When I set off for work in the morning I am always prepared to find something new out there in the world. I love the mystery that awaits on the open road and even a trip to work can be really interesting. Sometimes I find stuff I need, sometimes I discover wild fruit or a rambling lime tree hanging over a fence, sometimes there are interesting animals like the Dingos who hang around near the airport or the Black Cockatoos eating on the side of the road. This morning on my way to work I stumbled across a Federal politician! None other than ex Midnight Oil Front Man, Ex Australian Conservation Foundation President... Peter Garrett!

 Apparently Mr Garret was here to announce a big cash handout for schools... Good news.

There are so many things I've wanted to say to Mr Garret since he's been involved in politics and there he was delivered virtually at my feet and all I could do was say Good Morning... as I cycled past him on the footpath! I can't believe it! Even as I was passing him my conscience was telling me to stop and have a chat... fire some questions at him do something! But no I just smiled said good morning Peter and peddled on. Meanwhile I have friends who have been fighting tooth and nail with the NT Education Department and no doubt their Federal counterparts to get a fair hearing for Bilingual Education... not to mention the Federal Government's Occupation of Aboriginal land via the Intervention! What a wasted opportunity.

In the end all I did was write him an over edited unclear email complaining about the road! It's not even his portfolio! I even deleted the bit which explained that I'd like him to take the issue up Paul Henderson, our Chief Minister! 

Anyway here's a copy of my letter to the Honorable Member for Kingsford Smith...

To the Honorable Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth.

Dear Mr Garret… Peter,

I expect that by the time you receive this letter you will have left Darwin. I trust you found your recent visit rewarding and the Hospitality of the locals suitably welcoming.

I write to you because I feel I owe you an apology. This morning as I rode along the footpath past the Ludmilla School I saw you but failed to stop and welcome you to our town. When I realized it was you I gave a thought to stopping to say hello but hesitated only saying G’day.  

I have two apologies to make. Firstly that I did not extend the traditional Darwin Hospitality to you, a visiting dignitary to our town (And front man for one of my favorite bands!).

The second apology is for whizzing by you on my bike as you stood on the footpath in front of Ludmilla Primary School. You had to step back and I fear I gave you a fright. I am sorry for that.

 Unfortunately, due to the lack of an adequate cycle lane or path along the notorious Bagot Rd I ride along the footpath at that stage of my commute.  Bagot Rd is quite dangerous and unfortunately many cyclists choose to ride along the footpath. This can make things decidedly more hazardous for pedestrians.  When I ride home, I choose to ride on the road rather than risk being skittled by cars reversing out of their driveways, but the risk is high regardless.

Although our roads are less congested than in other states I think you’ll find that NT motorists don’t like to be delayed for any reason and this is why much of Bagot Rd is an 80km zone regardless of the proximity to schools and residences. You may see children from time to time attempting to cross the road at any of a number of bus stops on the inbound lane; I tend not to look for fear of what I might witness. Shoddy planning has given the RAAF base a manicured golf course while cyclists and pedestrians are left literally in the gutter.

If you visit again I recommend you advise your driver to take the middle lane and travel at a speed of about 60kmh, especially at night! This will help you avoid any embarrassing incidents such as collisions with cyclists, children, the elderly or infirmed as they attempt to cross this bastard of a road without being squashed by oncoming traffic. Your driver might also like to bear in mind that many of the residents at Bagot Community have dark skin, and are on low income making it necessary for them to rely on the public transport system. They have to cross Bagot Rd whenever they travel, and the results are sometimes devastating. Local drivers know this and speed regardless.

On your next visit don’t forget to pay your respects at the various sites where pedestrians and cyclists have been hit and killed crossing Bagot Rd. Plenty of flowers and chalk (paint) silhouettes to mark the locations.

Sir I hope you enjoyed your stay in Darwin I’m sure it would have been a pleasure to have met you. I look forward to nearly bumping into you again sometime.

Yours sincerely

David XXXXXXX

 I actually wrote a few P.S's at the end of the letter relating to Bilingual Ed and STOP THE INTERVENTION, including the Don't cut out our tongues postcard but the truth is that I had my opportunity and I blew it! Maybe I'll do better next time we meet.

Friends

Feeling lonely?

Make some friends!

My kids whipped these little beauties out the other morning, they're sitting on the wall right beside the computer desk...
Not sure where this is going... Gratitude I guess.
Few things are as precious as happy kids!

They're all precious!

Careful with that mutika

I am not sure how to approach this subject since it arouses quite a bit if anger within me and I feel the subject is terribly misunderstood by the general public and more specifically the Dominant Anglo Mutika (motor car) obsessed culture!

