octave

I am all for sharing the street space more equitably, between cars pedestrians bikes, and mobility scooters. It is good for people and it is good for business when done well. 

3 minutes ago, spacesailor said:

About those ' new ' road lanes , I Did say " get rid of the 'Black ' lane " .

But 

TOO LATE , IT'S NOW A TRAM LANE . Dual of course .

So iT's . Parking / cycle / Bus / tram . 

No IC, or EV, lanes left .

Some more information might make this post more relevant.  Which road are you referring to?

7 minutes ago, facthunter said:

Good wine is a work of art and something to be savoured and appreciated till the Last drop.

I'll drink to that! 🍷

No tracking number just a link which is always suspicious.  

I had a text message saying my parcel was unable to be delivered and to click on the link to provide my details. I get many of these and the clever thing is that I am waiting for a parcel.  I think these days there is a high likelihood that any random person a text is being sent to actually is waiting for something. Even if they are not it is a little intriguing to think that something is about to be delivered.  The thing is not to click on a link.    Anything I order, if it is coming from Austpost I can track through my app.  A parcel from other sources can be tracked through various tracking sites without giving anything more than the tracking number.  I haven't been caught .... yet

4 minutes ago, nomadpete said:

Edit...

Oops sorry Octave.

The positive side ?

I am as responsible for the drift as anyone else😁

I think we should try and prevent drift on this particular thread.   We are supposed to be celebrating the positives.  Other downbeat subjects could perhaps find a home in a new thread.

10 minutes ago, red750 said:

I guess it's the way I was brought up. My father rarely visited a pub, and when he did, he'd drink pub squash or sarsaparilla. When I've had a meal at my son's pub, I've had lemon squash. 

 

Here's a photo of my son's pub. (He's part of the owner group, and manager.)

 

 

 

 

 

If I mention your name will I get a discount?🙂

42 minutes ago, old man emu said:

Here's a problem facing law enforcement people in relation to protecting users from harm.

 

Let's say that a batch of pills comes onto the market, and they carry readily identifiable markings impressed into the pill.

 

Police begin to confiscate small numbers from end users. The pills become evidence in a prosecution and are "locked up" pending the completion of any prosecution. As part of the chain of evidence, the pills are sent to an analyst who supplies information as to the content of the pill. The constable who confiscated the pills and initiated the prosecution receives the information , but it is just part of many prosecutions for various offences that are being handled at the same time. That information is stored away in the Case file and doesn't surface again until months later when the matter reaches Court. 

 

If the analyst's information shows that the pills are contaminated with substances that are unhealthy, the constable is not going to raise a warning since that is something out of the constable's sphere of activity. Therefore these unsafe pills continue to circulate, placing so many more people at risk.

I don't see how this relates to drug testing as it operates at an event.  Again the important thing is not our gut feeling on whether something is "right" or "wrong"  but whether the results are more positive than negative. If someone close to me tried drugs because of peer pressure or whatever I would prefer that the drugs had been tested for contaminants.

Harm minimization may not be perfect but neither is the alternative. I certainly do not believe it is a panacea and it has to be used alongside other strategies. Pill testing systems have been used in many countries and many studies have been done.  I have no interest in changing anyone's mind.  Public opinion seems to be for pill testing at events.

Two-thirds of Australians support pill testing at festivals: Survey

Pill testing really does reduce the risk of harm for drug users

Just now, spacesailor said:

The Toongabbie bridge has " powerpoles " in the middle of the footpath. Have to risk putting the babies pram , onto the road to go around the pole .

my ' mobility scooter ' can't do that.

spacesailor

 

I certainly understand that  and that is my point , we need  to do better with our infrastructure

Notice that the Dutch don't wear helmets. that is another advantage of well-planned bike infrastructure/ Modern helmets are very good, they don't cover your ears.

3 minutes ago, spacesailor said:

No bloody helmet.

So do I risk a trial ride without a crashhat .

I bought a reasonable lightweight helmet and it is so comfortable that the other day I put it on to go to the shops and then went back to the house and took it off to do something. When I got to the shop I reached up to take it ff only to realize i had forgotten to put it on.

5 minutes ago, spacesailor said:

82 this year .

The thing about bike/pedestrian-friendly cities is they are also good for people with limited mobility. Here is a picture from Amsterdam. Note the great facilities for mobility scooters/

Also, they have these

1 minute ago, pmccarthy said:

I am ten years older and more concerned with terroir than terrain.

