‘Minds were blown’: These scientists were stunned at what’s happening on the NSW North Coast

“This means Forestry Corporation NSW plans to log three times more compartments of state forest within the proposed Great Koala National Park over the next year than they did over the last two years combined"

“It is spectacular. All the variants of this Gondwana rainforest – cool and warm, temperate rainforest and also the subtropical rainforest – is something that is so unique globally that you wouldn’t find it in this particular combination elsewhere... Professor Helge Bruelheide, professor of botany at the University of Helle in Germany, was stunned by what he has seen exploring the forests in and around the promised Great Koala National Park on the state’s North Coast this week."

“The tempo, the scale, the intensity of logging has all ramped up since labour was elected. It is a pillage. It’s a smash-and-grab operation by a loss-making Crown corporation. They are jamming boiled lollies in their mouth as they bolt down the street,” say Graham, who feels let down by Labor."

"One of the reasons the Victorian industry was eventually closed was because citizen scientists proved the state loggers were not properly protecting greater gliders. The failures cost VicForests millions of dollars in fines and access to forests it needed."

"As the legal challenges wind their way through the courts, the NCC is about to ramp up the pressure by announcing the creation of Breachwatch, a network of volunteers trained and equipped to monitor, record and report evidence of Forestry Corp breaches."
Must read in full>

https://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/minds-were-blown-these-scientists-were-stunned-at-what-s-happening-on-the-nsw-north-coast-20230831-p5e11w.html
#GreatKoalaNationalPark #GNKP #Gondwana #rainforest #botany #So50s #LoggingIndustry #NSW #BellingenLogging #SaveTuckersNob #pillage #Moonpar #Boambee #Orara #koalas #biodiversity #climate #StopLogging

Suburban sprawl and car dependence go hand in hand

“Suburban sprawl leads to more high-speed roads, longer distances between centres of daily activity and more time in cars. All these factors increase the risk of road deaths and injuries.”

“Car-dependent neighbourhoods deprive children of opportunities essential for their health and wellbeing. They miss out on physical activity, unstructured play, social interaction and developing social networks. In addition, traffic noise and air pollution expose them to a wide range of environmental and health problems.”

“How can we develop better planning policies to create neighbourhoods that properly meet families’ needs? Some policies already exist, such as 15-minute or 20-minute neighbourhoods, to reduce private car use for daily activities. But these policies get sidelined when governments promote suburban sprawl and build more freeways.”

“Car-centric planning dates back to the 1950s. Since then, Australian suburban fringe development has largely failed to create child-friendly neighbourhoods.”

“If governments are serious about the needs of families with children, they could start by acknowledging children’s needs and rights to be able to get to their daily destinations without a car. To deliver neighbourhoods that make this possible, governments need to be bold and decisive in their planning.”

“Suburban sprawl and car dependence go hand in hand. Our politicians must commit to urban planning where cars are no longer privileged. Otherwise we deny our children basic rights to learn, play and socialise safely in their own neighbourhoods.”

https://theconversation.com/urban-sprawl-is-not-a-dirty-word-if-the-priority-is-to-meet-all-kids-needs-it-should-be-208670
#RoadDeaths #Backyards #15MinuteNeighbourhoods #sprawl #children #dependence #rights #Bellingen #NSW #roads #pollution #noise #FossilFuel #cars #mobility #so50s

Redesigning roads and intersections to put humans first – The Bellingen case

Bellingen just 'upgraded' Gleniffer Road (The $5.2M “gate way to the Promised Land”) and NorthBankRoad. Both put fossil fuel vehicles first and forgot emission free mobility for people.
But cyclists and foot traffic deserve the same direct routes that motorists have. Elsewhere they rethink transport planning to promote safer cycling and walking options. Another missed opportunity to put Bellingen on the map for pollution free country cruising.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-29/pushing-bikes-in-the-car-capital/102659800
#Bellingen #PromisedLand #traffic #GlenifferRoad #WaterfallWay #NorthBankRoad #Roads #RoadUpgrades #FossilFuel #Infrastructure #tourism #network #so50s #cars #addiction #Ebikes #cycling #CyclePaths #Climate

Killer roads

Where is the infrastructure where one does not have to be propelled by fossil fuel at high speed?
Each (new) road should have a shady and separated cycling and walking infrastructure factored in.
Wildlife crossings all along the way.

Australia’s road toll continues to rise with 37 additional people killed in 'accidents' compared to the previous 12 months, despite a nationwide target to halve road deaths by 2030.

“The rising road toll came despite a National Road Safety Action Plan target to halve deaths by 2030 and cut serious transport injuries by 30%. In 2023, Australia is unable to adequately quantify the extent of road trauma, or the effectiveness of interventions being deployed to reduce it.”

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jul/23/australias-road-toll-continues-to-rise-with-most-states-falling-behind-safety-goals

#FatalAccidents #RoadToll #RoadDeaths #RoadTrauma #IntegralAccident #speed #RoadSafety #VisionZero #failure #NorthBankRoad #so50s #NSW #climate #FossilFuel #mobility #carnage #infrastructure #risks #sacrifice

The electrification of domestic car travel
The Bellingen case

Now that the Gleniffer 'highway' is nearly complete they discover its so past century. The 'Scenic Drive' to Gleniffer has no EV charging network, no cycle paths, no footpaths and no toilets. But you get to experience the change from a quite scenic country road to a highway like ambience leading you along logging sites and tonnes of cement.

