August, 2010

At first glance, the Victorian Opposition’s enthusiasm for a new rail link between the existing Huntingdale station and Rowville seems like simple opportunistic politics. And it undoubtedly is. But as we shall see later, a variation on this idea might be worth a second glance. The idea of a Rowville rail line goes back to 1969. [...]

It’s a commonplace in politics, as it is in most things, that it’s better to focus limited resources on a few objectives than to spread them thin over a broad front. So I’m therefore more than a little surprised that the Greens in Victoria, fresh from winning the Federal seat of Melbourne, are reportedly going [...]

There have been some quite spectacular reductions in Melbourne’s water consumption in recent years. The latest invoice from my water company proclaims that total water consumed by customers has fallen 36% since 1997. Most of this gain is undoubtedly due to water restrictions and jaw boning. Pricing doesn’t seem to have been a big influence, [...]

There’s a fascinating struggle going on between the Education Department and residents of Coburg about the need for a new junior high school in the area (see here and here). The map shows what residents call the “black hole” and this story in The Age gives the history of high school closures in the area: [...]

Where are our infrastructure white elephants?

The National Broadband Network will not drive decentralisation – it will not divert growth from Sydney and Melbourne to regional centres on a significant scale

Australia’s big cities can cope with large population but they will need massive investment in infrastructure

No, I don’t agree with Alan Todd of Kyneton that Melbourne Bicycle Share is a winner and I’ve never thought it would be (see my previous posts here, here and here). His letter to The Age this morning (“Share the smarts”) contends that bike share schemes have taken off in more than 135 cities around [...]

Docklands isn’t a dog – it’s as flash as a hyena with a gold tooth

Melbourne’s W Class trams have serious limitations when it comes to doing what urban transit systems are supposed to do – move people around efficiently and quickly. But they might potentially provide enormous benefits – particularly in relation to tourism and city “branding” – that could make their continued operation (and expansion!) more than worthwhile. [...]