Chief Minister Stanhope was back at work yesterday after his lengthy holiday. He put out a media release on Canberra being included in yet another feasability study into high speed rail.
But today he’s returning to planet earth gradually, announcing we’re now signed up to “the International Charter for Walking”.
“Canberra has the best walking and cycling paths in the nation and today we have formalised our support for a pedestrian-friendly city by signing the International Charter for Walking,” Mr Stanhope said. “As a signatory to the charter, the ACT Government commits to supporting a city that is attractive, safe and suitable for walking.
“The charter complements the Government’s targets for walking of seven per cent of journeys to work by 2026, with a 2011 milestone of five per cent.”
One imagines the international charter requires quite a bit of international travel to attend meetings.
The Greens’ Caroline Le Couteur is claiming credit for this great advance.
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Re-opening a few local shops might be a good start to get people walking.
Making sure that the footpaths to the local shops are maintained would also add to that start.
Having rangers/inspectors to check randomly that the footpaths (provided out here on only one side of the street) are not blocked by parked cars would be another.
Block size and built designs that allow for adequate offstreet parking to avoid blocking the footpaths would be even better. Won’t happen because they can’t accept that out here the public transport is woeful.
Proper pedestrian crossings in the city and elsewhere would help, e.g. when walking around London Circuit at the enterence to the bus interchange pedestrians (best for environment) have to woit for busses (not as good). Many other pedestrian ways in the city require pedestrians to wait for vehicles.
However I am sure Johnboy is correct, the charter is more about international travel for JS and wife.
Ohhhh if only a typo had been made in ‘walking’
Cool. We look forward to Stanhope demonstrating at the end of 2011 that at least five per cent of trips to work by the politicians and staff of the Assembly were walking trips. The year 2011 starts in two months, Assemblyans! Caroline LeCouteur will of course be walking every day, being the exemplar.
First thing we’ll need is a map of the safe walking paths. The walking paths seem to be the best places to steal some lone walker’s mobile phone and wallet.
Yay, more meaningless crap from the local council!
Anyway, most Canberrans walk enough each day already: from the front door to the car, from the car to the office – and vice versa in the afternoon.
At least Stanhope is addressing the vitally important aspects of living in Canberra in the 21st century like, um…..
Err…. an international charter on walking?
Seriously, is that not one of the most stupid things you have ever heard of? Monty Python would have been proud if they had thought of it.
As others have already said – giving poeple somewhere to walk TO would be a great start.
What a string of failures we keep setting ousrlves up for: No child in poverty by 1990, NoWaste by 2010, NoGas by 2050 (Stanhope’s greenhouse gas emissions). What do we call this then, NoCars by 2020?
Then themind starts to wander: NoSchools by 2020, NoSmoke by 2030(pollution control), NoDams (oops, that was the Franklin, and they won)… ok time to stop now.
Another day, another target. Meh.
I suppose we do walk further and further from the few remaining civic car parks. And through the ever-increasing civic mall.
Unless we have body-armoured footpath guards blasting dog shit and sticks off the path from my place to the shops, I’ll be continuing to use my motorised wheelchair, thankyou all very much!