tag: vault
Vault 2007: Pricey digs and votes
posted 04.25 in news.
How things don’t change. From 2007: “The housing affordability ‘crisis’ is one example of a reduced debate. The parties can’t open their mouths about ditching negative gearing or calming skyrocketing house prices without alienating great swathes of the electorate. The affordability debate is restricted to suggesting new ways to top up the wallets of first home buyers, new ways to lower building costs, empty promises on interest rates, and to pressuring state governments to rezone land at the edge of town for new homes.”
Vault 2016: Streets of our town - staying on your feet
posted 03.25 in news.
Pedestrians are suffering on the road more than they should be because of a gap in jurisdictions. Vehicle safety is the priority of road safety authorities. Traffic flow is the priority of traffic engineers. Pedestrians are difficult moving targets. Their manufacturers never update their safety features, and they are prone to unexpected changes in direction.
Vault 2016: Watch your step
posted 03.25 in news.
I’m getting a bit tired of being lectured every New Year’s Day, when the figures are in for the previous year, that road users just need to be a bit more careful. Pedestrians get it too, as the number killed and injured edges up year by year. “Don’t use your phone”. “Don’t drink and walk.” “Don’t rush”. “Cross at the lights.” Even “wear bright clothing.” But what if, in the chorus of victim blame, there is something else that goes unmentioned.
Vault 2014: Gaza - cities under siege and under attack
posted 03.24 in news.
Originally published in 2014.
All eyes should be on Gaza at the moment, but understandably many are focused on unfolding events in the damp fields of Eastern Ukraine. The Gaza Strip is small and densely populated with over 5,000 people per square kilometre. It is tense and under siege. Borders to Israel and Egypt have been closed to the general population, offering no means of escape from the conflict. The underground supply tunnels used for civilian supplies are considered illegal by Israel and are further threatened by their secondary use as conduits for weaponry. Israel’s defence force has them in their sights, and Egypt recently announced the closure of 1,370 tunnels to the South.