http://ten.com.au/ten-news-brisbane.htm?movideo_m=209939
So the global multinational Google, BQ and Brisbane City Council have joined together to integrate cycling into google maps as can be seen in the above TV news report. For too long cycling has been left off many trip planning tools making it hard for many people to work out what to do when wishing to access an area they are unfamiliar with or to begin riding a bike to as a form of transport.
I have to say I welcome this as something to expose people to another transport option. The first thing I notice when using it is the colours. Bright green is an offroad bikeway, while a faded green is a onroad bikelane. These are very important but unfortunately you have to work this out for yourself as on the screen it does not show this. Next is the green dotted lines I think this is to represent BAZ (bicycle awareness zone) but again I can't see a description. Apart from that it is typical google maps with blue showing you a route.
I have to say I have had a play with it on routes I know I would use and wouldn't use. I have to say on face value it is not the worst I have seen. That said some of the suggested routes I would say are taking you on very busy roads to avoid an extra km or two on a dedicated path or over a steep hill instead around it. My favourite is being told I should ride on Sandgate Road if wishing to access Shorncliffe from Brisbane CBD. Sandgate Road is a heavy arterial road in Brisbane's North and while it does have a onroad bikelane I have to say it is not one I would want to use unless I really have to. Personally I always use the boondal Wetlands instead, it is safe and fast if not just a bit longer. A similar thing happened when I tried the CBD to UQ (university of Queensland) it sent me up Annerley Road instead of along the active transport arterial that is the Bicentennial Bikeway.
That all said the map is dynamic with you being able to pull points of the map over to where you would prefer to ride. In most cases this worked fine except on the Shorncliffe to CBD Route where it would just not give up on me having to use Sandgate Rd.
All in all it is welcome addition and something that I hope will encourage more people to ride as part of there everyday activities.
an additional Brisbane times story can be found here
Tuesday, 31 July 2012
Friday, 27 July 2012
I told you light up! Accidents
According to the above article a rider without lights at night is three times more likely to suffer a serious injury/accident then one that is riding with lights. I have to say this is no surprise to me really. There has been countless times when out of the dark a NINJA (unlit bike rider) appears dead in front of me. I jump, I swerve and he just rolls past ignorant of the dangers! Honestly as I posted in a previous post getting some good head lights is not that hard now!
What is more interesting is the other statistics that are posted in relation to the accidents
74% are male
- a reflection of the fact that women are less likely to ride a bike in Australia
99% have a licence
- so much for the "you don't know the rules of the road" argument or rego for that matter
81% rode 2-3 times a week and 62% rode more than 3 times a week
- this means that they are well and truly experienced in riding a bike
65% rode more than 50kms a week
- it is very easy to make that, your work place only has to be 5 kms from your house and work a 5 day week and hay you have ridden 50kms in one week.
93% cyclist wearing helmets
- I will not touch this one with a ten foot barge pole!
57% were travelling at 20kmph or more at time of crash
- funny how every abusive motorist always proclaims we can't do more than 10kmph when were in front of them thou. My last accident was well over 20kmph, I have a lost memory to provide it!
The bicycle types most frequently involved in crashes were drop bar road bikes
(44%), hybrids (25%), mountain bikes (14%) and flat bar road bikes (9%).- This one is very interesting, but reading the entire document would explain why!
As to the entire document it can be found below, pleasant reading
http://www.monash.edu.au/miri/research/reports/muarc311.pdf
Thursday, 26 July 2012
Increasing accidents - 7 news
http://au.news.yahoo.com/video/queensland/watch/30084889/sudden-car-v-bike-spike/
This news report from Channel 7 news last night claims that bicycle accidents have increased in the last 6 months compared with the previous 6 months. Well the first thing is that is not a comparable result. To really compare they need to look at the same 6 months last year. Things run in cycles that is just the way is and like needs to be compared with like. The other thing that strikes me about this report is the fact they they do not list the statistics on who was at fault in the majority of accidents (adult cyclist to adult motorist). What was a surprise was the bit where they interviewed a bloke that was hit by a car and let him just tell what happened.
