As I sit typing this posting I look out over the CBD of Brisbane and all I see is a disgusting browny grey haze. For anyone that is not Australian this is what we call smog. Smog is a no go word in Australia it is something that other countries suffer from. How could we suffer from that we are the "wide brown land" we have vast open spaces but the sad fact is that we do suffer from it and it is disgusting. What is more disgusting is that we cover it up with words like "haze" or "fog" but the sad fact is the past two days Brisbane has woken up to SMOG. Don't get me wrong we do get fog but this is not fog it is SMOG. Most of the time all we need is a little scrub fire on the city outskirts to show just how dirty our air is but I don't think that is the case this time. I have been unable to find any reference to scrub fires for past two days.
Like most cities Brisbane suffers from smog because of the overuse of the motor vehicle. In the 2006 census over 80% of all trips in South East Queensland of which Brisbane sits were made by motor vehicle. Then there is the fact that over 50% of all private motor vehicle trips in Brisbane are less then 5kms. It is so disgusting that on certain mornings you can see from vantage points the smog rising up over the arterial roads leading into Brisbane. This is one of the reasons why I ride, and why I whinge my head off to Council and Government. I hate smog and what it does to people's health. It is part of the reason why I ride, I don't want to add to that. Smog is disgusting stuff but the fact is you will breath less of it in by riding a bike then by being in a car.
The fact is if there was more high quality cycling infrastructure in Brisbane there would be more people on bikes and less people in motor vehicles creating less SMOG. SMOG is just a reminder to me that Brisbane needs to break it's reliance on roads and turn to high quality bicycle infrastructure and public transport.
OH and why I continue to annoy council!
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