Roeland
@roelandschks.bsky.social
Auckland suburbanite and former urbanite.
got an old school blog thing. https://wrongsideofmycar.blogspot.com/
got an old school blog thing. https://wrongsideofmycar.blogspot.com/
Sounds like a driver who quickly went through the stages of 1. saw a cyclist, 2. didn't care, 3. regret.
From observing driving style in NZ, there is a subset of drivers who gravely underestimate how much hitting someone with a car sucks.
From observing driving style in NZ, there is a subset of drivers who gravely underestimate how much hitting someone with a car sucks.
July 8, 2025 at 7:12 AM
Sounds like a driver who quickly went through the stages of 1. saw a cyclist, 2. didn't care, 3. regret.
From observing driving style in NZ, there is a subset of drivers who gravely underestimate how much hitting someone with a car sucks.
From observing driving style in NZ, there is a subset of drivers who gravely underestimate how much hitting someone with a car sucks.
National campaigned on basically a single issue — be spiteful — and they're keeping that promise.
June 30, 2025 at 11:26 AM
National campaigned on basically a single issue — be spiteful — and they're keeping that promise.
Painfully obvious to those learning English as second language.
And that is even before you get to the interesting questions, like do ‘foot’ and ‘root’ officially rhyme or not?
And that is even before you get to the interesting questions, like do ‘foot’ and ‘root’ officially rhyme or not?
June 25, 2025 at 3:52 AM
Painfully obvious to those learning English as second language.
And that is even before you get to the interesting questions, like do ‘foot’ and ‘root’ officially rhyme or not?
And that is even before you get to the interesting questions, like do ‘foot’ and ‘root’ officially rhyme or not?
Yeah true, but I expect (at least over here in Auckland) most apartments will be smaller buildings like 5-over-1s and maybe 4-ish storey walk-ups.
June 23, 2025 at 4:04 AM
Yeah true, but I expect (at least over here in Auckland) most apartments will be smaller buildings like 5-over-1s and maybe 4-ish storey walk-ups.
My argument isn’t pro/against arguments (I’m pro), but more pro quiet streets (which in Auckland is considered some dark Eldritch magic that nobody understands). Quiet streets are important, we must have them and in particular, we must have them around apartments.
June 23, 2025 at 3:58 AM
My argument isn’t pro/against arguments (I’m pro), but more pro quiet streets (which in Auckland is considered some dark Eldritch magic that nobody understands). Quiet streets are important, we must have them and in particular, we must have them around apartments.
And the scheme shows this really well, there is a HUGE difference in space between those tiny boxes on the left, and those huge curves enclosing the street on the right.
June 23, 2025 at 3:58 AM
And the scheme shows this really well, there is a HUGE difference in space between those tiny boxes on the left, and those huge curves enclosing the street on the right.
So if you have a small apartment without backyard, it is not that big of a deal because you still have a lot of space.
But on the left side, the lack of space will bite much worse in apartments. For kids it really sucks if they need supervision to literally just go outside.
But on the left side, the lack of space will bite much worse in apartments. For kids it really sucks if they need supervision to literally just go outside.
June 23, 2025 at 3:58 AM
So if you have a small apartment without backyard, it is not that big of a deal because you still have a lot of space.
But on the left side, the lack of space will bite much worse in apartments. For kids it really sucks if they need supervision to literally just go outside.
But on the left side, the lack of space will bite much worse in apartments. For kids it really sucks if they need supervision to literally just go outside.
Ideally you’d be in a situation like the rightmost side. Even in a house with a large backyard, most space in your home zone is actually the public space around you. This is also where you can interact with a lot more people. Or where you may let your kids play outside.
June 23, 2025 at 3:58 AM
Ideally you’d be in a situation like the rightmost side. Even in a house with a large backyard, most space in your home zone is actually the public space around you. This is also where you can interact with a lot more people. Or where you may let your kids play outside.
People living in apartments end up having no outdoor space within their home zone. While many houses have a backyard, which is outdoors and part of the home zone.
How bad that is depends on target audience — for yuppies is it merely an annoyance. For families it is suffocating.
How bad that is depends on target audience — for yuppies is it merely an annoyance. For families it is suffocating.
June 23, 2025 at 1:39 AM
People living in apartments end up having no outdoor space within their home zone. While many houses have a backyard, which is outdoors and part of the home zone.
How bad that is depends on target audience — for yuppies is it merely an annoyance. For families it is suffocating.
