War on cars

[antigee]

McCormack was right. Now 30 kmh is more acceptable and popular

https://www.theage.com.au/national/expe ... 5ax05.html


Smith and Dr John Crozier, chair of the national trauma committee of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, both advocate for urban speed limits of 30km/h, noting this halves the risk of pedestrian death.

took my local council (Boroondara) several years to find funding get Vicroads to implement a 40kmh limit in local shopping area (plus community centre and Metro station) the intransigence / and opposition to reduced speed limits is ingrained....the result of this bit of poor driving might have been different is the speed limit was appropriate to an area where there is pedestrian traffic...

"Jack was crossing Springfield Road with his younger sister and a friend when he was struck and killed by Lu, who ran a red light.

The three children were on the way home from the supermarket, where they were buying snacks."

....but....Justice Amanda Fox said Lu failed to pay attention for a matter of seconds.......
.....You were within the speed limit, your vehicle was roadworthy, you were not fatigued and you had not been observed prior to the collision driving in any way that could be considered unsafe.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-20/ ... /101084646

meanwhile the comments are typical on this article:

https://www.drive.com.au/news/new-cars- ... -speeding/

From today, [Jul 06 2022]new cars sold in Europe must be fitted with technology to help discourage speeding.

after pointing out that in Australia vehicle systems may find it hard to read the temporary speed limit signs for school zones delivers this bit of data:

The NSW Department of Transport began trialling ISA technology back in 2010, and found the system reduced speeding in 89 per cent of trial vehicles, which travelled more than 7.5 million kilometres with the technology fitted.

Using data collected during the trial, the University of Adelaide’s Centre for Automotive Safety Research created modelling which showed serious and fatal crashes could be reduced by approximately 19 per cent in Australia if ISA was mandatory on all cars – equating to around 200 lives saved per year.

[opik_bidin]

McCormack was right. Now 30 kmh is more acceptable and popular

https://www.theage.com.au/national/expe ... 5ax05.html


Smith and Dr John Crozier, chair of the national trauma committee of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, both advocate for urban speed limits of 30km/h, noting this halves the risk of pedestrian death.

took my local council (Boroondara) several years to find funding get Vicroads to implement a 40kmh limit in local shopping area (plus community centre and Metro station) the intransigence / and opposition to reduced speed limits is ingrained....the result of this bit of poor driving might have been different is the speed limit was appropriate to an area where there is pedestrian traffic...

Funding for other form of transport take years to find, and then struggle between other budget items to get.

Meanwhile, road and parking immediately get money or is already earmarked from the get go.

[opik_bidin]

why car lovers start hating car dependency? They love cars and loce driving for fun, not being forced to drive for all the errands they hate to do.

Highlights include cost, driving being a chore, how dangerous it is to others, how it shapes the built environment, the big auto lobby and how new cars are much bigger, more thirsty and dangerous.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=K8jp_lligz0

[Cyclophiliac]

I probably didn't mention this before, but there's a good example of major construction projects prioritising motorists over pedestrians in Ringwood. I've lived in that area quite a while now, and several years ago both the Eastland shopping centre and Ringwood train station got a major upgrade. The shopping centre upgrade cost about $600 million and the train station was about $100 million.

During all that money spending, somehow nobody found any spare money to fund a pedestrian overpass/underpass between the station and the shopping centre (on opposite sides of the very busy Maroondah Hwy). So pedestrians have to cross at road level, waiting at a pedestrian crossing. The really stupid thing about this is that it inconveniences the motorists also, because there's a never-ending procession of pedestrians pressing the crossing buttons and forcing motorists to stop at the crossing, which obviously doesn't help congestion.

[mikesbytes]

The problem is that the public want the traffic jam eliminated and the solution is to provide more motorised roadways which is what most people understand to be the solution. The catch is that new roadways induces more usage and give it a couple of years we are back where we were before the new road capacity was built.

[Thoglette]

The catch is that new roadways induces more usage and give it a couple of years we are back where we were before the new road capacity was built.

The experience in Paris also supports the reverse: removing MV lanes doesn’t affect congestion either.

[Bunged Knee]

It's good to have the hooner's car crushed in Qld.
Police had stated that if he gets another car and might do it again. It will be crushed again.
https://whatsnew2day.com/hoon-car-is-cr ... by-police/

[mikesbytes]

It's good to have the hooner's car crushed in Qld.
Police had stated that if he gets another car and might do it again. It will be crushed again.
https://whatsnew2day.com/hoon-car-is-cr ... by-police/

By the sounds of it this person is likely to be a danger to others until they end up in jail. Will it take a tragedy to end their run of dangerous driving?

