Baldwin Street, Dunedin
Encyclopedia
Baldwin Street in a suburban part of New Zealand
's southern city of Dunedin
, is considered the world's steepest residential street
. It is located in the suburb of North East Valley
, 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) northeast of Dunedin's city centre.
A short straight street a little under 350 metres (1,148.3 ft) long, Baldwin Street runs east from the valley of the Lindsay Creek up the side of Signal Hill
towards Opoho
, rising from 30 m (98.4 ft) above sea level at its junction with North Road to 100 m (328.1 ft) above sea level at the top, an average slope of slightly more than 1:5. Its lower reaches are only moderately steep, and the surface is asphalt, but the upper reaches of this cul-de-sac
are far steeper, and surfaced in concrete
(200 m (656.2 ft) long), for ease of maintenance (bitumen—in either chip seal or asphalt—would flow down the slope on a warm day) and for safety in Dunedin's frosty winters. At its maximum, the slope of Baldwin Street is about 1:2.86 (19° or 35%). That is, for every 2.86 metres travelled horizontally, the elevation changes by 1 metre.
Other notably steep streets include:
Many streets in the west of England and in Wales have reported slopes of 33% and higher. A street in Harlech, Wales has a reported slope of 40%. Vale Street in Bristol is often also reported as the steepest street in Britain and hence may have a slope even steeper than 40%. However these roads are mostly shorter roads than those listed above.
in the mid 19th century. The street is named after William Baldwin
, an Otago
Provincial Councillor and newspaper founder, who subdivided the area.
For cars it is a cul-de-sac, but Baldwin Street is linked across the top by Buchanan Street, a footpath following an otherwise unformed (i.e. unpaved) road linking it with Calder Avenue and Arnold Street, which are unformed in their upper reaches where Baldwin is steepest. The streets running parallel to Baldwin are all quite steep: Arnold Street (1:3.6), Dalmeny Street (1:3.7), and Calder Avenue (1:5.4).
Since 2002, a further charity event has been held annually in July, which involves the rolling of over 30,000 Jaffas (spherical confectionery-coated chocolate sweets). Each Jaffa is sponsored by one person, with prizes to the winner and funds raised going to charity. This event follows a tradition started in 1998, when 2,000 tennis balls were released in a sponsored event raising money for Habitat for Humanity.
In March 2001, a 19-year-old University of Otago
student was killed when she and another student attempted to travel down the street inside a wheelie bin. The bin collided with a parked trailer, killing one of the occupants instantly, and causing serious head injuries for the second.
In November 2009, three men were charged with disorderly behaviour and dangerous driving after taking rides in a chilly bin being towed behind a car down Baldwin St. One of them said it was because the bars had shut and they had nothing to do.
On 2 January 2010, Cardrona
stuntman Ian Soanes rode down Baldwin Street on a motorcycle on one wheel.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
's southern city of Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
, is considered the world's steepest residential street
Street
A street is a paved public thoroughfare in a built environment. It is a public parcel of land adjoining buildings in an urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about. A street can be as simple as a level patch of dirt, but is more often paved with a hard, durable...
. It is located in the suburb of North East Valley
North East Valley
North East Valley is a suburb of the New Zealand city of Dunedin.-Geography and demographics:...
, 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) northeast of Dunedin's city centre.
A short straight street a little under 350 metres (1,148.3 ft) long, Baldwin Street runs east from the valley of the Lindsay Creek up the side of Signal Hill
Signal Hill, New Zealand
Signal Hill is a prominent landform in the city of Dunedin, New Zealand. It is located close to, and due north of, the head of the Otago Harbour and reaches an elevation of 393 m . The suburbs Ravensbourne, St. Leonards, and Opoho lie on its southern, eastern, and northwestern flanks, respectively...
towards Opoho
Opoho
Opoho is a suburb of the New Zealand city of Dunedin. It sits on the western flank of Signal Hill, New Zealand, to the northeast of the city centre, overlooking North East Valley and the Dunedin Botanic Gardens....
, rising from 30 m (98.4 ft) above sea level at its junction with North Road to 100 m (328.1 ft) above sea level at the top, an average slope of slightly more than 1:5. Its lower reaches are only moderately steep, and the surface is asphalt, but the upper reaches of this cul-de-sac
Cul-de-sac
A cul-de-sac is a word of French origin referring to a dead end, close, no through road or court meaning dead-end street with only one inlet/outlet...
are far steeper, and surfaced in concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
(200 m (656.2 ft) long), for ease of maintenance (bitumen—in either chip seal or asphalt—would flow down the slope on a warm day) and for safety in Dunedin's frosty winters. At its maximum, the slope of Baldwin Street is about 1:2.86 (19° or 35%). That is, for every 2.86 metres travelled horizontally, the elevation changes by 1 metre.
Controversy of claim
Baldwin Street's claim to fame has caused some controversy after it emerged that the original entry in the Guinness Book of Records was based on a typographical error, claiming a maximum gradient of 1:1.266 (38° or 79%). This appears to be an error for 1:2.66, which itself is slightly steeper than the currently accepted figure of 1:2.86. Alternatively, the mistake may have been caused by confusion between grade in degrees and percentage grade, mixing up 38% with 38°. Nevertheless, Guinness officially recognizes Baldwin Street as the world's steepest street at a 35% grade.Other notably steep streets include:
- The Côte St-Ange in Chicoutimi, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
with a 33% gradient (about 18°). - Canton AvenueCanton AvenueCanton Avenue, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Beechview neighborhood, is the steepest officially recorded public street in the United States....