A post-servo highway? How electric vehicles are changing the Australian roadscape
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jul/22/electric-vehicles-australia
#Bellingen #roads #tourism #GlenifferRd #TheDrive #cars #EV #cycling #energy #infrastructure #so50s #FossilFuel #ClimateChange #denial

Commuters battle horrific congestion on 26 lane highway. More lanes?
“You just can’t build your way out of congestion. It’s one of those things — the more you build, the more people come and fill those roads up...Authorities should be careful that development and road upgrades don’t further embed reliance on private cars.”
“You can’t keep building roads forever. It needs to be a multi-modal approach of public transport, roads and active transport as a whole system solution.”

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-03/why-keep-spending-billions-on-motorways-m1-commute/102293384
#roads #highways #upgrades #downgrade #sprawl #commuters #WastedLifeTime #cars #crashes #PrivateVehicles #NSW #Bellingen #So50s #congestion #climatechange

Of 1080 and weedkillers
Since settlers introduced a host of pest species to Australia, the fight against the invasive animals and plants has been ongoing. Toxins or fossil fuel machinery are the main tools employed to eradicate the harmful non-native species.
Weedkillers with glyphosate are ubiquitous in the war on out of control weeds. For animal pest species sodium fluoroacetate (1080) bait is dropped from the sky or distributed on the ground.

"Since the 1950s, Australian governments, private contractors and property owners have used 1080 poison baits to kill “pest” animals such as foxes, rabbits, cats, pigs and wild dogs, including dingoes... Australia is only one of a handful of countries that allow the use of 1080 baits..."

The externalities of this cost effective method results in the killing of non-target species. Pet owners who bear witness to their pet dog's extended suffering from poisoning become traumatised. 'Out there' in the bush many Australian animals experience also such a cruel death that goes unseen.

https://theconversation.com/i-cant-get-it-out-of-my-mind-new-research-reveals-the-suffering-of-people-whose-dogs-died-after-eating-1080-poison-baits-206957
#InvasiveSpecies #Poison #Toxins #Pesticides #Glyphosate #SodiumFluoroacetate #ChemicalControl #NonTargetSpecies #ToxicLandscapes #Externality #Pets #Wildlife #So50s #Biodiversity

Of 1080 and weedkillers pt 2
The externalities of this cost effective method results in the killing of non-target species. Pet owners who bear witness to their pet dog's extended suffering from poisoning become traumatised. 'Out there' in the bush many Australian animals experience such a cruel death that goes unseen.

https://theconversation.com/i-cant-get-it-out-of-my-mind-new-research-reveals-the-suffering-of-people-whose-dogs-died-after-eating-1080-poison-baits-206957
#InvasiveSpecies #Poison #Toxins #Glyphosate #SodiumFluoroacetate #NonTargetSpecies #ToxicLandscapes #Externality #Pets #Wildlife #So50s #Biodiversity

Pt 1
https://mastodon.au/@Bellingen/110500433038129409

'Monstrous' new road pushes locals out
There will be "Four lanes of traffic plus an active transport lane, which means effectively about five lanes wide... The road is aimed at alleviating #congestion by providing an alternative route to and from the town's CBD."
Fifteen households have to leave their homes..

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-01/owners-fight-for-1960s-beach-shack-caloundra-upgrade-project/102412440
Sunshine Coast Council #Roads #Harm #So50s

Cartoon seen on @fietsprofessor,
https://urbancyclinginstitute.com/
More #so50s #Roads for #Bellingen to ease the #logjam
#Climate #Harm #Pollution #Congestion #Vehicles

Ban petrol lawn equipment
"Petrol leaf blowers and lawn mowers are shockingly bad for the planet. Bans are beginning to spread.
Virtually all small engines are two-stroke, which burn a dirtier fuel mix than vehicles do. Advocates say that in addition to the climate-changing emissions released by the engines, workers are exposed directly to their exhaust and rarely wear filters to protect their lungs. Other people complain about the noise they make, especially when so many suburban residents now work from home".
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/04/30/gas-leaf-blower-mower-bans-spread-us-fight-climate-change/11746893002/
#batterypowered landscaping #Equipment #FossilFuel #Noise #Pollution #OHS #Conservation #Regeneration #LandCare #Bellingen #Suburbia #so50s #Gardening

Road to nowhere: The cul-de-sac is a suburban trap. It’s virtually useless as a road, doesn’t support public transport, cycling or walking, and doesn’t work well as a play or gathering place. Like many modern #transport nightmares, it originated in the #car-oriented suburban planning of 1950s America, a defence against the perceived threat of the inner #city. They are the antithesis of #connectivity. Residents of #suburbs have much lower rates of civic engagement than those living in a more urban environment.

https://theconversation.com/road-to-nowhere-why-the-suburban-cul-de-sac-is-an-urban-planning-dead-end-194628
#Bellingen #Toormina #suburbia Tight-knitCommunity #ImaginedCommunity #cars #fossilfuel #mobility #cul-de-sac #subdivisions #So50s single-family #housing