As part of the recent Sustainable Cities Round Table on Mobility, 17 March, our sponsors, GAMUT - The Australasian Centre for the Governance And Management of Urban Transport led a discussion with four questions about sustainable transport issues for our cities. Please find a list of the audience’s responses below. Please note: That as these questions were handwritten some of the responses were too difficult to read.

DISCUSSION QUESTION 4. How can we govern transport better?
better land planning to strategically reserve land for best future transport use
give governance to people who know about issues rather than those who can market themselves
metropolitan agency which provides a forum for local governments to collaborate and coordinate land-use and transport integration
emphasis needs to be taken away from road funding and put back onto public transport networks
funding targeting
organizations competing against each other
look into best practice round the world to a better balanced system
implement this better balanced system that balances public and private transport needs
each transport provides (public or private) to be compelled to show, as a means of assessing performance, full integration with all other agencies providing transport
greater involvement of academics, researchers, organizations like GAMUT in the decision-making ie. they are part of the governance
implement, scheme of kilometre credits
ration personal kilometres
buy kms on an open regulated market (ie. 100 km per person per week)
reduce conflict between drivers & nondrivers
align goals of various departments like VicRoads & DOI
severly punish high consuming and emitting mode – via carbon tax, access restriction, etc.
investment in the appropriate infrastructure which may mean redesigning train stations
better governance of private operators
better bike lanes
same funding for cyclists as for divers including safety and marketing
restructure transport governance at all levels to best practice systems
review the current governance of roads and infrastructure and look at a state level of integrating VicRoads & DOI
one department to manage all transport opinions and public transport, roads, cycling, waking = rather than VicRoads and DOI currently pushing their own, imbalanced agendas
de-privatising public transport would also likely provide for a better integrated system
one cohesive “public” organization that covers and manages and handles the “future” of PT rather than DOI and VicRoads and minister
study of cities that are successful and efficient PT and follow or better
survey households to identify what PT is needed and where it should go
let the community help plan the system
freight delivers out of hours trams for freight (?)
more tax on oil

Bruce Herbes, Wayfinding Consultant from VisualVoice, http://www.visualvoice.com.au/, illustrated the diversity of speakers at the recent Sustainable Cities Round Table with his presentation on 3-dimensional pedestrian maps in Bendigo. Reminding us that cities are inhabited by pedestrians - not just cars - Bruce presented his presentation titled “Making the City Legible”. To find out more about VisualVoice visit http://www.visualvoice.com.au/.

Please find footage of Bruce’s presentation below.

Daniel Epstein is the Managing Director of the Conservo Biodiesel Service Station in Prahran - the first of its kind in Melbourne and in fact, Australia! He was one of the 11 presenters featured at the recent Sustainable Cities Round Table on Mobility. The title of his 3 minute presentation was “Conservo & Sustainiversity”. For more information about Conservo visit the website at http://www.conservo.com.au/.

Please find Daniel’s powerpoint slides and footage of his presentation below.

Conservo Biofuels Stop powerpoint slides

The fifth three-minute presenter at the Sustainable Cities Round Table on Mobility was Dr Patrick Moriarty, a GAMUT Partner. According to his GAMUT profile, Patrick Moriarty taught Civil Engineering at Dar es Salaam Technical College and carried out field research on low-cost housing for the National Housing and Building Research Unit from 1971-1977. Since 1977, his research interests at Monash University have been in the areas of urban land use and transport (both in Australia and Asia), and alternative energy. An important part of this research has been the climate change implications of different fuels/energy sources for transport and electricity generation. From this experience and background, Paddy’s talk at the Sustainable Cities Round Table was titled “The wearing of the green” (as this event was held on St Patrick’s Day!).

Please find footage of his presentation below.

Stephen Ingrouille, Principal, Going Solar, http://www.goingsolar.com.au/, also spoke at the recent Sustainable Cities Round Table on Mobility with his presentation titled “Introducing innovative & cost-effective transit technologies”. Stephen is a regular contributor to SustainableMelbourne.com with excerpts from his informative and fascinating Transport Newsletter. His talk focussed on two very interesting and innovative sustainable transport options - ultralight rail and hovercraft. Stephen also made one of the most amusing comments of the evening with his statement that “if you’re swimming and a hovercraft went over you, you wouldn’t feel a thing!”

Please find footage of his presentation below.

Also speaking at the recent Sustainable Cities Round Table on Mobility, 17 March 2008, was Paul McKay, a Cyclovia Consultant, whose talk was titled “Cyclovia”. Cyclovia is described on http://www.cyclovia.org/ as Life to the street! The website reads: “Imagine roads with barely a car insight and people of all ages walking, cycling, rollerblading or pushing a pram. That is a Cyclovia. During a Cyclovia, cars are not allowed to drive along the selected road but are still able to cross at designated intersections. The first Cyclovia in Australia was held on 28 May 2006 in Moreland, Victoria. Over 5,000 participants attended this great day.”

