Mastodawn

Government scrambling to respond to a disaster that is not 'natural'
By Xanthe Gregory

Locals, industry groups promised input into a support package for communities struggling to cope with the ongoing closure of the Great Western Highway.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-19/great-western-highway-taskforce/106471918

#Roads #RoadTransportIndustry #SmallBusinesses #StateandTerritoryGovernment #XantheGregory

Government scrambling to respond to a disaster that is not 'natural'

Locals, industry groups promised input into a support package for communities struggling to cope with the ongoing closure of the Great Western Highway.

BellingenNSW 2h ago

Why is Australia so reliant on foreign oil?

“We’re completely dependent on imported fuel.”

“We’ve spent a lot of money, especially in places like Victoria and Sydney, building up large motorway networks, large road infrastructure, without any kind of thinking about whether that’s an optimal approach”..."A focus on servicing new growth areas with public transport would help buffer cities against future shocks."

“Some of us are motivated by the impact of transportation and the consumption of fuels and energy on the environment. But many of us are much more strongly motivated by the impact on our hip pocket. And sometimes also the impact in terms of the security of our country.” >>
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/mar/19/australia-fuel-energy-solutions-foreign-oil-reliance-prices
#cars #roads #FossilFuel #dependency #climate #coffsharbour #highways #war
Image: Pacific Highway dreaming of endless cheap oil

BellingenNSW 5h ago

How the house and car nexus is destroying biodiversity

"Australian houses are among the largest in the world, averaging 236 square metres of living space"

"Local urban greening outcomes are subjugated to state government housing priorities."

"Driveway area has increased on average by 57% from 29m2 to 46m2."

"Front garden area has reduced on average by 46% from 102m2 to 55m2."

"Redevelopment has reduced canopy cover by 62% at the lot scale."

"Middle-ring suburban Sydney is experiencing a quiet yet profound transformation. As redevelopment accelerates, larger houses with expansive footprints and additional driveways are steadily replacing traditional front yards and gardens. This study examines 370 properties across Northern and Greater Western Sydney to quantify these changes. In areas where older, low-density homes have been replaced by newer, larger detached dwellings, the average front garden area has declined by 46%, while driveways and other impervious surfaces have increased by 57%. Most notably, front yard canopy cover has fallen by 62%. These patterns are not due to a lack of policy, but to a planning system in which local controls have become discretionary under ongoing state-level legislative reforms. Broader social trends toward larger homes and greater car ownership further reinforce this shift. The cumulative effect is leading to a substantial loss of private green space, contributing to higher urban heat, reduced biodiversity, and diminished connections with nature. Urban planning reform is urgently needed to embed minimum standards..."

Death of the front yards: How the house and car is replacing residential gardens >>
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264275126001617

#cars #roads #housing #driveways #sprawl #expansion #MumAndDadDeveloper #UHI #UrbanHeat #gardens #backyard #GreenSpace #UrbanGreening #wildlife #biodiversity #trees #children #SmallLandclearing #UrbanPlanning #FossilFuel #dependency #failure #regulation #suburbia #Australia #culture

Image: Housing cars

BellingenNSW 5h ago

Turning gardens into roads - Supersized driveways are shrinking suburban front yards

"...In 30 years time we’ll suddenly wake up and go ‘Where have all our front gardens gone?’..You end up with this hard infrastructure – houses and driveways – that have this incremental dominance of the landscape."

"Tree canopy coverage was reduced by 62% as older houses were demolished and rebuilt."

"In contrast, the footprint of driveways and other artificial surfaces increased by 57% to 46 square metres."

"...Greater car ownership and households increasingly having multiple vehicles had also contributed to the loss of private green space.The loss of private green space contributes to higher urban heat, reduced biodiversity, and fewer connections with nature..." >>
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/mar/18/where-have-all-our-front-gardens-gone-sydneys-super-sized-driveways-eat-into-yards

Driveway 'accidents' >>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/search?query=driveway%20accidents

15-minute city
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/15-minute_city

#cars #roads #housing #driveways #UHI #UrbanHeat #gardens #backyard #GreenSpace #wildlife #biodiversity #trees #children #SmallLandclearing #UrbanPlanning #FossilFuel #dependency #failure #suburbia #Australia #culture