Maybe the media in Brisbane is finally getting less hostile towards people that just happen to ride a bike.
This news report from Channel 7 news last night claims that bicycle accidents have increased in the last 6 months compared with the previous 6 months. Well the first thing is that is not a comparable result. To really compare they need to look at the same 6 months last year. Things run in cycles that is just the way is and like needs to be compared with like. The other thing that strikes me about this report is the fact they they do not list the statistics on who was at fault in the majority of accidents (adult cyclist to adult motorist). What was a surprise was the bit where they interviewed a bloke that was hit by a car and let him just tell what happened.
Maybe the media in Brisbane is finally getting less hostile towards people that just happen to ride a bike.
Monday, 16 July 2012
Citycycle - Getting the MOST out of it (making long trips)
It is coming up to two years since Citycycle was introduced into Brisbane and it has been a rough time. First off there was a concerted effort by the council opposition to put down the scheme at every chance they got. Some stations were installed the wrong way round then some residents complained it would devalue there heritage home but having a current model car in front of there property didn't affect it.
That all said the main target has been the cost. This has been mostly around misinformation and how things are defined. The main attack is that to use a bike for a continuous 10hours it will cost you $165. Now this is technically true but the key word he is continuous as one can use the same bike for over ten hours at no cost (on top of subscription) as long as one docks the bike every 29 minutes! Now lets take an example.
University of Queensland to New Farm is about as far as one can ride using Citycycle from one station point to another. The trip distance is a little over 13km from start to finish and travel time when riding between these two points is over 30minutes. On first appearance it would make you seam that if using citycycle you will in cure a fee. While this would be true if your trip is continuous but using citycycle intelligently you can make it for free. You do this by breaking it up. I personally would ride New Farm to QUT Gardens Point (the 5km mark) dock, then ride QUT Gardens Point to Toowong (the 10km Mark) dock and then the remainder into University of Queensland. Doing it this way means I can get to the entire distance with no usage fees as the trip is not continuous.
You see each time you dock your bike at a station it resets the clock on the hire meaning you leave next time with zero on the clock. There is also no need to change your bike either as it only takes around 1 minute for the system to reset. In most cases I leave my stuff in the basket and sit back for the minute as the thing is reset. It is that simple! Naturally the system will not allow you to rehire a bike while it resets but once it is done you are off again. Unfortunately this fact is little know and little reported and has resulted in many people complaining about usage fees which are easy to get around. On explaining this to people most are pleasantly surprised and ask why this has not been better explained. The fact is Council and the operator have not hidden this fact is just seams that the media has chosen not to report on it. That said docking ones bike to reset the clock is catching on. Quite recently I arrived at QUT Gardens Point to dock and reset as my total riding time was going to be over 30minues. Upon arriving there was already another bloke there waiting for his bike to reset as well, so i does seam that it is catching on. There also seams to be less anger in the reporting of CityCycle now as seen in the below Youtube. Mind you I doubt Citycycle will be charging this bloke as it is great advertising for the bikes, mind you they are right these bikes are really designed for the flat.
That all said the main target has been the cost. This has been mostly around misinformation and how things are defined. The main attack is that to use a bike for a continuous 10hours it will cost you $165. Now this is technically true but the key word he is continuous as one can use the same bike for over ten hours at no cost (on top of subscription) as long as one docks the bike every 29 minutes! Now lets take an example.
University of Queensland to New Farm is about as far as one can ride using Citycycle from one station point to another. The trip distance is a little over 13km from start to finish and travel time when riding between these two points is over 30minutes. On first appearance it would make you seam that if using citycycle you will in cure a fee. While this would be true if your trip is continuous but using citycycle intelligently you can make it for free. You do this by breaking it up. I personally would ride New Farm to QUT Gardens Point (the 5km mark) dock, then ride QUT Gardens Point to Toowong (the 10km Mark) dock and then the remainder into University of Queensland. Doing it this way means I can get to the entire distance with no usage fees as the trip is not continuous.
