Resistance show us how to get people out of the car & onto the street for active transport. Presentation at Green Institute Conference, 19 August 2023

1. Resistance shows us how to
get people out of the car & onto
the street for active transport
presentation by
Gillian King
to
Green Institute Conference 2023
‘The City Transformed: Urban life at the end of the world as we know it’
Griffith University, South Brisbane
19 August 2023

2. About me
• Thought leader
• Speaker
• Sustainability strategist & facilitator
• Focus: integrity for flourishing in a
habitable climate
– Specialise in framing, urban design, faith
leadership, and investment
– Talk about #integrity, #communication, and
#faithinaction

3. About me
• Long-term interest in climate change & urban
planning
– scientist, policy-maker, community member,
activist
– interested in systemic change, game-changers
• 20+ years Aust Gov’t policy, management
– environment (particularly climate change), industry
& ageing
• Leadership positions to increase engagement
of people of faith on these matters

4. About me
Transport Equity in Australia

5. Outline – a taster!

7. Priorities?

8. Priorities?

9. Priorities?

10. Priorities?

11. Priorities?

12. Priorities?

13. Getting out of the car to get around
• We live in a culture where car travel is the
default ‘norm’ for getting around.
– We see it in our suburbs and regional towns.
– We see it on our streets and in buildings.
– We hear it on the radio, with our ‘Drive’
programs.

14. Priorities

15. Priorities

16. Waste space, damage cities

17. Wasteful & damaging

18. Advertising, Psychology & Systems Thinking

20. Economy, financial eg $, buy, sell, share market, exchange
rate, commodities, prices, GDP, Work hard and (eventually)
you can be rewarded (eg by retiring)
Growth, more, building, improvement, fast, better = good
Celebrity, fashion, design, appearance, food – fast,
engineered, ‘perfect’
Man-made objects (eg cars, buildings, food, fashion, faces,
bodies)
Refinement = improvement: natural = primitive = bad
Extrinsic value
Dehumanising, objectifying, abstracting
I/me, you, status, ownership, control, closed, fast

22. Good replies -> Change
May 2023: 30km/h streets in Canberra
Canberra Times online:
• 189 comments

23. 30km/h streets
• Default speed limit
• Proposed:
–‘unilaterally’
–’out of the blue’
• Canberra (May 2023)
• Borough of Queenscliff

24. Canberra: Pedal Power
Online & paper: 189 comments online
Online: 67 comments

28. Queenscliff LGA: Council

29. Resistance: Ridiculous!

30. Resistance: Extremist minority
Pandering to
few vocal
extremists
Kids playing
on road =
bad parents
Council
over-reach

31. Resistance: Extremist minority

32. Reframe: Official, Majority

33. Resistance: Evidence?
Separate
paths avoid
crashes
Where is the
evidence that this
would be better?
Ideological

34. Resistance: 40/50 km/h is safe
40km/h and
50km/h seem
pretty safe to
me

35. Resistance: Evidence?

36. Reframe: If outside a car,
only <30km/h safe

37. Reframe: Sweet spot b/w
safety, noise, time. + Bonuses

38. Resistance:
Separate by speed

39. Reframe: How do you get
to/from paths, cross streets?

40. Resistance:
How many are killed [here]?
How many
pedestrians & cyclists
are killed in [place]?
Approximately 0 each
year!

41. Resistance:
How many are killed [here]?

43. Resistance:
How many are killed [here]?

44. Reframe: How many are scared?

45. Resistance: Keep off the road
I ride a bike -
on the bike
path.
Get off the road – it’s
way safer on paths!
Stick to the paths!

46. Resistance:
Keep off the road!

47. Reframe: How do you get
to/from paths, cross streets?

48. Resistance: Keep off the road
If you want to
share the road,
then pay for [bike]
registration!

49. Resistance: Keep off the road

50. Reframe: Streets are public
infrastructure, Kids ride bikes

51. Resistance: Active travelers are
stupid, should obey laws
People with
earphones don’t
pay attention
People
walk/ride
against red
lights
Will cyclists
have to obey
30km/h too?

52. Resistance: Active travelers
shouldn’t break the law

53. Resistance: Active travelers
shouldn’t break the law

54. Reframe: Killing [stupid]
people is against the law

55. Reframe: Active travelers do
get fined for breaking the law

57. Speed limit change not enough

58. Speed limit change not enough
Ridiculous!
Listen to
people!
Over-reach!
Nanny
State!

60. Reframing helps change

63. Re-prioritise
Help drivers

65. Count all costs: time, health

66. Count all costs: GHG, space

67. Help our elected reps to lead
Political leaders don’t like being on the bleeding
edge – they like being on the congealing edge
(Barrie Seppings, Better Streets)
 Help change the conversations & thinking:
• Listen…then reframe, correct, educate
• Speak up:
– Comment, Letters to Editor, Call/Text radio
– Transport Equity Week

68. Transport Equity in
Australia
• Transport Equity
Week, 17-23 Sept
transportequity.org.au
Better Streets www.betterstreets.org.au

69. Gill King
gill@sustainabljill.com 0407 953 959
convenor@livingstreets.org.au
Everywhere