Brickbat for the stupid idea in Council's draft CBD recovery plan for an expensive light-rail system & the $4 million feasibility study, a waste of ratepayers' money. Rail traffic vibrations would weaken old & new buildings! Hadn't councillors learnt a thing from ratepayers complaining about house-shaking by passing trucks? As for a railway going to the university along two-lane, narrow, Riccarton Rd : laughable!
It was pointless wasting money on light-rail, as University of Canterbury (UC) buildings were damaged, students had post-quake lectures in tents & some students went to other tertiary institutions, including Adelaide, Australia. UC would be in financial trouble regarding reduced student numbers & future funding. (31.10.13. NZ National government would announce it would pay $260m towards UC rebuild. OneNews).
Post-quakes, by 2014 UC student numbers would still be dropping. (The Press 27.02.15).
Never mind CBD ruins & wastelands left by demolitions, 1 000s of householders without decent homes & enduring ruined water, sewage, road systems.
Two months before, when I'd trekked a recently opened western niche in the CBD red-zone between Lichfield St & Tuam St, it was a demolition-site behind steel-mesh-fence-cordons.
Since then, seedy Colombo St east side ruins were demolished near the old Tuam St Council multi-storey, its windows still shattered. The new temporary Bus Exchange was built on part of the demolition-site, west side of Colombo St.
26.10.11. Part of the new, temp, Bus Exchange, Lichfield St / Tuam St. A Council bldg, porta-cabins, Central Police bldg & parking garage behind
Between Lichfield St & Tuam St: A carpark next to the new temporary Bus Exchange showed three new signs:
121 TUAM ST
CCC OFFICES
NO
PUBLIC
ACCESS
We are working in this area
constructing the:
Temporary Bus Exchange
There may be changes to the road layout...
26.10.11. New post quake signs by a Council bldg, Tuam St, next door to the new, temp, Bus Exchange. The bldg became Tuam Library
Council workers had installed porta-cabin offices in their carpark behind a steel-mesh-fence-cordon & at ratepayers' expense a porta-cabin shop sporting the name:
THE
TUCK
SHOP
EXPRESS
26.10.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. The Tuck Shop Express, porta-cabin shop, Christchurch new, temp, Bus Exchange, Lichfield St / Tuam St
Council workers looked after their own appetites before the public was considered. Council could've made money by placing the Express Tuck Shop the other side of the steel-mesh-fence-cordon & catering for the public.
26.10.11. New, temp, Bus Exchange passengers, Tuam St / Lichfield St
I trekked the new temporary Bus Exchange: two one-way lanes, a road-island in the middle for waiting passengers, buses going one-way from Lichfield St to Tuam St. New benches stood on the road-island for waiting passengers.
26.10.11. EXTREME DANGER KEEP OUT. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, demolition / construction site, by new, temp. Bus Exchange, Tuam St / Lichfield St. The construction site would become an asphalt carpark
26.10.11. Tuam St / Lichfield St. CONSTRUCTION SITE. Steel mesh fence cordon. New, temp, Bus Exchange view, red zone CBD. Westpac left, Holiday Inn right would be demolished
26.10.11. Tanker spraying water to lay demolition / construction site dust, Tuam St, seen from new, temp, Bus Exchange, Tuam St / Lichfield St
26.10.11. Tuam St / Lichfield St. New, temp, Bus Exchange view, post quake, red zone, construction site, west of Colombo St demolitions. Quake damaged Westpac & Holiday Inn behind would be demolished
26.10.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. New, temp, Bus Exchange view, post quake, red zone, construction site, west of Colombo St demolitions. Quake shattered, old Council offices behind would be demolished, enabling the permanent Bus Interchange
By the construction site's steel-mesh-fence-cordon there were more porta-cabins: a metro information-office, a passenger lounge with seats for waiting passengers. New blue metro digital-signs abounded at bus-stops. Two workmen using an expander-ladder fixed a new metro digital-sign when I passed. New metro bus-maps were on a porta-cabin wall & at Lichfield St entrance to the new temporary Bus Exchange.
26.10.11. New, temp, Bus Exchange, passenger lounge view, post quake, red zone, construction site, west of Colombo St demolitions
26.10.11. New, temp, Bus Exchange, passenger lounge view, post quake, red zone, construction site by Lichfield St. Quake trashed high rises behind awaited demolition: Westpac, Hotel Grand Chancellor, Holiday Inn
Two blokes in yellow, Hi-Vis vests stood by an office, advising passengers needing information. Two more blokes in orange, Hi -Vis vests also advised on the road-island.
26.10.11. Bus passengers, new, temp, Bus Exchange, Lichfield St / Tuam St
26.10.11. New, temp, Bus Exchange map, Lichfield St side
26.10.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Yellow digger, orange, Hi-Vis vested workmen. Eastern view, red zone, post quake, construction site, by new, temp, Bus Exchange office, Lichfield St side
Buses drove through the open-air Bus Exchange, picking up passengers. The new temporary Bus Exchange livened a southern bit of the CERA-occupied, CBD red-zone.
26.10.11. Lichfield St view, post quake, new, temp, Bus Exchange. Port Hills beyond
26.10.11. Orange digger in steel mesh fence cordon. Orange, plastic, road cone cordon. Western view, post quake Lichfield St, nr new, temp, Bus Exchange
At the construction site next to the new temporary Bus Exchange, a yellow-digger & a yellow-grader smoothed new shingle. Workmen in orange, Hi-Vis vests wandered about Lichfield St side, finishing Ballantynes extensions behind a steel-mesh-fence-cordon. Beyond loomed high-rise ghosts: Westpac, Holiday Inn, Hotel Grand Chancellor, all awaiting demolitions.
