We also need a Sugar Tax. We really need to start making sugar/fast food options unattractive.
All for the Sugar Tax and for subsidising fresh and less processed food for financially disadvantaged people.
On the whole carrot and stick approach as far as active transport goes. It amazes me the number of people who drive their kids to primary school when they live less than 3km from it.
I wish their was a feasible way to ban child squisher mobiles from within 500m of primary schools. The biggest safety risk kids face on the footpath is being flattened by some fuck wit who thinks their jacked up, bull barred, emission control deleted, selfishcuntmobile is appropriate in urban areas.
Anecdotal story, my ex wifes friend had two first year high school kids, lived 800m in a straight line with a footpath, to their door, the kids refused to walk and she drove them everyday. They’d literally wait longer then walking home
Nearly everything we do makes Australia worse, so I don’t see that changing.
my ex wifes friend had two first year high school kids, lived 800m in a straight line with a footpath, to their door, the kids refused to walk and she drove them everyday. They’d literally wait longer then walking home
There are multiple possible issues here. Partly, it very much could just be teenagers being teenagers. Lazy and difficult for the sake of it. And parents should man (or woman) up and just make them walk. Walk with them, if you have to.
Which brings me to the second possibility. Habit. If they’re not in the habit of walking places, for example they never walked to primary school and they’re being expected to suddenly start walking as of their first day of high school, that’s a pretty big leap. Not easy to deal with now, but the parent should have been walking with them more often earlier.
At 800 m, it’s unlikely that the infrastructure even could be so bad that I’d find it reasonable to drive, but even for a short distance like that, a nice walk would make it so much more pleasant. Nice wide footpaths where you can walk side-by-side without needing to squeeze up to let someone past. Having priority at minor intersections (made clear via wombat crossings) is ideal, but at least having smooth, wide kerb drops. Nice shade cover. It’s a lot easier to get people to walk if the walk is pleasant.
It amazes me the number of people who drive their kids to primary school when they live less than 3km from it.
Yeah it’s incredible. But for so many, it’s a rational choice, because the footpaths are so dangerous or uncomfortable, and the roads are so dangerous.
Ironically of course, this becomes so because of all the cars, and the infrastructure designed for cars. And so more people driving leads to more people finding it uncomfortable to walk or ride, which leads to more people driving, in a horrible feedback loop.
It’s a vicious circle.
Explaining this to the car brained feels insurmountable.
I mean, it’s not that difficult to understand. Drive kids to school then need to drive to work ? Drive multiple kids to different schools. There’s no meaningful way to take public transport. Where I live it takes 8-12 minutes to drive, or over an hour by bus.
- Redirect road funds to walking and cycling
Now with the fuel crisis is the perfect time to embrace cycling infrastructure. I mean 20 years ago was also the perfect time.
I mean 20 years ago was also the perfect time.
As they say, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”
What freaks me out is when I see random clips in the street from the past:
“Whoa! Everyone is skinny!”
“The truth will surprise you” - proceeds to list exactly what I’d guess, and what I’d guess other people would guess. (Less sugar, less processed food, less advertising, more active daily lives, less reliance on ‘convenience’, …)
It’s a decent video, but it is not at all ‘surprising’. I’m sick of that hook.
You’re absolutely right. The truth is not surprising at all but the author has fallen into lazy convenience as well. It’s easy for all of us to do so.
Couldn’t agree more with making our streets more walkable and cyclable and I’d add promoting people-powered native tree and shrub planting and community garden projects in suburbs and surrounds and creating more small green spaces for people to enjoy and rest in.
They could always bring back the Life Be In It campaign, telling people to get off the couch and do a sport of some sort.
One problem with that is how expensive community sport—especially children’s sport—has become.
Yes, people could just go out for a run. And as a runner I’d be ecstatic if everyone did. But social sport is a far more realistic option for getting most people off the couch, because it’s a double-whammy of exercise and social fun.
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