Wendy Nash moved to Caboolture on the northern outskirts of Brisbane over 2 years ago. During her first week, she waited an hour to get the bus from home to the nearest big shopping centre which took 45 mins - it's only 10 mins by car. What's it like for people with disabilities getting to a medical appointment, teens working part time and seniors meeting friends?
Wendy wanted to join a group of people looking to make it better but there was no such group. As David Morrison said: "The standard you walk past is the standard you accept." Wendy didn't want to accept this standard so she started Get Around Cabo Carfree. Since then, she discovered that nearly 1 in 2 people can't drive and many others don't want to but it's very challenging because we have a very poor bus service, footpaths gaps all over the place and disconnected or 'death-wish' bike lanes.
To Wendy's dismay, Caboolture's transport standard is typical for the outskirts of cities around the world. If we can change the situation in Caboolture, we can change it anywhere.
What you’ll learn:
What are the Goals of Get Around Cabo Carfree?
Get Around Cabo Carfree was born out of Wendy’s desire to improve transportation options in Caboolture. What initial steps did she take to get the group started?
What are the key factors contributing to poor transport infrastructure, and how can they be addressed?
Quotes:
“I'm really passionate about everybody being able to get around without a car, not because I hate cars, but because four in ten people can't drive. So, what are they supposed to do?”
“It's not about creating good guys and bad guys. It's about bringing the whole community along.”
“I just wanted to make it easy for people to start making change—whether it’s by starting a group, attending an event, or simply learning about how to improve local transport.”
Links:
Get Around Cabo Carfree’s Website
Connect:
Connect with Wendy Nash via Linkedin
Connect with Emily via email: emily@compassiot.com.au
Connect with Byte Size via LinkedIn
Connect with Compass IoT (the producer of this podcast) via our website
Buses, Bikes, and Better Paths: How Inclusive Transport Can Transform Communities