Posts Tagged ‘transport’
Prepare for more time in the car: Report
Posted in Research by Kate Archdeacon on March 15th, 2010
Source: Green Building Council Australia (GBCA)
Image: basibanget via flickr CC
By 2041, Australia’s cities will experience significant increases in traffic congestion, people will spend more time travelling and cars will generate more greenhouse gas emissions, a new study has found.
Cities for the future: Baseline report and key issues, commissioned by the Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC), was released at Green Cities 2010 in Melbourne.
The report points to a bleak future where transport-related greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) increase by almost 50 per cent and travel times increase by quarter. “Under a business as usual approach, our urban centres will become more transport intensive and less transport efficient. Congestion will worsen, travel times become longer and transport-related GHG increase,” says ASBEC President, Tom Roper.
“The report is a clarion call to our federal, state and local governments that swift, decisive action is required to deliver better transport systems in Australia’s cities,” Mr Roper says. According to Romilly Madew, Chief Executive of the Green Building Council Australia and task group chair, the analysis “clearly shows that, without action to change the way people live, work and play in our cities, our transport challenges will only get worse.”
Cities for the future is the first part of a four stage project which aims to explore and measure the links between greenhouse gas emissions from urban transport and land use within our cities.
“This report has found that the shape of our cities and the distribution of land uses can influence transport and therefore emissions. However, in raising sustainability and reducing emissions, we are likely to realise other tangible benefits, such as healthier communities, more accessible services, appropriate responses to demographic change, and more efficient use of land and infrastructure,” Ms Madew explains.
Tags: brisbane, Melbourne, report, transport, urban design
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Air Travel & Climate Change: Talk Climate Forum
Posted in Events by Kate Archdeacon on March 12th, 2010
Source: Climate Action Centre
Visit the website for more details.
Tags: air, consumption, sustainability, transport
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Sustainable Transport at SLF
Posted in Events by Kate Archdeacon on February 18th, 2010
A reminder: the Sustainable Living Festival is on this weekend. See below for a selection (courtesy Going Solar Transport Newsletter) of talks and film screenings on sustainable transport at the Festival.
Transport for Sustainable Cities
Come and hear Professor Ross Garnaut, eminent economist and author of the Garnaut Climate Change Review and the Hon Greg Hunt, Shadow Minister for Climate Action speak on sustainable transport. Commentary by Kelvin Thomson MP, Federal member for Wills.
How Car Dependence Is Turning The Suburban Dream To Nightmare
Using never before published data, the Institute for Sensible Transport has mapped the level of oil vulnerability across Melbourne’s local government areas. Dramatic differences in income and travel distances were found, with the inner city earning more and driving less, while the outer suburbs drove over four times the distance, with considerably less income. Should the CSIRO prediction of $8 per litre be seen (or even half that), Melburnians will have great difficulty meeting their mobility needs.
AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE The worldwide economy is utterly dependant on oil, but resources will only last for some more decades at best. How to escape the impending crisis? On his travels through the US, Melbourne-born filmmaker Josh Ticknell explores the potential of biodiesel to replace oil and reduce the world’s addictive dependence on fossil fuels. This captivating demonstration of how everyone of us can help stopping climate change won the coveted Best Documentary Audience Award 2009 at the Sundance Film Festival, one of the world’s biggest festivals for independent films.
Cycling offers the most energy efficient and pollution-free form of transport known to humans. In Australia the smallest group of cyclists is the relaxed commuters, mainly women, cycling around their neighbourhood on various errands, shopping and going to work. This group dominate cycling in the Netherlands and other cycling countries, and have the greatest growth potential for Australian cycling. Diane Kraal and Alex Merory present their experience of relaxed commuting by bicycle: one beginner-cyclist commuter and the other experienced. This will be followed by an audience and panel discussion with Frank Fisher and Elliot Fishman.
Transition Towns – From Oil Dependency To Local Resilience
Light on talk and heavy on action, Transition Towns is an international movement that has swept the globe since its inception in 2005. Today there are 245 ‘official’ involved communities and over 1000 mulling it over! Central to the idea of Transition is that re-localising our basic needs and wants is inevitable given the realities of resource depletion (especially oil), water shortages and Climate Change. This presentation provides a context illustrating why we desperately need to Transition as well as drawing on global and local examples of Transition Towns. Described as “more like a party than a protest march” Transition Towns have been incredibly effective in attracting ‘non-greens’ and engaging wider audiences than traditional sustainability approaches.
CycleWise – Tips for Surviving and Thriving on the Roads
Designed for novice riders who’d like to ride more, ride to work, ride for transport but don’t feel confident on the roads. The talk covers: choosing the right bike and accessories, bike set-up and safety checks, cyclist rights and responsibilities, route planning, tips for avoiding car doors, being seen and safe at intersections, what to do if you have a crash and more. Also includes info about courses available, if people want to brush up their skills. There will be an opportunity for people to ask questions.
Zero Emissions Transport by 2020: How Do We Get There?
Fast trains, bicycle freeways, 100% electric vehicles. Find out from Beyond Zero Emissions how we can make our transport future a safe climate future.
Tags: sharing, slf, sustainability, transport
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A City of Short Distances: VEIL at the Stringybark Sustainability Festival
Posted in Events by Kate Archdeacon on October 15th, 2009
Design: Jessica Bird, RMIT
Knox City Council’s Stringybark Festival is spread across five acres of the Rowville Community Centre reserve.
