School Traffic: How much can Sydney take?
During school terms it is not only traffic which increases but also pressure on public transport systems, localised congestion around schools and particularly at drop off and pick up zones. All of this equates to an added strain on resources such as roads, public transport, police and local government and consequently to a drain on […]
Smart mobility can make cities sustainable
Image: www.cleanmpg.com According to the World Resources Institute and World Bank, 2015 presents a great opportunity to work towards making cities more sustainable. Helping put cities on the right path will require investment in sustainable, low-carbon urban transport systems, infrastructure and technology. “We can either continue to build car-orientated cities that lock in these unsustainable […]
Australian Road Safety
2013-2014 Road Toll by State/Territory Image: www.museumvictoria.com.au During the twelve months ending December 2014 there were 1,153 road fatalities in Australia. Overall this is a 2.9% reduction on the 2013 road toll. However, state by state analysis is showing concerning increases in Victoria (2.5%), South Australia (9.2%), Western Australia (11.7%) and the Northern Territory (5.4%). […]
Turning New York City’s parking lots into affordable housing
Photo Credit: Stefan Georgi/Flickr With New York City facing increasing pressure on housing affordability, the NYC based Institute for Public Architecture called for creative ideas and solutions for affordable housing. One of the most intriguing ideas came from fellows of the Institute Sagi Golan, Miriam Peterson and Nathan Rich, which targets the abundance of parking […]
Toyota working with the World Business Council for Sustainable Mobility
Photo credit: Volvo Traditionally achieving sustainable mobility in city centres has been the purview of town and urban planners in the employ of local, state and federal governments. However, citizens around the world are becoming more concerned with the environment and mobility. As citizens and governments become more focused on the achievement of sustainable mobility, […]
Paris plans car free city centre
Photo credit: Christopher Thomond for The Guardian The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo has announced plans to reduce traffic and pollution by converting the city centre to a primarily pedestrian and bicycle zone, in an interview with the Journal du Dimanche. Hidalgo wants to tackle the level of pollution in Paris with a view […]
Are more roads the solution to Sydney’s traffic congestion?
By Cristina Lynn Yesterday I attended the first day of the NSW Major Projects Conference and listened with interest about all the infrastructure projects being planned for our state. Whilst the issue of traffic congestion on our roads was mentioned in pretty much all the presentations, there was no information about how this is going […]
Victoria Decides – Traffic congestion and public transport high on the agenda
In the days counting down to an election the promises and future party policies are announced in rapid fire as last ditch attempts to persuade the undecided. Every speech is an attempt to impress the overall electorate with the “trust us – we know what you really really want” persona of political parties. This process […]
Brisbane’s Priority Cycle Crossing
In an effort to improve safety for cyclists along a notorious stretch of road, the Queensland government and Brisbane City Council are working together on a trial which will give cyclists priority crossing areas along the North Brisbane Bikeway. As reported in the Courier Mail, the crossings include a raised platform and the use of […]
Canberra Pay Parking sparks surge in Bus use
The introduction of paid parking in the Parliamentary Triangle has finally moved Canberrans to leave the car behind and utilise the bus network, reports the Canberra Times. The change was introduced in order to increase the number of spaces available to visitors to the national institutions ( e.g., National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Old Parliament […]
Adelaide parking tax quashed
The recent introduction of South Australia’s controversial parking tax was voted down in Parliament last week, reports ABC news. An Opposition amendment to remove the tax was passed with the support of both Family First and Independent MPs. This was welcome news for the Property Council of Australia and the State Coalition to Repeal the […]
Free parking to boost EV sales in Germany
The German cabinet has backed a bill designed to stimulate demand for electronic vehicles by enabling municipalities to offer EV owners incentives such as free parking, and the use of bus lanes, as reported by Businessweek. As a world leader in car manufacturing, the bill simultaneously aims to stimulate the sluggish sales of EVs in Germany […]
Dedicated lane for phone addicts
In a rather disturbing story from SBS, there are reports that the city of Chongqing in China has introduced reserved lanes for mobile phone addicts. What??? The only pleasing thing about this news is that it wasn’t a dedicated lane in traffic! Encouraging the widespread practice of having one’s nose stuck to the device, the […]
SA trials Bluetooth traffic monitoring system
Adelaide is trialling a new system of traffic monitoring that picks up data from Bluetooth receivers in passing cars, and provides real-time traffic advisories to help drivers avoid congested areas. The new technology has been developed by the SA Department of Planning, Transport & Infrastructure (DPTI), as reported in The Advertiser. The Adelaide trial involves approximately […]
Realigning public perception of parking meters
In a recent article from SFGate, Donald Shoup suggests that parking meters could be made more attractive politically by utilising technology which gives cities the option to offer discounts to local residents. By using pay-by-license technology (linking payment information to license plates), municipalities can now structure pricing systems which recognise and favour their residents. Smart […]
