An imperfect storm
SO much bullsh in the ether about how we get around at the mo in this town, Melbourne. The car lobby’s whining about the cost of petrol (only going to get worse, suckers) while the Labor Party in Victoria is split over Rod Eddington’s proposals for a cross-city tunnel (costing billions of dollars and only creating more traffic.) CAN WE PLEASE HAVE A PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM THAT IS A VIABLE ALTERNATIVE TO CARS? I know this is a big investment but when so many important places such as Chadstone and Monash U and Melbourne U and Doncaster can’t be reached by train how do you expect people to ditch their autos?
Trains are marvelous especially if activity centres are built around them, a la Tokyo, god I love you Tokyo, which is all the more reason why, as well as not building more meaningful rail, the government needs to SPIT IN GEOFFREY RUSH’S FACE and adhere to the Melbourne 2030 plan, and moreover, build BIG 20-STOREY RESIDENTIAL TOWERS ALL OVER the area near Camberwell station so that Melbourne is workable, rather than acquiescing to the whinging of NIMBY namby-pamby thespians who are under the illusion that shitty old Camberwell station is worth preserving, if you don’t mind. Obviously too busy driving to Braaaaaghton in his Bentley to notice it’s an OLD FASHIONED ABLUTIONS BLOCK with no architectural merit whatsoever. Inner Melbourne needs to be BUILT UP and FAST – I understand heritage values but really, sweethearts, not everything is worth preserving, and we need a NETWORK of trains that can get us all from A to B without the need for our gas-guzzling cars.
All of the above and CAN WE PLEASE STOP BUILDING MORE OUTER SUBURBS THAT ARE MORE THAN AN HOUR FROM THE CBD where people live in gross isolation from culture and humanity and interest and services and anything else that makes life and urbanism vaguely livable. And while we’re at it can we create a virus that prevents people from believing they need a 1/4 acre block and a triple garage to enjoy life.
DENSITY, PEOPLE! EMBRACE IT!
[end rant]
