Commenting on the opinion piece: Setting fire to the government’s South Road numbers

Good points raised in this article and a reminder that the black art of road traffic modelling should be viewed as equal parts fact, assumption and wishful thinking.

The urbanist, Lewis Mumford, summed it up the logic of building more roads to prevent congestion, comparing it to “a fat man loosening his belt to prevent obesity”. – David Mepham

Commenting on Your views and City underground rail loop key to Adelaide group’s new transport vision

I agree with some of the argument that if ever an underground rail loop was built in Adelaide, which is too small but also too small in thinking, that the loop surely should include the four squares, with definitive protection to the squares (of course).

(World) population increase will see South Australia one day be large enough to pay taxes sufficient to pay for an underground rail loop (and maybe even to the airport!)

I disagree with the barb thrown at the South Rd tunnel project. If the MAPS project (the Playford years) had proceeded, driving through Adelaide’s western suburbs would certainly have been different and better now.

The South Rd project is not a 10 or 20 year mission. 100 to 200 year kind of thinking is needed because it will last that long and beyond – EVs and driverless cars consideration included. The construction costs are huge and mind blowing. Nevertheless it should be a tunnel the whole way (mandated) and quite possibly three lanes (both ways). In 100 years from now they will think the money incredibly well spent. – Peter Mitchell

How about upgrading the track to Mt Barker and then to Goolwa and Victor Harbor to be connected to Noarlunga. A loop to service the hills and southern growth areas. – Andrew Cannon

Commenting on the story: Last 12 months ‘hottest on record’

Many scientific reports show that we are not acting on the evidence. The proof is clear that humans have made a big mess of our environment and continue to make it worse.

Yet governments globally hardly bat an eyelid. It is as if they do not occupy the same planet as the rest of us, but some hallucinatory world where everything is fine. It is not just governments, of course. We all procrastinate. Rather than act on the evidence, if there is no immediate survival benefit to us personally or to our close relatives, we simply can’t be bothered.

We need a reset of our current behaviours. Perhaps the marketing gurus who promote consumerism and growth, could put their minds to a way to make us more bothered for the good of our planet. – Stephen Morris