Cars free everyday in Melbourne

[vaudegiant]

Well in typical Melbourne style, an idea for just 1 lousy day without cars in some parts of the city, as part of the sustainability festival, has been junked by the new Premier for Business and his underling, the Minister for Roads and Business.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/melbournes-carfree-day-in-doubt/2007/09/05/1188783286490.html

The Government is concerned that closure of council controlled roads in the CBD would mean chaos for major Government-managed feeder roads.

Um........too late.

Mr Brumby also used the idea to belittle the Greens in the lead up to by-elections in Albert Park and Williamstown. He said it was typical of the kind of ill-conceived schemes they support.

Like privatatised public transport, redundant freeways, East-west tunnels, 3 billion dollar de-sal plants......

The idea has also been opposed by business powerbrokers.

You are kidding, aren't you??


"

A possible ban on cars in Melbourne's CBD, even for a day, would cause chaos for Melbourne businesses and consumers," Victorian Employers Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VECCI) chief executive Wayne Kayler-Thomson said.

....unless those consumers were walking and riding. Oh that's right, peds and cyclists are unpeople.

Yes, I am p. off.


Pat

 

[Gish]

With all due respect to the environmentally conscious, you are nuts.

Had you considered urgent deliveries that require trucks, cars or
refrigerated vehicles?
(Food for hotels, blood for pathology results, Large furniture, desks,
ambulances, fire-trucks... the list goes on...)
Logistically, managing, publishing and understanding the list of
'exclusions' to the rule would take months, if not years to organize
just for 'one day'.

Have you ever tried carrying a 2x2 meter boardroom table on a bicycle,
or a tram?
What if you needed your blood results transferred urgently, or a
newborn baby that needs life support.

Although I admit, it seems like a great idea for promoting a
sustainability festival (at least until you pull your head out of the
clouds and your brain on)

I would like to para-phrase what Wayne said:
A possible ban on cars in Melbourne's CBD, even for a day, would cause
chaos for Melbourne businesses and consumers," Victorian Employers
Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VECCI) chief executive Wayne Kayler-
Thomson said.

I think what was meant by that statement was:
"Get your head out of the clouds, you are nuts. That idea is
completely insane, and I am now dumber for listening... Damn hippie."

Before you begin your 'hate the realist' bashing, I do respect the
environment. I car pool, bike or public transport if possible. I avoid
long journeys and chose my job with the intention of lessening impact
on the already damaged environment.

Thats my rant for the day...




On Sep 5, 2:04 pm, vaudegiant <vaudegiant.2wf...@no-
mx.forums.cyclingforums.com> wrote:
> Well in typical Melbourne style, an idea for just 1 lousy day without
> cars in some parts of the city, as part of the sustainability festival,
> has been junked by the new Premier for Business and his underling, the
> Minister for Roads and Business.
>
> 'http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/melbournes-carfree-day-in-doub...
> (http://)
>
> Code:
> --------------------
> The Government is concerned that closure of council controlled roads in the CBD would mean chaos for major Government-managed feeder roads.
> --------------------
>
> Um........too late.
>
> > Mr Brumby also used the idea to belittle the Greens in the lead up to
> > by-elections in Albert Park and Williamstown. He said it was typical of
> > the kind of ill-conceived schemes they support.
>
> Like privatatised public transport, redundant freeways, East-west
> tunnels, 3 billion dollar de-sal plants......
>
> > The idea has also been opposed by business powerbrokers.
>
> You are kidding, aren't you??
>
> "> A possible ban on cars in Melbourne's CBD, even for a day, would cause
>
> > chaos for Melbourne businesses and consumers," Victorian Employers
> > Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VECCI) chief executive Wayne
> > Kayler-Thomson said.
>
> ...unless those consumers were walking and riding. Oh that's right,
> peds and cyclists are unpeople.
>
> Yes, I am p. off.
>


> Pat
>
> --
> vaudegiant

 

[cfsmtb]

With all due respect to the environmentally conscious, you are nuts.

Had you considered urgent deliveries that require trucks, cars or
refrigerated vehicles?
(Food for hotels, blood for pathology results, Large furniture, desks,
ambulances, fire-trucks... the list goes on...)
Logistically, managing, publishing and understanding the list of
'exclusions' to the rule would take months, if not years to organize
just for 'one day'.

