How we move around our cities - information from the papers
Walking the talk to a low-carbon city - The Age - 14 Mar 2008
THE interim report of Professor Ross Garnaut’s Climate Change Review has posed a major dilemma for Sir Rod Eddington’s assessment of east-west transport needs in Melbourne. Can a major road project possibly be consistent with a future where national greenhouse gas emissions will probably need to be reduced by 70-90% by 2050 on 2000 levels?
Poor public transport isolates residents - The Herald Sun - 14 Mar 2008
Monash University professor of public transport Graham Currie warned climate change would worsen the situation in the outer suburbs. RESIDENTS of Melbourne’s booming growth suburbs are being left stranded and cut off from essential services as public transport lags behind development on the city’s fringe.
Many residents have to walk up to 23 minutes to the nearest bus stop and almost an hour to the nearest railway station. This did not include waiting times at the stops.
This is really hard for people struggling to cope with small children and shopping. Plus as I know only too well since I was injured in a bus in November, the lack of seat belts makes public transport dangerous. I did notice last week that New Zealand buses have seatbelt type anchors for wheel chairs which we no not have.
New research shows poor access to public transport is linked to social exclusion, poverty and crime. Early findings from a three-year study by the Brotherhood of St Laurence, Monash University Institute of Transport Studies, Bus Association of Victoria and Department of Infrastructure, reveal poor mobility on Melbourne’s urban fringe cuts residents off from services and activities taken for granted elsewhere.
All things to think about as fuel prices sour and will continue to do so And we need to reduce our fuel use to reduce greenhouse emissions.
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