MonkeyParking App shut down in US
Beware: not all apps that come to market actually serve the common good, and some might even be illegal. Italian-based MonkeyParking found this out the hard way when it was told last week to “cease and desist” operations in San Francisco or face a lawsuit. MonkeyParking is (was) an app that allows drivers to auction […]
London Congestion Charge to rise
London is also grappling with its pollution problem and is considering changes to its Congestion Charging scheme. Currently imposed on every non-exempt vehicle entering the chargeable district, the levy is slated for a general increase commencing June 2014 from £10 to £11.50 per day. According to the Transport for London website, this increase is […]
Transport NSW trials CITS technology for truckies
In an initiative aimed at improving traffic flow and reducing heavy vehicle collisions, Transport NSW has announced a trial of a high-tech early warning system for truck drivers. As reported in the Illawarra Mercury, heavy vehicles will be fitted with Co-operative Intelligent Transport Systems (CITS) technology which allows trucks to transmit and receive warnings about […]
UK invests in green vehicles and their drivers
The UK has taken a bold stand for a greener future with the recent announcement of a £500 m investment in the growing electric car movement, as reported in The Yorkshire Post recently. Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg unveiled the initiative saying “This is about creating a culture change in our towns and cities so […]
Self-driving, self-parking Volvos trialled in Sweden
Volvo has launched its pilot program of driverless cars in Sweden. As reported in The Guardian, the project, called “Drive Me”, is the world’s first large-scale autonomous driving pilot project. The 100 self-driving Volvo cars will be tested on public roads in everyday driving conditions around the city of Gothenburg. “Volvo’s analysis on traffic safety […]
Melbourne cyclists face parking shortages
Melbourne cyclists are growing in number, but the facilities to accommodate them have not kept pace. As reported in the The Age last month, the City of Melbourne has estimated that cyclists currently make up 15% of morning peak commuter traffic, a significant increase since 2006, when estimated at only 4%. Bicycle Network Victoria spokesperson, […]
Controversial plans for transport overhaul in Melbourne CBD
The Napthine government has announced major changes to the transport system in Melbourne ahead of the November election, including the capping of fares at Zone 1 level, and the commencement of free trams in the CBD from Jan 1, 2015. As reported in The Age, the scheme is expected to cost $100 million per year, […]
Weekend clearways address Sydney’s constant congestion
In a bid to solve weekend traffic congestion around Sydney, the Roads Minister, Duncan Gay, has recently implemented weekend clearways on Victoria Road, with another four major stretches around the city earmarked for the same (Lane Cove Road, Mona Vale Road, Princes Highway and King Georges/Roberts Road). In an editorial piece in the SMH (second […]
Paris smog triggers emergency traffic ban
In a dramatic attempt to alleviate the choking smog that enveloped Paris last week, the Federal Government imposed an emergency ban on half of the expected traffic by implementing an odd-even license plate system for alternate days, commencing on March 17th. That day, 700 police manned the city issuing spot fines to any cars or […]
Congestion to cost economy $15bn per year by 2030
According to an article last week in the Australian Financial Review, the Abbott government was unmoved by the arguments of the Tourism and Transport Forum, whose members are urging the government to reconsider its position not to invest in public transport. The Tourism Transport forum is an industry group of the CEOs of 200 companies […]
UK play streets making a comeback
Parts of Britain are reinvigorating their neighbourhoods by bringing back “play streets”. As reported in the UK Telegraph, dozens of streets are being closed off to traffic for three hours a week so that children can play safely in them after school. Play streets are not a new concept – they were first introduced in […]
NYPD targets its own in parking enforcement blitz
The New York City Police Department’s Internal Affairs unit is on a mission – to curtail the widely-held view that certain government vehicles can park where they like without consequence. The NY Times reports that a small towing unit belonging to the IAB is charged with cleaning up No Standing Zones around the city being […]
Beautiful engineering creates cycling heaven in The Netherlands
There’s no shortage of cycle-friendly stories coming out of Europe, and we love sharing them with you. This recent post from Treehugger should provide both inspiration and aspiration for other cities and urban planners that are working on cycling solutions. The Hovenring is the first elevated cycle roundabout in the world. Commissioned by the Dutch […]
Bogotá leads the way with a car-free week
This story from Treehugger is a great follow up to our recent post featuring former Mayor, Enrique Peñalosa and his inspiring TED Talk on creating cities of the future. Peñalosa was responsible for Bogotá’s first car-free day back in 2000, which was subsequently approved as an annual event. Last week marked a new first in […]
Rome enlists Twitter to combat illegal parkers
We all know that Rome is synonymous with chaos when it comes to traffic and parking. For the most part, Romans and visitors have just accepted this as “the way it is”, because historically, enforcement has been seen as non-existent to intermittent at best. According to last week’s story on Mashable, the local polizia have […]