If it's *completely* escaped your attention, Car Free Days have been around for over 40 years and civilisation hasn't shuddered to a crashing halt.

Have a gander at this & learn a thing or two:
Bogota Shows How to Reinvent Cities
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/08/bogota_shows_ho.php

A few more linkies:

Sydney: Centennial Park
http://www.cp.nsw.gov.au/visitor_information/car_free_days

Car-free days considered in run-up to Beijing Olympics
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2006/11/07/1782680.htm

National Car Free Day Links:
http://www.ecoplan.org/carfreeday/general/national.htm

Canada Car Free Day:
http://www.carfreeday.ca/

European Mobility Week:
http://www.mobilityweek.eu/

BTW there's a virtual car free week going on in Sydney sponspored by APEC, are you going to crack it over that too?

 

[ChrisRiley]

Hello, cfsmtb!
You wrote on Wed, 5 Sep 2007 18:14:30 +1000:


c> Gish Wrote:
??>> With all due respect to the environmentally conscious, you are nuts.
??>>
??>> Had you considered urgent deliveries that require trucks, cars or
??>> refrigerated vehicles?
??>> (Food for hotels, blood for pathology results, Large furniture, desks,
??>> ambulances, fire-trucks... the list goes on...)
??>> Logistically, managing, publishing and understanding the list of
??>> 'exclusions' to the rule would take months, if not years to organize
??>> just for 'one day'.

c> If it's *completely* escaped your attention, Car Free Days have been
c> around for over 40 years and civilisation hasn't shuddered to a
c> crashing halt.

c> Have a gander at this & learn a thing or two:
c> Bogota Shows How to Reinvent Cities
c> http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/08/bogota_shows_ho.php

c> A few more linkies:

c> Sydney: Centennial Park
c> http://www.cp.nsw.gov.au/visitor_information/car_free_days

c> Car-free days considered in run-up to Beijing Olympics
c> http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2006/11/07/1782680.htm

c> National Car Free Day Links:
c> http://www.ecoplan.org/carfreeday/general/national.htm

c> Canada Car Free Day:
c> http://www.carfreeday.ca/

c> European Mobility Week:
c> http://www.mobilityweek.eu/

c> BTW there's a virtual car free week going on in Sydney sponspored by
c> APEC, are you going to crack it over that too?

And Melbournes done it before too thats how the Burke st mall got started.

 

[Terryc]

Gish wrote:
> With all due respect to the environmentally conscious, you are nuts.
>
> Had you considered urgent deliveries that require trucks, cars or
> refrigerated vehicles?

Lol, 4 letters, APEC.
Sydney was fscked over this morning for APEC prelims.
Woosh, your argument has left over embarrissment.

> (Food for hotels,

**** poor planning does not constitute an emergency on my part.



> blood for pathology results, Large furniture, desks,
> ambulances, fire-trucks... the list goes on...)

Lol. not everything requires a massive truck to move.


> Logistically, managing, publishing and understanding the list of
> 'exclusions' to the rule would take months, if not years to organize
> just for 'one day'.
>
> Have you ever tried carrying a 2x2 meter boardroom table on a bicycle,

Easy. How much are you going to stump up to see it done?


> or a tram?
> What if you needed your blood results transferred urgently, or a
> newborn baby that needs life support.

lol, from where to where.
" RESULTS" can be transmitted electronically as they are actually and
regularly done these days in an emergency. My wife had a CT scan sent to
Melbourne from Wagga and results were back in an hour.

and result
>
> Although I admit, it seems like a great idea for promoting a
> sustainability festival (at least until you pull your head out of the
> clouds and your brain on)

Do you mind if we don't wait for you to do it?

>
> I would like to para-phrase what Wayne said:
> A possible ban on cars in Melbourne's CBD, even for a day, would cause
> chaos for Melbourne businesses and consumers," Victorian Employers
> Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VECCI) chief executive Wayne Kayler-
> Thomson said.

lol, "they would say that" They might have to consider other people for
a change.

 

[Theo Bekkers]

cfsmtb wrote:

> If it's *completely* escaped your attention, Car Free Days have been
> around for over 40 years and civilisation hasn't shuddered to a
> crashing halt.

In the interest of fairness, will there be a bicycle free day as well? Or a
pedestrian free day?

