Baldwin St ball back in Guinness' court: Dunedin surveyor says street is steeper

A Dunedin surveyor claims Baldwin St is steeper than its Welsh competitor after completing his own measurements Photo / 123RF

After months of hard work and a trip to the other side of the world by a Dunedin man, the fate of Dunedin's world record is in the hands of the powers that be.

Dunedin surveyor Toby Stoff, who has been leading the campaign to restore Baldwin St's title as the world's steepest street, has filed a report with Guinness World Records that he believes proves the record should be restored.

The street was dethroned by Ffordd Pen Llech in Harlech, Wales, last July.

Stoff travelled to Harlech late last year to take his own measurements of the street.

Stoff said his report outlined evidence that proved the methodology for determining the record was flawed, and Baldwin St was actually the steeper of the two.

His argument was that because the record-setting bid was measured on the inside verge of a curve, it greatly exaggerated Ffordd Pen Llech's steepness and disadvantaged Baldwin St, which is straight.

On average, Baldwin St was 5.2 per cent steeper, his report found.

His view was backed by letters of support from University of Canterbury College of Engineering Associate Prof Mofreh Saleh and Survey and Spatial New Zealand president Rebecca Strang.

Stoff yesterday said about 40 hours of number crunching had gone into putting the report together.

"It's been a bit of a munter."

Now it was a case of wait and see.

"I don't really care how long it takes," he said.

The ultimate hope was the title would be restored, but even if it only led to a change in methodology for future attempts, "that would be a really good moral victory".