Praise For Late Buses

To get to the family homestead for Christmas, the first step was to catch the bus from my local stop. Knowing the timetable, and how long it takes to walk to the bus stop, i was right on schedule...

Then i realised that carrying all my luggage and a bag of Christmas presents was slowing my pace. While 3pm on a hot summer's day is not the ideal time to do a jog through the neighbourhood while carrying waaay too much stuff - that's what i had to do.

Arriving at the bus stop 1 minute after the scheduled time, the electronic display informed me that i had not missed the bus - but that it would be a couple of minutes late. Just enough time to catch my breath, and have some gratitude for the occassional delay.

Twas Days Before Christmas

Riding my bike along the bicentennial pathway (between coronation drive and the river) i'm getting into top gear and building up some speed, when i hear a "Hello David!" from a passing pedestrian.

It was a friend of mine who had moved to Adelaide a few years ago. Turns out that she (plus hubby & offspring) are moving to Brisbane - which is good news indeed (in my opinion).

Friend (plus child) were headed for the ferry terminal for a 'ride on the river'.

Sunday Night Help

So last night i'm walking home through the suburb of Indooroopilly. A Chinese guy asks me for directions to a bus to the city.

It was hard to describe the bus stop location, so i walked with him (it was kind of on my way). Turns out he's currently doing a PhD at uni - and is living on the northside (which explains the unfamiliarity with westside buses).

Remembering The Departed

So today is remembrance day, where we take time to remember those who, through the unwanted circumstance of war, died for noble principles such as freedom and democracy.

I recently read that the number of deaths on Austalian roads is now over double that of WWI, WWII, Korea and Vietnam combined. It's a stat that sticks in my mind.

So while i pay tribute to those who died for the sake of future generations like us, i can't help but feel sorrow for the 170,000+ that died for nothing at all.

Bike Stats

Last time, i showed how popular bikes are becoming. Today i found some more stats about bikes:

- about 100 bikes can be made from the materials used for one car
- bikes use 1/50th of the energy of a car
- bikes use 1/20th of the parking space
- a new bike costs around 1% of a new car

and while these are all really great, i reckon they're only part of the reason why people are getting onto bikes.

Wheely Popular

Spotted this graph of bike and car production.


Car production is increasing, but many more people are discovering the economy and exercise of the good old bicycle.

If Cars Were Drugs

Continuing my reading from yesterday, i found that each year..

1,700 Australians die in car accidents
4,000 Australians are disabled by car accidents
2,400 die of air pollutants (which cars produce half of)
48,000 people are hospitalised from transport accidents

Possibly because i used to work in pharmaceuticals, i wondered "If cars were a new drug, would the government even allow them into the market?"

Costly Cars

I read that in 2007, the RACQ estimated the total cost of owning a car to be 100-300 bucks a week ($5,200-$15,600 per year) when everything was included - fuel, loan interest, rego, insurance, depreciation, racq membership, tyres, services, repairs...

The scary thing is that this assessment was based on a fuel price of 113.5 cents (now just a dream) and didn't even include parking costs or the costs of making an insurance claim (eg. the excess). And there are probably more..

Meanwhile, a friend of mine is paying a few hundred bucks to get her windows made slightly darker!

Green Wave

On my blogroll is Copenhagen Cycle Chic and it is there that i found this great clip of a "Green Wave". (Music is Danish)



All the traffic lights are timed so that cycling at 20kph means every traffic light is green.

Over a Barrel

As if global warming wasn't enough reason to ween ourselves of oil, Alan Durning presents the following graph showing oil price rises and recessions.


He notes that the increased oil prices (since 2003) took hundreds of billions out of the US economy. Possibly the sudden rise in price also made some families unable to keep up with their sub-prime home loans. He concludes that less oil addiction would make us less vulnerable to price shocks.

The English Explorer

You may remember from my earlier story, the footy season has wrapped up (until the world cup). Obviously, this means no friday night footy - and having finished an assignment today, i was looking for a study break. So it was off for a evening walk, and a stop-off for supplies.

Homeward-bound, and a man sits reading in a car. I'm guessing he's lost. Few locals drive rent-a-cars, and leisure-readers rarely choose the refidex.

A tap on the window, some impromptu sign language for "would you like some help?", and i discover our friend is english and looking for Mt Cootha - or as he describes it "the big hill where you can see all of Brisbane". (insert accent from The Bill)

Fortunately for our new friend, i'm the kind of guy who knows his local map numbers, so we had him sorted out in about 30 seconds flat. My work here was done! (insert superhero-sounding voice)
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ps. it was a little bit chilly this evening, and i had been home all day. upon reflection, i wonder what this man thought... lost, in a foreign country, and an un-shaven beanie-wearing bloke knocks on his window. :) well he trusted me, and very much appreciated my help.

That's The Spot

OK, so it looks a bit odd - a bicycle parking sign, and then a bunch of cars. But there is a bike area where i took the photo from - trust me! Anyway, well done to the people at Coonan St shops.

Drive Time

So the other day i posted my estimation of the amount of time wasted by driving.

Well today i read that the average Australian spends 1hr 27min each day behind the wheel. Stunning, isn't it?