Please find footage and the powerpoint slides from Paul McKay’s presentation below.

Cyclovia powerpoint

Saturday April 5: 11am - 7pm
Port Phillip EcoCentre, Cnr Herbert and Blessington Street, St Kilda

The urban environment presents unique challenges to planning for sustainable living, food production and transport. Hear our three panels of speakers address these themes in the local context to educate you about some of the issues and present some solutions. The event opens with an indigenous welcome, a brief from the City of Port Phillip on their local Community Pulse program and a tour of the Port Phillip EcoCentre, followed by our first panel session on local food production and food sustainability issues.

Then share a hearty Mexican lunch, browse over our free community and campaign stalls, listen to some local musicians and be part of the local launch of the new book ‘Climate Code Red’ by David Spratt and Phillip Sutton. This very timely publication is an initiative of Greenleap, CarbonEquity and Friends of the Earth.

We will then return to hear panel discussions on sustainable transport and urban planning. Then stay around after 5pm and be part of the Engage Media and Plug-in TV short documentary screenings.

Panel speakers include:
- Ben Neil (Cultivating Community);
- Bob Phelps (Gene Ethics)
- a speaker from ‘Lentil as Anything’
- Frank Fisher (Undertandascope)
- Elliot Fishman (Institute for Sensible Transport)
- Kerryn Wilmot (Public Transport Users Assoc)
- Anna Griffiths (unChain St Kilda)
- Bridget Puszka (BP Architects) and other speakers still to be confirmed. These speakers address issues and present a vision for what a sustainable urban future might look like with specific reference to local issues, policy and development.

Visit www.melbournesocialforum.org for a full program and speaker listing. Entry by gold coin donation. Want hold a free stall at our event? Email stalls @melbournesocialforum.org.

Organised by Melbourne Social Forum and supported by Port Phillip EcoCentre. For more information contact info @melbournesocialforum.org or www.melbournesocialforum.org.

Directions on how to get there: The Port Phillip EcoCentre www.ecocentre.com is located on the corner of Herbert and Blessington Sts, (Melway ref. 58 B11) on the corner of St Kilda Botanic Gardens.

Public transport: Take the 96 Tram to St Kilda. It stops at the corner of Barkley St and Acland St. At end of Acland St and walk 100 metres and you will see a 7-11 on the corner. Then turn left, up Blessington St, walk 100 metres until you come to the EcoCentre. Look for the Melbourne Social Forum banner out the front.

Please find below an abstract of an article, “Greening by example”, written by Katherine Kizilos in The Age. The article refers to the Centre for Sustainability Leadership, http://www.csl.org.au/, which is currently advertising for scholarship applications.

“Monday, 24 March 2008
Brown’s idea “If we can’t get people in positions of influence to care, why not get people who care to be better equipped to influence?” was the basis for her new career path as founder of the Centre for Sustainability Leadership.
Looked at one way, Larissa Brown’s brilliant career has been possible because she made a chain of rational choices.

The centre came about because of the difficulties Brown faced learning how to implement change herself. “I always knew that I wanted to work to make the world more sustainable but I didn’t know how I was going to do that,” she says.

To read the full story visit http://www.theage.com.au/news/environment/greening-by-example/2008/03/23/1206206929869.html

Saturday April 5:
6pm: Screening of ‘The Power of Community’
7pm: Public meeting with Roberto Perez
……………followed by music.
Northcote High School, St Georges Rd, Northcote (112 West Preston Tram, Stop 26)

Roberto is familiar to many as the dynamic permaculturist featured in the documentary “The Power of Community“. Cuba is the only country in the world that lives within it’s ecological footprint despite the challenges it faces in terms of environmental degradation and living with the limits of the USA trade embargo. The 2007 Living Planet Report released by the World Wildlife Fund claims that the only truly sustainable country in the world is Cuba.

With the looming threat of climate change and peak oil, countries like Australia (our carbon footprint is the 6th highest per capita) are going to have to drastically change our system.

Roberto is an environmental educator for the Foundation for Nature & Humanity, Cuba’s major environmental organisation based in Havana. His visit will provide a unique opportunity to learn more about how a society can transform itself, achieve a high level of environmental sustainability, and survive with severe resource constraints.

Cost: Public meeting: $10 or $5 concession / Film: $10 or $5 concession / Both film & meeting: $15 or $10 concession.
Delicious food and drinks available for purchase.
Ph 9639 8622 or 0411 104 813 for bookings or email kylie.moon @gmail.com

Funds raised will go to the tour of Roberto Perez and Green Left Weekly.

Organised by Green Left Weekly.
Sponsored by Friends of the Earth.

Make your actions count. Conservo promotes sustainable motoring by expanding the use of cost effective, renewable biofuel products and services in Australia. The power to make a difference can be as simple as the fuel you put in your car, or the laundry detergent you use, here at Conservo your consumer power works. Conservo is located at 118 High St Prahran, 95332485. open daylight hours 7 days a week.