How long till we start seeing this.

[Dave]

Japan tunnel disaster sounds global warning

A DEADLY tunnel collapse in Japan should serve as a wake-up call to developed nations whose ageing infrastructure is in dire need of updating.


Trillions of dollars need to be spent across the globe just to stand still they warn, adding current fiscal belt tightening is pushing vital repairs dangerously far down the list.

"Maintenance work is often neglected because you cannot easily see the urgent need for it," said Toshihiro Nagahama, chief economist at Dai-Ichi Life Research Institute.

Nine people were killed when concrete ceiling panels crashed onto three vehicles, setting at least one ablaze inside the Sasago tunnel, 80 kilometres (50 miles) west of Tokyo on December 2.

The exact cause of the cave-in is not yet known, but an initial probe has pointed to decay in the fixtures that held the more than one-tonne panels to the roof of the 35-year-old tunnel.

The government ordered immediate inspections of all structures with the same design and Japanese police began a criminal investigation, with an eye to bringing negligence charges.

The incident sent jitters through Japan, one of the most engineered countries in the world, which saw a huge infrastructure boom in the decades after World War II.

At least eight percent of the 155,000 major bridges in Japan are already older than 50 years, the infrastructure ministry said. By 2030, more than half of them will be.

The ministry estimates it needs to spend 190 trillion yen ($2.3 trillion) over the next five decades just to maintain the infrastructure it already has.

But with debts more than double its GDP, which Japan's shrinking workforce cannot easily repay, finding new cash is a tough ask.

The tunnel collapse was not the first time a lack of investment has caused problems.

In the US city of Minneapolis, an eight-lane, 33-metre (108-foot)-high bridge collapsed in 2007, killing 13 people and injuring 145.

Dilapidated power lines were among the major causes of Australia's 2009 Black Saturday wildfires that killed 173 people.

In 2006, a huge summertime blackout in New York was blamed on a badly maintained grid.

The American Society of Civil Engineers estimates that $2.2 trillion is needed over the next decade simply to prevent resources such as bridges, roads, waterways and power cables from deteriorating.

But under current plans, the US government will spend less than half that amount and, with Washington lawmakers seeking to avoid the looming "fiscal cliff," the federal investment budget could be cut further.

Engineers Australia, an infrastructure lobby group, estimates that years of neglect have left the vast and sparsely populated country with a Aus$700 billion ($732 billion) investment shortfall.

Rod Eddington, chairman of Infrastructure Australia, has warned that even though upgrades are expensive, the status quo is not an option.

"The results of not doing enough are traffic congestion, poor access to our export gateways, missed economic opportunities and lower quality of life," Eddington said in a report in June.

London's transport plans for this year's Olympic Games were thrown into disarray when one of the main arteries linking Heathrow Airport and the capital had to be closed in December 2011 for emergency repairs.

Cables holding together the concrete Hammersmith Flyover, built in the 1960s, had been weakened by a steady seepage of salt water, a problem that needed five months of traffic-disrupting work to fix.

Civil structural engineer Aleksandar Pavic said with only periodic inspections, Britain gets taken by surprise when its infrastructure -- some of which dates to the 19th century -- suddenly fails.

"We don't know what our structures are doing," said Pavic, professor of vibration engineering at the University of Sheffield.

"We don't understand what is actually happening on them, that's why things are falling apart, quite unexpectedly," he said, adding modern monitoring systems could give a much better picture.

Dai-ichi Life economist Nagahama said strong political will is necessary if sufficient money is ever going to be put aside for much needed updates and maintenance.

"The recent tunnel accident may be the trigger that improves public awareness about the issue and presses authorities" to do something, he said.

With all the moeny being handed out overseas, when will the cost cutting here start causing deaths.

Can we sue Labor ?

 

[user 10312]

Short answer- No. That would be a tricky class action. It aint going to work and the birdge or tunnel still wont be fixed.

There has been succeesive goverments, Labor and Liberal both state and federal who have neglected the countys infratructure for the last 50 years.

So what is the answer to this very real mess that you quite rightly have highlighted.

Demoratically vote in a Liberal goverment at the next election. (most likley scenario anyway)
No, that wont work either. History dictates they are as bad as labor and most likely worse. After all it wasn't really on the top of list of Howard's adgenda, baby bonuses was all the rage.

Private enterprise aint going to fix it either there more interested in making a buck. User pays and where the shareholder is the overiding factor in everything. The PPP (I feel like throwing up every time I hear that) has been a monumetal disaster in just about every project. Here the tax payer you and me loose out, along with the shareholder.

So what is the answer? Here is mine (and waiting for yours Dave

Communism- Look at China, it's a model of sucess. Sure they have a few human rights issues they need to sort out but otherwise therer not doing to bad. There GDP is growing almost expodenttially, there draging millions out of poverty as they grow and with communism you can actually get things done. No study groups, no focus group crap. No enviromental impact studies. Have the vision- go and do it. Sure we'd all end up working for the goverment directly or indirectly but everone is a winner.

 

[nakedape]

^Great work Tappet - some really good points. And it'll give Dave a stir too!

 

[Krankin]

So what is the answer?

