This train is rolling around with advertising for Sportingbet plastered all over it. It provoked this letter in The Age yesterday: THERE’S much disapproval of the AFL regarding the promotion of gambling to minors during game time. I eagerly await seeing equal concern at the state subsidised rail system, which now has an entire train ... [More]
Year: 2012
Categories
Bad crowding on the trains
The last state election swung on public transport — both sides said so — specifically on the perceived lack of action from Labor on fixing the trains, resulting in delays, cancellations and sometimes horrendous overcrowding. The Liberals, especially in the seat of Prahran, should be aware that this is still happening on a regular basis ... [More]
Despite the publicity around Myki receipts back in August, it seems people are still leaving them behind. Remember, some of these receipts print even when you tell the machine you don’t want a receipt. And if you’re paying with a credit card, it will include 9 out of the 16 digits of your credit card ... [More]
Need to leave. Where’s my phone? Not on the counter. Not on my bedside table. Not on the desk. Not on the kitchen table. Not on the dresser. Not on the couch. Look again in all those places. Not found. Really need to go. Reach for home phone. Dial mobile number. It rings. It’s in ... [More]
Tony Abbott apparently doesn’t just think more roads can solve traffic, he actually thinks tarmac and cars smothering our cities makes them more liveable. Melbourne suffered traffic gridlock yesterday. It’s very important that the national government fund nationally important infrastructure. I have committed an incoming Coalition government to spending $1.5 billion to kickstart the East ... [More]
Did nobody in their design department stop and think “uhh guys, that may not be the best design to go for.” Or is it just me who sees this?
Yet again we have public figures extolling the virtues of technology over service in public transport. Underground railways Jeff Kennett thinks underground railways are the panacea: “If I was able to wave a magic wand even now, I would start the planning for an underground rail system,” he told the Australian Property Institute Pan Pacific ... [More]
It’s been a problem for many years: how do you know which tram from the Elizabeth Street (Robert Risson) terminus will leave first? At last, thanks to Tram Tracker (and its clone apps on other platforms, such as Android’s Tram Hunter) there is a solution! Just use one of the apps or the mobile web ... [More]
The Siemens train seats are notorious for showing the dirt. At one stage a multi-coloured design similar to the Comeng fleet seats was tried, but now Metro have introduced a new design which is supposedly more vandalproof (and uses their corporate design, not Connex’s). It’s on one 3-car Siemens set so far (for the gunzels, ... [More]
The Committee for Ballarat has an excellent campaign going to improve rail services. Unfortunately as sometimes happens, some myths crept into the rhetoric around the launch of the campaign. “In the early 1900s you could do the Ballarat to Melbourne trip by steam rail in an hour — these days it takes an hour and ... [More]
It’s local council election time again. Candidates have been prominent around the streets of Bentleigh, and at least one billboard has popped-up, nicely located so you can see it as you come down this street: I haven’t decided who to vote for yet. Oscar Lobo, pictured above, is running again, and was one of those ... [More]
Glen Eira Road, Ripponlea. (Credit: Marita spotted it first.) Could be a sequel to this: Everything in the entire world except this bus stop sign is at a funny angle.