Prepare to be grumpy - Auckland toll plan

**MisterD** · 30th October 2014, 07:17

I'll have time to listen to Len when his "office" is reduced from a platoon of spin doctors to a single PA and his salary is halved.

We do not need to spend half the fucking money the council spends now. Example: since Len has been in there have been on-going works to replace perfectly serviceable concrete kerb stones with fancy schmancy stone ones. We do not need to spend the money on Len's self-agrandising legacy boondoggle aka the City Rail Loop.

All we need to do is spend a few dollars on school buses to get the school run traffic of the road and it'll be like holiday time every day.

**R650R** · 30th October 2014, 07:23

Originally Posted by Voltaire

Driving down the Southern Motorway on my 15 minute commute to work you can see most vehicles are single occupant.

Given how strangers relate to each other here, plus all the other work colleagues that many loathe, cant talk to etc who really wants to or would car pool.
Especially in the age of contagious disease outbreaks, judging of other peoples driving (people used to mind their own business), workplace sexual harassment cases etc...
Sharing your car could suddenly make your life more complicated and really how many of your workmates could you truly rely on to make it successful on daily basis?

The only real option is LOTS of buses and trains but NZ cant afford it. And with all that petrol tax money gone they will have to raise income tax to cover it, the roads will still need roughly the same amount of maintainance.
So effectively the cost of getting to work will be the same but stuck with people you don't like.
What I have seen work is the park and ride system where you park on outskirts of city and bus in to centre with security gaurds patrolling car park. Again though there is the cost of acquiring the required amount of land.

**Swoop** · 30th October 2014, 07:39

Originally Posted by HenryDorsetCase

that system works well in Wellington and fairly well in Melbourne. there was some political clusterfuck about it in Orkers I recall.

It came from having two different types of public-transport cards and two systems that (of course) wouldn't be compatible with each other.

Originally Posted by MisterD

All we need to do is spend a few dollars on school buses to get the school run traffic of the road and it'll be like holiday time every day.

A campaign from council and backed up by schools, to get kids walking or cycling to school. Any parent who drives their kid to school gets made to RUN around the playground 10 times with their kid/s.
Nett gain: Less traffic on the roads, healthier kids, chubby-mummies getting fitter.

Originally Posted by FJRider

Actually ... the other way round. AND ...There's a few roads down my way that "Need work" ... your contribution will be happily accepted ..

You might have noticed that Auckland propped up the rest of the countries roads for several decades while nothing was being built around NZ's only city.

Originally Posted by FJRider

Why not just pay with money ... ?? Has THAT not been tried before .. ??

An interesting point all by itself.
I had a good chat with a Newmarket shopkeeper last week. He gets pissed off with tossers going into his shop and "demanding" change for the parking machines, while waving good-sized denomination notes.
An Asian customer stated that if anyone tried that in Singapore or Hong Kong the shopkeeper would always charge a commission for that transaction.

**HenryDorsetCase** · 30th October 2014, 07:40

imagine the zombie apocalypse and you are stuck in a car, carpooling with people you hate, and ONE of them might be infected.

I am pitching the shit out of that as an idea to Peter Jackson right now.

the contagious disease thing is funny: because when you get to your work all the other fuckers in the OTHER car pools gather there and infect EVERYONE via the air conditioning and over the top of their little office cubicles. fuck everything about that.

**Voltaire** · 30th October 2014, 08:45

Originally Posted by HenryDorsetCase

imagine the zombie apocalypse and you are stuck in a car, carpooling with people you hate, and ONE of them might be infected.

I am pitching the shit out of that as an idea to Peter Jackson right now.

the contagious disease thing is funny: because when you get to your work all the other fuckers in the OTHER car pools gather there and infect EVERYONE via the air conditioning and over the top of their little office cubicles. fuck everything about that.

C'mon its either improve public transport or finance Peter Jackson movies....can't do both ( or either)
Ready for Zombies, got antiseptic wipes and a face mask.

