Light Rail for Christchurch
From:
Andrew Groom
Date:
2007 Jun 15 02:43 UTC
Short link
It's great to hear that the return of commuter rail services to Christchurch is
a real possibility. I also agree that the public transport infrastructure in
the city is going to be key to it's sustainability.
To that end, I suggest that we should be revisiting the City Plan with an eye
to maximising the synergy between the arterial transport network and the areas
of greatest population density. At the moment we have a "bullseye" sort of
population distribution, i.e., rings of decreasing density spreading out from
the central city. I agree with Bob that this does not make public transport
unworkable, it just makes it a lot less effective.
The better zoning model would be to encourage increased density of development
along the arterial transport corridors to maximise the number of people living
close to public transport routes. In other words, we need a hub-and-spoke
zoning pattern rather than the bullseye we have now.
Such a pattern would be self-reinforcing, i.e., more people would want to live
on or near a good public transport route, which would in turn create the demand
necessary to increase levels of transport services on that route.
Christchurch's geography provides a natural disincentive to go this way, but
Wellington is a good example of a city that has the relatively good fortune of
having natural transport and living corridors, resulting in a very effective
commuter rail system for the city. Unfortunately for Christchurch, setting up
something similar will require a good deal of political effort, so best of
luck, Bob !
Cheers, Andrew.
.