You see each time you dock your bike at a station it resets the clock on the hire meaning you leave next time with zero on the clock. There is also no need to change your bike either as it only takes around 1 minute for the system to reset. In most cases I leave my stuff in the basket and sit back for the minute as the thing is reset. It is that simple! Naturally the system will not allow you to rehire a bike while it resets but once it is done you are off again. Unfortunately this fact is little know and little reported and has resulted in many people complaining about usage fees which are easy to get around. On explaining this to people most are pleasantly surprised and ask why this has not been better explained. The fact is Council and the operator have not hidden this fact is just seams that the media has chosen not to report on it. That said docking ones bike to reset the clock is catching on. Quite recently I arrived at QUT Gardens Point to dock and reset as my total riding time was going to be over 30minues. Upon arriving there was already another bloke there waiting for his bike to reset as well, so i does seam that it is catching on. There also seams to be less anger in the reporting of CityCycle now as seen in the below Youtube. Mind you I doubt Citycycle will be charging this bloke as it is great advertising for the bikes, mind you they are right these bikes are really designed for the flat.
Thursday, 12 July 2012
Importance of Lights
As we in Brisbane are in winter this post seam totally appropriate.
One of the things I hate is people that ride without lights at night. There is nothing worse then coming around a dark blind corner ringing your bell and almost hitting some ninja twit. It is not only important to ride with lights at night is also a legal requirement in Queensland. I have been watching bike lights getting cheaper and cheaper in the last 5 years. They really are amazing what you get for $50 these days. Years ago I got one Headlight and Tail for around $65. They were good for there time but they were nothing great and they were not lights that could really be used in the dark paths that scatter the city if you intended to travel at normal speed.
It was often the case that if I hit a bump with the headlight on it would turn off. I would then be forced to bash the thing with my fist (like some mad cartoon character) and hope the thing would turn back on will still travelling at speed. Then there was the rear light that also if I hit a bump after a while would fall out. I would often be listening out for the familiar sound of plastic hitting bitumen and slam the brakes on and do a quick U turn. Then pull the head light off and start looking for the bits to put back together and start off again, hoping that in the mean time a car did not come along and crush the parts.
That was then and this is now. Since then the lights have not just got better but so have the mountings that hold them to your bike. All my current lights have mountings where the lights slide on and click into place. Because this is Australia my lights are all battery powered. One day I will get around to fitting a hub dynamo but for the time being I will live with battery. Now this is a point people complain about, replacing batteries because after a few months the cost will mount up. I have gotten around this problem by using rechargeable batteries. Rechargeable batteries are not as expensive as they use to be and the quality has improved as well. In reality today you can pick up a charger and 4 batteries for less then $30s. When you consider some single use batteries are almost $10 for a 2 pack, rechargeable start to make financial sense very quickly.
Like I said I hate when people ride without lights. I bought my lights at local Bike shop because of the warm fuzzy feeling thing but if you really want to get them for as little as possible here are a couple of links.
Come on you will be doing everyone a favour if you are illuminated.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Categories.aspx?CategoryID=679
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/light-sets/?o=1
PS. Oh yes I do have two floor pumps in the background
One of the things I hate is people that ride without lights at night. There is nothing worse then coming around a dark blind corner ringing your bell and almost hitting some ninja twit. It is not only important to ride with lights at night is also a legal requirement in Queensland. I have been watching bike lights getting cheaper and cheaper in the last 5 years. They really are amazing what you get for $50 these days. Years ago I got one Headlight and Tail for around $65. They were good for there time but they were nothing great and they were not lights that could really be used in the dark paths that scatter the city if you intended to travel at normal speed.
