Slowly but surely, the transport mode shift we've been told is required to cut carbon emissions is happening around the country. In some places, it's also having unintended consequences. In my part of Wellington, Oriental Bay, a new bike lane at the entrance to the bay has made it easier for people to cycle through a busy part of town. But from my apartment, I now watch rush-hour and weekend traffic back up along the bay in a way it never did before.
Wellington City Council tweaked the traffic light phasing on Kent Terrace to try to fix the problem, but in February admitted that congestion monitoring showed "queues are still longer than they were before installation".
I'm not entering the fractious cars vs cyclists debate. We need to make more room for cyclists on our roads but clearly the incentives to leave the car at home and either cycle to work or catch the bus aren't yet strong enough.
Esta historia es de la edición April 27-May 3, 2024 de New Zealand Listener.
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Esta historia es de la edición April 27-May 3, 2024 de New Zealand Listener.
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First-world problem
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Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
Nazism rears its head
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Staying ahead of the game
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Grasping the nettle
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Chemical reaction
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Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.