Olympic rowing started today, one of the sports to get underway before the opening ceremony. You might not know that this sport falls into my sphere of interest, but it’s New Zealand’s most successful Olympic sport, with 24 medals just like athletics but 11 golds for the water sport versus 10 for … [Read more...]
Mass rapid transit, climate change, and Huanui Lane
You may not know Huanui Lane and if you do, you might be wondering what it's got to do with those big topics of our time. Well, hear me out. Huanui Lane got built as part of the East Frame. It runs between Armagh Street and Lichfield Street some 50 m east of and parallel to Manchester Street. … [Read more...]
Axel starts the day with The Bulletin
My weekday mornings start with me reading the news. I used to subscribe to a printed newspaper but for a variety of reasons, I cancelled that subscription some two or three years ago. After a while, a friend brought The Bulletin to my attention. It’s compiled by Alex Braae, who I mentioned in the … [Read more...]
Climate emergency: councils plan to increase emissions
The plan – what does it mean? You may think: “Surely, we’ve got to do something about climate change; isn’t this the way forward?” And that’s the crux of the matter. Yes, climate change should be at the forefront of all decision making. Greater Christchurch's public transport proposal will make … [Read more...]
Two elections!?
If you live in Christchurch Central, you may be able to vote in two different elections. One on 16 October. And another one on 17 October. What? Confused? Yes, quite a few people are. The 16 October election is a by-election for the Central Ward of the Linwood-Central-Heathcote Community Board. … [Read more...]
For and against pumped hydro
The electricity market is a complicated beast to understand and now the Government has proposed to add pumped hydro at Lake Onslow to the mix. You hear rather mixed messages from industry stakeholders about it. Brendon Harre wrote about pumped hydro in general for Garry’s newsletter earlier this … [Read more...]
Christchurch water chlorination
Over the last year, we've had a number of articles from Garry on chlorination and one talk. On 28 August 2019, CCC's head of the Three Waters, Helen Beaumont, spoke right at the time when the city was hit with a change in the regulatory system. Subsequent articles were published in February … [Read more...]
Axel writes 17 March 2020
Garry's away; Axel's having a crack at putting a newsletter together This week, we had the 2020 Transportation Conference in Christchurch. It's the premier event for the industry and it's been going for a few decades. A good 200 people came together for a three-day gathering in our town hall. The … [Read more...]
A challenge by Axel Wilke:
Axel Wilke, transport planner - now walking fit again What’s my outlook for the 2020s? I predict the overriding experience will be effects brought about by climate change. Will it get too hot for us? Nope. Will the weather get too wild? Maybe. What about wildfires? Maybe, but nothing at the scale … [Read more...]