It was often the case that if I hit a bump with the headlight on it would turn off. I would then be forced to bash the thing with my fist (like some mad cartoon character) and hope the thing would turn back on will still travelling at speed. Then there was the rear light that also if I hit a bump after a while would fall out. I would often be listening out for the familiar sound of plastic hitting bitumen and slam the brakes on and do a quick U turn. Then pull the head light off and start looking for the bits to put back together and start off again, hoping that in the mean time a car did not come along and crush the parts.
That was then and this is now. Since then the lights have not just got better but so have the mountings that hold them to your bike. All my current lights have mountings where the lights slide on and click into place. Because this is Australia my lights are all battery powered. One day I will get around to fitting a hub dynamo but for the time being I will live with battery. Now this is a point people complain about, replacing batteries because after a few months the cost will mount up. I have gotten around this problem by using rechargeable batteries. Rechargeable batteries are not as expensive as they use to be and the quality has improved as well. In reality today you can pick up a charger and 4 batteries for less then $30s. When you consider some single use batteries are almost $10 for a 2 pack, rechargeable start to make financial sense very quickly.
These are my lights attached to my bike. As you can see is I have both two front and two back lights. Like I said before we run on batteries in Australia and this means you can have flat batteries more often then you wish to. This is something you do not want to happen on a wet night. To get around the flat battery problem I got two of each. It means I never worry about not having a light but two other things
- First I never worry about recharging until the battery is dead flat
- Second while the batteries are sitting in the recharger at home I still have one working front or rear light.
Like I said I hate when people ride without lights. I bought my lights at local Bike shop because of the warm fuzzy feeling thing but if you really want to get them for as little as possible here are a couple of links.
Come on you will be doing everyone a favour if you are illuminated.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Categories.aspx?CategoryID=679
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/light-sets/?o=1
PS. Oh yes I do have two floor pumps in the background
Monday, 9 July 2012
Clem 7 Toll Road - costing not Benefitting Council
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/tunnel-job-chews-up-kingsford-smith-cash/story-e6freon6-1226403536638
This article in the Courier (trash) Mail is very interesting. As par usual as it is coming from the Courier (trash) Mail I need to look it up in the budget papers but still it is interesting. According to the article it claims that Clem 7 (formerly known as North South Bypass Tunnel) toll tunnel is costing the council $30 million a year. I have to say this is very distressing as a Brisbane resident as not only is the tunnel not living up to expectations in removing traffic from surface roads but it is also costing us in reduced council services.
When the then Liberal Lord Mayoral candidate back in 2004 announced that he was to build 5 road tunnels in Brisbane if he won office I was less then impressed. Then there were the costings that were wildly underestimated but he got elected. The costing did balloon from under $1 billion to over $3 billion for just the first project the North South Bypass Tunnel. At that time all I could think of was what if that money was put into Cross River Rail (then only just being investigated) or the Northern Busway (still in the planning stages). Even at that time the public Transport system was starting show signs of being strained.
So why is it costing council? This seams on my understanding to come down to the fact that the usage projections to of been wildly over estimated (just like the costings were underestimated). If I remember correctly the projections for usage within the first year was 40000 vehicle movements a day rising up to 70000 within the next two years. The figures I quoted are just one of the figures that came out, on this link they are different again. This is because they keep changing throughout the project time line. Then there was also the time saving predictions. It is true for some people it has saved time but alot have said it saved them nothing. In most cases the time/benefit/cost has not been on the good side.
The fact is in reality the Clem 7 is only carrying a little over 22000 vehicle movements a day. This figure would be easily comparable to the bikeway network daily usage. Council put $500million of it's own funds into the $3 billion Clem 7 project, a figure that is far larger then what has been spent on the BCC bikeway network in the last twenty years. Then there is the $30million cost to council this year which equals what council is spending on the bikeway network for this year.
So in short
This article in the Courier (trash) Mail is very interesting. As par usual as it is coming from the Courier (trash) Mail I need to look it up in the budget papers but still it is interesting. According to the article it claims that Clem 7 (formerly known as North South Bypass Tunnel) toll tunnel is costing the council $30 million a year. I have to say this is very distressing as a Brisbane resident as not only is the tunnel not living up to expectations in removing traffic from surface roads but it is also costing us in reduced council services.