Communism- Look at China, it's a model of sucess. Sure they have a few human rights issues they need to sort out but otherwise therer not doing to bad. There GDP is growing almost expodenttially, there draging millions out of poverty as they grow and with communism you can actually get things done. No study groups, no focus group crap. No enviromental impact studies. Have the vision- go and do it. Sure we'd all end up working for the goverment directly or indirectly but everone is a winner.

...............................

 

[Dave]

 

[Dave]

Look, our Government is like China already.

You only have the right to work and pay tax to fund the future Labor voters aka "Refugees".

 

[KraftyPg]

Prince Harry wore a Nazi suit, we can bypass Willy, he'll be busy with the baby anyway and we can put Harry in as King Nazi. The world is getting better already.

 

[Krankin]

Slow day mate....


no our gub is nothing like China....our gubmints pander to the filthy rich and only them.

Our gub is a dictatorship yes, but far from communism

 

[KraftyPg]

It wont matter who's in power Labor will still get the blame for everything. Big Ted is still blaming Labor for everything that's wrong in Victoria and he's powerless to fix everything they ever did apparently. Same will happen with Tony, he'll change SFA, he'll rename polices but keep them the same and then he will say "It's Labors fault" and all the Labor haters will say "yeah bloody Labor"

Vote 1 King Harry!

 

[Dave]

When the States are in Billions of dollars of debt, they dont have that much to throw around.

So I agree with Ted.

NSW is in 90 Billion of debt, QLD like almost 70 Billion of debt and our Federal Labor government has put us in 170-200 Billion of debt.

What do we have to show for it, oh wait. A shit load of unwanted economic refugees.

Go Dudd, Gillard and the rest of the Labor party.

Oh wait, I forgot. We also have the most expensive seat on the planet. The UN seat which we dont use as it might offend the Middle Eastern voters.

Wooooooooo, go Labor. You really do nothing well.

No doubt NakedApe will say the seat cost us 23 Million.

Dont forget all the bribing of countries in foreign aid.

Bob Carr and Rudd were flying all over the world, handing out borrowed money like its going out of fashion.

Oh and I needed to log into send a few PM's about the SAX springs.

 

[KraftyPg]

The majority of things wont change with a new government, about the biggest change this country sees when there is a change of government is that those whinging about the government before the election shut up after the election and those who were silent start whinging.

It's easy to say that because of the current government X state or even the entire country is a bad shape and they have spent lots of money, but it's just comments without proof. There is almost zero proof that the opposition to any government would not have done exactly the same thing or worse if they were in power. (A politician's words saying "I wouldn't do that because the public don't like it" is not proof)

Sure when you're in opposition it's easy to sit back and disagree with the government, that's the job of the opposition, never agree and then when elected change the names of the policies that worked under the previous rule and claim them as your own, keep the ones that didn't work and blame the previous government for them. Feed bullshit lines to the media and let the media twist shit to favour whoever the general public (or those currently polled who are suppose to represent the general public) like that day.

Both sides of politics in this country are the joke not the figurehead leading the ship.

 

[Krankin]

It wont matter who's in power Labor will still get the blame for everything. Big Ted is still blaming Labor for everything that's wrong in Victoria and he's powerless to fix everything they ever did apparently. Same will happen with Tony, he'll change SFA, he'll rename polices but keep them the same and then he will say "It's Labors fault" and all the Labor haters will say "yeah bloody Labor"

^TOTALLY.....amen

 

[Krankin]

both sides of politics in this country are the joke not the figurehead leading the ship.

100%

 

[sparra04]

Just another reason why I never have or never will vote
They are all thieving lying c###s
End rant

 

[nakedape]

No doubt NakedApe will say the seat cost us 23 Million.

$23M (+ bribes) would've been better spent on a hospital/ school/ tafe/ Uni etc in (insert random city/ rural centre) ...

... and you seem to be getting your capitalists, dictators, fascists & communists mixed up Dave. Given that they're from all points on the compass you'll have to pick one and stick with it.

 

[terryc]

When the States are in Billions of dollars of debt, they dont have that much to throw around.

So I agree with Ted.

NSW is in 90 Billion of debt,

I take it when you posted this that you hadn't heard the news of the $16(?) billion NSW is going to spend on the refurbishment of the Sydney Entertainment Centre?

 

[terryc]

The majority of things wont change with a new government, about the biggest change this country sees when there is a change of government is that those whinging about the government before the election shut up after the election and those who were silent start whinging.

<troll> I bet you Dave will still be whingeing </troll> He sounds more and more like my old man every day, never happy unless he is whingeing about something.

Imagine what he is going to be like as a grumpy old man. <vbg>

 

[bullwinkle]

He has got something going for him. Those boobs!

 

[KraftyPg]

<troll> I bet you Dave will still be whingeing </troll>

I don't even know who I support and don't support these days, I just throw up anti Dave comments so that there is someone to disagree with him. He seems to like it when people agree with him but he loves it when someone argues with him.

 

[Dave]

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/1-billion...5-billion-lend-lease-deal-20121211-2b6t0.html

Terry, what the !@#$ are you on about ?

Looks like a good investment to me, people will flock there.

How about those school halls and new libraries.

What did we come in the world ranking on education. Year 4 students would have had their whole education under a federal Labor government.

But they're learning about "Man made Climate Change", wait. That should be brainwashed by Lefty and Greens rubbish.

As for Apeboy, Ill go for whatever is in the best interest of the country.

It sure as hell ain't socialism, Ie Labor.