Theo

 

[Stuart Lamble]

On 2007-09-06, Theo Bekkers <[email protected]> wrote:
> cfsmtb wrote:
>
>> If it's *completely* escaped your attention, Car Free Days have been
>> around for over 40 years and civilisation hasn't shuddered to a
>> crashing halt.
>
> In the interest of fairness, will there be a bicycle free day as well? Or a
> pedestrian free day?

One of these things is not like the other ...

Bicycle free, I could see. Pedestrian free, not so much.

--
My Usenet From: address now expires after two weeks. If you email me, and
the mail bounces, try changing the bit before the "@" to "usenet".

 

[Theo Bekkers]

Stuart Lamble wrote:
> Theo Bekkers wrote:

>> In the interest of fairness, will there be a bicycle free day as
>> well? Or a pedestrian free day?

> One of these things is not like the other ...
>
> Bicycle free, I could see. Pedestrian free, not so much.

Well, I believe they're trialing a pleb free week in parts of Sydney at the
moment.

Theo

 

[Donga]

On Sep 6, 10:51 am, "Theo Bekkers" <[email protected]> wrote:
> Stuart Lamble wrote:
> > Theo Bekkers wrote:
> >> In the interest of fairness, will there be a bicycle free day as
> >> well? Or a pedestrian free day?
> > One of these things is not like the other ...
>
> > Bicycle free, I could see. Pedestrian free, not so much.
>
> Well, I believe they're trialing a pleb free week in parts of Sydney at the
> moment.
>
> Theo

I want my free car! (I wouldn't want to pay for the goddam thing).

Donga

 

[rooman]

I want my free car! (I wouldn't want to pay for the goddam thing).

Donga

I want to be free of cars ... when I'm in the CBD, private cars that is... I see no problem with smaller innner city special cabs, commuter buses, trams and smaller delivery vans / bicycles, ...as for trucks, fine, between about 10pm and 5am... move construction materials and heavy goods late at night with some aforethought and planning, and work the cycles of businesses around that too, we are lazy thinkers in todays business if we expect to keep doing the same things, because as you have heard, I'm sure, we will keep getting the same results, nothing will improve or change...

shake up the tree I say... and lets get some sense into inner city transport solutions, choices and outcomes.

Start with a congestion levy and then stage out private cars altogether.

Bogota, Gothenburg, Grainger Town newcastle UK, Stockholm, Curatibo can do it, London and Singapore manage better now than ever, and inner parts of many European cities and towns can thank their ancient small street designs for their car free byways...and do the businesses suffer, not likely...many thrive because of this practical transport choice, less hustle, more people able to freely mingle, shop, work and enjoy life, not stress out and want to escape.

I see parallels in when many country towns are given main road bypasses, they cease to become thoroughfares, and become highly desirable destinations with a renewed sense of community and revitalisation of their econcomies in ways many of the locals never dreamed.... it just takes some smarts and some guts to get the short sighted detractors and the selfish onside...

 

[Zebee Johnstone]

In aus.bicycle on Thu, 6 Sep 2007 12:03:29 +1000
rooman <[email protected]> wrote:
> trucks, fine, between about 10pm and 5am... move construction materials
> and heavy goods late at night with some aforethought and planning, and
> work the cycles of businesses around that too, we are lazy thinkers in
> todays business if we expect to keep doing the same things, because as
> you have heard, I'm sure, we will keep getting the same results,
> nothing will improve or change...

So.. work in retail at all? Or indeed in any business that takes
deliveries?

Feel like working shiftwork?

Zebee

 

[Bleve]

On Sep 6, 1:27 pm, Zebee Johnstone <[email protected]> wrote:
> In aus.bicycle on Thu, 6 Sep 2007 12:03:29 +1000
>
> rooman <[email protected]> wrote:
> > trucks, fine, between about 10pm and 5am... move construction materials
> > and heavy goods late at night with some aforethought and planning, and
> > work the cycles of businesses around that too, we are lazy thinkers in
> > todays business if we expect to keep doing the same things, because as
> > you have heard, I'm sure, we will keep getting the same results,
> > nothing will improve or change...
>
> So.. work in retail at all? Or indeed in any business that takes
> deliveries?
>
> Feel like working shiftwork?

Know where you stand with workchoices : you're f**ked!

