No dam and no going back
Old passions are stirring and divisions re-emerging as environmentalists celebrate victory all over again, 25 years after the demise of the Gordon-below-Franklin dam.
The High Court ruling on July 1, 1983 not only stopped hydro-electric development on the lower Gordon and Franklin rivers, it was the climax of a great national drama, ending years of politicking and protest which changed the country forever.
The issue destroyed the governments of two Tasmanian premiers, Doug Lowe and Harry Holgate, and loosened Labor’s grip on the state, establishing the Liberals as a significant player for the first time in decades, under the tough-talking, pro-development leadership of premier Robin Gray.
25 years ago today I was too scared to catch the school bus home in fear of another fight. Instead I walked home, relieved that the High Court had made the correct decision but terrified of the social implications to come. Social implications are pretty harsh when you’re a teenager. Peer groups and so-called grown ups can be very cruel when you’re too young to face up to a fight or know how to win. Just don’t even consider thinking about trying to intimidate me now. You know who you are.
A short promotional video I made for the upcoming Ride of Silence on 24 May 2008. Images: Brisbane and Bendigo RoS. Music: January Rain by Hunters and Collectors.
Ride of Silence Australia: Adelaide, Bendigo, Bowral, Canberra, Melbourne, Mount Isa, Sydney and Townsville.
April 29, 2008 at 11:21 pm · Filed under Now Seriously
The Age: Brumby to spend $112m to fight traffic
Melbourne’s clearways will be more heavily policed, buses will have greater priority and new bike tracks will be built under a new state government plan to reduce congestion.Unveiling the $112 million Keeping Melbourne Moving strategy, Victorian Premier John Brumby said the new measures represented a balanced approach to tackling congestion on the roads
….. and then …
More than $28 million will be used to further develop the city’s bicycle and pedestrian network in an attempt to get up to 12,000 commuters to switch to walking and cycling.
Bike paths! Bike paths! Here in Melbourne we have bike paths going at crazy crazy prices you can’t beat anywhere! I’m getting confused, are these bike paths part of the stuff promised by the Transport & Livability Statement two years ago, outcomes of the recent IMAP findings, ongoing projects allocated from VicRoads annual budget, Sir Ron’s cycle link recommendations or the all new dog and pony show Transport Department restructure? Read the rest of this entry »
Today there’s yet another all singing all dancing article in todays Age stating how $60m allocated towards cycling in Sir Rod’s report is all wonderful and grand and we all should be happy tra la la la for the Joys of Segregated Cycling Facilities.
Bicycle Victoria’s strategy aims to quadruple the number of cyclists commuting to work in the city. In March last year, bicycle traffic accounted for 7.9% of all vehicles entering the CBD (up from 3.9% in 2006). Some of Bicycle Victoria’s ideas are simple and inexpensive, such as painting the bicycle lane green, or placing a rubber strip or a vibrating line between the bicycle lane and the road. Others are more sophisticated and expensive, such as the route now in place in Swanston Street where concrete barriers and a row of parked cars stand between cyclists and the traffic. This has become known as the Copenhagen lane.
But there is no discussion about attitudinal change or awareness. The reality is that element maybe beyond the scope of Rods homework, but just how does someone starting out (either vehicle operator or cyclist) acquire the confidence or skills base to negotiate with other road traffic if they are instructed only by infrastructure to ignore each other? Read the rest of this entry »
The Age: 
