It just took almost two and a half hours to drive from Glen Huntly to Footscray. Here’s why. Glen Huntly. The hail was bouncing off the cars. …and the gutters quickly flooded… …but that was nothing to Caulfield North… …and St Kilda Road. Kingsway wasn’t pretty — much under water, traffic lights out, and lots ... [More]
For a while now, VicRoads has been working on a plan to allocate different priorities to different roads around Melbourne. Rather than the free-for-all we sometimes see now, some roads would be setup to emphasise pedestrian priority, some bus, some tram, and some would be “preferred traffic routes” and lesser “other traffic routes”. I suspect ... [More]
Two things I hate are getting up early, and driving in heavy traffic. This morning I did both, for the sake of The Car. The Car was bought from Alan Mance in Melton. (“Don’t take a chance, go to Alan Mance.”) To maintain the three year used-car warranty (which mind you only covers certain types ... [More]
Sometimes I ponder if I should have gone ahead and bought a manual car. I can handle it okay, but gears are just another thing to deal with. As summer comes along, one has to remember to rev it a bit more when the aircon’s on, otherwise you make an unscheduled stop in Stall City. ... [More]
The horrific car accident on Sunday morning that left 5 teenagers dead reminds me of some very stupid driving I saw from people on the trip down to Inverloch and back. On the way down I saw a motorcyclist come up behind me on a stretch of single lane road. I was doing about the ... [More]
Every time I pass this mural in Glen Huntly, I wonder if the grinning face is meant to be anybody in particular. This sounds like brutal honesty to me — perhaps they’re just not that good. Surely this can’t be good for your tyres.
Please note that I’m away for a couple of days, and may not be able to approve comments that fall into the moderation queue while away. I don’t drive as much as many people, but one trip I do regularly is from my place to Marita’s (in Footscray), generally with a big box of fruit+veg ... [More]
While I realise the shutdown of the M1 eastbound on Tuesday was probably misery for those caught up in it, the lengthy article on it in yesterday’s Age I think vastly overstates the impact. The article basically has the road lobby saying that the whole thing doesn’t work (and the $1.4 billion of improvements won’t ... [More]
Tomorrow it will be a month since I last filled up the car with petrol. The tank is almost empty now; I’ll fill it up again tonight. Generally I just fill it up when it’s getting lowish and it’s convenient. Given my consumption isn’t high, I don’t bother to shop around, and if I see ... [More]
As I noted in March, a bunch of my annual expenses fall together. This is a consequence of having bought both my house and my car in the month of August. Apart from the insurance on both of them, the car rego also happens to fall in August. I had been pondering why my home ... [More]
Woke up this morning to the sound of a helicopter hovering nearby. It quickly became apparent something serious was going on: just before 2am a car travelling at high speed along Centre Road (the main road nearest to me) had smashed into several shops, killing the driver. From the pictures from the scene the shops ... [More]
Cynics have described carpooling as “a transit system with one round trip a day” — which means that while the trip itself may be faster and more comfortable, in terms of scheduling it’s less convenient than all but the very very worst public transport. Even if you don’t believe that, it would appear that any ... [More]
The other week I met a thoroughly nice bloke who drives a four-wheel-drive. But while he gets some flak from his mates about it, he doesn’t live up to the cliche. He regularly uses it out in the bush as part of green activism while monitoring loggers. Interesting. So not all 4WD owners fulfil all ... [More]
All from a ten minute period this morning. Lady in Mini Cooper, turning off Footscray Road to head over the Bolte Bridge. At some stage have you considered getting off the phone? White stationwagon, heading over the Bolte Bridge. There’s been over a kilometre of signs and arrows on the road surface indicating which lanes ... [More]
I assume Glen Eira council put this graph of forecast revenue from parking in their propaganda sheet newsletter because they’re pleased about it. I was going to point out that plenty of people park in stupid places, and I’d prefer they got stung with tickets if at all possible, so they can subsidise my council ... [More]
When I’m out walking, I actively (but not foolishly, I hope) defend my rights as a pedestrian. If I have an opportunity to walk safely and legally before a car goes, I will take it. The main rules are not difficult to comprehend, but some motorists just don’t seem to understand them. [Page references are ... [More]