PRIVATE Transport

[Matt L]

AT are still rolling out the new parking scheme. From AT's website

[drosophila]

Originally Posted by Bealzebubbles

I guess 10 mins would probably be how long it takes to check a street full of cars. If no one comes back to collect a car with no sticker by the time the inspector leaves then they get ticketed. At least that is what I assume.

Yes but it requires them to go along writing the times on each one, the grace period appears to be unadvertised on the machines or the signs, so I am guessing they are assuming people will all pay and/or stay longer than the 10 mins.

[Bealzebubbles]

Originally Posted by drosophila

Yes but it requires them to go along writing the times on each one, the grace period appears to be unadvertised on the machines or the signs, so I am guessing they are assuming people will all pay and/or stay longer than the 10 mins.

Does it? If it takes them 10 minutes to inspect a line of cars all they need to do is go back to the start and begin ticketing those without a sticker.

[SYDNEY]

Call to redo beaches lost to bridge

Auckland transport politicians are backing a proposal to recreate beaches lost to North Shore's Shoal Bay when the harbour bridge was built in the 1950s. They will ask the Government's Transport Agency to consider the proposal - which also includes a pedestrian and cycling path between the bridge and Takapuna - in plans for a new harbour crossing costing up to $5 billion. Although a new bridge or road and rail tunnels are unlikely to be built for 20 years, Auckland Council's transport committee wants the agency to investigate shorter-term enhancements to Shoal Bay such as restoring the coastline beside the Northern Motorway around Sulphur Beach or building a bridge over Esmonde Rd to Barrys Pt Rd in Takapuna. That follows a joint approach to the committee from the Kaipatiki and Devonport-Takapuna local boards, with Garth Falconer of Reset Urban Design, who has worked on a number of coastal restoration projects. Mr Falconer told the committee his plan, expected to cost "less than 1 per cent" of a new harbour crossing, would reopen public access to more than 4km of coastline and improve the ecology of Shoal Bay, such as through the construction of offshore nesting for birds ... MORE

[Mr_kiwi_fruit]

Video - travelling into the city from Onewa Road on-ramp SH1 South over Auckland Harbour Bridge into the city

[SYDNEY]

Stunning video

[Mr_kiwi_fruit]

Here is another video crossing northwards over the bridge showing Fanshawe Street on-ramp with peak lanes closed, ramp signalling off (mostly at this on-ramp) - the two traffic lanes and a bus lane merging into 1 (previously used to be two lanes all the way) and the tunnel traffic merging on the RHS, and the sound barriers on both sides.

image hosted on flickr

Peak Lane (off peak) by craigsydnz, on Flickr

image hosted on flickr

Ramp Signalling and lane merge by craigsydnz, on Flickr

image hosted on flickr

Tunnel Merge by craigsydnz, on Flickr

[TomStone]

!!!! Did you film that MrKF? I was on K rd the other day and saw someone ride past on a motorbike with a GoPro on their helmet and I was like, "that would be so interesting to watch". Was that you?!!

[Mr_kiwi_fruit]

I filmed that with a GoPro 3 (silver) on my helmet but I was not on K'road with it as yet so that must have been someone else. It certainly makes fro an interesting point of view

[SYDNEY]

The GoPro broadens our horisons and now we can show what we have not been able to show before

[drosophila]

Glad to see this finally becoming law, it's been a great anomaly that someone can get a carpark tax free but would have to pay tax on a PT pass.

Carparks set to tax employers

Draft legislation aimed at introducing fringe benefit taxes on staff carparks is broader than initially expected and contains some "nasty fish hooks to look out for", says a tax expert.

And Ernst & Young tax partner Aaron Quintal says businesses will ultimately have to pass on the cost of the new tax to their employees.

"Over time it's going to be reflected in [businesses] getting rid of carparks or lower salary increases," he said.

Revenue Minister Peter Dunne announced in October that employee carparks would soon be recognised as income along with other non-cash benefits such as grocery and petrol vouchers.

At that time it appeared the changes would only affect carparks in the Auckland and Wellington CBDs, but Quintal said the draft legislation released yesterday indicated the tax would apply to any car park that cost an employer more than $210 a month.

It would also apply if a staff member was offered cash as an alternative to having a carpark, he said.

Quintal said his main concern was the complexity the changes would introduce for businesses, especially when firms had more staff than carparks.


"It's quite common that [a business] with 70 staff might have 50 carparks and whoever gets in first uses them," he said. "They've come up with very complex formulas around how you're going to calculate the benefit on those 50 carparks." PwC tax partner Elly Ward also said the legislation would force businesses into having to make complex calculations.

