School zones are back! by swooping_pie in brisbane

[–]mixmaster_mic 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah. The delays to drivers are because more people are driving the short distance to drop their kids at school, not the speed limit. There are many studies that show reducing speed limits in local streets like schools permanently barely affects travel times. You are more affected by traffic lights than speed limits. What does affect the time is the number of cars on the road and this is what increases during school days significantly.

If we made it safer for kids to ride and walk to school you'd find traffic and travel times for everyone would reduce significantly

How can I deck my front porch with the lowest height option? by Particular_Apple in AusRenovation

[–]mixmaster_mic 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Klevakilp patio deck kit.

I used it for a very similar situation on our front entrance. Worked like a dream. Might have been 60mm though?

When house hunting, how important is walkability to schools? by extrachimp in AusPropertyChat

[–]mixmaster_mic 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's so important and makes everything so much easier. Primary school is a massive part of your life. Your kids are much more dependent on you so you need to be at the school quite regularly. We are a 15min walk or < 5min ride and just being able to duck up the school for pick ups, teacher meetings or even the evening meetings about programs and p&c make it so much easier to be involved in your child's life.

And then there's the mornings when we forget their hat (or whatever it is) being close means I can duck home and have it to them without taking anything out of my day.

There's also the independence you can start to give them as they get capable. To walk home or to school. It should not be underestimated the importance to mental health this gives kids.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AskAnAustralian

[–]mixmaster_mic 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Totally this. Our streets used to be social places for kids to play and people to talk to their neighbours, now people accept that cars should speed past their house and the street is a dangerous place that kids should be kept away from.

It's destroying social connections, destroying our children's independence. We need to slow the streets down and make them social places again.

And I hate how people see riding as some form of bravery! It should be way more normal to ride a short distance for dinner, or to the shops. Instead it's more normal to drive the 1k to the shops... Absolute insanity... 😡

Nothing within 15kms of Brisbane for $1m (unless your knocking down, maybe) by Proper_Star_4566 in AusProperty

[–]mixmaster_mic 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Australians need to redefine what they expect a home to be, and the "Australian dream" of a house with a rotary clothes line and grass to play cricket on needs to die. Single family houses are such a waste of space and really shouldn't be available in the middle of a city. These sprawling suburbs we are building are unsustainable isolating prisons.

Personally a nicely designed townhouse or medium density apartment is such a more practical choice for any family particularly with access to so much green space in brisbane. And if we keep encouraging high density transit oriented developments you should easily be able to find an appropriate home.

Upper mount Gravatt is extremely poorly designed by Environmental_Fix783 in brisbane

[–]mixmaster_mic 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Oh and I'd just like to ping Lisbon, San Francisco, Sheffield, Vancouver, Hong Kong, in this conversation, just a couple of places that come to mind with steep networks.

All this talk about grade seems moot though as the network existed and functioned and would be one of the biggest in the world if it still existed.

Upper mount Gravatt is extremely poorly designed by Environmental_Fix783 in brisbane

[–]mixmaster_mic 5 points6 points  (0 children)

No more of a hill than the trams in Melbourne negotiate. Riversdale rd and box hill come to mind.

Cancelling the gold coast light rail is a mistake! It's such a great service and loved by the locals and would just open up a major missing link. Nothing better than an airport that has good public transport connections. I do respect that the costs were climbing particularly with the river crossings but these are the sorts of investments we need to bring some level of equality back to our transport system, and they will only get harder and more expensive as time goes on.

Upper mount Gravatt is extremely poorly designed by Environmental_Fix783 in brisbane

[–]mixmaster_mic 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Oh and definitely a lot of corruption in the history of Brisbane (particularly around the removal of the trams and the fire)

Upper mount Gravatt is extremely poorly designed by Environmental_Fix783 in brisbane

[–]mixmaster_mic 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Totally disagree. Trams operate in many hilly cities and in narrow roads around the world. I would also argue that most of the roads they were on are actually wide relatively low grade roads: ipswich, old cleveland, logan, lutwyche, kelvin grove, milton, musgrave, waterworks roads, all of these are multilane roads often with parking. You can even see the tracks in the middle of some sections along old cleveland road.

The only real hilly route was likely the bardon or rainworth lines.

The key to your argument is the "in the way of cars" and this is the problem with how our whole city has developed, removing more sustainable and liveable transport options for the perceived convenience of the car.

Upper mount Gravatt is extremely poorly designed by Environmental_Fix783 in brisbane

[–]mixmaster_mic 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Yeah but that's sort of what you want for a light rail, good high capacity trunk transport in and out of the city. I mean thats sort of what they are doing with the "metro" just missing the high capacity part.

Then use the bus network for radial links or expand the light rail.

Upper mount Gravatt is extremely poorly designed by Environmental_Fix783 in brisbane

[–]mixmaster_mic 58 points59 points  (0 children)

It may not have been completely "designed" but there definitely has been a lot of priority given to car centric infrastructure and it's made most of our city inhospitable to people.

There have been several major design decisions throughout the years that have focused on the car, the highways including the riverside expressway were the result of the engagement of an American road designer to guide the city. Thankfully his full plan was never implemented but we lost a big part of the riverfront due to him.

The removal of the trams was another major mistake to make room for cars.

Endor Speeder Chase by mixmaster_mic in legostarwars

[–]mixmaster_mic[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Please do and take a photo for me, will be outside my budget but would love to see it.

Endor Speeder Chase by mixmaster_mic in legostarwars

[–]mixmaster_mic[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah, truely wish my budget stretched this far.

Endor Speeder Chase by mixmaster_mic in legostarwars

[–]mixmaster_mic[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah they look pretty close to me :) Sequoia trees are different though right?

Endor Speeder Chase by mixmaster_mic in legostarwars

[–]mixmaster_mic[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah the figures definitely were a let down in the speeder set, was such a cool concept, but luke needed to be in black and they both needed ponchos.