26.10.11. Tuam St / Lichfield St. Christchurch new, temp, Bus Exchange office. Red zone, dead CBD bldgs beyond: Hotel Grand Chancellor, Westpac, Holiday Inn, awaiting demolition
26.10.11. Tuam St / Lichfield St. Bus passengers & officials, passenger lounge, new, temp, Bus Exchange. Red zone, dead CBD bldgs beyond: Hotel Grand Chancellor, Westpac, Holiday Inn, awaiting demolition
26.10.11. Tuam St / Lichfield St. Bus passengers, new, temp, Bus Exchange. Red zone demolition / construction site & quake dead, red zone CBD bldgs beyond
26.10.11. Tuam St view, new, temp, Bus Exchange. Red zone, dead CBD bldgs beyond
26.10.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Tuam St view, post quake demolition / construction site, by new, temp, Bus Exchange
26.10.11. White digger. Tuam St / St Asaph St view, Colombo St west side, post quake demolition sites. 16 people were killed in the vicinity by falling masonry, incl 8 Sumner number 3 red bus passengers
26.10.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Tuam St view, Colombo St red zone & quake trashed high rises: Westpac, Hotel Grand Chancellor, Holiday Inn, awaiting demolition
I trekked back to my car on St Asaph St: By a solitary building, Colombo St / Tuam St, two orange, Hi-Vis vested surveyors used their theodolite to measure a new asphalt carpark on a new demolition-site.
26.10.11. Feb 22 quake trashed, Colombo St / Tuam St view towards new, temp, Bus Exchange left
26.10.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Orange, Hi-Vis vested surveyors, post quake, red zone, demolition site / carpark, Tuam St / Colombo St. Red zone, dead CBD bldgs beyond
26.10.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Colombo St, red zone view, quake obsolete sign, NZDF checkpoint hut & red zone, dead CBD bldgs towards The Crossing airbridge, Cashel St
The NZDF-soldiers' checkpoint-hut & red-zone steel-mesh-fence-cordon had moved from Colombo St / St Asaph St to Colombo St / Tuam St, closer to The Crossing airbridge by Cashel Mall. Eight months post 22 February 2011 Quake, public was still banned from Christchurch's red-zone CBD.
26.10.11. NO ENTRY. Steel mesh fence cordon. Colombo St / Tuam St view, east side, red zone demolition sites & dead CBD bldgs. Quake trashed Westpac, Hotel Grand Chancellor, Holiday Inn awaiting demolition
26.10.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Colombo St / Tuam St crossing view, red zone, serial quake trashed, old Council offices. New Council offices were at Worcester Blvd, pre 04.09.10 quake. Tuam St Council offices would be demolished for the permanent Bus Interchange
I trekked past huge demolition-sites both sides of Colombo St, seedy buildings gone, leaving foundation concrete-slabs at ground level.
26.10.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Colombo St view, east side demolition sites, between St Asaph St / Tuam St & red zoned, quake trashed CBD bldgs. Many bldgs in the pic would be demolished by CERA
26.10.11. St Asaph St view, Feb 22 quake deadly Colombo St, west side demolition sites, towards Tuam St. Deadly Mollett St by shipping containers left. 16 people were killed, incl 8 red bus passengers, in this 100m+ length of Colombo St, by Feb 22 quake falling masonry
Lethal Colombo St / Mollett St was blocked by shipping-containers & a filthy puddle. In the 22 February 2011 Quake, falling masonry killed people along Colombo St, between St Asaph St & Tuam St, 16 people including eight red bus passengers. A steel mesh-fence- cordon's threat-sign:
RESTRICTED AREA
KEEP OUT
Colombo St / St Asaph St: Two NO ENTRY signs hung on a traffic-light pole. An orange-plastic-bollard-cordon was on one corner. A steel-mesh-fence-cordon was on the other corner. Anderson & Hill Sports building would revamp in September 2012 as Tradestaff, anticipating CBD rebuild recruitment.
26.10.11. NO ENTRY. Orange, plastic bollard cordon. Steel mesh fence cordon. Anderson & Hill Sports, former Feb 22 quake red zone, St Asaph St / Colombo St. Sept 2012, Anderson & Hill Sports would revamp as Tradestaff, anticipating CBD rebuild recruitment
26.10.11. RESTRICTED AREA. KEEP OUT. Steel mesh fence cordon. Feb 22 quake demolition site, St Asaph St / Colombo St. Red zone, dead CBD bldgs beyond
*Trekked Lichfield St, Tuam St, Colombo St, St Asaph St. 62 snaps.
Coda:
After NZ National government built the permanent Bus Interchange, east side of Colombo St, between Lichfield St & Tuam St, the temporary bus exchange would be demolished for the new Justice & Emergency Services Precinct & Hoyts EntX. The latter would open in 2018. By then, living in South Canterbury, we would frequent Nandos at Hoyts EntX during our Christchurch visits.
Content & pics Copyright Mark JS Esslemont.
See Plunging university roll just temporary down cycle (The Press / Stuff Co)
Nice effort Wozza - Thanx :)
ReplyDeleteNice to see some resurrection of the dead zone Sandy.
ReplyDelete