[Thoglette]

That’s a grown man.

Pedaling may not be political in the Netherlands, but it definitely is here in the land of the Super-Duty and super-subsidized driving.

(From a Rivbike mailer)

[DavidS]

One solution to such ridiculously large vehicles is to require a truck licence to drive them. That car is simply absurd, are they just taking the piss knowing that such vehicles powered by fossil fuels have a limited future?

But I have always had a simple solution to these vehicles - you want to buy one you have to prove you can reverse park it, that should exclude about 80% of the potential owners, they'll be stuck driving little hatchbacks.

DS

[Cyclophiliac]

Those ridiculously large vehicles are probably advertised as "the ultimate in comfort and safety", or some such BS. But any pedestrian or cyclist hit by one is as good as dead. I think such cars are a symptom of a very sick society.

[mikesbytes]

City of Sydney 1965. They are blaming commercial vehicles for the congestion. If I recall they moved most deliveries to happen before hours

[Halfamillion]

The politics in Australia is mainly controlled by big business and Global governing systems not local democracy. Voters are just rubber stamping a big business selected governance mainly for the benefit of Big Business and oligarchs. Look at Australia’s richest people and how they are insulated from any Freedom of Speech statement and how the Mainstream Media (MSM) are controlled by the Big end of town.
The Worlds Economic Forum is probably the totalitarian an ruler of major Global business decision adopted by the clowns in the US, EU, G7 including the Australian Vassals. Next influence is the UN Environmental Social Mandates which have been adopted in Western Countries without any local democratic voter oversight. These UN ESM requirements introduces holistic environment mandates and social mandates (include ‘Woke’ equity & diversity. Etc) to any business contract.
The point is your voice means nothing to these New World Order Global Barons, Oligarchs. Australia is a just a totally subservient vassal state to them. This why nothing happens, and cars are business and profit for them in the first instance and electrification flows from Global influences. Unless there is a popular revolution to put the citizens back into power and control. Current Global Energy and food Wars may force out of the cars and back to Public transport and various pedal or electric bicycles and hover boards etc by necessity to travel get to work.

[blkmcs]

Thank Dog for those bastions of freedom, Russia, China and North Korea.
Where would we be without their benign influence and a ready supply of tinfoil hats?

[Andy01]

One solution to such ridiculously large vehicles is to require a truck licence to drive them. That car is simply absurd, are they just taking the piss knowing that such vehicles powered by fossil fuels have a limited future?

But I have always had a simple solution to these vehicles - you want to buy one you have to prove you can reverse park it, that should exclude about 80% of the potential owners, they'll be stuck driving little hatchbacks.

DS

In the US I could drive a council bus-sized (actually taller) vehicle (like a FULL sized motorhome based on a tour-bus) on a standard car licence - no truck or heavy vehicle licence required - at least in many states (perhaps not all).

When I was in Denver a number of years ago, such large "trucks" (they do call them trucks there) like Ford F-350 (the one with double wheels at the back, 3.5T load capacity - similar to the RAM 3500 above) were quite common - something like a Ford Ranger was considered to be a small pick-up truck. The only "advantage" was that most of the parking bays were designed for them, so it was an absolute breeze parking at the local shopping centre.

[Cyclophiliac]

War on cars, USA style:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... ate-crisis

I wonder what the Aus govt would do if it occurred here? Probably fine the living cr#p out of the tyre-deflators. The local media would support the govt in this by vilifying them.

[jasonc]

https://www.politicshome.com/thehouse/a ... nd-cycling

[mikesbytes]

War on cars, USA style:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... ate-crisis

I wonder what the Aus govt would do if it occurred here? Probably fine the living cr#p out of the tyre-deflators. The local media would support the govt in this by vilifying them.

I don't agree with that kind of action, we need to win over the public not alienate them

[trailgumby]

War on cars, USA style:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... ate-crisis

I wonder what the Aus govt would do if it occurred here? Probably fine the living cr#p out of the tyre-deflators. The local media would support the govt in this by vilifying them.

I don't agree with that kind of action, we need to win over the public not alienate them

Unfortunately, a large swathe of the demographic that buys those things needs the stick. Carrots won't work.