(Telltale markings on the road)

I have to write something but once again I doubt I will do it justice! Maybe this can be the preliminary for some more substantial writing about the issue of road safety and the basic human rights of pedestrians.

Once again on my way to work I came across the remains of a grisly scene. Spray painted marks on the road indicating the various points of impact and final landing place of various objects after having been impacted by a motor vehicle. As I rode down Bagot Road toward the city I noticed the markings one by one until reaching the unmistakable outline of a person!

Another body has been smashed on the road! As I ride to work it is not uncommon to ride across blood stains and fur from countless, bandicoots, rats, cats and sometimes dogs. Occasionally but far too often there is evidence that a person has been hit. Thursday was one of those days!

I am talking about Bagot Road which links Darwin city with it's Northern Suburbs. It is three lanes wide and carries what I would expect most cities would consider a moderate amount of traffic. The road divides the residential suburbs of Ludmilla and Coconut Grove from the patch of land containing the RAAF base and Airport. Along the outbound side of the road there are retail outlets, MacDonalds, Red Rooster, two Primary Schools, blocks of flats and the Bagot Aboriginal Community. The majority of the in bound side has only a strip of grass and trees seperating the road from a high cyclone wire fence behind which is the RAAF, there is no footpath and very little space to stand, the ground is sloping towards the road. There are several bus stops along the road with about 4 or 5 on the side which has no footpath and very little space for people to sit.

Here I think are some of the factors which I believe have contributed to far too many people being hit on this road.

1. Speed limit - 70 - 80 kmh

2. Lack of appropriate pedestrian crossings

3. Lack of appropriate lighting at key sites where people cross the road

4. Higher than usual number of pedestrians/ Public transport users

5. Higher than usual likelihood of people who are not familiar with road conditions (a lot of people who stay at Bagot actually come from Aboriginal communities where there aren't any busy roads)

6. Pedestrian Intoxication

7. Driver negligence 
8. Insufficient space to stand at side of the road, sloping surface

I do not have any details about the facts involved in this recent accident and I would prefer not to speculate or try to draw any conclusions as to what happened on this occasion. However I would like to reflect on the attitudes that I come across when discussing the situation with people generally. I find their comments quite revealing and believe that it is popular Car Culture attitudes which have allowed this situation to continue without any 'meaningful' attempt to improve safety for pedestrians. (I use the word meaningful because there have actually been some attempts made to improve bus stops and crossing but they do not really address the real problems.)

These statements are a generalization and are not related to any empirical data, they are based only on general themes I have picked up on in discussion with people who are not experts... and were not present at the accidents. It is possible they may read a little too much of the local Tabloid or watch news on TV.

Q. What caused the accident

A. The the pedestrian was drunk and black

Q. Who was at fault

A. The pedestrian

Q. How could this have been prevented

A. He/She should stay off the road

Q. What about road conditions?

A. Not a problem.

Generally the answer I get  is that The pedestrian was hit because they were drunk and stepped onto the road at night, weren't seen and an innocent driver hit them.

Those hit aren't always black or drunk but there seems to be a general sense that this is the reason why people are hit by cars on Bagot Road. When the situation varies though people often seem just as willing to blame the victim of the incident rather than consider that there might be some other serious causes for the incident. For instance when a cyclist was hit a couple of years ago I remember the major point of discussion was whether or not he was wearing a helmet! It seems the blame for the accident could be shifted from the driver to the cyclist simply because he didn't have a helmet on when the car hit him!

Personally I find this situation quite intolerable and because it will result in more people being killed or maimed unnecessarily. I don't want to be one of them.

I will try to post on this subject in more detail when I have time to compose a constructive argument. But I would like to ask a few questions which I have asked several people I know and received somewhat negative feedback.

1. What if the speed limit was reduced to 60km. (how much time would actually be lost?

2. Would pedestrian crossings or lights make it safer for people to cross the road going to or from the buss stop?

3. Would improved lighting crossing the road near a buss stop increase visibility of pedestrians?

4. Would drivers pay attention to signs alerting drivers to the presence of pedestrians make them more cautious?

I am not blaming drivers for this situation. I still don't know any of the facts that contributed to this latest  incident and would hate to attribute guilt to anyone involved, it's not my place to do that. I have been in the situation more than once when an intoxicated pedestrian has stepped onto the road at night and it is a frightening situation. I have learned that there are times and places when this is more likely and I slow right down, regardless of what the other traffic is doing! Really I would just like to take a look at the whole situation and challenge some of the popular thinking on this subject in the hope that a solution might present itself.

Surely we must be capable of putting our fundamental responsibility for the care of human life before our perceived rights as drivers of motor vehicles?

