We should be spending up big on roads??

By: willy*bach (Registered ) on 18-10-2007 03:41

Dear AlanK 
 
Conventional wisdom says that we should be spending up big on roads and more roads. But we might be missing some important constraints unless we notice what is going on around us. One of these is the amount of road-space. We cannot build more roads without destroying the cities they were meant to serve. 
 
Another constraint is the number of vehicles that can fit onto the available road-space before the moving speed drops to walking speed. We have already reached something close to this, yet more vehicles are added every day as though there was no tomorrow. 
 
Yet another constraint, rarely mentioned by the old political parties is the price and availability of fuel. This one is starting to really bite. Subsidising people to use more fuel will be self-defeating as the price will continue to soar. Even worse, we are past the peak of production and both availability and price are problematic. The war in Iraq is all about making a grab for the oil resources of the Middle East region. I don’t want to be fighting resource wars for the remainder of this century. I don’t want people to die so that I can drive my car. 
 
We need to start immediately adapting to the changed circumstances and global climate change. We need to modify our behaviour and become more aware of our environmental footprint. Price signals will be part of this process. Legislation will be needed to require less polluting, more efficient vehicles and a huge investment will be needed to encourage perhaps 80% of our journeys to be made by public transport. European cities already take this for granted and most people accept that - so, why not us? 
 
Willy Bach 
Greens candidate for Griffith

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Mr Bach

By: AlanK (Registered ) on 18-10-2007 12:11

Similar to a lot of people today, you have siezed on 1 point, of half a dozen I postulated. The point you missed was that only a fraction of the excise is being spent on road/transportation works.  
You have raised the factor of alternatives to fossil fuels, and the necessity to get away from oil dependancy. As Brazil has done, why do we not do more with ethanol? Are we paying the price for motor vehicle manufacturers? If we could do more, the sugar industry would be boosted and have a larger market, oil imports are reduced, lack of oil sales would in the longer term reduce the cost as oil producers tried to recoup their market, and there would be a reduction in emissions produced. 
Again, there are other ways of USING the excise to reduce road congestion. Not every suggestion is about building more, wider, and stronger road works. 
You have said what you feel, yourself, about roads, but nothing about what you would or could do, about the relief of the local transportation problems that beset the citizens of Brisbane, if you were elected. If it comes to it, what would the Greens do in this regard? 
As I say, all politicians seem to have little to say on the spending of this excise tax on motor fuels, and let us not forget the GST that is also paid on fuels. 
We all tend to forget that not much has been done to supply public transport infrastructure for many years. As surburbia has invaded the boonies the inhabitants have had the use cars, simply because no rail/light rail has been provided to get the cars off the road. Ask anyone who takes up to an hour to drive from Moggill to Kenmore along Moggill Road, using additional fuel and time, how they feel about it.  
Letting things slide over the years has only increased the cost, and the difficulty today. It will become well nigh impossible in 10 years time. 
Remember, every journey starts with a single step!

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Please keep it civil

By: jasonw (Registered ) on 19-10-2007 00:48

Hi all - Jason Wilson the youdecide2007 editor here.  
 
I'd like it if we could cool this discussion down a little. On the about link you'll see our posting guidelines - some people on this thread are sailing close to the wind in terms of flaming and trolling. I'd hate to remove comments or prevent people from contributing. 
 
This is a non-partisan, independent citizen journalism website. Its not set up to favour any particular party, and we'd really prefer to get people's personal opinions than party propaganda. Again, I'd hate to have to remove comments or bar posters.  
 
Please keep both of these things in mind as you are contributing to what has been a useful discussion.

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