Cunning Plan Number Five

Light Rail.

This seems to be the one part of the draft City Plan that is getting some push-back. Probably the cost.

I think it's a great idea.

I remember years ago, when the Gondola was being planned for the Port Hills, there were two options on the table. One was the gondola. The other was a monorail to the airport.

Personally, I think they chose the wrong one.

Anyway, light rail. Great idea.

One problem, though. Light rail takes up road space, and that is at a premium. When the council put bus lanes around the place, that was a complete abortion. Sorry, but it was. It cost zillions, and they weren't even complete lanes. They stopped and started constantly. Papanui Road was once one of the longest stretches of straight road in the city. After the bus lanes went in, it became a perpetual chicane. Bus lane on the left. Now a turning lane for the right. Then a hundred metres of bus lane again. Then a little stretch of cycle lane for good measure. Good Grief!

Another problem. Imagine the cost of laying the tracks throughout the city. The recent extensions to the tram tracks were expensive. Ripping up and releveling entire streets, one after another. Come the earthquakes, and all of that good work has been ruined. Back to the drawing board.

Another problem. If it is decided that the light rail won't always share the roads, then what? There are some old train tracks in parts of the city they can use. But what about the rest of the city? Buy up land, and cut a new track through back yards? Expensive.

Here's my idea. Lay the track above the road. Elevated above the road. 20 feet above the road.

Many american cities have elevated trains. Others use monorails. Back to the original idea of a monorail to the airport. Excellent idea.
Imagine a series of concrete pillars laid down the centre of Memorial Ave, where the meridian strip is now. Every so often put a bridge up and over the road, that doubles as a station platform for the train. From the airport, straight down Memorial Ave, and around or through Hagley park. Stops at all major hotels. Brilliant!

The same can be done with all major arterial avenues with meridian strips. Even those without. Papanui Rd, Benheim Rd, Riccarton Rd, Linwood Ave. Wherever we need it to go.

One major advantage of rail over roads, is that they are less affected by traffic. They are more reliable, so become more patronised. Buses will always get stuck in traffic.

Light rail, like the current (recent) trams, are still at the mercy of traffic lights and traffic jams. No more reliable than a bus, so I might as well take my own car.

Efficient rail services have really shone when linked to large venues like sports stadiums. One of the best thing the Ausies did for their Olympic Games was to put rail to the stadium. Thousands of people away from the stadium only minutes after an event finishes.

As a red-blooded kiwi, I like to take every opportunity to take the piss out of the Aussies, but this one they really did well. I'll just have to wait for another opportunity. I know I won't be waiting long.

So there it is.
Let's go with rail, but lift it away from the traffic. Maybe monorails are cheaper in this situation. Who knows?