When the then Liberal Lord Mayoral candidate back in 2004 announced that he was to build 5 road tunnels in Brisbane if he won office I was less then impressed. Then there were the costings that were wildly underestimated but he got elected. The costing did balloon from under $1 billion to over $3 billion for just the first project the North South Bypass Tunnel. At that time all I could think of was what if that money was put into Cross River Rail (then only just being investigated) or the Northern Busway (still in the planning stages). Even at that time the public Transport system was starting show signs of being strained.
So why is it costing council? This seams on my understanding to come down to the fact that the usage projections to of been wildly over estimated (just like the costings were underestimated). If I remember correctly the projections for usage within the first year was 40000 vehicle movements a day rising up to 70000 within the next two years. The figures I quoted are just one of the figures that came out, on this link they are different again. This is because they keep changing throughout the project time line. Then there was also the time saving predictions. It is true for some people it has saved time but alot have said it saved them nothing. In most cases the time/benefit/cost has not been on the good side.
The fact is in reality the Clem 7 is only carrying a little over 22000 vehicle movements a day. This figure would be easily comparable to the bikeway network daily usage. Council put $500million of it's own funds into the $3 billion Clem 7 project, a figure that is far larger then what has been spent on the BCC bikeway network in the last twenty years. Then there is the $30million cost to council this year which equals what council is spending on the bikeway network for this year.
So in short
- it costed more to build then bikeway network
- it is carring less then the bikeway network
- it is costing more to maintain then it is for the bikeway network to expand!
Thursday, 5 July 2012
Tony Abbott - you have to be joking
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-06-30/abbott-pledges-to-fund-roads-repeal-carbon-tax/4102374?WT.svl=news0
"Almost nothing signifies progress like building new roads" this is a quote taken from Tony Abbott in the link above. Honestly is this guy for real! This quote was made during an announcement regarding road funding. Now don't get me wrong funding towards roads is important but not in our major cities. The fact is over the past 50 years governments keep spending more and more on roads and it is getting us nowhere even faster then it did before.
Within this funding totalling almost $4 billion is $1 billion for the Gateway Motorway. Now the Gateway is a very important road but the fact is Brisbane's Public Transport is facing an meltdown. The Busway system is facing gridlock at the main choke point Culture Center Busway Station. This is so bad that during afternoon peak over twenty buses can be seen waiting to access the station. It is also so bad the newest BUZ route the 340 is the first bus route to be directed out of Culture on becoming a BUZ route when it originally serviced the Culture Centre Busway station. Translink says it is to provide better connection to the Gabba and the route 29 and while there is some truth in that the fact is culture is at capacity. Then there is the Rail system, the Marivale Bridge is expected to be at capacity by 2016. The State Government both previous and current agreed that a new crossing the Cross River Rail is required and both agreed that it would need majority funding from the Federal Government. Why did Tony Abbott not pledge funding at this announcement as he said he had consulted with Infrastructure Australia!
Then there is the road network. The fact is the majority of congestion on the road network including the Gateway is because the Public Transport network is not appealing due to decades of underfunding. Much of the congestion is due to people driving into inner parts of Brisbane them being Charmside(north), Carindale (east), Indooroopilly & St Lucia (West) or Garden City (south) points that should be the easist to access. A perfect example of under funding is the recently opened Northern Busway. Busways are excellent forms of public transport infrastructure and make bus travel as pleasant as rail travel but are suppose to be dedicated with no interaction with the general road network but the newest section has a 1.5km gap where buses have to mix it up in general traffic again. Now this was to be a BUS LANE to make it a little faster but politics got in the way and they have not been installed as required. Now this would require on last estimate around $1 billion to provide the required tunnel and Busway station at Windsor Train Station. This current gap heavily limits the busway capacity and decreases it's appeal.