How bad that is depends on target audience — for yuppies is it merely an annoyance. For families it is suffocating.
That question was framed in the context of current cities, which are a few extra steps to the left on those graphs (there's a lot more cars than in the 1970s).
The opposite framing is that the rightmost graph trivially answers “but where will children play?” for well built neighbourhoods.
The opposite framing is that the rightmost graph trivially answers “but where will children play?” for well built neighbourhoods.
June 23, 2025 at 1:11 AM
That question was framed in the context of current cities, which are a few extra steps to the left on those graphs (there's a lot more cars than in the 1970s).
The opposite framing is that the rightmost graph trivially answers “but where will children play?” for well built neighbourhoods.
The opposite framing is that the rightmost graph trivially answers “but where will children play?” for well built neighbourhoods.
Reminds me of how occasionally a human driven car enters a pre-metro (*) tunnel in Brussels by mistake, I wonder if self driving cars will do that too.
(*) these are partially completed metro tunnels currently used by trams.
(*) these are partially completed metro tunnels currently used by trams.
June 22, 2025 at 9:41 PM
Reminds me of how occasionally a human driven car enters a pre-metro (*) tunnel in Brussels by mistake, I wonder if self driving cars will do that too.
(*) these are partially completed metro tunnels currently used by trams.
(*) these are partially completed metro tunnels currently used by trams.
And that was half a century ago, I wonder if your average suburban street today has any such lines at all.
This chart has a companion, home zones, which explains such questions as:
- Why can’t you raise children in a modern city
- Why are apartments an inferior option to a house
etc.
This chart has a companion, home zones, which explains such questions as:
- Why can’t you raise children in a modern city
- Why are apartments an inferior option to a house
etc.
June 22, 2025 at 9:30 PM
And that was half a century ago, I wonder if your average suburban street today has any such lines at all.
This chart has a companion, home zones, which explains such questions as:
- Why can’t you raise children in a modern city
- Why are apartments an inferior option to a house
etc.
This chart has a companion, home zones, which explains such questions as:
- Why can’t you raise children in a modern city
- Why are apartments an inferior option to a house
etc.
The countours on GeoMaps show that the office park on the other side of the motorway is similarly low lying. But it is apparently protected from flooding by the motorway, which is somewhat higher than the surrounding plain.
June 11, 2025 at 10:24 PM
The countours on GeoMaps show that the office park on the other side of the motorway is similarly low lying. But it is apparently protected from flooding by the motorway, which is somewhat higher than the surrounding plain.
It doesn’t have to be a golf course, but most of it needs to be something that doesn’t incur expensive damage from things that are known to happen in flood plains.
June 11, 2025 at 10:24 PM
It doesn’t have to be a golf course, but most of it needs to be something that doesn’t incur expensive damage from things that are known to happen in flood plains.
Any local can tell you the answer. Not really. When cyclone Gabrielle hit us, the intersection at the top of that image was under a metre of water.
Here’s the same area on the Auckland Council Flood Viewer.
Here’s the same area on the Auckland Council Flood Viewer.
June 11, 2025 at 10:24 PM
Any local can tell you the answer. Not really. When cyclone Gabrielle hit us, the intersection at the top of that image was under a metre of water.
Here’s the same area on the Auckland Council Flood Viewer.
Here’s the same area on the Auckland Council Flood Viewer.
btw holding income of $75k pa? That seems like… not a lot for such a site.
June 11, 2025 at 9:50 AM
btw holding income of $75k pa? That seems like… not a lot for such a site.
But since The Avenue doesn’t show up as a separate lot on GeoMaps I guess it is complicated, because it is a private street.
June 9, 2025 at 4:08 AM
But since The Avenue doesn’t show up as a separate lot on GeoMaps I guess it is complicated, because it is a private street.
The thing local buses do there always struck me as weird. They have to do this little loop onto the busway to reach the local bus platforms. And why do we even have those? Can’t buses go around the block via The Avenue and stop there? That seems at least a bit less slow, and would take up less land.
June 9, 2025 at 4:08 AM
The thing local buses do there always struck me as weird. They have to do this little loop onto the busway to reach the local bus platforms. And why do we even have those? Can’t buses go around the block via The Avenue and stop there? That seems at least a bit less slow, and would take up less land.
Yeah sometimes if it wants, Auckland Transport can be efficient.
June 3, 2025 at 10:13 PM
Yeah sometimes if it wants, Auckland Transport can be efficient.