Danny "Wrong-Way" Oz

[dalekboy]

Did my first trip into civic today, to see the doco "Who Killed The Electric Car?" It's a good doco. Couple of aspects I didn't like, but overall it was very good and I honestly had no idea that Electric cars were *that* advanced in 1996. If they had been taken up, with people actively working on improving the tech, you could even conceivably use one in country Australia by now.

But getting there was an adventure.

People who have driven with me have remarked on occasion that when I make a wrong turn, I'm rather good at getting to where I need to go next without a map book. I just take the turnings that seem correct to get me to the next section of the trip, rather than backtracking. I'm pretty good at making it up, and I sometimes enjoy being just a little bit lost. But it's rare I take a wrong turn, I'm pretty good with maps.

I've never been able to navigate Canberra. I have minor problems in any strange city, but Canberra is exceptional. Even with a map book, I will consistently head in the wrong direction. Not just slightly out, but 180 degrees in the wrong direction. I did it all day today. While on foot. I'm verra tired.

I'd like to share a remark passed on to me, that I think is incredibly accurate, in it's summation of Canberra's layout - "If you can see your destination, you're on the wrong road."

Comments

[king-espresso.livejournal.com]

Just think of the roads of Canberra as being like the circulation of piss through a kidney. I lived there for three years and that analogy helped me navigate.

[purrdence.livejournal.com]

hrrrm... better never let me navagate then...

[purrdence.livejournal.com]

btw, it was the Stonecutters that killed the electric car. ;p

[arcadiagt5.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't let it worry you.

Canberra's roads are laid out in circles more than in a grid and it can make life interesting.

I kinda got caught a bit myself yesterday...

[meljane.livejournal.com]

we can emapathise with you on that , we had enough trouble getting to and from your place and even getting back to our motel .

I'm glad most of the motels aren't too far into the city .

[dormant-dragon.livejournal.com]

Speaking as someone who lived in Canberra for eight years, I could say it takes about that long to get used to it. But that is an incredibly apt observation.

Reminds me of the warning given to ANU first-years about finding their way back to campus after a night on the piss - both Black Mountain (in the right direction from Civic) and Mount Ainslie (in the opposite direction) have flashing lights at their peak - if you follow the one that looks slightly smaller when viewed from Civic, you're in for a long walk...

[thinarthur.livejournal.com]

It is a shocker, circular road layouts look nice on a map but are murder to navigate, Adelaide can be a pain too. What I hate are cities where the exits aren't obvious, had a bad time in Hobart that way.

Re the electric car, even the Readers Digest confidently expected these to appear comon by the 1990's. Isn't it strange that the big heavy cumbersome wet cell car battery has been basically the same since the end of the hand cank days? We should have power packs by now that can fit easily into your phaser. I keep trying to get this job at a Ceramic Fuel Cell place that's doing all this zappy research but they keep turning me down....