However, rather than this tactic, the anti-tobacco strategy can probably be run here. Things like:
* tougher Australian design rules that prioritise pedestrian and cyclist safety
* removing import duty exemptions on 4x4s and replacing them with a rebate where they have to demonstrate genuine use in primary production activity,
* higher taxes to sheet home to their purchasers the cost of the externalities they impose on the rest of the community, and
* higher fuel costs
might have the desired effect.

People will no doubt whinge about higher costs and reduced choice. My response is the community is paying those costs anyway, why should you get a free pass, and the latter is actually the point - we are removing unsafe choices.

[warthog1]

Unfortunately, a large swathe of the demographic that buys those things needs the stick. Carrots won't work.

However, rather than this tactic, the anti-tobacco strategy can probably be run here. Things like:
* tougher Australian design rules that prioritise pedestrian and cyclist safety
* removing import duty exemptions on 4x4s and replacing them with a rebate where they have to demonstrate genuine use in primary production activity,
* higher taxes to sheet home to their purchasers the cost of the externalities they impose on the rest of the community, and
* higher fuel costs
might have the desired effect.

People will no doubt whinge about higher costs and reduced choice. My response is the community is paying those costs anyway, why should you get a free pass, and the latter is actually the point - we are removing unsafe choices.

15 years in Alice Springs, 6 in Mildura.
4wds are very popular and very useful in those locations.
Similar to riding a road bike a huge amount of our roadways are not suitable and a gravel bike makes far more sense.
There are vast swathes of our country outside of our cities that are simply impractical to travel by low slung passenger car.

I am no primary producer but yes I do use my 4wd for the purpose it was designed.
I don't see why I should be penalised and prevented from travelling this huge country because some people use them as a shopping jeep in the city.

[trailgumby]

15 years in Alice Springs, 6 in Mildura.
4wds are very popular and very useful in those locations.
Similar to riding a road bike a huge amount of our roadways are not suitable and a gravel bike makes far more sense.
There are vast swathes of our country outside of our cities that are simply impractical to travel by low slung passenger car.

I am no primary producer but yes I do use my 4wd for the purpose it was designed.
I don't see why I should be penalised and prevented from travelling this huge country because some people use them as a shopping jeep in the city.

And that's fair enough. Policy would need to be finessed to account for those genuine circumstances.

However, those vehicles in city environments, where they never or rarely travel to the locations you describe, or have no genuine business need, are simply not justified. Something needs to be done to force the costs they are forcing on the community back onto their owners, so that they are incentivised to make decisions based on the true cost of their choices.

[warthog1]

I agree there are no doubt many who do buy them for their height size and feeling of safety
There are however genuine uses for them too.
I work with a few who are getting ready to retire.
The caravan and 4wd tow vehile seems a popular choice.
They do make a good tow vehicle.

Long term I expect fuel will knock that back a bit.
Caravan park fees and fuel at $2.30 a litre.
Not such a cheap way to travel.

[mikesbytes]

Some good suggestions on what to do with changing purchase behaviour

How about adopting the EU model for motor vehicle sales, its something along the lines of average emissions per sale per manufacturer/provider based on a credit system. Someone can provide better details

[Thoglette]

They do make a good tow vehicle.

So do many other vehicles that don’t represent such a risk to other road users nor have such Tank-like dimensions (seriously, go and compare one to an M4 Sherman)

Still I’d be happy to such vehicles (and wannabes) restricted to bona fide grey nomads on tour.

The GNs I know all have “town cars” that they use when at home. Much easier to park and cheaper to run, I’m told

[warthog1]

They do make a good tow vehicle.

So do many other vehicles that don’t represent such a risk to other road users nor have such Tank-like dimensions (seriously, go and compare one to an M4 Sherman)

Still I’d be happy to such vehicles (and wannabes) restricted to bona fide grey nomads on tour.

The GNs I know all have “town cars” that they use when at home. Much easier to park and cheaper to run, I’m told

My parents used to tow a single axle van with a ford falcon, chrysler valiant etc.
I remember a few moments where the van was blown around by trucks and I don't really know how dad kept us upright.

Todays vans are bigger and heavier than that.
No interest in towing a 2.5 or 3 tonne van with a small, light, smaller tyred car. I'll take the extra mass, strength and carrying capacity these larger 4wd vehicles possess.

Yes I have a Nissan Patrol and a Suzuki Swift.
The zuk does the running around and tbh I prefer to drive it in most situations.
It cannot however do what the Patrol can.

I have had the patrol a long time.
With respect to size, the falcon wagon we used to have was longer.