Broncos!

So today was rugby league grand final. With Brisbane Broncos in the U/20 Grand Final i wore my broncos t-shirt today (and to church this evening). On the way home i passed by a man even more decorated in Broncos clothing. He greeted me with a wave and a loud cheer of "Broncos!!!" (pointing enthusiastically at his own jersey).

Imagine if we'd won!

Anyhoo, it's these little moments of interaction that one doesn't get when bundled up in a car.

Have Your Cake and Eat It Too

The other day i mentioned the health benfits of walking. In the same book, i just read that a half-hour commutute (by bike) burns eight calories a minute (it's a british book, they don't use kilojoules). But the bottom line is that it's the equivalent of 11kg of fat per year.

A Good Walk

It seems obvious that walking is good for our health - but how exactly? Well today i came across a list of proven health benefits...

- enhancing mental health
- reducing cholesterol
- reducing body fat
- reducing the risk of colon cancer
- reducing the risk of coronary disease/stroke
- lowering blood pressure
- helping flexibility and co-ordination
- helping control body weight

Ok, some of the list sounds like things old people worry about, but still it's a fairly comprehensive list. And of course, we can also add the carbon reductions from not driving for ridiculously short trips. That's the planet's health benefit!

Extra Time

I read today that the average motorist drives 15,000km in a year. I figure that for an average speed of 50km/hr (which is possibly optimistic) that means 300 hours of hanging on to the wheel, staring at the road. And we wonder why we feel short of time!

Imagine what you could do with an extra 300 hours.

Not Even If You Paid Me

"Not even if you paid me" was an expression my dad used to say for things he really abhored. Well it seems this local store has come fairly close to that. They'll only drive if someone pays them to do it.


Clearly, they used to be more enthusiastic about driving - at night you can see that the sign used to say "free".

Today's Fuel Gauge

Some of the reasons for going car free are ethical, some are environmental, some are social. But there's also the plain financial.

An Accidental Record

Saw a report the other day, where Queensland Ambulance reported that the number of road accidents they have attendented (January to July) has increased since last year. By itself, that's no surprise.

The surprising part was the number. 12,738 Of those, 9488 involved someone being taken to hospital.

"These statistics really are appalling," said Ambulance Commissioner David Melville. "One crash is one too many but almost 13,000 in seven months is ridiculous."

Criminal Motorists

Apparently there has been a recent trend for petrol stations to become 'pre-pay'. According to the VACC, this is to curb the recent increase of fuel theft, due to high prices.

I would have thought that once you have to start resorting to criminal activity, it might be time to reconsider your transport choices.

Jack's Bike

This is not advertising, but i reckon credit must go to this local fastfood outlet, which has installed a nice bike parking facility for its customers.


Sure it's probably because a large percentage of their target audience is pre-driving age. But still, it's relatively rare to see such a facility so nice and so close. Meanwhile, if anyone sees any bike parking at the Indro monolith, please let us know.

Model Identity

One of the interesting things about going car free (if you're the sciency nerdy type) is observing the attachment between people and vehicles.

Recently a friend discovered in a conversation that the other person lived in the same street as her. After a short period of comparing parts of the street, my friend says "Look out for a blue festiva."

It was said in a friendly tone (not as a warning) but reminded me how car-dependence can isolate us from our community. Clearly car people realise that a chance of a face-to-face encounter with another human being (even one that lives in the same street) is so remote as to be not worth considering. Far more likely is the chance of recognising the colour and shape of an object zooming by.

Just In Case You're Bored

The wonderful people at King George Square have installed this mammoth TV screen that scrolls through the news of the day. Just to pass those few minutes until your bus arrives.

Road Rage Device

Apparently, San Francisco is starting a system of parking sensors in their parking spaces. The sales pitch is that motorists can be notified by their mobile when a space is available.

Sounds good if you're a fan of drivers reading text messages while driving. Or if you're a fan of watching road rage as drivers compete for the latest available spot. (Ah, the joys of driving ;)

On further inspection it seems the purpose for the sensors (no it's not compassion for motorists) is to signal the parking meter that the car has left, and the balance can be reset to zero. Result: no free parking by using someone else's unused time.

Hopefully the extra revenue for the city goes into public transport :)

The Joys of Driving

Idling in a car park, in a queue to get onto an already full road, to drive in slippery conditions while more rain falls....

Ultra Long-Term Parking

Who says we're addicted to cars? :)

Who Would Drive?

Was reading an article on public transport etiquette, and one reader (ChrisO) had the following to say about driving to work. Makes me wonder why anyone does do it...

Nothing depresses me more than the thought of paying five or six times my weekly fare in parking alone, missing out on the chance to read or work (yes, billable!) all so I can sit through half a morning with my foot on the clutch, burning petrol that cost more $$$ than my lunch, doing nothing more productive than daydreaming about the next or last change of traffic lights, or getting indignant and self-righteous about the loser in the nearby Land Cruiser who nearly wiped out that motorbike a suburb ago because he was sending a text.

Future Cost

As if climate change, urban congestion and pollution weren't good enough reasons to go car free, Alan Kohler (ABC News) gives us this information.


