Nelson Weekly
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www.simplicity.co.nz
tuesday 13 March 2018
one plunket, five generations
From pain to Kaiteri Gold glory
Rush hour page 25
page 4
Putting Nelson’s morning commute to the test Staff reporters The bike is king for Nelson’s morning commute. In the wake of last week’s submissions on the Nelson’s draft Regional Land Transport Plan, the Nelson Weekly decided to test a small snapshot of the city’s issues. We stationed reporters on a bike, a car and in a bus, and got them to race to a designated site in the city during rush hour. The goal was to make it from Stoke’s Strawbridge Square to Nelson city’s 1903 Square in the least amount of time, without breaking any laws. We decided to come through Bishopdale rather than Tahunanui because of the roadworks. So at 8.15am yesterday, when the NBus left from outside Countdown on Main Rd Stoke, a reporter was on board. The congestion on Waimea Rd heading into town has long been a point of contention. Some point to it as a sign that a new highway needs to be built, others say it means that more people should ride their bikes. The experiment was merely about
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offering an interesting perspective on a time of the day which many people in our region share – trying to get to work, or school, on time. Judging by yesterday’s rush hour race, many might be well served by investing in a good bike. The Rush Hour race marks the start of a series where the Weekly will be looking at transport issues around Nelson. Bus – Kate Russell Arrived at 8.43am 28 mins 43 secs The bus outside Countdown on Main Rd Stoke was right on time. I paid my $3.50 to the friendly female driver and found a seat onboard the three-quarter filled bus – mostly college students. In the eight years I’ve lived in Nelson, I have never caught the bus. But, I quietly enjoyed it. I was able to zone out, listen to music, ignore the grid-locked cars as we approached the Beatson Rd roundabout, and not have to worry about finding a park. But it was slow. It took 15 minutes to reach the SPCA on Waimea Rd. By 8:36am
Weekly reporters Jonty Dine, Charles Anderson and Kate Russell ready to test out Nelson’s morning commute. Photo: Andrew Board. we had reached Nelson College. Six get off. At 8:39am another six get off at Nelson College for Girls. I arrive at the Bridge St bus depot at 8:43am – six minutes later than
NBus schedule had promised me. Altogether, the bus made nine stops, one of which was a “hail and ride”, which means you can wave down the bus anywhere
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along the route. The stops definitely held things up but it was an enjoyable 28 minute journey that
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