I believe we need to look at public transport as a way of improving the movement and environment in our communities. I understand this is hard to do in New Zealand as we are a very car dependent society. But I also understand why this is true, as public transport, especially in Auckland, is terrible. I catch the bus to university almost every day, and I have to be honest, I don’t think it is avery good service and there is not much in the way of options. With regard to my bus schedule, I either end up at uni an hour early or twenty minutes late which irritates me quite a lot. I also understand that by encouraging more public transport, it means a safer environment for children in the community who walk to and from school and play along the footpaths adjacent to the road.
Even walking school buses like this one in Pt Chevalier, Auckland can be effective for safe mass transport within a community, and of course, it is environmentally friendly
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| Walking school bus in Pt Chevalier Source: Pt Chevalier Property Blog |
I understand implementing an effective public transport system in New Zealand is hard because we are such a small country with limited access to funds. But we could be doing so much more if we reinvested the money we are using to widen roads and build new motorways on new public transport initiatives. Even creating carpooling and car sharing programs can limit the number of cars on the road and may even to a small degree create relationships among people whose children go to the same school. These types of strategies can surely benefit us, and with a little more resource allocation from the council, it could happen, we just need to move away from the single user private vehicle system we are so accustomed to.
Ideas from: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/MotoringAndTransport/PublicAndCommunityTransport/index.htm
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