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Thread: commuting questions

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
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    Birmingham, UK
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    8

    Default commuting questions

    Hi

    Does anyone have direct experience of the rush hour in either Auckland, Wellington or Christchurch?

    Is it comparable to the rush hour in UK major cities?

    Does the "nightmare commute" exist in NZ?

    Thanks

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
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    Bucklands Beach, Auckland
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    Yes, Auckland.
    Yes. Possibly worse than some, better than others.
    Yes.

    Auckland is notorious for it's rush hour problems. In some areas, unless you're on the road by 6-6.15 a.m., your 30 minute commute turns into 60-90 minutes.
    However, it is nowhere near as bad as the M25 in my experience.
    Gil

  3. #3
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    Oct 2007
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    Nrth Wellington from Tadley UK
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    Wellington rush hour from where we are Churton Park to Tory St takes about 20 minutes by car, there's traffic but it moves & nothing like the UK, getting into Reading to do shopping on a Saturday or any other weekday for that matter, no comparison for us

  4. #4
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    44N to 43S; Oregon to ChCh
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    Christchurch rush hour is really like... a rush half hour. I don't know what UK cities are like but the ChCh rush hour is comparable to a US city of about half the size or less. There's a bit of traffic but things keep moving.

  5. #5
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    D'port, Auckland (ex UK)
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    also, although it does have a bit of a poor reputation the bus service in Auckland is not too bad during rush hour - plenty of bus lanes and you can get from some parts of the north shore into the CBD within 15 minutes (and only about half an hour from Albany I believe)

    We use the ferry so can't really comment, but outside of rush hour driving around the auckland area is not bad at all

  6. #6
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    Feb 2008
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    Auckland from Sheffield
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    Auckland commuter traffic is the worst I've known, it's certainly not helped by a lack of decent public transport.
    I commute by bike and find I can to work as quick as driving, but it's a dangerous occupation, only this morning I needed to swerved to avoid a bin wagon that pulled out of side road without looking, then later was nearly swiped by a driver cuttting me up with one hand on his mobile. The latter is a dreadful problem in NZ, but instead the police concentrate on speeding.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
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    25

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    Quote Originally Posted by shazhad View Post
    Hi

    Does anyone have direct experience of the rush hour in either Auckland, Wellington or Christchurch?

    Is it comparable to the rush hour in UK major cities?

    Does the "nightmare commute" exist in NZ?

    Thanks
    Hi there,
    I am a professional driver here in Auckland and have had experience of driving in many places, primarily England, and in many other countries too. I can tell you that Auckland, probably the busiest part of New Zealand, does not seem to have a fraction of the problems that you can experience all over the UK. Yes, there is an element of "unexpectedness" on the roads around Auckland but I have not yet had to battle my way anywhere in the same way that I found on British roads; suuposedly some of the best roads in the world! It is also true that the rush hour, generally starting from around 7:30 am ish to around 09:30 in the mornings and from 4:30 - 6pm in the evenings can slow things down a bit.

    Outside of these times however is generally pretty smooth flowing. You do get a little of the "madness" and impatience that you will have witnessed in the UK but it is on a much smaller scale. Anyone who really thinks that Auckland provides the worst traffic around really needs to get out more!! I used to live on the New Forest side of Southampton; picturesque, rural etc but catch the roads there at the wrong time and it was completely jammed solid.

    There appears to be a lot less "angry" driving as well and I certainly do not feel the same sort of tenseness and the wait for someone to shout, throw up a finger, or the other mentality of another driver simply wanting to smash you off the road - perhaps a feeling that can be experienced on British roads.

    There is, quite simply, around a 10th of the cars on the roads out here and the roads themselves are getting better and better with new link roads opening regularly.

    Here is to hoping that it will remain that way............ traffic can be a slight irritation at the the wrong time but outside of that its pretty good!
    Last edited by smudgerand4; 28th January 2009 at 10:49 PM.

  8. #8
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    Mar 2008
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    Cornwall-WLG NZ-Cornwall-Auckl
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    I agree with the last post although I will say you can not predict anyday somedays from Churton Park to the hospital it takes 20 mins others 40 mins if you commute from the Hutt into town thats a different story due to ongoing road works and lights

    apologies (Wellington)

  9. #9
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    Apr 2006
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    Upper Hutt & Paraparaumu
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    Yeah Wellington traffic is a bit hit and miss at the moment - both SH1/SH2 out of the city can be a nightmare at peak times!

  10. #10
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    Essex, UK
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    Quote Originally Posted by smudgerand4 View Post
    There appears to be a lot less "angry" driving as well and I certainly do not feel the same sort of tenseness and the wait for someone to shout, throw up a finger, or the other mentality of another driver simply wanting to smash you off the road - perhaps a feeling that can be experienced on British roads.
    Really?? Where are you driving? Must amend my way to work. What you are describing is what I have come to expect here daily, and I am amazed at the level of aggression that people display once behind the wheel.

    Having said that, while the rush hour may not be as bad as somewhere else,I find it far less predictable. I have taken anything between 25min to over 1h for an 11km trip, at the same time, and really there doesn't seem to be much system to it.

    I'm cycling as well now, like chocolate cake, and I find my cycle times much more predictable than the car traffic. But again, I find the level of aggression and inconsiderate driving mind boggling.

    Daniela

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