Then there is the bikeway network or lack of it. Many tens of thousands of trips a day could be taken off the Public Transport and road network if there was a network for safe travel and I bet the funding towards the Gateway does not include a bikeway even though it is travelling through metropolitan Brisbane. To say it would not be used is an out and out lie. The current parallel bikeway that only runs as far as Toombul to Boondal is used by commuters. It is a long route and does a dirty big dog leg but it is used and is quite fast with it being almost dead flat and reasonably straight. It is used mostly by people of the North Eastern Bay suburbs to access the inner northern parts of Brisbane and even some going further into the CBD.
The fact is a single lane of
rail line = 30 000 people per hour
Busway = 18 000 people per hour
bikeway = 1800 people per hour @ the fraction of the cost of a roadway
freeway lane = 1800 cars per hour @ 1.2 people per hour that is 2160 people per hour
All this points to one simple fact, even if the new upgrade to the Gateway widens it from 2 to four lanes only 4320 extra people per hour can be carried per hour in each direction. This is less then the capacity of the current services on the South East Busway in the counter peak direction! or just over current capacity of counter peak services on the rail line between Central and Northgate. All in all a waste of scarce funds at uncertain times like we are currently in. Then there is the fact that people that have to live in car dependant areas have to dedicate more of there limited funds especially if they lose there job to transport because they have no other options!
As far as I am concerned this $1 billion should of gone towards the Cross River Rail project. Funds should directed to where they are needed most and where they can give the most benefit to everyone. Giving funds to a road project when a cities Public Transport system is about to meltdown is about as stupid as one could get!
And this guy wants to become the Next Prime-Minister of Australia!
here is some footage from You tube of the Cultural Centre Busway station during afternoon peak.
"Almost nothing signifies progress like building new roads" this is a quote taken from Tony Abbott in the link above. Honestly is this guy for real! This quote was made during an announcement regarding road funding. Now don't get me wrong funding towards roads is important but not in our major cities. The fact is over the past 50 years governments keep spending more and more on roads and it is getting us nowhere even faster then it did before.
Within this funding totalling almost $4 billion is $1 billion for the Gateway Motorway. Now the Gateway is a very important road but the fact is Brisbane's Public Transport is facing an meltdown. The Busway system is facing gridlock at the main choke point Culture Center Busway Station. This is so bad that during afternoon peak over twenty buses can be seen waiting to access the station. It is also so bad the newest BUZ route the 340 is the first bus route to be directed out of Culture on becoming a BUZ route when it originally serviced the Culture Centre Busway station. Translink says it is to provide better connection to the Gabba and the route 29 and while there is some truth in that the fact is culture is at capacity. Then there is the Rail system, the Marivale Bridge is expected to be at capacity by 2016. The State Government both previous and current agreed that a new crossing the Cross River Rail is required and both agreed that it would need majority funding from the Federal Government. Why did Tony Abbott not pledge funding at this announcement as he said he had consulted with Infrastructure Australia!
Then there is the road network. The fact is the majority of congestion on the road network including the Gateway is because the Public Transport network is not appealing due to decades of underfunding. Much of the congestion is due to people driving into inner parts of Brisbane them being Charmside(north), Carindale (east), Indooroopilly & St Lucia (West) or Garden City (south) points that should be the easist to access. A perfect example of under funding is the recently opened Northern Busway. Busways are excellent forms of public transport infrastructure and make bus travel as pleasant as rail travel but are suppose to be dedicated with no interaction with the general road network but the newest section has a 1.5km gap where buses have to mix it up in general traffic again. Now this was to be a BUS LANE to make it a little faster but politics got in the way and they have not been installed as required. Now this would require on last estimate around $1 billion to provide the required tunnel and Busway station at Windsor Train Station. This current gap heavily limits the busway capacity and decreases it's appeal.
