It’s been almost two week since the recommendation to wear masks when you couldn’t stay 1.5 metres away from others. This includes public transport. With COVID-19 case numbers rising, on Sunday they upped the ante: masks (or other face coverings) will be mandatory outside your home (with a few exceptions) from Thursday. Interestingly this is ... [More]
I wrote most of this post late last year, so obviously circumstances have changed a tad, but my assumption is it’s all temporary – eventually things will get back to something approaching “normal”. Maybe not quite what it was last year, but the pattern of increasing travel demand will come back. Works on the northern ... [More]
Some things worth noting in PT this week. Masks now recommended On Friday, the Chief Health Officer recommended that Melburnians now wear masks outside home when it is not possible to stay physically distant from others – including when using public transport. Obviously this has been prompted by the current rates of COVID-19 community transmission ... [More]
SBS is showing UK rail documentary series World’s Busiest Stations – and last night they aired the episode set in Melbourne. Although it’s ostensibly about specific busy stations, the series looks more broadly at the local rail networks. You can watch it on SBS On Demand. It’s well worth a look for a view inside ... [More]
There’s a Wikipedia page “Commuter rail in Australia” which has a quick snapshot of the country’s heavy rail systems. (The term “commuter rail” is problematic. In a North American context it often refers to systems that really cater only for peak commuter/work trips. Australian rail systems sit somewhere between here and metro systems, and are ... [More]
Continuing my series of posts of ten year old photos… Swanston Street has been closed to traffic since the 1990s… not that you’d know it from the number of cars that drive down there sometimes. At least the big tram stops in place nowadays discourage some of them. (Also note the foreground vehicle blocking the ... [More]
Comparing tram speeds along the different sections of route 109.
Comparing different city public transport networks and their COVID-19 responses
Here’s one of my regular posts of photos from ten years ago. Back when nobody had heard of social distancing, on State Budget day 2010, we all crowded around to do the post-budget media scrum, where stakeholders queue up to give comments for the cameras and microphones. That year included the E-class trams, and new ... [More]
The Myki quirk that led to a legitimate free ride
Public transport use down, electricity consumption up, mobile internet down, home internet up. Grocery spending up… then almost back to normal. Some personal metrics in the age of COVID-19.
Getting back on public transport – can people effectively stagger their trips to avoid crowding when off-peak services are infrequent and crowded?
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]
Another of my monthly posts of old photos from ten years ago. Rudd’s apology to the Stolen Generations, on a building in Little Bourke Street… …alongside Canadian PM Stephen Harper’s similar apology. (Both since removed) A rather more pedestrian view nearby: a few months before the Lonsdale Street bus routes got a shake-up with the ... [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]