Climate Action Merribek: people in Brunswick, Coburg, Fawkner and Glenroy wanting action on climate change

Climate Action = Sustainable Transport

February 28, 2015 at 5:07 pm John Englart 1 comment

Our latest leaflet on Sustainable Transport can be downloaded: 20150228-revised climate and transport leaflet

This comes just as the sad news on Friday night of the tragic death of a cyclist who was car door-ed on Sydney road and thrown in the path of a truck. The cyclist was an Italian visitor to Australia. He was unable to be revived at the scene. Much of Sydney Road was closed to Friday evening’s peak hour traffic because of the death.

This highlights that there is much to be done in improving cycling infrastructure to increase cyclist safety as cycling continues to grow and expand in the Moreland municipality. The Upfield Bike Path is already choking with congestion during morning and evening peak times as the main north-south route.

While Moreland Council has been receptive to improving cycling infrastructure, this requires more substantial long term urban planning involving the State Government and VicRoads and funding at Federal and State levels. We need a cycling superhighway, fully separated from vehicle traffic, running north-south from Park Street to the Western Ring Road, with feeder paths to the east and west.

Peter Allan also nailed the issues regarding cycling in Moreland in this pre-election 2014 video:

More people cycling results in less vehicle emissions, plus providing an added community health and social benefit through active exercise. Improving walking, cycling and public transport contributes to reducing emissions under the Zero Carbon Moreland plan.

Public transport also needs improving in expanding the network and it’s efficiency. The Dan Andrews Victorian Labor Government has set about it’s promise of removing 50 level crossings with grade separation in Melbourne, including Munro and Bell street on the Upfield line and Glenroy Rd on the Craigieburn line. The announcement that the Melbourne Metro rail tunnel project will go ahead will also increase rail capacity through the rail network, a much needed improvement. The Greens suggested extending the No 19 Sydney Rd Tram line service to Fawkner: an even better idea would be extend the Sydney Rd tram past Fawkner to the Campbellfield shops, as suggested by Sustainable Fawkner.

Improving sustainability needs pressure on all three levels of government to make the infrastructure changes necessary as community behaviours change.

John Englart

The text of our leaflet follows:

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More public transport, powered by renewable energy
More bicycle and pedestrian paths

Thanks to a massive and highly effective community campaign, the East-West Link has been stopped.

This project would have starved public transport of funds, and destroyed thousands of trees and open space. It would have increased carbon emissions which are driving global warming.

But what now? We must transform our carbased transport system. We need a massive and urgent switch to sustainable transport.

Our climate is heating up

Australia’s climate is getting hotter and more extreme. Bushfires will become more intense and more frequent. Heatwaves are already our deadliest natural disaster. These will only get worse.

Over the last 30 years, Melbourne heatwaves have occurred 17 days earlier and have become 1.5 degrees hotter. Extreme, over-40 degree heatwaves in 2009 and 2014 resulted in 500 additional deaths from heat stress and related conditions.

Victoria is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Melbourne will become less and less liveable as escalating global warming takes us to a new climate that humans have never before experienced. There will be tremendous pressure on water and food supplies.

Roads are making our cities hotter

During heatwaves, our cities are much hotter than would be otherwise because of the “urban heat island effect”. Roads are a big culprit! Concrete and asphalt surfaces can raise the temperature significantly. We need to replace these with much more green space – parks, trees and gardens – to help us better cope with the heat.

Other cities around the world are now removing roads and replacing them with green spaces.

Hamburg is a great example – it aims to be car-free in 20 years. We can do it too!

Make the ‘big switch’ to sustainable transport

Despite our much loved trams, Melbourne is very car-dependent. We know we can’t continue like this. Climate change will mean that we will have no choice but to make the switch to sustainable transport. But the more we delay, the more wrenching it will be.

Our governments need to stop “promising” new public transport and start delivering – massively!

We need a big program to renew and expand public transport infrastructure: a comprehensive network of trains, trams and buses, all running on emissions-free renewable energy.

We need a city where people find it easy and convenient to use public transport, cycle or walk.

People power stopped the tunnel! We can win on sustainable transport!

Get involved in Climate Action Moreland. We are a local group that worked with Moreland Campaign Against the East-West Tunnel (MCAT) to help stop the East-West Link. We are also involved in a range of other activities to build support for serious climate action.

Entry filed under: cycling, public transport, transport. Tags: cycling, public transport.