I want both.🙂

13 minutes ago, red750 said:

I watched both videos, and the thing I took away from them was that the roads, particularly those with heavy bike traffic, were as flat and level as a dining table, and in Canada, there were a couple of minor rises. In our area, the streets are up and down like a roller coaster, some so steep you have to change down a gear or two. Not exactly cycling friendly, unless you are training for the Tour de France. 

I am 62 with a dodgy heart but my e-bike allows me to ride even in the steepest hills, Terrain is not really a problem these days.

1 minute ago, spacesailor said:

I did ! . 

Ten seconds , as I have to have no sound, to annoy the wife's.  ROMCOM. LoL

spacesailor

 

 

Sure, i understand but perhaps it is a bit early to comment. 🙂

https://reneweconomy.com.au/another-big-battery-joins-south-australia-pipeline-in-race-to-energy-storage/?fbclid=IwAR2ngXV4CWTxb1CfloatT0WWTL87_H5hKhiX_nQo4tpvgy3_JC9cbLLu9hY

2 minutes ago, spacesailor said:

Looks great in a very ' congested city ' , later when it Is old it will be like the " Ghettos " of Warsaw,  London, NY .

Then will we say , " a great place to live " .

The first video has a house with a ' double car ' door . For the push bikes I suppose. 

spacesailor

You seemed to comment within a time that suggests you did not watch the videos.   

I am going to be controversial and say I am all in favour of tipping the balance away from the car and toward pedestrians, bike riders, mobility scooters, and wheelchairs.   The balance for many years has been towards allowing cars unimpeded right of way.   I know many here may not agree but I do think we have sacrificed a lot at the altar of the motor car.   The car is still essential but the problem is there has been a vicious cycle of making things better for cars and therefore worse for all other forms of travel this causing more cars and more congestion and the cycle continues.   Multi-billion dollar road projects tend to just move the congestion elsewhere.

Other countries have done better.  Motorists  bitch about cycling infrastructure being built because they may lose a lane here or there and yet countries like the Netherlands place a higher priority on pedestrians, bike riders, etc. are also better counties to drive a car in.    

"In March 2017, bicycles made up 16 percent of all vehicle movements into the city in the morning peak period (between 7 am and 10 am). In March 2008 the figure was nine percent." 

https://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/parking-and-transport/cycling/Pages/cycling-data.aspx

These figures are 7 years old and the numbers have only increased since then.  If as a motorist you have a slightly narrower lane or a road now has 1 less lane, isn't this preferable to all of those cyclists abandoning their bikes and driving their cars and contributing to traffic jams?

We lament the fact that our children are too inactive yet our infrastructure is designed to favour the car.  I can understand why parents drive their kids to school. In the Netherlands, I believe around 75% of kids ride to school. This seems pretty good and wholesome to me.

I know people here probably don't watch video links however, these 2 videos give a good overview of how other countries have different and I would argue better priorities.  

There is often resistance to any change in the balance between car and all other modes of transport.     Here in Geelong, the forward-looking council has narrowed one road that goes through town to have trees more pedestrian areas, and a bike lane.  This has massively improved this road.  people have come back to it because it is now pleasant.  Parking has been built on the side streets.

I remember in Adelaide many many years ago to resistance to Rundle Mall.  Now of course no one would advocate tearing it up.       

The thing is making cities better for people also improves the situation for motorists. The Netherlands is considered to be the best country for driving.

2 minutes ago, onetrack said:

I believe the canals and rivers of many European countries are full of stolen, dumped bicycles, along with other rubbish

I think if you look a cities like Amsterdam and Utrecht they have been extremely successful with micro and bike use.  I am all for making some city streets pedestrian and bike/scooter-friendly.  In the Netherland kids and old people are just as likely to be out cycling together and that cant be a bad thing.

5 minutes ago, spacesailor said:

stupid arrogant riders

Do you mean me?   The majority of riders do not fall into this category. I find riding around daily that the majority of motorists are pretty kind and respectful.  I have had the odd person pull out of a driveway in front of me and one near "dooring" but I don't cast aspersions on a whole group of people. There are a small percentage of stupid and arrogant people among car drivers, bike riders, mobility scooter users, and pedestrians.

8 minutes ago, nomadpete said:

Maybe because the bureaucrats fear having a duty of care to provide a safe pathway/roadway for the escooters. Although escooters have great potential to provide personal transport, they do not mix safely with pedestrians, nor with cars/trucks/buses.

We need to facilitate the use of "micro transport"  It does have great potential.  Some other countries are way ahead on this.