Oneway street system has stood test of time
IN the ODT report (8.11.18) about a recent meeting to consider ‘‘designing a transport network that would work around the new hospital’’, the Dunedin City Council’s chief executive, Dr Sue Bidrose, made several comments about the oneway system that I believe are questionable.
Firstly, it was said that ‘‘there was a fair amount of agreement that the oneway streets made it difficult to get across the city for pedestrians’’. Crossing a oneway street on foot must surely be easier than a twoway street as one need only look in one direction and if pedestrian signals are provided there is no difference between the two modes of operation, both in distance to be walked and the amount of crossnow time that can be provided. The streets are very busy, and this is why they may be difficult for pedestrians to cross, not that they are oneway.
Secondly, it was said that ‘‘they’re really efficient in moving stuff from one end of town to the other’’. While this is true, it implies that they are not so efficient in moving ‘‘stuff’’ around the town. In fact, moving people and goods around the town in their vehicles (stuff) was the prime purpose of the oneway system when it was planned and implemented more than 50 years ago! A forecast of 1986 travel was made and the oneway system was adopted to ensure the street system in 1986 could handle the huge number of trips into and out of the various central city zones. The number of trips moving from one end of the town to the other was comparatively small, both as measured in 1963 and projected to 1986. The fact that the oneway system is still serving the city after 50 years speaks for itself.
Finally, it was stated ‘‘if the city was being designed today, we almost certainly wouldn’t put these two oneways right through the middle of the CBD’’. This is probably true, but a new city today would certainly have a motorway right into and serving its CBD. Christchurch is the only New Zealand city that has recently replanned its CBD almost from scratch following the earthquake, and it has retained its oneway streets in the
CBD.
Oneway streets have the big advantage that they enable traffic signals at adjacent intersections to be coordinated to so that stop/go driving is considerably reduced with a ‘‘green wave’’. This provides shorter driving times along them and reduces vehicle emissions which are high in stop/go driving conditions. The proposed hospital is located between the two oneway streets, which should allow excellent access from all parts of the city given careful location of its various entry/exits and internal vehicle circulation routes. Far from being isolated by the oneway system, it will be fully accessible to all the people and services that need to travel to and from it. Trevor Williams
Wanaka
Targeted
‘‘THE case against targeted advertising’’ by Martin Moore (ODT, 12.11.18) is a real eyeopener. It seems that Tim BernersLee’s ‘‘Pandora’s Box’’ has been wrenched wideopen!
Good old barefaced commercialism has taken the internet and has turned it into the most obtrusive snooping device ever, for commercial gain.
Targeted advertising has been taken to a whole new level (or low) by the penetration technologies of the likes of Facebook and Google.
And we’ve been beautifully cut and diced into marketing segments, by colour, creed, need and gender and sold off for digital rape and plunder.
Just go ahead, post your every need, want and whim on social media and you’ll be harnessed and sold off in the new dystopian slavemarket.
‘‘So to my dear private (handwritten) diary this is my last thought and confession to you. I confess I’ve gone over to the other side and laid myself bare at the mercy of dark, digital commercialism!’’ Tony Crick Andersons Bay .....................................
BIBLE READING: . . . God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit . . . — Romans 5:5