All forms of transport, including gunzelly
I’ve solved a little Myki mystery. For years I’d been asked about this scenario: Assume you have paid your daily fare on Myki Money (eg pay as you go), if you load a Pass (eg a weekly or monthly) onto the same card, will the Pass activate immediately, or wait until your daily fare has ... [More]
That moment when you’re talking about train disruptions, and one sneaks up behind you… …but I think I bumbled my way through it okay. So here we are. The first major industrial action on the train network since 1997, following a similar tram stoppage last week. Trains begin shutting down from 8:17am — that’s the ... [More]
I’m all for al fresco dining. It can be lovely sitting in the sun on the street enjoying food and drink — and will be doubly so once the smoking ban comes in, in 2017. And it helps make our streets more interesting and interactive. But getting off a bus in Brighton the other day, ... [More]
As someone who can do a lot of my travel by foot or on public transport, I drive fewer kilometres than the average. But sometimes I have to drive. I was thinking about the things one can do to be a considerate driver with regard to more vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, ... [More]
Today’s tram strike Some media is saying trams will start heading back to depots from 8am — but Yarra Trams tells me 9am. They also tell me trams will come back out of depots right on 2pm, but it may take until 6pm for things to be completely back to normal. Options during the tram ... [More]
Remember the ads for future transport projects that we saw in 2010 and 2014? They’re baaaaaack. The metro rail tunnel isn’t fully funded. But the ads are a bit different from the ones we saw last year for the proposed (but now scrapped) Melbourne Rail Link (the Coalition’s then-alternative tunnel plan) and the airport rail ... [More]
It must be difficult for Tony Abbott’s loyal MPs to defend him in matters like public transport, where he refuses to fund it, while heavily funding motorways. But of course they try. What’s fascinating is when they get their basic facts wrong. This morning there was a discussion on Twitter about a Coalition-run forum about ... [More]
If you haven’t heard, the train and tram stoppages for Friday have been cancelled. Say you know which line you want, you’ve found the correct platform, but a train comes in with some obscure station on the destination sign — how do you know if you can catch it? You might have only a few ... [More]
Nothing makes public transport more usable than frequent services, where you don’t need a timetable, you just “turn up and go” — in transport planning circles this is actually known by the TUAG acronym. Regular readers might know: the Frankston and Dandenong lines now have TUAG trains every ten minutes every day for much of ... [More]
It’s Rail Safety Week, an annual event to highlight the importance of staying safe around trains. It’s an important issue, and the official video is well worth a look: Back in 2012, The Age highlighted the issue of level crossing regulations which are illogical, and out of step with engineering practice as well as public ... [More]
Updates below If you’re keeping up with the news, you’d know that the Rail Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) is in dispute with both the tram and train operators. At this stage, there is a threat of industrial action, which could be anything from refusing to wear uniforms to refusing to check tickets to disrupting ... [More]
Once in a blue moon I’ll buy a copy of Modern Railways. It’s a Brit magazine which — although it does feature full-colour photos of trains — isn’t really a trainspotter mag. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself. It highlights developments in railways in Britain, and the other week I noticed the May ... [More]