Categories
driving transport

Melbourne’s landmark intersection is a debacle, and authorities are doing nothing to fix it

I’ve posted about Rule 128 before. Rule 128 says: Entering blocked intersections A driver must not enter an intersection if the driver cannot drive through the intersection because the intersection, or a road beyond the intersection, is blocked. Penalty: 3 penalty units. The Age recently got hold of figures revealing there were just 18 fines  ... [More]

Categories
transport

Noble Park skyrail nears completion – and measuring traffic benefits

On Wednesday the State Government announced that the first section of “skyrail”, at Noble Park, will open on Thursday 15th February, along with the new station, following a two week disruption to rail services between Westall and Dandenong. This will mark the removal of three level crossings: at Corrigan, Heatherton and Chandler Roads. Trains will  ... [More]

Categories
transport

New metro train design finalised

You may have seen photos from the mock-up train design back in October. It’s been part of a consultation process over about the past year, which has concluded. As the Herald Sun reported on the weekend (pay wall), the finishing touches are now being put on the design. Yesterday on behalf of the PTUA, I  ... [More]

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Home life Toxic Custard newsletter transport

What is a “family-friendly” house?

When you’re house-hunting, there’s a continuum of numerous factors weighed against each other, including indoor space, outdoor space, location, walkability, and plenty more, including of course price. By walkability, I mean the walking distance to amenity such as parks, good public transport, shops. (Walkscore attempts to measure this.) From some points of view, perhaps the  ... [More]

Categories
transport

Melbourne’s tram fleet: accessibility and air-conditioning

Two seemingly unrelated things are occurring this week: Today, Saturday, is expected to be the hottest day of Melbourne’s summer so far this season, with a forecast high of 42 degrees. And… the 60th E-class tram just came into service. We welcomed the new year in with the introduction of Melbourne’s newest E-Class tram, entering  ... [More]

Categories
transport

No Night Buses running for NYE

Night Buses are not running on New Year’s Eve tonight. Most trams and trains are running all night — and it’s more trains than last year; half-hourly after about 2am, rather than hourly as last year. There are also some regional trains and coaches after midnight. Night Bus routes are designed to fill the gaps  ... [More]

Categories
transport

Chadstone’s Boxing Day bus debacle

Chadstone’s new bus interchange opened in late-2015. Today I got to sample how well Chadstone’s buses run on what is perhaps the busiest shopping day of the year: Boxing Day. (I wasn’t there to shop. I was there to watch Doctor Who — Hoyts at Chadstone had $12 tickets, and more of them available, than  ... [More]

Categories
transport

Some thoughts on CBD street design and safety

Thursday’s awful incident brings back memories of January’s attack, and authorities are rightly saying that it will be investigated from all angles. One issue is road infrastructure that allows a vehicle to reach high speed in a constrained, pedestrian-dense area like Flinders Street. The speed limit is 40. But apart from the placement of tram  ... [More]

Categories
transport

Melbourne’s fares rise above CPI again

As expected, fare rises have been announced to take place on January 1st. It’s a rise of 4.7% — which is CPI+2.5%. (At least, 4.7% is the claim. Some fares, such as a Zone 1 two-hour fare, are rising by more: $4.10 to $4.30 is almost 4.9%, thanks to the price being rounded to the  ... [More]

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Photos from ten years ago Toxic Custard newsletter transport

Old photos from December 2007

Here’s another in my series of ten year old photos, this time from December 2007. Rain at Flinders Street Station. This shot captured a particular problem with the drainage which saw water gushing down past the door of this Hitachi train. Hopefully that issue is long since fixed, or at least being resolved in the  ... [More]

Categories
transport

Why shut down trains in December? Because there’s something even bigger coming in January

For the past five days — from 8:30pm last Thursday, to last night (Tuesday) — the Belgrave, Lilydale, Alamein and Glen Waverley lines were replaced by buses between the city and Camberwell/Darling. The new signalling for Richmond to Burnley is all commissioned and ready for service. pic.twitter.com/pvRKouOkak — Vicsig (@vicsig) December 5, 2017 Thankfully it’s  ... [More]

Categories
driving transport

Dash it all! Why intersection markings are changing

You may have noticed that some intersection markings, including pedestrian crossings, are changing. Solid white lines are becoming dashed white lines. Ditto turning lines at intersections. This change brings Victorian practice into line with the Australian standard. NSW (and probably other states) used to have solid lines too, but sometime in the last few decades  ... [More]