Meeting with QLD's Transport Minister this Thursday

[Rhubarb]

Mr Womble,

Here's an interesting article that would be good to forward to your contacts in Qld Govt etc:

http://lcc.org.uk/pages/seville-goes-dutch

In summary, it outlines how Seville managed to achieve a 10 fold increase in cycling trips in 6 years, and how the city has benefitted as a result.

Critically, it showed they were able to build the base infrastructure in just 4 years.

The out-take for govts: Build it right and they WILL come !!!!

[Comedian]

Thing is... Citizens have to want it otherwise nothing happens.

At the moment in Aus... citizens are asking their leaders for more roads.

[The 2nd Womble]

I can guarantee the Newman Government won't spend a single cent on cycling people. Remember they just pulled Qld Fire and Resucue's annual $150k budget used to educate teens on driver safety, closed Brisbanes only special needs school program for autistic children in order to save $80k, pulled all advertising material targeted at keeping vulnerable toad users safe, left ww2 vets to fend for themselves when their nursing homes were shut down...
The list goes on.
The ONLY way we'll see anything done is after the next election, and by lobbying the opposition regardless of your political bias.
No money will be spent on cycling in this term.

[The 2nd Womble]

I forgot them slashing high ranking QPS jobs by 30%, planning to close inner city (INNER CITY) schools in Brissy, changing legislation to allow for voluntary voting to give them a better shot at winning the next election, proposing to cut workers compensation in QLD, sacking Mum 2 years out from retirement after 15 years in the public sector as perminant staff in a section of the Dept of Justice and in FNQ where staffing levels are already dangerously low etc etc

[The 2nd Womble]

Everywhere you turn it's "Get stuffed Queensland!" From Newman's boys club.

[Comedian]

So I'm guessing by that the meeting didn't go so well?

I do agree with you on all the cutting stuff. It's nuts. I just hope the decline in services is obvious enough by the next election for people to see it and vote accordingly.

As I've said before though, I think the public does get what it wants, and at the moment it's asking for and successfully getting roads. I doubt anything will change while fuel is cheap.

[The 2nd Womble]

Roads are a government priority ATM because Newman wants to increase revenue from mining and industry and that's what they're asking for. QLD is also planning to allow B-Triples (road trains) on all arterial routes as NSW and Victoria are proposing. That will make our roads even less safe btw.
The meeting with the Transport minister? Well he said "It's coming but not yet" in relation to the Springfeild link, but I feel 98% certain ATM that it was merely lip service. I'm yet to find anyone that disagrees given that the current government is now being touted as worse than back in the days of Joe and Russ.
To give you an idea of how spiteful it's become, look at Tasmania, the current temps, the "catastrophic" brushfire alerts - which I've never heard referred to before - in Qld, and despite the pledge to streamline the SES by only culling administrative numbers in response to community concerns, front line fire fighters are being told they're no longer needed.
Admins, you have to excuse the politics in this thread but it goes to the very core of advocacy regardless.
The only thing I can see being done for cyclists is law changes, and that's only if it doesn't cost too much. Lives are cheap, saving them isn't. I think that sums Qld up right there ATM.

[Mulger bill]

Admins, you have to excuse the politics in this thread but it goes to the very core of advocacy regardless.

This is Government, not politics.

[The 2nd Womble]

50/50.

[The 2nd Womble]

Queensland woke up this morning to the news that we are losing 400 Police. 150 administrative/senior positions and 250 front line officers!!!
This man must be dragged from office and buried alive before we are!

[Mulger bill]

Stupid beancounter logic. Paying for service X comes outta my budget so I'll cut it and I look good. Paying for the knock on costs (usually higher in a societial as well as monetary sense) come outta your budget so you look bad.

[high_tea]

No reduction in frontline numbers, so they say. But times are tough, you know. Not that you'd know from all the cash they're splashing on roads.

[The 2nd Womble]

Or trips or State functions or trade delegations etc.

[The 2nd Womble]

...or week long community cabinet meetings in Mission Beach...

[The 2nd Womble]

...OR $80k refurbishments of ministerial offices... You get the idea.

[Comedian]

Or building a giant phallis that will replace a owned and cheap to run office building.

[Hamster]

Or building a giant phallis that will replace a owned and cheap to run office building.

The amount of money that this ego trip will end up costing us would be sufficient to build cycling infrastructure to would be the envy of any city anywhere. The problem with cycle paths is that you can't drive a 4WD on them and they don't contain 5-star ministerial offices.

I agree - The Executive Building might be old and ugly but it performs its function perfectly well.