Let’s face it, no one deliberately decides to spend a large part of each working day behind the wheel of a car or jammed into an overcrowded rail carriage because they really want to.
The reality, for too many of Sydney’s regular commuters, is that there are no real alternatives …well not if they want a reasonably satisfying career and good pay anyway.
It goes without saying that if it was possible to transfer city jobs to an outlying suburb or regional centre then workers would be able to break the pernicious cycle and purchase an affordable home in an area of choice.
Less travelling, less petrol, less carbon emissions … everyone’s a winner … but frankly everywhere you look the problem seems to be worsening not getting better.
Ten years ago the notion of decentralising government departments was being advocated by pollies of all persuasions as one of the ways to address this entrenched drift; these days it’s more common to hear of the Telstras of this world closing down their outlying offices and opening centralised operations in mid city locations.
In fact, the much touted call centre industry which was once going to be the saviour for many struggling regions has virtually packed up and out sourced to Mumbai and other overseas destinations.
In an era of Very Fast Trains and six lane freeways (well, tollways anyway) it seems incredible that both train and car travelling times are now longer than ever and, what’s more, not only will this worrying trend continue but all the associated costs are also heading in the wrong direction.
It’s an extremely bleak future for the families of daily travellers living in outlying communities and an unmitigated disaster for the long suffering commuters themselves no matter how you look at it.
Have your say. Click here->
Good news from the burbs
It seems we hear or read about the negative impacts of a globalised economy impacting our daily lives and the ever worsening threat of terrorism in our media every day.
But as an individual living and working in the local community are we in fact in more danger from external or random threats than we have been in the past?
The biggest issue when discussing this topic is that most people have a very biased (non-objective) view about actual statistical risks.
For example, most Australians when closely questioned would readily admit to a fear of being taken by a shark whilst surfing but would not even consider the statistically more risky behaviour of driving from home to the local beach.
Prime Minister Howard’s call for citizens to be alert not alarmed would seem an eminently sensible approach when considering real safety levels.
It seems obvious that most external threats will be directed at highly populated areas so it follows that living in the suburbs is inherently safer than living in a really big city like London, New York or even Sydney.
But whether you would deliberately decide to live next door to the US or Israeli Embassy in a smaller centre like Canberra by choice would seem to be questionable if you were seeking a quiet life in the otherwise sleepy suburb of Yarralumba.
I guess what I’m saying is that times have indeed changed and whilst the reported occurrence of shocking events throughout the world may have increased the likelihood of suffering from these threats in a local community is extremely low.
The only rider I would add is the one I tell my children whenever they travel overseas – keep your eyes open and avoid large demonstrations.
Have your say. Click here-> | 
