Please note that as always, the views expressed on my blog are my own, and are not necessarily a PTUA position. The state election’s about six weeks away. The Opposition has been criticised for not having a transport policy, but it’s important to note that Labor hasn’t said much about what they’d do, either. Sure, ... [More]
Pic from Indymedia So you’ve got a beef? Something’s wrong with the world and you want it fixed? Don’t be fooled — joining a Facebook group won’t change it. Adding a ribbon to your Twitter avatar won’t change it. Leaving a comment on a blog won’t change it. All these forms of Slactivism may help ... [More]
Occasional commenter Peter from Murrumbeena has sent me this video of Myki short term tickets setting off a shop alarm. Apparently it relates to the RFID technology used in the tickets. When a number are placed in close proximity, they look to the shop alarm like the tag attached to protected goods, setting off the ... [More]
My old high school mate Konrad asked (a little while back now): How old were your boys when you introduced them to Dr Who and do you think it was the right age? I ask as Iâm wondering how old my daughter will have to be before I can introduce her to him. I think ... [More]
Not loading, not unloading. Just sitting there. And plenty of spaces on the street. Dear WKY762, that is a bloody stupid place to park. Do you understand what a footpath is for?
It’s pretty pathetic when the organisers of a major event at the MCG have to tell thousands of participants that there’s no public transport. With start times of 7.00am, 8.00am and 7.30am respectively, public transport is not an option for Marathon, Half Marathon and 10km competitors. Why? Well despite the MCG being served by Jolimont ... [More]
So if it’s not actually soup, what is it? See also: The “Blog” of “Unnecessary” Quotation Marks.
Via Google’s archive of The Age, I found this, the 1969 freeway plan for Melbourne, with 1974 modifications (including a number of cuts). It’s a little bit stylised, but according to the article, the plan was deliberately vague about which inner-suburban areas were to be demolished. A monstrous plan, you might think. Freeways everywhere! But ... [More]
What do you think of this double-sized tram shelter? Top of William Street, near the market. Pretty good hey? Particularly for a spot which isn’t actually a tram stop. No trams are regularly scheduled to stop there. Occasionally some will get diverted off Swanston Street onto William, and terminate in the shunt here, but otherwise, ... [More]
Metro Trains CEO Andrew Lezala addressed the Melbourne Press Club today. I was amused to see they presented him with a framed print of a cartoon from the Herald Sun. Video of the event should be online later. Disclosure — I attended the lunch as a guest of Metro, to lobby on behalf of PTUA ... [More]
Things I discovered when picking up my father’s ashes from the crematorium: 1. At Fawkner, you pick them up from the office, not the crematorium itself. If you catch the train there, the office is in a non-intuitive location, back towards Sydney Road. 2. Make sure you have photo ID. I guess they don’t want ... [More]
I was curious to see how many times in the last year that trucks have missed the “Low clearance 4.0” (metres) height warning and crashed into the guard rail for the rail bridge at Spencer and Flinders Streets, before rolling-over and blocking the intersection. (Or look on: Google Streetview) Answer via Google News archive search: ... [More]
At most suburban shopping centres, Southland included, Sunday is the second-busiest day, closely following Saturday. As you can see from this photo, at 3:30pm, while the carparks were full, the bus terminal was empty of buses. While some parts of the city get trams, trains and buses every 10-15 minutes, 7 days-a-week (the 19 tram ... [More]
No sooner had the Magpies won yesterday than they were out causing trouble in Footscray, swooping the dog. Mind you the dog didn’t seem to mind.
Also last night, how’s this for combining my interests of transport and classic video gaming? The Super Mario tram — celebrating 25 years of Mario games.
Last night’s talk between Paul Kelly and Robert Forster appeared to be a sell-out. (Marita managed to get last minute tickets.) They chatted for quite a while about Paul’s new book, he sang a couple of songs (Sweet Guy, and You Broke A Beautiful Thing), and answered questions. The best question: What ever happened to ... [More]