October Grey

The title of this entry is a blatant steal from a very good Screaming Jets tune from a few years ago that I happen to be listening to right now, but it encapsulates what I saw today. Just one moment that captured the essence of the car-dependent culture that we are surrounded by, and it's not very nice. It was in Southport, about 500 metres (I guess) from work, I crested over the closest thing to a hill on my ride to work, and there is was, all laid out before me.

I stared ahead at the Gold Coast Highway, four lanes (or was it six?) of wall to wall traffic as far as the eye could see. The bushfire smoke drifting across from the Hinterland (hope they get that out for tomorrow morning) gave the whole thing a grey tinge. Could have been Sydney, New York or Los Angeles with that level of pollution. Maybe it was a symbol of the culture that the McDonalds sign from Labrador was somehow visible in the distance. Maybe it was also just as well that I left the camera at home today.

Pollution levels aren't normally that high around here, and it seemed better in the afternoon (despite the gridlock on the Sundale Bridge). However, what was scary is that this looks so much like it could be a vision from the future. I look at the rate this place is growing, (the population rose by 25% between 1996 and 2001, and a look at the outer suburbs since then tells me this is showing no signs of slowing), what I saw this morning might one day be a familiar sight here. It might be just as well for me to start saving for a move -- if I can pull it off as well as next year's New Zealand trip.

Still, at least I can take some solace from the fact that I cycle everywhere I go. I was in and out of it remarkably quickly -- particularly on the ride home this evening. Traffic management is something that seems to have been totally forgotten in the urge to build more outer-lying suburbs -- and there's just no space to expand the roads around Southport/Surfers Paradise/Broadbeach. This should ram home the folly of trying to cope with increased traffic by simply building bigger roads (like trying to deal with obesity with a bigger belt), but I doubt our planners or the people who elect them have the brains to realise this.

Combine that with the failure to take into account the water situation (we almost ran out last year -- unbelieveable when you consider the catchment has some of the highest rainfall areas on mainland Australia), the Gold Coast is heading for a major crisis in 5-10 years time. Unless, of course, the tourist operators start to think their revenue might be at risk and crack the whip.