Then there is the bikeway network or lack of it. Many tens of thousands of trips a day could be taken off the Public Transport and road network if there was a network for safe travel and I bet the funding towards the Gateway does not include a bikeway even though it is travelling through metropolitan Brisbane. To say it would not be used is an out and out lie. The current parallel bikeway that only runs as far as Toombul to Boondal is used by commuters. It is a long route and does a dirty big dog leg but it is used and is quite fast with it being almost dead flat and reasonably straight. It is used mostly by people of the North Eastern Bay suburbs to access the inner northern parts of Brisbane and even some going further into the CBD.
The fact is a single lane of
rail line = 30 000 people per hour
Busway = 18 000 people per hour
bikeway = 1800 people per hour @ the fraction of the cost of a roadway
freeway lane = 1800 cars per hour @ 1.2 people per hour that is 2160 people per hour
All this points to one simple fact, even if the new upgrade to the Gateway widens it from 2 to four lanes only 4320 extra people per hour can be carried per hour in each direction. This is less then the capacity of the current services on the South East Busway in the counter peak direction! or just over current capacity of counter peak services on the rail line between Central and Northgate. All in all a waste of scarce funds at uncertain times like we are currently in. Then there is the fact that people that have to live in car dependant areas have to dedicate more of there limited funds especially if they lose there job to transport because they have no other options!
As far as I am concerned this $1 billion should of gone towards the Cross River Rail project. Funds should directed to where they are needed most and where they can give the most benefit to everyone. Giving funds to a road project when a cities Public Transport system is about to meltdown is about as stupid as one could get!
And this guy wants to become the Next Prime-Minister of Australia!
here is some footage from You tube of the Cultural Centre Busway station during afternoon peak.
And the gap of the busway
Monday, 2 July 2012
Carbon Pollution Tax finally here
Yesterday was a very important day in Australia. Yesterday was the first day that the Carbon Pollution Tax came into affect. Now I will admit it I believe in human induced climate change and I have for a very long time. As one that has been trained in horticulture it is a no brainier to me. Even if it did not affect the climate I still would support the Carbon Pollution Tax as increased carbon allows plants to produce more defencive mechanisms. This can be seen here on the ABC's award winning science show. That all said if your point of view is different that is fine, your view is your view and my view is my view.
The main problem I see with the Carbon Pollution Tax is that it does not include petrol. Now this is not to say all people should stop using there vehicles as it is true some people do need to drive but many don't. There is nothing that changes the way one behaves like a little cost incentive.
So what has this got to do with riding a bike. Well one of the reasons why people say they will not ride a bike is because of air pollution. While Brisbane has very little smog compared with Sydney and Melbourne smog can still be seen some morning and it is a depressing thing to see. The main cause of this smog is people in cars. It has long been held as common fact that when riding a bike you will breath in more pollutants then if you were in a car. While it may be held as common fact it is not true as had been said in numerous studies such as here and commented on here . No matter people will believe what they see so cleaner & less cars are the only real answer to air pollution.
I know this blog does not truly make sense but I just wanted to point out a milestone occurred yesterday and even though it is floured it is still important and welcomed.
PS spellcheck is currently not working
A simple explanation
The main problem I see with the Carbon Pollution Tax is that it does not include petrol. Now this is not to say all people should stop using there vehicles as it is true some people do need to drive but many don't. There is nothing that changes the way one behaves like a little cost incentive.
So what has this got to do with riding a bike. Well one of the reasons why people say they will not ride a bike is because of air pollution. While Brisbane has very little smog compared with Sydney and Melbourne smog can still be seen some morning and it is a depressing thing to see. The main cause of this smog is people in cars. It has long been held as common fact that when riding a bike you will breath in more pollutants then if you were in a car. While it may be held as common fact it is not true as had been said in numerous studies such as here and commented on here . No matter people will believe what they see so cleaner & less cars are the only real answer to air pollution.
I know this blog does not truly make sense but I just wanted to point out a milestone occurred yesterday and even though it is floured it is still important and welcomed.
PS spellcheck is currently not working
A simple explanation
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