There you go; the RACV said again yesterday (as they have done in the past) that the $1.4 billion M1/Westgate Bridge upgrade (including the new lanes opened yesterday) will be swamped within a decade. Brian Negus, of the RACV, welcomed the opening of the fifth lane. It was the final link in the freeway corridor ... [More]
Tag: traffic
Spotted around the RACV centre in Bourke Street… I’m not sure what these things are called. They’re from the days before traffic lights — before my time. The only problem with these ones is that two directions are getting a green signal at once, which would result in a crash. This street sign looks a ... [More]
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Salami tactics
It’s nice to know that right from the start, freeways have shown a consistent effectiveness for solving traffic problems: Thus, the South Eastern Freeway was announced in 1958 as the first urban freeway in Victoria – the MMBW stating that it would provide a “clear run of four lanes” … The four-lane freeway was completed ... [More]
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Freeways, freeways, everywhere
Via Google’s archive of The Age, I found this, the 1969 freeway plan for Melbourne, with 1974 modifications (including a number of cuts). It’s a little bit stylised, but according to the article, the plan was deliberately vague about which inner-suburban areas were to be demolished. A monstrous plan, you might think. Freeways everywhere! But ... [More]
As reported in The Age, the US Health Effects Institute recently published a report on the effects of living near busy roads. Its conclusion was that: …there is sufficient evidence that exposures to traffic-related air pollution cause asthma exacerbation in children and suggestive evidence that they might cause other health effects. …the zones most impacted ... [More]
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The storm
It just took almost two and a half hours to drive from Glen Huntly to Footscray. Here’s why. Glen Huntly. The hail was bouncing off the cars. …and the gutters quickly flooded… …but that was nothing to Caulfield North… …and St Kilda Road. Kingsway wasn’t pretty — much under water, traffic lights out, and lots ... [More]
For a while now, VicRoads has been working on a plan to allocate different priorities to different roads around Melbourne. Rather than the free-for-all we sometimes see now, some roads would be setup to emphasise pedestrian priority, some bus, some tram, and some would be “preferred traffic routes” and lesser “other traffic routes”. I suspect ... [More]
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Two things I hate
Two things I hate are getting up early, and driving in heavy traffic. This morning I did both, for the sake of The Car. The Car was bought from Alan Mance in Melton. (“Don’t take a chance, go to Alan Mance.”) To maintain the three year used-car warranty (which mind you only covers certain types ... [More]
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The benefits of WestLink
Letter in The Age today from Tim Pallas, Roads and Ports Minister: I AM happy to assure people (Letters, 5/12) that 1000 homes will certainly not be acquired for the WestLink project. The Government recently announced a $10 million study to work with the community to develop the best location for the tunnel and road. ... [More]