Media ain't rocket scientists

[mowgli]

This posted on The Herald website (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10553659) this morning.


Earlier yesterday, a Herald car took just three minutes and 43 seconds to travel the 7km from the new road's Orewa interchange to the northern end of its signature twin tunnels at the 100km/h speed limit applying to the full route.
The return trip from 12.15pm took just under four minutes.

If you averaged 100km/h then it would take four minutes and 12 seconds to travel 7km. On those figures the first trip averaged 113km/h. I'll bet the driver of the Herald car is looking a bit sheepish about now.

In Australia they have electronic tolls. Realising another cash cow, they (Victoria I think it was) changed the law so that you could be issued an infringement notice for exceeding the posted limit on average. I wonder how long before we see that here.

[Colapop]

Stretching the truth is NOT lying!! Embelishemnts make the story BETTER! If it's not sensational it doesn't sell.

[Tank]

I just find it sad that a 7km bit of road (yes even with a few bridges and a very short tunnell) even makes the news - little less all the coverage it received over the last few days.

Im more interested why it took so fucken long to build. In the US that would have been started on a Wednesday and open for the weekend.

Here it took 76 years, more money than it would have taken to refit the entire airforce, and they still couldnt get it open before the long weekend.

[mowgli]

Stretching the truth is NOT lying!! Embelishemnts make the story BETTER! If it's not sensational it doesn't sell.

Nah! If they'd reported that the trip took four and half minutes it would still be sensational compared with the alternate route. Why be so precise in reporting the numbers if they're wrong? I expect they fudged the numbers and no one checked 'em.

Or perhaps it's a clever ploy to draw attention to the article and I've unwittingly played into their hands.

[Hitcher]

But Aucklanders love sitting in traffic that's going nowhere. These improvements mean that they may actually have to book accommodation when leaving home at long weekends, rather than spending all that time sitting in a car on a motorway. Oh the horror! How will people cope?

[R6_kid]

It's ok, skidmark still thinks its possible to stop a ZXR250 from 60kmh in 2m. The maths of why this is impossible using only the brakes is in the 'how fast can you stop' thread.

[Big Dave]

Oh the horror! How will people cope?

A lot better than trying to get in and out of Wellington at peak.

[Hitcher]

A lot better than trying to get in and out of Wellington at peak.

Obviously you haven't heard of the short cut.

[Big Dave]

Obviously you haven't heard of the short cut.

You mean.....a boat?

[MIXONE]

Obviously you haven't heard of the short cut.

Tell us where it is then?

[Hitcher]

Tell us where it is then?

Are you a Wellington regional rate payer?

[MIXONE]

Are you a Wellington regional rate payer?

Yes........

[Big Dave]

Are you a Wellington regional rate payer?

Don't shoot till you see the blue of their extremities.

[Str8 Jacket]

I work in Procurement for a Govt Dept. Believe me the media never stops "surprising" us..... As long as a story can sell who cares about the facts!

[Hitcher]

Yes........

Then you'll find the secret map and password on the back of your rates notice.

[Marmoot]

It's ok, skidmark still thinks its possible to stop a ZXR250 from 60kmh in 2m. The maths of why this is impossible using only the brakes is in the 'how fast can you stop' thread.

You never heard of the wall trick?

[Hitcher]

You never heard of the wall trick?

Is that like the pothole trick, but not as deep?

[Pumba]

In Australia they have electronic tolls. Realising another cash cow, they (Victoria I think it was) changed the law so that you could be issued an infringement notice for exceeding the posted limit on average. I wonder how long before we see that here.

The cameras for the electronic tolls are only located at one end of the road, not both.

[steved]

Im more interested why it took so fucken long to build. In the US that would have been started on a Wednesday and open for the weekend.

Here it took 76 years, more money than it would have taken to refit the entire airforce, and they still couldnt get it open before the long weekend.

Eh? How about Boston's Big Dig? From wikipedia;

The Big Dig has been the most expensive highway project in the U.S.[5] Although the project was estimated at $2.8 billion in 1985 (in 1982 dollars, US$6.0 billion adjusted for inflation as of 2006[update]),[6] over $14.6 billion ($8.08 billion in 1982 dollars)[6] had been spent in federal and state tax dollars as of 2006[update].[7] A July 17, 2008 article in The Boston Globe stated, "In all, the project will cost an additional $7 billion in interest, bringing the total to a staggering $22 billion, according to a Globe review of hundreds of pages of state documents. It will not be paid off until 2038."[8] At the beginning of the project, Congressman Barney Frank asked, "Rather than lower the expressway, wouldn't it be cheaper to raise the city?" The project has incurred criminal arrests,[9][10] escalating costs, death, leaks, and charges of poor execution and use of substandard materials. The Massachusetts Attorney General is demanding contractors refund taxpayers $108 million for "shoddy work".[11] On January 23, 2008, it was reported that Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff, the consortium that oversaw the project, would pay $407 million in restitution for its poor oversight of subcontractors (some of whom committed outright fraud), as well as primary responsibility in the death of a motorist. However, despite admitting to poor oversight and negligence as part of the settlement,[12] the firm is not barred from bidding for future government contracts. Several smaller companies agreed to pay a combined sum of approximately $51 million.[13]