As was mentioned in a recent post, Auckland is a fast growing city, both in population swelled by immigration and land area covered; but the priority given to public transport, let alone planning for future needs, has been woeful for decades. Still, this book recounts what there has been from the early days of horse drawn vehicles of the 1860s to the electric trains introduced a couple of months ago.
The author, Graham Bush, has been an academic and since 2008, secretary of the Auckland-based Campaign for Better Transport. In the age of 1950s-era Steven Joyce thinking by the present central government -- motorways everywhere for lots more private cars! -- this will have been a frustrating experience. Still, the group was successful in rallying support for the Steven Joyce-opposed underground rail circuit, forcing the government to change its mind.
The book reads and looks rather like an academic monograph with copious references and endnotes and not much detail of technology, but the publisher has spent time collecting 266 illustrations (24 colour) including cartoons, newspaper clippings and maps to give it a market beyond libraries. Some of these are of politicians and some have been seen before including on this blog, but the majority seem to be fresh pics that will interest those into historic trams, buses, trains and ferries, as well as what the future might look like. 372 pages in 255 mm x 184 mm format, softcover with flaps. Available from the transpress shop.
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