Greg Vann
@gregvann.bsky.social
Australian urbanist at large based in Brisbane, 46+ years experience. Founder Urban Mentors Collective. Co founder Ethos Urban, President Queensland Walks. Keen to make cities better and to help those who want to do that.
“Despite the widespread harm caused by cars & automobility, governments, corporations, & individuals continue to facilitate it by expanding roads, manufacturing larger vehicles, & subsidising parking, electric cars, & resource extraction… Currently, 1 in 34 deaths are caused by automobility.
I know Vancouver well and think making Granville Street car free would be a great idea! Brisbane did it in the 1980s and it has made its main street Queen Street into one of the worlds great pedestrian areas.
Brent Toderian@brenttoderian.bsky.social · last wk.If you’re interested in the Granville Street Pedestrian Zone* that’s been extended until the end of summer after the World Cup, or if you’re interested in making the case for any challenging pedestrian street, follow and share this thread below, which I’ll keep adding to. * not a fan of that word
Agreed. Queensland’s new laws about this are fundamentally flawed because this wasn’t appreciated. Power assisted bicycles (“pedelec”) aren’t the problem, they are part of the solution to urban mobility. Electric motorbikes are the problem and should require licensing of both machine & rider.
Brent Toderian@brenttoderian.bsky.social · 2w agoWe’re using the word e-bike to describe too many things. Electric assist bikes are a version of bike & have many public interest benefits. But vehicles being driven by food delivery app drivers aren’t a form of bike…they’re a form of motorcycle. They don’t belong on sidewalks or pedestrian streets.
Doing a tour of the Queensland outback with a couple of mates. Boy, a lot of the small outback towns have made a lot of effort on their main streets. They all seem to be thriving post covid with so many people touring around, camping grounds and hotels are all pretty full.
Who was the Local Hero in the movie of that name - Mac, Gordon, Happer, Ben Knox, Danny, Marina, Stella?
@greaterauckland.bsky.social @patrickreynolds.bsky.social making sure the shirt is seen around the country!
This is a special place for me. Where we had many family holidays and I now have holidays with my children and their children. And where my late wife’s ashes were spread 7 years ago this Sunday. Just a lovely part of the world called Moffat Beach.
“Since 2001, approximately 30 to 50 people have been killed in Germany as a result of Islamist terrorism. …. In contrast, an estimated 7,600 people died in Germany during the heatwave of summer 2003 alone” Yet huge amounts are spent on one & the other is still largely ignored.
Katja Diehl@katjadiehl.bsky.social · last mo.Do we need to categorize human based climatecatastrophe as a terrorist to get radical action for saving lives? medium.com/@Katja_Diehl...
Rode my bike along the river today. Spectacular morning, well done Brisbane!
Brisbane’s new Cross River Rail station at Roma Street is becoming more visible!
Went to a meeting this arvo that was nothing to do with planning or cities, but the room had excellent wallpaper!
My @greaterauckland.bsky.social tee shirt arrived! I’m pleased to continue my support for this excellent community based organisation that has had a profound impact on the maturing of Auckland into a great city. Don’t believe me? Have a squiz at their website www.greaterauckland.org.nz/our-impact/
Mucking around with watercolours - all new to me, just finding my way…
These types of signs in Vancouver show just how car centric our language about roads has become. It’s not closed, it’s closed to vehicle traffic. It could just have easily read “road now open to people only” or something similar… Thanks to @urbantruth.bsky.social for the image
Power outage in my street today, scheduled to replace a power pole. So I walked my dog Peanut around the corner to our local village at Rosalie for breakfast and coffee at my local cafe. Walkability is real!
Wow, I’m amazed (in the traditional sense of the word rather than my coffee order being amazing 😉) how many Australians are in Vancouver for the World Cup! And a 2-0 win to top it off. 👏
Brent Toderian@brenttoderian.bsky.social · 2mo agoTHE AUSSIES ARE IN OUR ‘HOOD! #Vancouver #WorldCup #AUSvsTUR
The rise of huge SUVs is one of the most corrosive trends in transport of recent times. They create a vicious circle almost like an arms race. Russell King on LinkedIn nails this in this graphic and also identifies 4 key measure to turn this vicious circle into a virtuous one.
The biggest misconception: Low rates of walking, biking and transit don’t mean people prefer driving, it means cities have been designed for car use at the expense of safe, convenient and practical walking, biking & transit. Via Propel Bikes on FB
Cities making progress on better suburbs don’t ask "how do we move more cars?" but "what is the good urban life, & how do we build toward it?” They pilot things at a meaningful scale & put place-makers in charge, not engineers. Via Russell King on LinkedIn integratedtransport.org.uk/downloads/De...
One of the simplest & wisest quotes about cities is Fred Kent’s: “If you plan cities for cars & traffic, you get cars & traffic. If you plan for people & places, you get people & places.” Enlightened cities around the world are doing this. Some still think cars & traffic are the answer.
Really? Park the huge 4WD ute half on the footpath next to a 10m wide road pavement?
Rightio cities that aspire to be leading edge, London is about to up its game even further: www.traffictechnologytoday.com/news/legal/m...
TfL plan sets out decade of street improvements for walking and wheeling | Traffic Technology Today
The Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL) have launched the Walking and Wheeling Action Plan, setting out how the Mayor, TfL and London's
traffictechnologytoday.com
One of Brisbane’s great attributes is large areas of bushland close to inner suburbs. Five minutes from home I get to walk in places like this with a mate and our dogs.
In a housing crisis our car culture has us hanging on to minimum car parking standards for units as research shows they are often unused & “Parking minimums add $62,000 to the price tag of a two-bedroom Melbourne apartment, $113,000 to one in Brisbane, $137,000 in Perth, and $95,000 in Adelaide.”
Flyt Transport Planning@flytplan.bsky.social · 3mo agoWe’ve done extensive surveying here in Perth - on average around 25-30% of bays associated with multiple dwellings are not used. The sunk cost is huge so none of this article is a surprise.
The term “rush hour” is one of transport’s big misnomers (right up there with freeways and greenways).
“Car crashes play an outsized role in childhood morbidity and mortality, and are worse in suburbs and rural areas.”
Matthew Lewis -- living in the era of cults and consequences@mateosfo.bsky.social · 3mo agoThe pattern of childhood morbidity and mortality follows the geography of sprawl, not the geography of screens. New from me: Sometimes, conservative infighting can be revealing. mateosfo.substack.com/p/do-conserv...
Delighted shade will finally be installed on Victoria Bridge,a key walking route & spot temps in the 50 degrees in summer. Originally part of the Metro plan but trimmed to “cut costs”. Also a reflection on transport priorities but better late than never. www.brisbanetimes.com.au/politics/que...
Victoria Bridge shade secured, but Metro expansion hits Games hurdle
A leaked copy of Brisbane council’s transport plan resurrects a controversial St Lucia to West End bridge, while the Metro expansion may not meet a crucial Olympics deadline.
brisbanetimes.com.au