Attracting more than 20,000 visitors, the festival is one of the most significant community environmental festivals on the national calendar. In 1984, Rowville sat on Melbourne’s semi-rural fringe and Stringybark was Australia’s premier conservation- based environmental festival. Today, Knox City Council is at the apex of one of this country’s largest suburban growth corridors and Stringybark now showcases a contemporary sustainability program that more accurately reflects its own current day suburban context both in practical terms and future vision.
“As the suburbs are where most people live, we believe they hold the key to our future.”
The Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab (VEIL) is proud to exhibit a selection of student designs from University of Melbourne, RMIT, Swinburne University and Monash University. The designs are set in the year 2032 and explore how Rowville could become a sustainable community, able to prosper despite peak oil and the inflation of petrol prices to more than $5.00 a litre. The 2009 way-of-living with cars is no longer affordable.
Tags: suburbs, transport, Visions
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Victoria’s Major Transport Projects Laws: What do they mean?
Posted in Policies by Kate Archdeacon on September 24th, 2009
Source: Climate Action Calendar
Image: latcho via flickr
Environmental Defenders Offices (EDO) Seminar Series 2009
The Major Transport Projects Facilitation legislation introduces far-reaching changes to environmental and planning laws for projects that are declared by the Premier as major transport projects. The legislation, introduced with no public consultation, replaces existing environmental approvals with a new approval process intended to fast track new freeways, ports, rail lines.
This seminar:
• How does the legislation restrict public involvement in decision making about transport projects?
• What impact does the legislation have on existing environmental approvals?
• What sort of projects will be caught by the legislation?
Speakers: Brian Walters SC and others will discuss the impact of the legislation on the community, the environment and good governance.
Tuesday September 29
5:45 for 6pm start
Bookings: EDO Victoria office, 8341 3100 or edovic@edo.org.au
Download the flyer for full details.
Tags: discussion, Events, governance, transport
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Bike Futures Conference
Posted in Events by Kate Archdeacon on September 7th, 2009
Source: Going Solar Transport Newsletter
Thursday 15 – Friday 16 October,2009
Bicycle Victoria will host the first annual Bike Futures Conference this October.
Bike Futures ‘09 is dedicated to the people who will transform our communities into bike-friendly, economically thriving and sustainable environments. This conference is the first in an annual series designed to assist national and local leaders, planners, designers and builders respond to the critical demands brought on by the explosion in growth of bike transportation and recreation across Australia. We all have a massive challenge ahead of us: more of our citizens are riding, and riding more often; riding in places and at times that were never envisaged; placing stresses and strains on physical infrastructure and political patience alike. Answers can be hard to come by in these resource-constrained times. Bike Futures ‘09 is the key to unlocking the solutions that government professionals and community leaders require at the local, state and national level.
Register here.
Source: Going Solar Transport Newsletter
Tags: behaviour change, bicycle, conference, governance, transport
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National Electric Vehicle Festival
Posted in Events by Kate Archdeacon on August 28th, 2009
Source: Going Solar Transport Newsletter
The Festival is hosted by the Australian Electric Vehicle Association (AEVA). There will be vehicles old and the new, including: a 1917 Detroit Electric and an ultra-new Tesla Roadster electric super car, plus old and new production and converted cars and bikes on display, stands, displays, fun for the kids – and lots, lots more. The event will coincide with Canberra’s annual floral festival, ‘Floriade’.
Date: 4th October, 2009 9 am – 4 pm
Venue: Old Parliament House Lawns, Canberra
More Info: http://CanberraEV.org/festival or contact: billgresham@ gmail.com
Source: Going Solar Transport Newsletter
Tags: electric vehicle, Events, transport
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Race to Federation Square
Posted in Events by Kate Archdeacon on August 17th, 2009
Source: Going Solar Transport Newsletter
Manningham is 12 km from Melbourne. Go Bikes! Go Public Transport!
Car #1 travelled 1800 metres in 15 minutes…that’s…7.2km/h…..
Tags: bike transport, public transport, transport
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Walk-Friendly: Walking Initiative in Victoria
Posted in Movements by Kate Archdeacon on July 22nd, 2009
Source: Going Solar Transport Newsletter
Image: Victoria Walks Resource Poster
If you are interested in walking for transport and making neighbourhoods better for walking, the Victoria Walks website has an extensive array of resources and tools to assist people to work together to make their neighbourhoods better for walking (both socially and physically). Your neighbourhood is at your feet: step out and explore. Make your streets safe, attractive and fun. You never know who you might meet in walk-friendly streets!
See also: Walk Score walkable cities calculator
Source: Going Solar
Tags: community, sustainable cities, transport
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Corporate Car Sharing: Charter Drive
Posted in Models by Kate Archdeacon on June 29th, 2009
Source: GreenRazor, the GreenPages Newsletter #89
Image via netstarter
Charter Drive is a corporate Car Sharing service, offering CBD businesses access to a fleet of low-emissions vehicles. Financial savings include costs being up to 70% less than the cost of a cab and considerably less than operating one’s own pooled cars. For the same cost as one CBD parking bay, businesses can drive their staff with Charter Drive for up to 4 hours every working day. Carbon emissions savings are made through the centralised sharing and maintenance of a resource that would otherwise be under-utilised. These models of corporate shared resources support the shift to a low-consumption, highly serviced lifestyle in a sustainable future.
Source: “Charter Drive – Swipe into sustainability”, the GreenPages
Tags: new systems/services, sharing, transport
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