FAQs
“To be somebody or to do something. In life there is often a roll call. That’s when you will have to make a decision. To be or to do? Which way will you go?” – John Boyd, 2002.
KShift is firmly in the “Do Something” Camp.
Q: Who is Kshift?
A: We’re a group of mainly Inner West locals with some external expertise from folks who know how to make cities better. If you’re really desperate to figure out who we are, then I’m certain you’ll find a way to find us. You could subscribe to our newsletter or – you could join us in doing something.
Q: What have you done so far?
A: See the list of things we’ve done.
Q: Are you aligned to any particular political party?
A: Nope. We’re politically polyamorous. We’re caught in the dilemma of loving them all equally and just can’t decide. It’s very Newtown.
Q: Won’t removing the clearways mean hell for traffic in Newtown?
A: Well, maybe. But maybe not. Our transport expert ninjas reckon the clearways on south King St and Enmore road are amongst the least utilised clearways in NSW. They’re a bygone artefact of a pre West Connex era. Removing them will encourage traffic to slow down, increase parking for businesses and improve the daytime economy. If you’re really keen to get somewhere fast – maybe pony up for a toll or two – and don’t use our suburb as a shortcut?
Q: Are you just NIMBYs from Newtown, but for traffic?
A: Yep. We are. You got us. Go write your article for the Daily Telegraph. We can give you a picture of us looking pissed off.
Q: King Street is one of the hardest places to fix – it’s governed by two councils who don’t cooperate, a sclerotic state body known as Transport for NSW and some recalcitrant bus tzars. You’re definitely going to fail.
A: Well, we might. But we’ll try. Let’s give it 5 years and see how far we get.
Q: Yeah sure, bold words. Why not try something more local on a side street or something?
A: Because we’re going for gold – and won’t be sidetracked by….side streets…
Q: What’s your theory of change?
A: Oooh, you know the activist lingo! Well, we reckon there are good people inside transport and council agencies who know exactly what needs to be done. Sometimes they are politicians, sometimes they are bureaucrats and sometimes they are experts. Usually, they know more about the problem than we do but are stymied from solving those problems. In fact, K-Shift counts quite a few of them as members. We’re hoping we’ll give these folks the permission and imaginative space to do their jobs.
Q: C’mon. Give me some grievance porn. I can tell you’ve got some buried there.
A: There’s many systemic reasons for planning failure in the public sphere – the tyranny of the minority objectors, miscalculated risk aversion, misanthropic engineering practices and blame-avoidance bureaucracy – to name a few. However – stay with us – we’re trying to stay positive – and really lean into ‘what’s possible’ rather than ‘what sucks’.
Q: Show us how you’re being positive
A: Check out our list of things we’ve done.
Q: I really need a quote an images for my media article!
A: Perhaps look on our instagram page @projectkshift. Call Nic on 0416 372 713 or reach out to hello@kshift.au.