canberra.bike: Recent Episodes
Ian Diversi
Climate change and active travel are so l’année dernière. This year we have fires, smoke, hailstones, and a global pandemic. In between all of that we lost active travel somewhere and somehow. The UK, however, did not!
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://canberra.bike/2020/08/17/active-travel-overboard-on-covid-cruise/
Canberra.bike believes that Pedal Power ACT should strive to increase their brand awareness. A month after a great public love-in with the ACT Government, Pedal Power has slunk back into the shadows.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://canberra.bike/2020/10/09/pedal-power-act-in-the-shadows/
One way to achieve change is through a groundswell. The other is through political leadership. The last federal election provides an interesting case study of a groundswell: the example of climate change. After that, we will return to cycling with lessons learned.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://canberra.bike/2021/03/25/political-will-comes-before-change/
Often a steep section of 30 m is all that is required to bring us to a stop. The bike could be pushed that distance, but it is not very likely that a cyclist would want to push the bike up a hill. What we would like is that the paths are never so steep that we come to a stop. That is going to take careful path design in hilly terrain.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://canberra.bike/2021/05/05/gradients-in-molonglo-3/
The Romans built a bridge, marched across the Rhine River, beat up the barbarians and then marched back again, destroying the bridge on the way. All part of a good weekend’s work. It served to remind the barbarians that they were not safe!
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://canberra.bike/2021/05/05/urban-planning-we-think-like-mayflies/
The first meeting of the Molonglo Valley Community Forum was held last night. The politicians that were there are not yet particularly influential but they are at least interested. Most politicians have little knowledge of what is planned for new estate developments, so it was fortunate that mandarins turned up, too.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://canberra.bike/2021/03/19/the-fate-of-molonglo-valley/
The Active Travel Infrastructure Practitioner Tool is embedded in the ACT urban development process. The general public, local residents and other stakeholders have a vested interest in new developments in the ACT. It is, however, difficult to find answers to what are sometimes simple questions. Urban development is a large machine that by necessity must serve the professionals and commercial partners, but Canberrans as residents and are important too. These two groups are separated by both language and knowledge.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://canberra.bike/2020/02/20/introduction-act-urban-development-and-atipt/
The Canberra bike stores are fewer, bigger and more competitive. They will usually price match. Bike stores just want the sale. Kids grow fast, and once an enthusiastic cyclist, then always a cyclist. They know you will be back. Pricing for kids bikes starts from $200 and goes up to about $500.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://canberra.bike/2020/06/28/opinion-kids-on-bikes/
The ACT Government goals found in the ACT Climate Change Strategy 2019-25, the Molonglo River Reserve Management Plan 2019, and the Active Travel Framework conflict and are difficult to reconcile. These strategies show commonalities but as with any specific project, there will be trade-offs. In the Molonglo Valley, active travel is poorly served.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://canberra.bike/2020/05/12/when-strategies-collide-2/
The ACT Government announced in the 2012 ACT Planning Strategy that it “sought to create a more compact, efficient and inclusive city” The proximity between new suburbs in Molonglo Valley and the city will help encourage commuting to work with a bike and the achievement of goals of the ACT Climate Change Strategy 2019-25, but the potential benefit of the proximity of the Molonglo Valley will be largely forfeited without good quality, safe and direct active travel infrastructure. This is currently NOT typical for the Molonglo Valley estate developments.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://canberra.bike/2020/03/18/whats-wrong-with-the-molonglo-3-east-planning-and-infrastructure-study-project-brief/
In Germany, the land of the Autobahn, cars driving 200km/h are not uncommon, with some reaching 240km/h. At this speed, the car roars and the fuel gauge plummets. Cars that change lanes loom up at an unnerving speed. The German government is considering reducing speed limits on autobahns to just 160km/h. Some Germans protest against driving so slowly. Other groups point out the benefits that include far less noise in the surrounding areas, and reduced fuel consumption, pollution and less road deaths.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://canberra.bike/2020/05/10/an-inconvenient-truth-of-30-km-h-local-streets/
The Molonglo Valley is not flat and that has been well known – and it does cause problems. In Molonglo 3, on the north of the river, the gradients can be a challenge.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://canberra.bike/2021/05/05/evolution-of-the-molonglo-valley/