The Oil Drum: Australia/New Zealand | The Bullroarer

11 comments on The Bullroarer - Monday 12 May 2008

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Cargill on May 13, 2008 - 2:13am

NSW Roads Minister, Eric Roozendaal is no doubt a boof-head, playing the tired Sydney-or-the-Bush riff, but he is also badly wrong. As someone (from Melbourne) who tends to spend a lot of time in Adelaide, I find its traffic flow (and the converse, congestion) really dreadful. For a "small" city (although in reality it stretches 80 km north to south) its main arteries simply do not cope with the traffic that wants to use it. Being criss-crossed by a grid of equally major roads doesn't help, and the traffic light system just builds delays everywhere.

I actually find Melbourne traffic more serene, more free-flowing in general, and most importantly, seems to have less impact on the residential communities it passes through. Everywhere in Adelaide feels like vehicular mayhem to me, by comparison. South Road is the stuff of nightmares, and it's not the only one. I also don't think Adelaide or Canberra are "boring" either - Sydneysiders remain quaint and slightly desperate-sounding, in their need to over-rate the desirability of their harbour-side town.

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Big Gav on May 13, 2008 - 4:31am

I agree about Adelaide traffic being rubbish - though I suspect Sydney's is still worse (I avoid the roads during peak hour except for a bit of dodging through the gridlock on my bike, so I'm not an expert on just how bad lie commuting from the burbs is, but my few morning experiences on places like Victoria Rd and Parramatta Rd make me keen never to do that on a regular basis).

I think everyone would agree that Eric Roozendaal is a boofhead (no offence Boof) but I still prefer living here to Adelaide or Canberra - the beaches are a lot better for a start, as is the weather. But I wouldn't call the other places boring - they're alright - by and large how "good" a city is depends on which part you live in and spend most of your time...

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Boof on May 13, 2008 - 6:57am

I've live in both Adelaide and Canberra for a couple of decades, and visited Sydney and Melbourne heaps. Which city is the nicest?...Hobart.

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Big Gav on May 13, 2008 - 7:07am

Hmmm - nice place to visit but its a bit chilly.

And the beaches definitely aren't a drawcard.

To each his own though _ i always like going there.

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Cretaceous on May 13, 2008 - 4:41am

Roozendaal is pretty much an entertainment industry all on his own. The guy could talk under wet motorway concrete! - I can still remember him concluding an interview about bus lanes with the comment "I love my car".
http://www.abc.net.au/stateline/nsw/content/2006/s1589239.htm

Ironically, his car once got into the limelight as well, when the Sydney Sunday Telegraph photographed him travelling in (ahem!) a bus lane!!!
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,18760911-1702,00.html

But all this pales into insignificance compared with our state Treasurer, Michael Costa, whose dismissal of Peak Oil in State Parliament last year was absolutely jaw-dropping...
http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/hansart.nsf/V3Key/LC20070...

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Cargill on May 13, 2008 - 5:18am

I do not know where to start to answer that question.

The only part of the Hon Michael Kosta's answer that was credible. But it must be said, despite the compelling data (and evidence) that high prices will not produce new technology and new reserves, I don't think I would like to be a politician trying to sell Peak Oil to the electorate. They (the punters) can deny all they want, and keep the dream alive, but unfortunately they vote as well. Richard Heinberg was sober and measured last night - and even if he were only half right - it should be front-page news. But as has been suggested on The Oil Drum for some years now (since birth?), we have to run the car into a brick wall before we decide it's time to apply the brakes. Unfortunately.

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Big Gav on May 13, 2008 - 7:05am

I thought Costa's performance at the state ALP conference last week was probably "better" - telling everyone to "get f*cked" numerous times and generally behaving like a manic depressive maniac (which I think the SMH said he actually is - bipolar disorder being the term they used if I recall correctly).

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