"For those that are affected it's going to be a real pain," Ward said.

"One of the [calculations] looks like an NCEA maths question and businesses are meant to be doing these on a daily basis."

She said it was bad policy to introduce a tax that would mostly affect businesses in central Wellington and the Auckland CBD.

"It's not really how we've typically taxed things in New Zealand before."

Opposition MPs criticised the new tax earlier this year, calling it a "barrel-scraping levy". At that time Dunne said he wasn't expecting "universal rejoicing" at the decision.

"But I think people will accept it's being pretty reasonable."

The tax change was expected to net the Government $23 million to $25 million a year.

The market value of a CBD carpark is believed to be around $3000 a year and the new tax paid by companies would be equivalent to the income tax paid by the employee using the parking space. This meant that if a staff member earned $60,000 a year and had a free carpark in central Auckland, an employer would pay around $1000 in tax.

The changes are expected to come into force on April 1, 2014.

In October Labour MP David Clark said the new tax was a desperate attempt by the Government to balance its books. "First the Government produced its petty paperboy tax, now it's putting a tax on carparks. What next?"

[SYDNEY]

Motorists face slow future

Not even a $2.86 billion rail tunnel will stop morning traffic in downtown Auckland from grinding down to half its current speed within a decade, according to a major study recommending the project. But without it, there will be inadequate road capacity to meet demand after 2021, and relying solely on more buses to improve public transport will hasten gridlock, say consultants hired by Auckland Transport to answer Government questions about a 3.5km rail tunnel from Britomart to Mt Eden. Even so, the Sinclair Knight Merz consultants are recommending extra buses and underground trains to ensure enough people can be brought into central Auckland and its fringes to fill extra jobs predicted for the country's commercial capital. That option - costing about $3.3 billion after inflation - is expected to slow traffic entering the city between 7am and 9am on weekday mornings to about 6km/h by 2021, compared with 16km/h now. Although a rail tunnel for extra public transport would offer motorists a slightly higher speed of 8km/h, Auckland Transport chief executive David Warburton says an integrated solution involving more buses would be the only way of bringing enough people into the city centre ... MORE

[SYDNEY]

Clarification on City Centre Future Access Study


Auckland Transport has provided technical clarification in response to questions, comments and assumptions made after today’s release of the City Centre Future Access Study. http://www.aucklandtransport.govt.nz...rk-crisis.aspx ...
*
The reference base case included all transport projects in the Auckland Plan including the Additional Waitemata Harbour Crossing, Waterview, SH16 and Puhoi to Wellsford and the Study therefore represents a best case scenario of the problems of access.
*
The Study provides a comparative assessment of options which were agreed with Central Government. The Benefit Cost Ratios (BCRs) reflect the comparative benefit of the options; they are not a business case evaluation.
*
The Study used Statistics New Zealand medium population growth projections agreed between local government and the Ministry of Transport, NZTA and Treasury.
*
The models used to inform the Study are the same as those used on a number of major projects such as Puhoi to Wellsford, Waterview and the Additional Waitemata Harbour Crossing.
*
The comparative BCR assessment took into account the assessment of Wider Economic Benefits (WEBs) as is common practice for large infrastructure projects. If these WEBs are excluded, the comparative BCR for the City Rail Link option would still be more than four times better than the next option of surface bus.
*
The Study considered a total of 46 options including light rail, mobility pods, ferries and multiple bus and rail options. They were refined using multi criteria analysis to reach agreement among central and local government agencies about those shortlisted.
*
The Study was designed to select the best option, not to justify funding. The next step in this process is a detailed business case in which the options will be optimised and the fundability of the project fully worked through in a considered manner.

[Mr_kiwi_fruit]

New signage could not be any clearer......

image hosted on flickr

Grafton Bridge by craigsydnz, on Flickr

image hosted on flickr

Grafton Bridge by craigsydnz, on Flickr

[Svartmetall]

Just goes to show how much whingers have to be satiated with a total information overload before their noise stops. Good solution, though.

[Bealzebubbles]

I really doubt this will stop people whinging. The only thing that will stop the whinging is for the bridge to be opened to all traffic, all bus lanes closed and everyone else except them banned from driving.

[otumoetaiNZ]

Nah someone will complain that there isnt a sign warning of the sign to show what vehicles can cross. That and people are just arrogant pricks most of the time and will just drive across anyway.

[viinniie]

oh well then they are the ones who deserves their fine.. can't be too pedantic now

[badbehaviour]

Love it. That road sign has attitude, it is saying... "if you do not understand me, you are a f****** idiot"

[viinniie]

maybe they spent all the peoples fines on these signs lol