Personal Rapid Transit in New Zealand - Future Transit Now

There have already been calls to open the North Shore's new $300m Busway to car pooling. The call has been driven by a requirement for bigger and earlier returns from the investment.

These calls have been resisted by promoters of the Busway because they want to see it working for buses first

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Reported in the New Zealand Herald, apparently there were some "teething problems" with the new $300m North Shore Busway. The Herald ran a test with a reporter driving a car and another taking the bus over the same route.

 Read about who won the great race here

North Shore's $300m Busway opened today.

Transit NZ's website, www.busway.co.nz reports that the Northern Busway is New Zealand's first purpose built road dedicated to bus passenger transport, and will form a key part of Auckland's rapid transit network.

It is expected that it will improve journey speed, reliability and comfort and will provide an attractive alternative to private vehicle use, increasing passenger transport modal share, and reducing the demand for more roading.

The Northern Busway is part of a public transport network linking North Shore City and Hibiscus Coast with the CBD. Express services and local bus services will link into the busway through five new busway stations at Albany, Constellation, Sunnynook, Smales Farm and Akoranga.

Prime Minister Helen Clark led almost 1000 people on a celebratory walk along the two-lane road built by Transit NZ, next to the Northern Motorway, for the busway's inauguration at the weekend.

Read about the opening here

An editorial view here

Image courtesy www.busway.co.nz

Dr Ed Anderson has received an honorary life membership to ATRA, the Advanced Transit Association. The award was made at the ATRA annual meeting on January 13 and was given unanimously.

ATRA Chairman Dennis Manning said the award is in recognition of Ed being both a long time member of ATRA - in fact Ed was one of the founders in 1976 - but also an award that recognizes his extraordinary contribution to the advancement of Personal Rapid Transit systems both technically and in his advocacy all around the globe.

Ed Anderson visited Branson Missouri recently to discuss the benefits of Personal Rapid Transit. Branson officials had already carried out hearings into Monorail in 2001 and light rail in 2006

The reaction of officials was still somewhat sceptical. While intrigued they wanted to see more concrete proof.

This prompted Dr Anderson to provide a specific set of questions and answers asked by people at Branson and other cities

Read the article here

Read Dr Anderson's set of Q&A here

Abu Dhabi is set to build a green community in the heart of its city.

Known as the Masdar institute its main feature will be the use of existing technologies to achieve a zero-carbon and zero-waste sustainable development within a six square kilometer walled city

The city will be car free but will have a personal rapid transit system

Read the article here