Despite petrol at record prices and traffic congestion, most people still don’t use public transport. Its share of the market sits stagnant at about 8% or so. Why? Because most people will only choose PT over driving when it’s convenient: when it goes where you want to go, and when it’s frequent. How frequent is ... [More]
Category: transport
All forms of transport, including gunzelly
I rather like the design of this Warholesque tram. It’s to celebrate 100 years of electric trams in Melbourne, even though the first electric tram in Melbourne ran in 1889. It only lasted 7 years though, so I suppose this one can celebrate 100 consecutive years of electric trams. But that would sound a little ... [More]
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Right place, right time
“The only thing wrong with public transport is the public.” I’m not sure who said it, but sometimes it rings true. On my train home last night at about 9:30pm, a crazy woman started screaming at nobody in particular. Just a cry of “You f—ing murderers! Nazis!” every couple of minutes. As you do. The ... [More]
A grizzled old man in the supermarket queue tonight was bitching about petrol prices. “It’s criminal!” he was saying. I didn’t feel like trying to explain the concept of Peak Oil to him. Nor did I think telling him it was only going to get worse would placate him. A more informed response to the ... [More]
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My travel patterns
Yeah, I’m mulling over my travel patterns to the nth degree again. This week’s question: When to replace a car? Josh pointed me to a discussion about when one should dump an old car and buy a new (or less-old) one. The short answer appears to be: it varies (obviously). Factors include the costs involved ... [More]
135 metres to Parliament Station In the City Loop, there are signs at odd intervals, saying things like “Parliament station 135 metres”. They’re placed under every third light. The lights are at 15 metre intervals, the signs at 45 metre intervals. This is because the loop was designed before the switch to metric in the ... [More]
I don’t agree with the name change, but I do think the renovated Southern Cross Station is impressive. Compare this picture from about a year ago to how it looks today (yep, there is a massive tram stop in front of it, seen here with a massive tram, so it’s a bit harder to see ... [More]
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The value of branding
I’m no marketing expert, but even I know that branding is a powerful and valuable thing. If you’ve got a well-established brand, you have to be careful if you tweak it or change it. As far as possible, you’d have to make the transition as smooth as possible, for your users/customers, including the once-a-year ones. ... [More]
The next time you hear the government making excuses as to why they can’t extend train and tram lines, and how they have to provide a “balance” between freeway and public transport expansion, keep this in mind: (Current and past ten years dollars spent on freeway expansion: $7.2 billion. Rail/tram network expansion: $225 milion. Full ... [More]
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Could I get rid of my car?
As the purchase of new tyres and another regular service looms, I’ve been theorising: assuming worse-case scenario, that nothing else changes and there is no great revolution in public transport that sees the whole city given usable services to everywhere, could I get rid of my car without going crazy? The main thing at the ... [More]
At the Sapporo Snow Festival in Japan, they’ve built a copy of Flinders Street Station from ice: (via Rod) The Grauniad have done a London tube map of 20th century music. Full version here
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This looks different
I was engrossed in my book. The train stopped, and I opened the doors and hopped out. I walked along the platform. This looks different… where did the glass doors from the entrance go? This is not my station. My station’s the next one. The train doors were still open, so I hopped back on, ... [More]