Originally the car was build to serve a purposes. Getting a person from A to B as quick as possible. However, with traffic congestion that is unavoidable with the increased number of cars on the road, it no longer does the job. We are stuck in traffic jams, have our fellow drivers cursing and swearing at us, it is raising our stress levels, and we are getting home later in the evening, and leaving earlier in the morning.

Urban sprawl is the problem. Better town planning, and public transport is the answer. It would give us better living spaces, leave us with less reason to commute, and when we do need to commute, provide us with more environmentally friendly means of doing so.

Cars do not equal vitality, people do. We need to stop equating cars with people.

Why do you think people look to Europe for lessons in how to develop a city? Because many of us have been there, see systems that are actually working, and then compare to the mess of Sydney.

Decentralisation is a difficult task, which the NSW government has been attempting. Government offices have been moved to Gosford, Penrith, and Parramatta to try and grow those centres. It’s hard to get people to move to a place when there are ready jobs in Sydney without the amenity to attract them.

And Timmy the Bloke has a point – Australia has now passed the US in highest rates of obesity per capita. Get out of the car and move!

This is why we need to get cars out because then public transport will become a viable alternative, with more off it and much quicker.

Your timings on the harbour bridge would have been a one off or a breakdown or a hold up on york street, due to (once again) congestion from cars.

I drive the sensible people to work every day as a Bus Operator for sydney buses and i can tell you when Im cruising down the bus lane at between 50 – 70 kph whilst cars in the lanes around are almost standing still, however only to be held up by the blockage of cars trying to push through york st to get to their parking station, whislt everyone on my bus who have only paid the same price as these car drivers would have in their harbour bridge/m2/m5 tolls, are arriving relaxed and ready for work, I know as I also catch publicc transport to work.

Stoney!

Jennifer

The reality is that the cultural and economic drivers that drove the developpment of the EU cities that are so often put before us as the ideals that we should be aspiring to are fundamentally different to the cultural and economic drivers that we have in Australia – and the development of our cities should reflect this.

Again, I ask the question – can’t we think for ourselves? Are we incapable of developing our own vision? Or is it just our leaders who are bereft of such ability, blinded by the trappings of office, perhaps?

One of the reasons put forward for the elimination of cars at all costs is the ‘carbon issue’. What will be their excuse when that one goes away? Because it will! Reality is that fossil fuels are a finite resource, and as each day goes by, as fossil-based fuel continues to escalate in price, the economic incentives for the development and commercialisation of alternatives become more attractive.

I don’t know what the specifics of these solutions will be, but I do have the foresight and vision to see that they will inevitably arrive, and when they do (and bring with them the answer to the ‘carbon issue’) how will we continue to justify the ostracising of the primary economic enabler of our time? It will be one of the hard questions that future generations will ask of us – the way things are going we won’t have a good answer…

My vote is to keep the cars and replace the city leaders with people who can think for themselves and the people whose interests they purport to represent – leaders who are truly possessed of the foresight and vision needed to develop and implement the future for this great city of ours.

Sure, I have a car, and they can be useful – but let’s get ‘em out of the centre of the city as much as possible.

What makes Martin Place, Darling Harbour and the Corso at Manly pleasant places to be? No cars!

We need to get more people off their fat bums – out of their metal cages and into some physical activity, be it walking or cycling.

Peak Oil is here lads and lasses – $1.50 per litre and climbing each week.

Drive less, move your body more. You may also live longer, be less obese and have better health.