from the Centre for Resource Management Studies HQ in Kaiwaka, Northland.
So in other words it's "Sucks for you, I got rich and bought a lifestyle block, now keep public spending and taxes as low as possible or I'll cut you"?
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You probably think this post is about you.
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Also, charming "entertainments" at the same site...
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Good old Owen McShane.
Sustainability is a popular word with politicians and pressure groups because “Sustainability” means whatever the speaker, or the listener, wants it to mean. Ask most people what they mean by “sustainable” and the replies will be more garbled than most lay attempts to explain quantum mechanics. So when someone promises to deliver “a sustainable future” everyone nods their heads because they all have their own idea of what “sustainability” means to them.
However, the evidence from life itself, from bacteria to human beings, is that the key to long term survival in the face of changing environments, (if that is what we mean by sustainable) is long term adaptability.
Humans are the most successful species on the planet in terms of habitat coverage because we are the most adaptable species on the planet. When it got cold during the little ice age the Europeans invented knitting and the Polynesians had the good sense to stop sailing towards New Zealand.
If we wish to build a sustainable road network we need to build a network which can adapt to changes in the size, nature, and direction of demand.
Magnificent.
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Double posting for an interesting post from Tumeke (with hat tip to Danyl's Dim-Post).
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Most likely just simple nerves, although from what I heard I wasn't overly impressed with her grasp of local issues. Will have to track down the full interview again in the evening to be sure, along with all more info on the other candidates before I cast my vote.
I didn't vote for Musuku last time but it's hard not to feel a little sorry for the guy.
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Perhaps it's that I'm edging into that demographic myself (whatever demographic that is?) but I'm having trouble seeing these biases at work. The apparent rightward drift, if it's a reality, hasn't really affected most of the stuff I listen to, particularly since I never liked The Panel anyhow.
There's also a fair few signs that NatRad is trying (however haltingly and awkwardly at times) to expand its audience to a younger and more diverse listenership. Anyway, as far as I can tell it's the last consistent public service broadcaster left in any medium in this country, no matter what Sean Plunkett might think or Jim Mora might allow from his guests.