Posts tagged ‘Coburg’
Submission on Impact of Road Safety Behaviours on Vulnerable road users
Climate Action Merribek teamed up with Sustainable Fawkner to preparare a submission to a Legislative Assembly Inquiry into the impact of road safety behaviours on vulnerable road users. It was submitted 19 May 2023.
We started with highlighting problem locations around Merri-bek municipality, particularly in the northern suburbs. This is by no means a comprehensive list but more illustrative of the many issues facing vulnerable users at specific locations. We then highlighted the need to address infrastructure to address safety and also as a response to reduce transport emissions. We came up with the following recommendations:
Invest in Safer infrastructure for vulnerable road users. Increasing safety for vulnerable road users means investing in safer footpaths, crossings, separated bike paths and protected bike lanes, and where pedestrian and cycling traffic is low, more shared use bike paths.
More Safety signage. It also means that more safety signage at key intersections is used warning drivers of both pedestrian and cycling activity, including early start signage for cyclists.
Driver Education. In the past too much emphasis has been placed on changing behaviours of vulnerable road users for their own safety as part of education campaigns. This amounts to ‘Blaming the Victim’. There needs to be a much greater focus on drivers sharing public roads, with an emphasis on safety, and also encouraging use of cycling and walking for local trips.
Addressing safety of vulnerable road users needs to also address the need to reduce transport emissions. The saftey of vulnerable road users and the need to change mobility behavious to reduce emissions should both drive more investment in active transport infrastructure. As dedicated infrastructure improves there is likely to be a compounding increase of active transport mode share reflecting the improved safety environment for vulnerable road users. This requires a boost to recurrent funding for active transport as a proportion of Transport funding in the Victorian budget
Build safe cycling infrastructure along the Strategic Cycling corridors. Sometime, like the extension of the Upfield bike path beyond the M80, this is entirely new infrastructure waiting to be built.
Increase funding to active transport to 20 percent of the state transport budget, as recommended by the United Nations.
(more…)Climate Risk mapping for Moreland: climate impacts and insurability
The Climate Council has just put out a new report: Uninsurable Nation: Australia’s most Climate Vulnerable Places. Along with this report they have produced a climate risk map for Australia in which they list the hazards: riverine flooding, bushfire, surface water flooding, coastal inundation, and extreme wind. They also project properties at high and medium risk for 2030, 2050 and 2100.
The Climate Risk map allows you to drill down to the suburb level, or Local Government Area or Federal Electorate. Moreland is not one of the top municipalities for climate risk, but the mapping is surprising for what it reveals.
This report highlights climate impacts are already ocurring and having an economic impact on insurance and insurability. Unless we take action, costs will continue to escalate. Climate Action Moreland has recently held a climate forum with Candidates for Wills, and also compared Party climate policies for Wills and the Victorian Senate for consistency with the Paris Agreement 1.5C target. We urge you to consider voting in the Federal election for candidates with strong climate policies and use your preferences wisely.
(more…)Inaugural Moreland Climate CUP highlights Race to Zero Emissions – Melbourne joins Global Day of action #COP26
A few months ago the idea was floated in the Moreland Climate Coalition to hold an event around Melbourne Cup day, which also coincided with the UN Climate Change conference, COP26, meeting in Glasgow.
But at that early stage all of Melbourne was in lockdown due to the pandemic with limits on public gatherings, with the vaccination program delayed due to Federal Government vaccine ordering incompetence, and was still ramping up.
When we started organising we didn’t know how many people could meet for a protest under the public health regulations. But as vaccination rate grew rapidly 30 people became the number of fully vaccinated people to meet publicly. Three covidsafe events were held in Moreland, with other climate protests in the city and at St Kilda as part of the Global day of action called by the COP26 Coalition in Glasgow.
(more…)Gas leak closes down Sydney Road shops in Coburg: we need transition off gas
Coburg Gas leak
A large gas leak in Coburg has closed down Sydney Road between Bell street and Harding street, threatening the strip shopping area including Victoria Street Mall.
The hazardous gas leak at 424 Sydney Rd, Coburg, has prompted an emergency warning at 12.20pm on Sunday 15 November. Gas fumes spread towards Victoria St Mall. All Gas services in the area have been impacted.
Let’s get this straight: Gas is a fossil fuel. Gas leaks can be dangerous (explosive potential). Breathing Gas can affect our health. There are fugitive emissions leaks throughout the distribution system.
We need to transition residential and business customers off gas both for short term safety and health, and long term climate safety. There are good alternatives to gas for heating, cooking and most industrial uses.
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Raise The Heat At Coburg CommBank to #savethereef
Our friends at 350.org are engaged in a divestment campaign to move money out of the big banks that are financing fossil fuel industry. The Commonwealth Bank is preparing to finance and provide loan guarantees to the Indian company Adani to develop the Carmichael coal mine in the Galilee Basin. This requires a train line to be built to the coast and a major upgrade to the Abbot Point port facilities.
Upgrading Abbot Point port facilities endangers the Great Barrier Reef through the dredging required, and the huge increase in shipping that will occurr once the infrastructure is in place.
Adani Power Ltd already has a net debt reaching US$7.4 billion in April and the Carmichael mine and associated infrastructure risks being stranded assets and a poor investment. Energy and Finance analyst Tim Buckley said on May 13 “At the end of the day, risking another $10 billion to try to make good on a poorly timed initial $1 billion investment is looking increasingly unlikely in the face of the halving of thermal seaborne since 2010.”
A Snake For All Seasons (a crafty draughty activity)
Charmaine (CAM member extraordinaire) was wandering along Sydney Road and noticed a sign outside the Baptist Church in Brunswick. The sign advertised a free drop in session for women interested in learning to sew. “What a great idea,” she thought as she made her way into the building. She met Jennifer, who volunteers regularly with the Sewing Group as well as the Church. They got chatting, and crafty ideas to raise awareness about climate change were soon exchanged. (more…)
September 27, 2010 at 7:03 pm morelandclimategroup Leave a comment
Climate Action Merribek: people in Brunswick, Coburg, Fawkner and Glenroy wanting action on climate change 