Journal for hvietmei

One of the topics Willamette’s study abroad program suggests for this blog is sustainability – what lessons can be learned from practices of the host countries, etc. In my experience of the Sydney area so far, I have encountered a lot of “little things,” such as somewhat more convenient recycling programs, overall smaller cars, and perhaps a bit more of an emphasis on eating locally, that may make the Sydney area quite a bit more sustainable than my regions in the US. However, these are pretty subtle differences and I believe (or at least would like to believe) that many regions of the US are not far behind in these areas.

There is one big and very noticeable difference, which I think the US (and I’m going to refer particularly to the Pacific Northwest because that’s the part of the US I’m most familiar with) could definitely learn from. The greater Sydney area (which extends a couple hundred kilometers from the city itself) has an awesome public transportation system. Some of you might have picked up on this a bit as you’ve read my other entries. If I want to go to any part of the city, I walk five minutes to the train station, change trains in Chatswood, and get off within a 10 minute walk from wherever I’m going. Unless I’m on an extremely tight schedule, I don’t even really have to look up what time the trains are running, because they head out about every 5-15 minutes, depending on the train and the station. To get to the zoo, I took the train to the Circular Quay as stated above, walked a couple of minutes to the ferry docks, took a ferry to the back side of the zoo, and then took a free bus that regularly meets the ferry to the front of the zoo. Even out in the Blue Mountains, trains regularly stop at each of the small towns. Every bus or train I have taken here has been within maybe two minutes of being on time and fares are very affordable, especially if you’re a student and/or you get a weekly or fortnightly pass

The Seattle area supposedly has this big stumbling block to building efficient public transportation because the high water table and the fact that it’s built on fill mean that it can’t have subways. But I believe the water table is rather high here as well, and the trains only occationally go underground, and sometimes go over the streets rather than under them. Seems to me that where there’s a will (and well-managed money, and widespread public support) there’s a way. Besides, those excuses have no bearing at all on the bus system, which is also way more extensive, reliable, and user-friendly here than in either the Seattle area or Salem, OR.

In addition to all of this, the Sydney area, especially the city itself, is very walking/biking friendly. Pretty much every street has a nice sidewalk and a shoulder than can be used by bicyclists, and there are tons of paths, stairways, “lifts,” and pedestrian bridges over streets that make walking or biking probably more convenient than driving for getting around the city. If you need to go a little further than you care to walk, you can always pop on a train or bus to shorten the distance. In my suburb, there is this great bike path that I usually run on, and I always see people walking or biking along it carrying groceries or other stuff from the Macquarie Center. My home town, Shoreline, has attempted something like this by contributing to the Inter Urban Trail project, but it would be cool to see more areas in the US going a lot further towards increasing “walkability.”