The red line is how much oil is discovered each year. The blue line is how much is consumed - including future predictions. It doesn't take Alan Kohler to realise where the price is going to go (and keep going).

Roma Street Interchange

I recently went to a party on the northside. Transinfo worked out the quickest way was to catch a train to Roma Street, then a bus to the final destination. This was my first time using the new Roma St Busway.


One of the great advantages of this Busway is that all the buses going in the same direction (in this case north) leave from the one platform. So there's no need to memorise timetables and pick-up points. If there's several routes going past my destination, I can just take the first one that shows up.

And as you can see they are fairly frequent even in non-peak times.

Brain Training

One of few challenges of being car-free is brain training. Not your own brain, but those of people who automatically think travel equals car. Allow me to illustrate using two invitations i've recently received.

1. A simple txt message - limit 160 characters - managed to cover the event details, the two closest train stations, and the exact street address (handy if i want to search transinfo for alternate transport like buses)

2. A somewhat longer email message, detailing the night (at a restaurant) but giving only the suburb name and a landmark - which is fine if you're a driver, who can cruise around a suburb searching for landmarks. The clincher was the sign-off line "hope you can make it". It almost reads like a deliberate challenge.

Now, i'm not having a go at anyone (although i'm very impressed with person 1). It's just interesting how car-oriented (or car-dependent) we have let ourselves become. Sometimes the human brain (despite it's amazing abilities) can be a difficult thing to adjust.

George's Buses

I was in the city yesterday, so decided to check out the new King George Square Busway. It's well organised, and the staff were very helpful. But the coolest thing is how modern the place looks (for a bus stop).


These are the electronic bus info screens. Stop 1A is dedicated to the 444 "BUZ" express route, but other stops list the various buses, destinations and departure times.

Cycle Cafe

Spotted this bike outside a local cafe. Talk about convenience - just 3 metres from the cafe table. I was also impressed with the carry-bags.

Car Stats

Recently i've been reading Cities as Sustainable Ecosystems by Peter Newman and Isabella Jennings.


In it they quote some interesting stats relating to cities being less car dependent:

• Car dependent cities spend 15-20% of their wealth on getting around. For transit oriented cities it is 5-8%.
  
• Cities with strong rail systems were 43% more wealthy than weak rail cities
  
• Cars can take 2,500 people per hour down one lane of traffic. Trains can do 50,000 (20 times as much).
  
• Roads and parking can cover over a third of a city
  
• At household level people in car dependent cities use over 20% of their income on transport. Some more than 40%.
  
• In the US, those who live near a railway station own fewer cars (0.7 fewer per household) thus freeing up 20% of their income.

Food for thought, huh?

Cycle City

Who says you can't find a good park in the city?


And it's so convenient!

Footy Training

Last time i wrote, i mentioned going to the Gold Coast. Well that has now happened, and it was great. I caught the train down there, and was pleasantly surprised.


Apart from the very spacious train that runs on the Gold Coast line, the station was right next to the stadium. So about 10 minutes after the full-time siren, we were already on the train home.

Sunday Afternoon Walk

This afternoon, i was walking to Toowong, and in passing one of those Asian al-fresco restaurants, i saw my friend Murray. I had a bit of time up my sleeve, so i was able to stop in and catch up with him.

Murray invited me to go to the footy for the opening game of the season, when the Gold Coast Titans take on his favourite team, the North Queensland Cowboys.

Fortunately, the Gold Coast are a forward-looking team who has chosen to build their stadium within easy walking distance of the train station.

The People in my Neighbourhood

One of the advantages of walking and cycling places is seeing people you know. Today was a good example of this.

I headed to the shops and came across Lord Mayor candidate (and former Queensland cricket star) Greg Rowell out meeting the people as part of his campaign. Added to that, he was being assisted by Cameron - who used to live in my building. He and Sally moved out when Sally got a job on the Northside.

I go to the library to return a book, and i bump into Tim. Then I'm heading home and i meet my neighbour Rod. Even though we're neighbours, i hadn't seen him recently. Turns out he has a new job. We decided we should have a bbq soon.

PS. Yes, i did quiz Greg on his policies about climate change (and gave him some of my own thoughts aswell) but i still think the Greens have the edge on him.

Old School

I've previously mentioned my not-to-modern bike, the Repco Traveller (circa 1980-something). The occasional teasing doesn't bother me too much. The Traveller still does the job, and i consider its age to be a built-in anti-theft device (along with a bit of duct tape wrapped around the seat for good measure).

Anyhow, today it was appreciated by a passer by, as i was un-chaining it. Yes, i do still bother with a bike-lock, though it's more to stop the bike falling over, than for security.

"Hey! Old school bike, man!" he said in an appreciative tone (apparently retro is cool).
"Old school's the best school"
"And easiest to fix"
"Yeah, true"(not that i have anything to compare with)

Telling people where to go

Today i came across a couple, who were looking to get to the city, but didn't know where to find the bus stop. Fair enough, it wasn't within sight. It was down the road and over a slight hill.

Anyway, i was able to tell them exactly where to find it. Yet another benefit of being outdoors and talking to people.