Active travel as a checkbox

Infrastructure where pedestrian and cycling movements have been designed into the system are easy to forget, as they just naturally fit into the journey and require no thought to use so attract no attention. Then you have roads where motor traffic has been the only focus of the design and all other modes are left with whatever can fit around the fringes added just to meet a checkbox on a list, today is a look at one of these second examples.

Senseless Destruction

It started with a group of teenage boys absorbed in their socialising and forgetting about the other passengers on the trains needs to get in and out of the doors, but then as suddenly as they arrived they seemed to disappear, until the scratching noises from behind the door…

Privatising Public Space

As has been predicted on this blog since the redevelopment of the riverfront South Wharf Promenade with each successive event/redevelopment/year the businesses continue to push their boundaries further into the public space. While the council initially seemed interesting in looking at the problems they’ve failed to follow up with any progress and the public space continues to erode.

Subduing Pedestrians

Traffic lights are used to increase throughput at junctions and/or prioritise particular traffic flows, such priority for vehicles over pedestrians was previously presented but there are subtle ways which the design of crossing lights can have enormous impacts on users.

Stranded Storage

Bicycle infrastructure follows a typical pattern in Melbourne, its dropped in place without considering its utility in a vain attempt to spend budgets and be seen to be doing something. Starting with that sort of ignorant design it quickly becomes a disaster once you add in the selfish public to the mix.

Parking Overflow

Clear and sunny days might have freezing starts to them but despite being the middle of winter dry days still make for comfortable cycling. But where to park? Already seeing the bicycle parking of the city taken over with advertising cyclists some times get creative and find informal parking locations but even they have their limits.

How big is a Firetruck?

With the recent bollards strewn across Melbourne it seems like the council wants to have its cake and eat it too, blocking vehicles from reaching pedestrian areas while leaving vehicle access to pedestrian areas. So what happens when the fire brigade turns up?

The other suspended Cycleway

Ignoring all the posturing about the supposed proposed cycling infrastructure as part of the West Gate tunnel project there is already a suspended cycleway tucked under the Monash Freeway which is has been seemingly forgotten about.

Bollards gone Bonkers

The Prime/Police Minister and Premier pronounced it and then it was so, overnight a new forest of bollards appeared in Melbourne under the guises of protecting the public, but they’re little more than security theatre.

Flinders St Station fronts History

Of course the memories are in photo form to fit the blog and actually of the more interesting St Kilda Road which is the focus of the station and public transport in Melbourne. With recent mutterings of possible changes to the area it pays to look back at what has been and the slow evolution of the space.