, in PittsburghPittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
; it is officially measured to be a 37% grade. However, that angle of 37% only extends about 6.5 metres, whereas Baldwin Street's steepest part stretches considerably farther. - Eldred Street in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
; one of three streets in Los Angeles between 32% and 33.3%,. - FilbertFilbert Street (San Francisco)thumb|Looking up the stepsFilbert Street in San Francisco, California starts at Lyon Street on the east edge of The Presidio and runs east, crossing Van Ness Avenue and Columbus Avenue...
and 22nd22nd Street (San Francisco)22nd Street in San Francisco, California is one of the steepest streets in the world. In the block from Vicksburg to Church Streets in the Noe Valley neighborhood it descends 79 feet along the south side for an average grade of just over 31%, about the same as the steepest block of Filbert Street...
Streets in San Francisco, United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
each have 31 to 31.5% (17°) for 60-70 meters. Several short pieces of San Francisco streets are steeper, including a 30-foot section of Bradford street paved in 2010 that averages 39-40% grade. - Waipio Valley Road (20°7′11"N 155°35′36"W) on the island of Hawai'i, 25% for 0.6 miles with peak gradients much higher; some claim 45%. This is a paved public road but it is not a residential street and is open only to 4 wheel drive vehicles.
Many streets in the west of England and in Wales have reported slopes of 33% and higher. A street in Harlech, Wales has a reported slope of 40%. Vale Street in Bristol is often also reported as the steepest street in Britain and hence may have a slope even steeper than 40%. However these roads are mostly shorter roads than those listed above.
Origin of the street
The street's steepness was unintentional. As with many other parts of Dunedin, and indeed New Zealand, streets were laid out in a grid pattern with no consideration for the terrain, usually by planners in London. In the case of Baldwin Street (and much of the Dunedin street plan), the layout was surveyed by Charles KettleCharles Kettle
Charles Henry Kettle surveyed the city of Dunedin in New Zealand, imposing a bold design on a challenging landscape. He was aiming to create a Romantic effect and incidentally produced the world's steepest street, Baldwin Street....
in the mid 19th century. The street is named after William Baldwin
William Baldwin (New Zealand)
William Baldwin was a 19th century Member of Parliament in the Otago Region, New Zealand.He represented the Goldfields electorate from 1863 to 1865, when he resigned on 27 April. He then represented the Manuherikia electorate from 1866 to 1867....
, an Otago
Otago Province
The Otago Province was a province of New Zealand until the abolition of provincial government in 1876.-Area:The capital of the province was Dunedin...
Provincial Councillor and newspaper founder, who subdivided the area.
For cars it is a cul-de-sac, but Baldwin Street is linked across the top by Buchanan Street, a footpath following an otherwise unformed (i.e. unpaved) road linking it with Calder Avenue and Arnold Street, which are unformed in their upper reaches where Baldwin is steepest. The streets running parallel to Baldwin are all quite steep: Arnold Street (1:3.6), Dalmeny Street (1:3.7), and Calder Avenue (1:5.4).
Associated events
The street is the venue for an annual event in Dunedin, the Baldwin Street Gutbuster. Every summer since 1988 (usually in February), this exercise in fitness and balance involves athletes running from the base of the street to the top and back down again. The event attracts several hundred competitors annually, and as of 2008 the record is 1:56, set in 1998.Since 2002, a further charity event has been held annually in July, which involves the rolling of over 30,000 Jaffas (spherical confectionery-coated chocolate sweets). Each Jaffa is sponsored by one person, with prizes to the winner and funds raised going to charity. This event follows a tradition started in 1998, when 2,000 tennis balls were released in a sponsored event raising money for Habitat for Humanity.
In March 2001, a 19-year-old University of Otago
University of Otago
The University of Otago in Dunedin is New Zealand's oldest university with over 22,000 students enrolled during 2010.The university has New Zealand's highest average research quality and in New Zealand is second only to the University of Auckland in the number of A rated academic researchers it...
student was killed when she and another student attempted to travel down the street inside a wheelie bin. The bin collided with a parked trailer, killing one of the occupants instantly, and causing serious head injuries for the second.
In November 2009, three men were charged with disorderly behaviour and dangerous driving after taking rides in a chilly bin being towed behind a car down Baldwin St. One of them said it was because the bars had shut and they had nothing to do.
On 2 January 2010, Cardrona
Cardrona, New Zealand
Cardrona is the name of a locality, skifield and beer in New Zealand. Established as a gold rush township in the 1860s on the banks of the small river of the same name, it is known for its distinctive hotel of gold rush vintage which is on the opposite side of the river to the original township of...
stuntman Ian Soanes rode down Baldwin Street on a motorcycle on one wheel.
External links
- Map of Baldwin Street (from Wises Maps)
- Baldwin Street in Google Street ViewGoogle Street ViewGoogle Street View is a technology featured in Google Maps and Google Earth that provides panoramic views from various positions along many streets in the world...