Let’s Just Walk
Nov 10In our interviews you talked a lot about walking. Even the most committed car commuters among you long for a good walk, whether it’s on the waterfront, through the CBD, up or down the Rivulet Trail, or in the bush that surrounds Hobart.
When we’re walking we can look up and see the mountain, read the signs of weather to come. We can notice what we too often take for granted: the Georgian and Victorian architecture, the views of the water, the trees and flowers, the native hens, the cockatoos.
Yet we’re also committed drivers. Free or cheap parking is almost holy for some of us.
“You must be willing to spill seven litres of blood if you want to remove a parking spot in Hobart,” one of you said.
Many of you are furious that our city, once built for people, now seems to be built for cars. You don’t want to live in the shadows of multi-storey car parks. But you are also frustrated about our new ‘peak hour’, and how hard it’s become to get a park on the waterfront.
When asked to describe Hobart, one of you said, “See you in 5 minutes”. The accessibility of our city came up in almost every interview.
But some of your favourite parts of Hobart were built before cars. They never were and never will be car-friendly. You are worried about pollution, congestion and roadkill. Too young to have their own driver’s license, one interviewee wondered why, with such high levels of obesity, heart disease and diabetes, we are still so determined to drive.
We have given this some thought in the past. Many of you brought up the Jan Gehl report from 2010, which recommended focusing on pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, and public transport. Others talked of building the ‘Western bypass’ to ease car traffic in the central business district. Some of you advocated an absolute cultural change: take out street parking and replace them all with bike lanes as they are doing in Europe and North America. Others referred to that sort of thinking as absolute insanity.
It seems that driving could be the topic that most divides us.
However, almost all of you came back to walking: kids walking, businesspeople walking, seniors walking safely and happily through Hobart. How much blood would we have to spill to achieve this?
November 15, 2017 at 3:17 pm
tonyAn easy answer – the best place to walk. The rivulet, the walks along the river as well as the more difficult walks up the mountain. We have it all!!
November 18, 2017 at 10:12 pm
Mark PooleyFew would argue that Hobart, today, remains the most ‘European’ of all Australian capital cities. As a new resident from the mainland, I would go further by suggesting not only the built environment & human scale of Hobart, but also our lifestyle is more typically European than any other capital. Hobart has, I believe, a unique opportunity at this pivotal point in its development to reject the high-rise stereotype of the mainland capitals & develop a truly ‘pedestrian-focused’ CBD & harbour precinct. Let’s study the best Euro-cities of similar populations & create something special.
November 19, 2017 at 6:52 am
Penny lamingIn Europe they keep high rises out of the beautiful centres of cities and so the city centre is a place for people.
November 19, 2017 at 8:31 am
DiThe most liveable (and walkable) cities overseas have already worked this out. They have established a priority grid which places pedestrians at the top, then bike riders, then public transport, then shared vehicles, then single occupancy vehicles. This understanding leads to reshaping how the scarce space on the street is allocated and results in them being enjoyable to be in, no matter what your personal transport choice is.
November 22, 2017 at 3:56 pm
CarrieEuropean cities do a great job of keeping high rises down and bikes&pedestrians up, but they developed when cars didn’t exist&land was scarce. Australian cities did not. Our blocks are large&our suburbs far. Cars are affordable. Consequently, public transport is crap. You’ll never convince Hobartians not to drive cars because even if you enable us to take a ferry to work, we’ll still want to drive to a walking track on the weekend. You can, however, convince us to PT to work if you make it EASY (i.e. frequent services at reasonable times covering all suburbs) and CHEAP (cheaper than driving)
November 24, 2017 at 6:46 pm
melissaAs a member of a dog walking group, I cherish the walks that we can go on. There are some magical places where you can be minutes from the CBD and not see or hear a soul. New comers to Hobart get a real buzz discovering Hobart with their dogs on these walks. I am very concerned that planners do not put enough time into considering the needs of our canine companions and that some Councils appear to becoming more anti dog. I’ve made many friends through dog walking and learnt so much more about Hobart.
November 26, 2017 at 3:45 pm
SarahWalking is the ultimate way to get around – it’s free, emission-free and done regularly, will keep us happy, healthy and connected.