**TheDemonLord** · 30th October 2014, 09:21

Originally Posted by Voltaire

C'mon its either improve public transport or finance Peter Jackson movies....can't do both ( or either)
Ready for Zombies, got antiseptic wipes and a face mask.

Well, I have a Bike and I want to see the Silmarillion made into a movie so.....

**Voltaire** · 30th October 2014, 09:50

" yes I did have a shave but then got on the Southern Motorway...."

**Big Dog** · 30th October 2014, 12:03

Decentralise business. Job done.

Stupid phone / Tapatalk, apologies in advance.

**buggerit** · 30th October 2014, 12:19

Stick the Beehive in Otara

Job DONE

**Big Dave** · 30th October 2014, 12:42

Originally Posted by buggerit

By the way, how long till they use the system to ticket u for wof ,rego ,speed between entry and exit point infringements?

It started in Aus 4 years ago.

Parts of the Pacific and New Engalnd Highways have point to point cameras now too.

I would pay more for less conjestion on Alkl motorways. $2 meh. The trouble is when it gets like Brisbane. It can cost over $30 in tolls to cross the city and back via the freeways here.

**HenryDorsetCase** · 30th October 2014, 12:58

Originally Posted by Big Dog

Decentralise business. Job done.

Stupid phone / Tapatalk, apologies in advance.

oftentimes you dont even need to do that. I can be (and often am) very productive indeed sitting at my computer, at home, working. Once we get a couple of other issues sorted with systems and processes I can be literally as efficient. I wont actually need to go into work except for meetings. Hell, I wont even need to put pants on* unless I have to go meet someone.

*You guessed it, I have a part time gig as a cam girl.

**HenryDorsetCase** · 30th October 2014, 12:59

Originally Posted by Big Dave

It started in Aus 4 years ago.

Parts of the Pacific and New Engalnd Highways have point to point cameras now too.

I would pay more for less conjestion on Alkl motorways. $2 meh. The trouble is when it gets like Brisbane. It can cost over $30 in tolls to cross the city and back via the freeways here.

Trade Practices Act: they aren't "free" ways at all if it costs $30 to use them....

**Big Dave** · 30th October 2014, 13:22

Originally Posted by HenryDorsetCase

Trade Practices Act: they aren't "free" ways at all if it costs $30 to use them....

My residual New Zealundish. The are indeed designated 'Motorways'

Tolls are $4.50 for a car - less for a bike.

But there are several interconnected toll roads and tunnels. Kerrrrchingggg - Kerrrrchingggg - Kerrrrchingggg - Kerrrrchingggg - Kerrrrchingggg - every time you enter one.

**Big Dog** · 30th October 2014, 14:16

Originally Posted by HenryDorsetCase

oftentimes you dont even need to do that. I can be (and often am) very productive indeed sitting at my computer, at home, working. Once we get a couple of other issues sorted with systems and processes I can be literally as efficient. I wont actually need to go into work except for meetings. Hell, I wont even need to put pants on* unless I have to go meet someone.

*You guessed it, I have a part time gig as a cam girl.

Same. More work per hour with less distractions. More breaks because I usually have the kids at home, but I maintain the right number of working hours.

Trouble is my boss doesn't really know what I do because he only ever hears from or about me when something goes tits up and so he likes to see a bum in my seat.

Next time I am negotiating a job working from home will be a negotiable factor.

Base wage I would work for plus x% where x is equal to the number of days in the office multiplied by 10% of the distance travelled.

E.g you want me in the office 5 days a week? Sure that'll be 5 x 4.6% (46ks to work) that will cost you 23% more.
Oh? You only need me in the office 1 day a week? Plus the occasional meeting? That will only cost you 4%.

Of. Course you word it the other way round.
123% is the salary you tell them you want. If they don't want to pay it and you don't want to travel all that way every day offer to work from home 3 days a week for 12.5% less.

Stupid phone / Tapatalk, apologies in advance.