Banning combustion engine cars by 2035 will be necessary

"At present, transport accounts for 22% of Australia’s total emissions. It’s also the fastest-growing source. "
"Banning petrol cars by 2035 isn’t radical – it’s necessary. Voluntary transitions and market forces will be too slow. For car-dependent Australia, a 2035 ban may sound like a tough ask. But without it, transport risks becoming an albatross around our necks. The question now is whether Australia has the discipline to match the ambition."
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https://theconversation.com/banning-combustion-engine-cars-by-2035-will-be-necessary-to-get-australia-moving-on-electric-vehicles-267530
#MobilityDesign #ClimateBreakdown #climate #pollution #cars #vehicles #regulation #ActiveTransport #infrastructure

30km/h as a standard on residential streets

“Slowing traffic makes bicycle riding less stressful, encouraging more people to choose bikes as a safe and viable mode of transport...If you get hit by a car travelling at 50km/h, you’ve only got a 1.5-in-10 chance of surviving. If it’s going 30km/h you’ve got a nine-in-10 chance."

"By 2030, transport is likely to overtake electricity to become Australia’s largest emitting sector, according to the Climate Change Authority. It is the only sector where emissions are increasing, according to government data."
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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/15/switching-50kmh-speed-limits-to-30kmh-would-protect-cyclists-while-barely-affecting-commutes-research-finds
#pedestrians #cycling #MobilityDesign #councils #ActiveTransport #climate #ZeroRoadDeaths #safety #cars #vehicles #trucks #BellingenShire #speeding #GHG

Driving and the associated climate change is a major cause of accelerated deterioration of roads.

How cars, trucks and climate disruption are trashing Australia’s roads: Intense rain, landslides and potholes everywhere.
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https://theconversation.com/intense-rain-landslides-and-potholes-everywhere-how-climate-change-is-trashing-australias-roads-264328
#FossilFuels #cars #roads #ClimateDisruption #MobilityDesign #climate #floods #ActiveTransport #Sisyphus

Transport will make or break Australia’s new climate plan – and time is running out to fix it

"Transport is Australia’s third-largest and fastest-growing source of emissions. On current trends, transport will become Australia’s largest-emitting sector by 2030."

"Urban planning needs to reduce car dependence by promoting public transport, walking and cycling. Large-scale investment in public and active transport is also needed...Real progress means focusing on what we know works: electrification, renewables, redesigning our cities and changing how we travel. Every year of delay makes the task harder. With just a decade to halve emissions, the window for action is closing fast."
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https://theconversation.com/transport-will-make-or-break-australias-new-climate-plan-and-time-is-running-out-to-fix-it-265986
#FossilFuels #cars #trucks #MobilityDesign #sprawl #CarDependency #GHG #pollution #ClimateBreakdown

Image: A procession of B-double trucks racing through the main drag of Bellingen. Al fresco eating is literally done in close proximity to numerous exhaust pipes, but no one seems to care.

How Copenhagen gave cyclists a green wave

"Getting people out of cars and moving their bodies is an effective way to save lives and protect the planet...The toxic particles that vehicles spew when burning petrol and crunching tyres on tarmac have fuelled further frustration with car-centric planning."

"Copenhagen is up against Amsterdam for the title of Europe’s cycling capital, but other big cities such as Paris and London are starting to catch up. The municipality scored poorly in a recent ranking of child-friendly cycling on the share of roads with 30km/h speed limits, though it has begun to add more."
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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/sep/26/how-copenhagen-gave-cyclists-a-green-wave
#ClimateBreakdown #cars #pollution #MobilityDesign #ActiveTransport #cycling #Fossilfuel #dependency #CarBrain #BellingenShire #Australia

Meanwhile in Australia mobility design is car-centric, vehicles get bigger and more deadly and grab all the space.

Australia’s new climate adaptation plan:
https://www.dcceew.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/national-adaptation-plan.pdf

Major Australian gas project extended until 2070
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpw1d2wdj84o
#FossilFuels #ClimateBreakdown #cars #Automobility #CarDependency #pollution #MobilityDesign #oilandgas #AmericanWayOfLife #CarMinds

Paris said au revoir to cars. Air pollution maps reveal a dramatic change.

"Air pollution fell substantially as the city restricted car traffic and made way for parks and bike lanes.
Over the past 20 years, Paris has undergone a major physical transformation, trading automotive arteries for bike lanes, adding green spaces and eliminating 50,000 parking spaces."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2025/04/12/air-pollution-paris-health-cars/
#air #pollution #cars #FossilFuel #ClimateBreakdown #MobilityDesign
Image: Bellingen, Forests out, more cars, parking and pollution in

Mobility design for mortality and morbidity

"Traffic pollution contributes to more than 1,800 premature deaths per year, study estimates. Vehicle pollution may contribute to more deaths each year than the number caused by road accidents."
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https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2025-08-22/traffic-pollution-study-estimates-1800-premature-deaths-per-year/105677620
#cars #roads #FossilFuel #MobilityDesign #harm #pollution #air #PrematureDeath #Deathzone #idling #disease #inflammation #ActiveTransport

Australia’s addiction to mega roads continues despite the spectre of climate change.

" The stream of projects shows Australia’s approach to urban transport is stuck in the car-obsessed past. It’s an approach at odds with state planning policies that prioritise other less-polluting transport modes, such as train and tram extensions, bike lane infrastructure and better pedestrian footpaths.

As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has warned, roads hinder national efforts to meet climate targets. They “lock in” emissions, by establishing long-term infrastructure that commits societies to greenhouse gas emissions for decades to come...Globally, roads account for 69% of transport emissions, and this is growing. "
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https://theconversation.com/australia-why-are-you-still-obsessed-with-freeways-when-theyre-driving-us-away-from-net-zero-262129
#cars #vehicle #pollution #GHG #climate #roads #highways #CarDependency #MobilityDesign #Sprawl #PacificHighway #CoffsHarbour #bypass