How's the weather?

Some people make a profession of reading, interpreting, understanding and then predicting weather patterns, others study the weather for practical reasons like when to plant their crops or whether or not it is wise to go to sea... and others listen intently to weather forcasts so they will have something boring to talk about at picnics and dinner parties... Personally I am none of these and tend to just enjoy what the weather dishes up to me when I step out the door each day.
Even as a postie I was only ever mildly interested in weather forecasts... Don't get me wrong I am not disinterested in weather; I just don't see the point in studying up on it as though I can have some influence on the outcome! OK if someone tells me it's going to rain I'll dress accordingly... But don't try to start a conversation with me about how the weather is going to be over the next 12 months because I've had one too many of them... (After a few years of living in Darwin you will understand why conversations about extreme weather events can become a bit droll!)

Apparently we are currently experiencing a La nina weather phenomenon. That is pretty interesting actually. Most of Australia has received so much rain that it has caused major flooding in areas that have been dry for more than a decade! Dams are full to overflowing and people are now beginning to wish they hadn't wished so hard for rain.

Here in Darwin we've had exceptionally high rainfall for this time of year and have also been blessed with regular thunderstorms. It's quite wonderful to experience the Tropical thunderstorms we get here, but there is always an element of danger. There are some things a person should avoid doing. Things that might increase the chances of being struck by lightning... Things like playing golf, riding your bike or talking on a conventional telephone (you know the ones that still use a wire).

So after a storm had just passed I was reading my boy a children's story about the rain thinking it would be kind of fun and keeping in theme with the current weather.. I was kind of shocked to find that apparently for the sake of staying true to a rhyme the book gave some very dangerous advice!

(...Umbrellas up and all get under?) - Click on image for clearer text

What is wrong with this picture?

Are they CRAZY?

Where can we ride our bikes?

Recently I read a blog article about cycling culture in Darwin. The author of the blog, who was visiting from interstate, commented on a variety of aspects of Darwin culture that differs from that in other states. The most significant difference is the fact that we have exemptions from helmet laws requiring cyclists to wear helmets at all times. This has inspired me to try and post more on this subject in future. One of the features mentioned was what the author considdered an impressinve network of bicycle paths.

It is true Darwin does have some nice examples of shared cycle/foot paths but I don't believe we live in a cyclists Utopia. There is much wrong in Darwin when it comes to infrastructure and planning for bicycles. There also appears to be growing hostility between drivers and cyclists on our roads. 

I'm not too sure about the state of Bicycle Advocacy in Darwin at the moment, I am aware of a few bicycle clubs but there is only a small group actively involved in our bicycle advocacy network 'Bicycle NT', which must make it quite difficult to form an active or effective advocacy group that is able to influence decision makers in Government.

Lately I've noticed a few changes to some of our bicycle paths but they don't appear to be following any coordinated plan or design. I am sure bicycle path or lane planning in Darwin is an add hock opporation that doesn't refer to any standard of design and I would be very surprised if decisions have been made in cooperation with informed representatives from our cycling community.

Examples of recent works include the new path along Vanderlyn Drive which joins McMillans Rd to the Stuart Highway. Some sections of this path virtually merge the cycle path with the road when there are open fields of open space available on the other side of the path. 20kmh speed limits in areas where there are children's playgrounds and many pedestrians, bicycle paths merging onto main roads at busy intersections and the most pathetic attempt at widening Lee Point Rd after Vanderly. This particular piece of roadwork should be the case in point for bicycle advocacy in Darwin. This is a single lane road with a speed limit recently reduced from Open to 80kmh (People still treat it as if it has an open limit) The road leads to a boat ramp, a popular coastal reserve and a caravan park that houses 1,000s of tourists during the dry season. Many of theis used by fishermen with boatsspeed limit, where drA road leading twhich is relied on  the.

I am hoping to blog some of this stuff over the coming weeks, not to bring you down but just as a means of showing how things are here and maybe questioning the logic.

One of my favorite bicycle blogs 'A View from the cycle path' written by David Hembrow often discusses issues of design and planning with the objective of creating a much more bicycle friendly universe. David produces some great video documentaries.


The latest post David's blog contains a video tour along a Dutch cycle path with text added to indicate various virtues of a dedicated cycle path.
Reality-vs myth dangers of dutch cycle

Although this model would not be practable for a place like Darwin where we have a much smaller population and far greater distances it still offers some basic principals that can be applied with regard to right of way, distance from roads, merging traffic and dealing with intersections.

If we want to create a safe cycling environment in Darwin I believe planners need to give propper considderation to these basic design principals rather than consrtucting cycle paths that channel riders into hazardous situations.