Holden snubs Canberra

**husky srt** · 10-12-2013, 10:21 PM

You want to see the old folk's in the car park at my work, NRMA rated it the worst car park in Canberra for car park crashes. We have sat outside having morning tea and seen some beauties, then they think no-one is watching and just drive off. I love getting their rego numbers and giving it to the person they just pranged into. I no longer park in that car park after having both my front and rear bars munched by inconsiderate, arrogant barstards that just can't drive.

**wbute** · 10-12-2013, 10:51 PM

To be honest, the easiest thing I have driven and parked is a 793 Cat truck. All 500 tonnes and 1700 hp of it. But that's just stupid.
Careful what you say about taxing cars you don't like in areas you don't think they should be. V8 cars are just as open to similar disgruntled citizens.
I don't see the need for 4wd cars in cities either. I don't actually see the need for any cars in inner city areas.

**Alien DNA** · 10-12-2013, 11:11 PM

I dont think they should be taxed, just banned from inner city areas. The V8s nowadays arent the cause of most of the noise pollution.....the 4 cyl jap cars with their 3 inch exhausts and milo tin tips make a bloody big racquet as well.....they seem to have that drone that reverberates where ever they go!! I agree with you wbute.....inner city areas dont need cars. Many European countries have their system sorted with push bikes.....creates a much safer place to commute and keeps the pollution down....as well as having no disgruntled drivers that sit in traffic for hours on end.

**Taily** · 10-12-2013, 11:18 PM

The problem with that is that public transport to reasonably close to where you want or need to go for people in Western/NW/SW Sydney is either non-existant, over crowded or just plain not running at the times you need them to get to/from work, especially if you need to get to/from the airport. For a 24 hour city it really is a shambles. With probably close to a couple of thousand people just working at the airport at any one time the Airport link train (just the bit between central and the domestic terminals) is around $15 each way per trip (that is $30/day, not including the $40 weekly pass for the rest of the network) - which is more than my tolls ($60/4 days if I solely use the toll roads) and the fuel to travel the 40km each way to and from work each day. Though out of normal people's working hours I do avoid the toll roads where possible.

Hence the reason we see sooooooo many single driver cars all trying to either get to, or under and through, Sydney. I know other cities are just as bad though I will say I'm quite impressed getting around Melbourne for the most part and (after living on the Gold Coast for a while in the early 90's) the Brizzie freeway network is so expansive it is daunting to someone who rarely ever goes there. I thought long and hard before moving back here to Sydney after 10 years away working our way around the country. The job is well worth putting up with the commute etc though.

**wbute** · 10-12-2013, 11:26 PM

Yeah inner city no cars. Not the city. But the amount of single occupant cars is amazing. The poor future planning of public transport is appalling. As is the lack of a decent road over the mountains that would encourage a lot of people to move out of Sydney.

**Alien DNA** · 10-12-2013, 11:32 PM

Dont be fooled, as soon as Melbourne has an accident, it comes to a grinding halt and the follow on effect is pure disaster.

Im baffled at how much it costs to park in the city....some places charge up to $80 a day!!!! Insanity

**Taily** · 10-12-2013, 11:41 PM

So we are all in heated agreement... The fact remains that there really hasn't been a state or federal government with the balls to fix these issues (car industry/road network go somewhat hand in hand as it certainly influences the types of cars being purchased to a degree) for almost two generations now.

Ten years ago I used the think the public apathy for holding polititians to account for doing sod all was abhorrent. I guess now I am somewhat desensitised to the lack of intestinal fortitude our pollies really display these days...

**Alien DNA** · 11-12-2013, 12:00 AM

You would think the simple calculation of larger population = more vehicles on the road which in turn would necessitate more/wider roads built to accommodate the extra flow. Not the case i guess

At the end of the day, whether you agree or not with what Holden, Ford & Toyota are making, i find it heartbreaking to think another Aussie icon(s) is quickly hitting the S bend. We used to be a proud nation when it come to manufacturing.... times they are a changing :(

**wbute** · 11-12-2013, 07:56 AM

I have never really understood why we all have to prop up Holden and Ford anyway. There are a lot of other industries in Australia that get bugger all support and provide much more essential products.