[bikeqld] 25% reduction in car trips to schools????? Really?

[Michael Yeates]

Mitch and all,

Most of the info has been well explained and/or provided by others.

To get a slant on the "spin", it is worth asking 
if anyone could measure the environmental or 
traffic impact benefits of 130 less cars in use across the whole of Brisbane.

Gee ... that's roughly 5 less cars in each of the Council's Wards ...!

Wow ... what a mighty outcome ...!

So rather than getting side-tracked by the "spin" 
ie the highly dubious assumptions that result in 
130 cars etc etc, one far more important point 
worth considering is WHEN these AT participation 
figures were taken ... and then, knowing how long 
the EFFECT of the programme continues.

As with any behavioural project (ie eg be it 
education, enforcement or encouragement), in 
almost all cases, a regular "top up" is 
essential. This is why for example speed 
enforcement is a mix of fixed and mobile/random 
locations, times of day, days of the week, and 
most importantly, variable frequency.

Anecdotal and observational outcomes of a couple 
of schools I know nearby suggest that once the 
generated enthusiasm wears off and realities set 
in, numbers participating fall off and in these examples, quite dramatically.

Also most successful longer term changes require 
an above average commitment from one or more 
"leaders". These usually emerge at the initial 
stage (may even be the reason why the project 
location was selected) but then get tired indeed 
exhausted, eg by others not assisting, or criticising, etc etc etc.

It is one thing to do it, another altogether to 
keep others doing it over time ... especially 
with little or no support from in this case 
Council ... its the well known "burn out" effect.

Another important issue is the course content of 
the AT projects ... I have yet to hear of or see 
a copy of the curriculum and course content, 
aims, teaching strategies, etc. Do they exist? Is 
the complete document available to the interested 
and (in our case at least partially) informed public/community?

It IS important to know what exactly is being 
taught ... given there is a narrow gap between 
education, misinformation, manipulation and 
indoctrination depending of course, on 
perspectives adopted (happy to discuss this further elsewhere).

It seems clear too that since the "BikeEd" 
programme was "banned" in Queensland (state 
schools) because it finished with a "reward" of a 
trip on local streets and roads (ie in the "real" 
cycling environment), most of the promotion has 
failed to take account of the group support 
effect (akin to hyped enthusiasm or perhaps even 
euphoria) that is inevitable in a group.

However when left to participate on ones own, the 
reality sets in ... like the lack of necessary 
connectivity and indeed lack of endorsement of 
cycling by BCC more generally "on the road" ... 
given it will be IMPOSSIBLE to EVER create a 
cycling network that relies on off-road 
facilities of the type (again) being promoted and provided by BCC .

If you have not seen it already, there is a BCC 
map showing where the $100m is to be spent ... 
but most importantly, the map shows yet again how 
disconnected are the "bikeways" provided or 
proposed ... and in some sectors of Brisbane, 
their complete absence eg the Oxley Road corridor south to Logan etc.

So as others have implied if not suggested, the 
Lord Mayor's statement is essentially a 
concoction of positive "spin" given that it isn't 
likely much of the negative reality would be promoted.

A published annual survey of actual walking and 
cycling to school by ALL schools that have had AT 
programmes would be rather more useful ... and it 
could be verified by observation and/or attendees 
at those schools ... hence far more likely to be credible info than "spin"

And related to the promotion of off-road cycling 
facilities rather than cycling "on the road", the 
opening as distinct from "official" opening of 
the bridge over the Western Freeway is perhaps 
just another example of the problem ... bearing 
in mind that what was requested at one stage 
quite early, perhaps even originally, was a means 
to cross Milton Road at the end of Sylvan Road 
... to provide walking and cycling access to/from Toowong State School.

Interesting then that Toowong is one of the 
current list of schools on the Council's AT list 
... but I wonder if getting across Milton Road 
will be celebrated by the final "reward" 
ride/walk for the Toowong State School participants?

Also its worth noting that quite a lot of 
projects are being "opened" before they are 
operationally completed or "officially" opened 
... one example is the shared path beside the St Lucia Golf Course.

Surely this isn't for a variety of convenient "political" reasons?

MY..................

At 12:24 AM 6/03/2009, mich rolling wrote:


>I must be mathematically challenged. Michael, can you make sense out of
>  Cr.Prentice's post which says that reducing 130 car trips to schools
>equates to a 25% drop in vehicle use?
>
>
>http://www.campbellnewman.com.au/article-view.html?articleId=6581
>Council program removes 130 cars
>Written on the 10 February, 2009
>
>Brisbane City Council’s Active School Travel program has resulted in a
>  dramatic reduction in car trips and greenhouse gases, according to the
>  latest results.
>
>The equivalent of about 130 cars a year were removed from the road (RACQ
>average kilometre estimates) or two million 
>vehicle kilometres, and 550 tonnes of CO2 cut from the atmosphere.
>
>Public and Active Transport Chairman Councillor Jane Prentice said the
>  achievements from the 2008 program, released today, were record results
>for the six-year program.
>
>“Car trips were reduced by almost 25 per cent across the 13 participating
>  schools during the course of the year, 
> compared with before the program started,” she said.
>
>
>
>
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