All forms of transport, including gunzelly
Here’s a snapshot of Melbourne’s public transport patronage over the past five years, by mode. Tram and train are growing. Tram in particular saw strong growth thanks to the Free Tram Zone, but both those modes show increased patronage. The trams now carry over 200 million boardings on just 24 routes. But bus patronage is ... [More]
Last week’s horrific Eastern Freeway crash, which killed four police officers, shocked all of us – even before we knew about the alleged execrable deeds of the Porsche driver. In tribute, flags have been flown at half-mast, and around Melbourne, many people placed blue ribbons on their front gates and fences. And a number of ... [More]
It was recently reported that, despite the COVID-19 crisis, and large numbers of people staying at home, Victoria’s public transport network is still carrying about 200,000 trips per day. How does this compare to normal? I’ve taken last year’s State Budget targeted annual trips for 2019-20, and used previous rail patronage data indicating each weekday ... [More]
Since many people aren’t using public transport right now, some us who have a Myki Pass aren’t getting much out of them. Normally the only option is to get a refund. Because of the way PTV calculates refunds, this often isn’t worthwhile. Back when the COVID-19 crisis was first emerging, your friendly local public transport ... [More]
With all the talk of falling public transport patronage (some estimates have suggested it’s down 90%) and persistent (but unconfirmed) rumours of reduction of services to weekend levels, it’s worth remembering that capacity is only one aspect of service levels. Normally, trains trams and buses are often packed, but with patronage currently so low, passengers ... [More]
One of the effects of the COVID-19 crisis (which I wrote about in general terms yesterday) is a steep fall in public transport usage. This is partially people avoiding the network and switching to other modes such as cycling and driving, but mostly it’s people avoiding travelling in the first place. (City Mapper data suggests ... [More]
COVID-19 is developing very fast, and really is quite unlike anything in living memory. I feel like Australia is still at the early stages, and already the impacts are huge. The ban on events of more than 500 people from Monday is unprecedented, and shopping for scarce supermarket items is a little bit surreal. I’m ... [More]
Unlike most of the spots where skyrail replaced level crossings on the Dandenong line, this area at Centre Road (Clayton South) has no station. I happened to stop past there on the public holiday Monday and was interested to see the different groups using the space. Overall it looks pretty clean. Note the graffiti mural ... [More]
This tram and bus shelter shown below is at a stop in Footscray – at Tiernan Street and Droop Street. Sometime in late-January the main panel of glass got smashed. Authorities cleared away the broken glass and put hazard tape around it. Fresh tape was provided a couple of weeks later. But what about actually ... [More]
Unlike here in Victoria, Transport For NSW regularly releases detailed patronage data. I was wondering how Sydney’s new light rail line (L2, CBD to Randwick, opened mid-December) is performing, so I took a look at the figures. Despite a number of technical problems, the line had than 1.2 million trips in January, which seems not ... [More]
My friend Andrew put me onto the game Mini Metro – it’s a rather addictive (at least to me) game where you design and run a metro (or tram) system. The game provides station locations, and travel demand patterns, and you have to work out how the lines should connect them. Gradually more and more ... [More]
I haven’t managed to get to all the newly opened stations, but I did stop past Carrum for a little while on Wednesday night. Carrum opened on Monday, with some hiccups – late completion of testing (apparently due to a police operation) and sign-off of new signalling equipment resulted in a delay to the first ... [More]
At last! City of Melbourne tonight will debate changes to motorcycle parking in the CBD. What’s the law? Motorcyclists can park virtually anywhere off-road – unless specifically signed otherwise. There are guidelines which aren’t communicated well, and are widely ignored. The relevant rule provides exclusions to the usual parking limitations if the driver’s vehicle is ... [More]
Remember back in the early days of Myki when the rumour spread that if you didn’t use your card for 90 days, your credit would vanish? It wasn’t true. A number of people including me tried to hose it down (not very successfully) but eventually people found via experience that it wasn’t the case. Fast ... [More]
The Free Tram Zone (FTZ) just turned five. It was introduced in January 2015. If you’re wondering why there was so much discussion on it last week, it’s because submissions to a Parliamentary Inquiry on the topic just closed. Transport Matters Party MP Rod Barton, who moved for the Inquiry, posted an article addressing some ... [More]
Last month I noted that the State Government has prepared the “Big Build” calendar of major disruptions to the transport network. This calendar is easy to read, but it turns out it is fatally flawed. Below you can see how January looks. Note the absence of any disruptions today, 27th January – thanks in part ... [More]