Re: Capacity to handle humungous crowds

[Dave McL <davemcl@iprolink.co.nz>]

Geoff Lambert wrote:
> 
> There has been a bit of argy-bargy in the SMH recently about the size
> of the crowd at the Mardi Gras, with the estimate of 700,000 being
> challenged by Fred Nile, on the basis of its physical impossibility.
> Such a crowd would have placed an unprecendented (?) burden on mass
> transport.  I loathe Fred and wish the Mardi Gras the best of luck,
> but must say I agree with his argument about crowd size and I've
> always questioned crowd figures like this, being myself an experienced
> organiser of street rallies. 


Just out of interest, here in Auckland we have a parade similar to 
the Mardi Gras, called the Hero Parade, a week or so before the Sydney 
one. Our equivalents of Fred Nile (such as deputy mayor "David Hay rhymes 
with gay") also go to great lengths to deny the crowds are as big as 
claimed. This year the police said 100,000 people attended (Auckland's 
population is 1 million).

I doubt many if any got there by public transport as Auckland has lousy 
public transport, especially on Saturday nights. They all would have 
driven or walked.

The night of the Hero Parade, it absolutely hosed down, the most rain 
Auckland had had for months.  Christian groups which had been praying for 
God to wreck the parade said he had listened.

The day before the Hero Parade, the power supply to the Auckland CBD 
failed utterly and is still not back on properly a month later  (!!!!).  
Various Christian groups said that was God's work too, but others have 
pointed out that the power only failed in the CBD, whereas the Hero 
Parade takes place along nearby Ponsonby Road which has not been affected 
by the blackout.


> Weekday rail traffic is roughly 1 million return journeys, say
>500,000 people (270 million per year, incl. Sat/Sun).  It seems to
>stretch the system


Very impressive figures. Melbourne rail traffic is what?  About 100 
million a year? Yet Melbourne has more rail lines than Sydney.

Public transport patronage overall in Auckland is at most 100,000 a day 
on all modes, or 25 million a year. The two pathetic diesel railcar lines 
we have barely rate in that.

Hmmm, with the great blackout it is a good thing perhaps we never got 
electric trains.

Dave McLoughlin
Auckland New Zealand