Length 350 m (1,150 ft) South end Buchanan Street Namesake William Baldwin | North end North Road Postal code 9010 Major cities Dunedin | |
 | ||
Location North East Valley, Dunedin, New Zealand Similar Larnach Castle, Otago Peninsula, Toitū Otago Settlers Museum, Olveston, Royal Albatross Centre | ||
Baldwin Street, in Dunedin, New Zealand is the world's steepest residential street, according to the Guinness World Records. It is located in the residential suburb of North East Valley, 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) northeast of Dunedin's city centre.
Contents
- Map of Baldwin St North East Valley Dunedin 9010 New Zealand
- Origin of the street
- Associated events
- Controversy of claim
- References
Map of Baldwin St, North East Valley, Dunedin 9010, New Zealand
A short straight street a little under 350 metres (1,150 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 ft) above sea level at its junction with North Road to 100 m (330 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 or 660 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.
The 161.2 metres (529 ft) long top section climbs 47.2 metres (155 ft) vertically, an average gradient of 1:3.41. At its maximum, about 70 metres (230 ft) below the top, 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.
Origin of the street
The street's steepness was unintentional. As with many other parts of early 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 Kettle 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).
Associated events
The street is the venue for an annual event in Dunedin, the Baldwin Street Gutbuster. Every summer since 1988 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 the race record is 1:56.
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 confectionery). 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 her instantly, and causing serious head injuries for the other student.
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.
On 2 January 2010, Cardrona stuntman Ian Soanes rode down Baldwin Street on a motorcycle on one wheel.
On November 30, 2016, Rudy Pospisil, a Fire Captain from Vancouver, Canada, cycling around the world, set a world record time of 3:49:24 cycling up Baldwin Street.
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 recognises Baldwin Street as the world's steepest street at a 35% grade.
Other steep streets include:
Many streets in the west of England and in Wales have reported slopes of 33% and higher. The street Ffordd Pen Llech in Harlech, Wales has a reported slope of 36.6% (rounded to 40% on the warning sign). Vale Street in Bristol is often also reported as the steepest street in Britain and hence may have a slope even steeper than 36.6%. However these roads are mostly shorter roads than those listed above, with far more frequent turns as opposed to the straight path of Baldwin.