 

[vaudegiant]

cfsmtb wrote:

> If it's *completely* escaped your attention, Car Free Days have been
> around for over 40 years and civilisation hasn't shuddered to a
> crashing halt.

In the interest of fairness, will there be a bicycle free day as well? Or a
pedestrian free day?

Theo

Fairness????????........on many roads, every day is 'virtually' bicycle free and certainly pedestrian free.


Pat

 

[rooman]

On Sep 6, 1:27 pm, Zebee Johnstone <[email protected]> wrote:
> In aus.bicycle on Thu, 6 Sep 2007 12:03:29 +1000
>
> rooman <[email protected]> wrote:
> > trucks, fine, between about 10pm and 5am... move construction materials
> > and heavy goods late at night with some aforethought and planning, and
> > work the cycles of businesses around that too, we are lazy thinkers in
> > todays business if we expect to keep doing the same things, because as
> > you have heard, I'm sure, we will keep getting the same results,
> > nothing will improve or change...
>
> So.. work in retail at all? Or indeed in any business that takes
> deliveries?
>
> Feel like working shiftwork?

Know where you stand with workchoices : you're f**ked!

LOL

 

[cfsmtb]

So.. work in retail at all? Or indeed in any business that takes
deliveries?

Feel like working shiftwork?

I've got experience with transport & logistics, shift work is standard across the industry. With so much *stuff* (hint: torpedo7, pro bike kit etc) being ordered over the internerd for example, deliveries using last mile logistics are developing more integrated services.

 

[[email protected]]

On Sep 5, 5:11 pm, Gish <[email protected]> wrote:
> Have you ever tried carrying a 2x2 meter boardroom table on a bicycle,
> or a tram?

Have you ever had a boardroom table carrying appointment, booked 6
months in advance, that can't be moved one day either way?

The only major downside I can see to the car-free day is that
Melbourne's public transport is already stretched. By intent, CFD
would put even more people on trains and trams, and there simply isn't
room for them.

Invest some serious money in public transport, and get it capable of
moving the requisite number of people. Then think about a car-free
day.

Or don't. Whatever. At least the trains would be more user-friendly.

And should I mention now that it costs almost as much to collect
public transport fares as what the fares raise, or should I save the
"free public transport" rant for another time?

In the meantime, how about a car-free Sunday in the CBD? I think car-
free weekends would bring Melbourne to life at a time that it is
generally pretty dead.

tim

 

[Theo Bekkers]

[email protected] wrote:

> The only major downside I can see to the car-free day is that
> Melbourne's public transport is already stretched. By intent, CFD
> would put even more people on trains and trams, and there simply isn't
> room for them.
>
> Invest some serious money in public transport, and get it capable of
> moving the requisite number of people. Then think about a car-free
> day.

I wonder how a car-free day would go in Perth. The public transport is so
good here that nearly ten % of commuters use it. So if they all had to....

Theo

 

[TimC]

On 2007-09-07, cfsmtb (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
>
> Zebee Johnstone Wrote:
>>
>> So.. work in retail at all? Or indeed in any business that takes
>> deliveries?
>>
>> Feel like working shiftwork?
>
> I've got experience with transport & logistics, shift work is standard
> across the industry.

Yes, but how does one get home after work?

We have a bus that goes the 30km to work. I take it when I can (every
day shift; 3 weeks out of 4, soon to be 4 out of 5). I've also ridden
home after dark (not again; I can't see myself surviving a year of
doing that and remained unmaimed because of suicide 'roos). But I
sure as hell can't end up going home after every shift, on the bike.

On the momo bike, maybe, after I get my license.

> With so much *stuff* (hint: torpedo7, pro bike kit
> etc) being ordered over the internerd for example, deliveries using last
> mile logistics are developing more integrated services.

chainreactioncycles.com. I'll give a review after my "package"
arrives (I was feeling particularly consumeristic lastweek. A
laptop, "accessories", a 22" monitor, egg beater pedals and cleats,
other "accessories" ;-)

--
TimC
Obviously, "Mother Nature" disagrees with your assessment that money
equates with success. I wonder who will win the argument? -- someone on /.

 

[cfsmtb]

Yes, but how does one get home after work?

Can't speak for the entire industry, but for me it was very simple. I rode home from the depot. While working down there, several other people started riding in too. Management was fine with it, all we had to do was follow a simple induction & safety process.