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Posts from the ‘Author is External News’ Category

Aug 27

‘Crush capacity’: The worst time to get on Sydney’s light rail

Sydney Morning Herald, 27 August 2018
The number of passengers enduring “crush capacity” on Sydney’s inner west light rail line or being left behind on platforms will worsen unless the Berejiklian government buys more trams to boost the frequency of services, “sensitive” documents warn. And even if new trams are bought, it will be up to three years before they are running on the line because of the length of time it takes to procure and commission them.

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Aug 22

Are Australian bridges safe, and can we do better?

The Conversation, 22 August 2018
After the tragedy in the Italian city Genoa, where a highway bridge collapsed killing more than 40 people, nations seem to be taking stock of the maintenance levels of their bridges. There are reports thousands of UK bridges are at risk of collapse, and there are hundreds of similarly damaged bridges in France, Germany and Italy itself. Australia is no different to other developed countries in this regard, where a lot of bridges are old and deteriorating, and we would be foolish to think we are immune. That said, bridges are generally safe structures, with the risk of fatality from a bridge collapse being around one in 100 million per year. This is roughly 100 times less likely than being killed by lightning.

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Aug 8

Australian cyclist deaths surge and road safety strategy ‘failing’

The Guardian, 8 August 2018
Australia’s road safety strategy is failing, according to the nation’s peak motoring body, with cyclists recording the biggest increase in the number of road fatalities. A report by the Australian Automobile Association shows there were 1,222 deaths on the road in 2017-18 and, for the first time, all states are on track to miss the national road safety targets they signed up to in 2011.
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Aug 7

More children are living in high-rise apartments, so designers should keep them in mind

The Conversation, 7 August 2018
Australian cities are changing. Instead of families living in low-density suburban areas, more parents are raising children in high-rise housing in inner-city areas. Despite this, much of the high-rise housing stock in Australia has been developed for residents without children. Our recent study, published in the journal Cities & Health, explored parents’ experiences of raising preschool-aged children in high-rise apartments. We found while parents appreciated that apartments offered affordable housing close to employment, they found the design challenging for raising children.
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Jul 31

How the everyday commute is changing who we are

The Conversation, 31 July 2018
Few activities that bead our everyday lives have earned such dubious notoriety as commuting. That the words “hell” and “nightmare” are sometimes invoked to describe journeys to and from work indicates just how disparaged this part of our lives often is. The commute has often been depicted in dystopian terms, standing for all that is stressful and wearying about our contemporary daily routines. These journeys are often so deeply routinised that we rarely stop to think about them. Researchers have explored topics such as the link between commuting and our well-being – with the former significantly compromising the latter.
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Jul 25

Neighbours’ lives turned upside down by Airbnb and other ‘disruptors’

The Age, 25 July 2018
Defecating in the sauna. Breaking bottles in the apartment tower’s swimming pool. Leaving running taps on so apartments flood. Vomiting in the foyer. This is just some of the behaviour Katherine Hughes has seen from short-stay guests in her A’Beckett Street apartment tower.
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Jul 23

Global pilot shortage hits Australia, with cancelled regional routes just the beginning

ABC News, 22 July 2018
Passengers are becoming used to flights being cancelled due to weather, or even volcanoes, but now a new trend is beginning to upset travel plans across the country. Airlines are having to cancel flights, and even entire routes, because there literally isn’t anyone available to fly the plane.
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Jul 16

Plans for first set of 11,000 units to go near Sydney Metro stations

Sydney Morning Herald, 15 July 2018
The first detailed plans for new units to be built on government-owned land along the Metro Northwest train line have been released. Tallawong Station south in Rouse Hill will get about 1100 units in an area near The Ponds, with buildings up to 8 storeys tall. The plan includes parking for 1015 cars and 1210 bicycle spaces. One of the “key principles” of the development is to encourage greater use of cycling by residents. A minimum of 5% of the units will be used to provide affordable housing for at least 10 years.

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Jul 16

Why plastic bag bans triggered such a huge reaction

The Conversation, 16 July 2018
Woolworths’ and Coles’ bans on plastic bags have been applauded by environmental groups, but were reportedly met with abuse and assault and claims of profiteering. Even comedians saw value in the theatre of the bag ban. This reaction is due to supermarkets breaching their “psychological contract” with customers. When both major supermarkets appeared to back flip in the face of irate customers it only compounded the problem”.
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Jul 12

Can the share bike business survive in Australia?

ABC News, 12 July 2018
After months of damaged and discarded bikes on city streets, it now looks like three of the four major firms who launched app-based bike sharing schemes last year have pulled up stumps.
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