Death by congestion

[fat and old]

Yep, time for the yearly reality check...

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/melbo ... sxeuf.html

Some bits that stand out

And while it already takes an hour to drive from Epping to the city, within two decades it will take an hour and 45 minutes

Takes me about 45 minutes-1 hour on the bike

Ramping up the case for a new regime of road pricing to better manage demand by replacing the inefficient and unfair melange of charges faced by motorists – including fuel excise, rego fees, licence fees, stamp duty, tolls and parking fees – the infrastructure adviser warns frustrations for drivers and public transport users will only grow.

Getting us ready for a congestion tax, in the spirit of "fairer". Cool. Except for the last para

One of the Federal government's main worries is that the fuel excise regime is linked to fuel use. With increasingly efficient vehicles, and the growing potential for electric cars, the revenue source is likely to decline.

Yeah, fairer.

[Thoglette]

In a depressing analysis of the challenges facing Australia's fastest growing city, Infrastructure Victoria bluntly warns it will be impossible for Melbourne to build its way out of congestion.

What was the line about "building roads to fix congestion is like loosening your belt to fix obesity"?

It's time we stopped wasting the money....

[Comedian]

The sooner it gets worse... the sooner things can start getting better.

[human909]

Infrastructure Victoria bluntly warns it will be impossible for Melbourne to build its way out of congestion.

Meanwhile in NSW.....

http://www.westconnex.com.au/

[Mububban]

I love how politicians spend thousands of dollars of taxpayer money to fly around the world and visit and "consult" with local and state governments and councils overseas about their various policies and infrastructure; you'd think in such a globally and easily connected world like we have nowadays, our pollies would be cherrypicking the very best ideas from health, education, transport etc, but no. We're still slaves to the car, despite overwhelming worldwide evidence that alternative options are desperately needed.

[BJL]

I love how politicians spend thousands of dollars of taxpayer money to fly around the world and visit and "consult" with local and state governments and councils overseas about their various policies and infrastructure; you'd think in such a globally and easily connected world like we have nowadays, our pollies would be cherrypicking the very best ideas from health, education, transport etc, but no. We're still slaves to the car, despite overwhelming worldwide evidence that alternative options are desperately needed.

Yep, and because many of them are inept, corrupt, useless imbeciles, they get voted out having done next to nothing (which to be honest, may be a good thing) but blame everyone else for everything and then the next idiot who gets voted in and knows next to nothing decides to go on an overseas trip to learn what common sense would tell most people and so on it goes.

[warthog1]

^^Vested interests. Politicians of all persuasions are beholden to their contributors.

[ironhanglider]

You realise that if this were an opera it would be death by consumption.

Cheers,

Cameron