Smartbus was devised in the dying days of the Kennett government originally as a mostly hardware-based upgrade: traffic priority, real-time information at stops, distinctive bus stop signs and buses. Originally it didn’t include service upgrades (which sparked derision from the PTUA at the time), but this was changed early on during the Bracks government, with ... [More]
Ten years ago I was surviving (somehow) with no hot water, after the water heater packed-up. The solar system I had installed to replace it is, thankfully, still going nicely. Anyway, it’s the last day of Feb – just time for some old photos from ten years ago – another in my series of rehashed ... [More]
On Friday, The Age reported that Infrastructure Australia has put out a report that asks what sort of city we’d like to have in 2046: The Expanded Low Density scenario – similar to Los Angeles – sprawling, dispersed suburbs, even more car-dominated than today The Centralised High Density scenario – similar to New York City ... [More]
All of us have data being captured about us all the time. For many of us that includes Myki travel data (though even that is tiny compared to the myriad of information captured by our smartphones). Mostly for me it’s the drudgery of everyday work commuting, but every so often there’s something of interest. Crosstown ... [More]
Definitions can be important when looking at things such as statistics. A simple comparison of city populations can result in quite different figures. For example, what is the population of Seattle? The Wikipedia article opens: Seattle is a seaport city on the west coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, ... [More]
For two weeks the Cranbourne/Pakenham line was shut between Westall and Dandenong, allowing construction crews to complete the ramps and connect the first section of skyrail to the line. It re-opened on Thursday. I and other stakeholders got a preview on Wednesday, but we weren’t allowed to take photos inside (because construction work around the ... [More]
A year ago today, I travelled to Pinewood shopping centre in Mount Waverley for the second time that month. The first visit (where I blogged my trip home) was for a medical consultation for a lump in my arm. The second visit was to have it removed. I travelled to the appointment, and as I ... [More]
If you live in Melbourne, you’ve almost certainly heard of the Melbourne Metro Rail Tunnel project (MMRT for short, but to avoid confusion here, I’ll call it Metro 1). You may or may not have also heard of the Metro 2 project. So what is it? It used to be the second stage of Metro ... [More]
One of the fundamental problems with transport planning in Australia is that politicians see it as demand-led, when basically transport systems are supply-led. Demand-led thinking has them looking at congested roads and thinking “we need to build another one”. Another one gets built, and it fills up. Rinse and repeat. (More people in cars = ... [More]
A mate of mine told me this funny story, which I posted to Twitter yesterday. Here’s a version with fewer emoji, and a bit more detail. He was on a bus heading out to Doncaster. Two young men got on, full of attitude. They sat in the back, and started playing music through a Bluetooth ... [More]
There’s something of a disconnect between the headlines today and the reality. Say goodbye to your Myki card â the death of the trouble-plagued $1.5bn ticketing system has begun. Here's how you will soon pay for public transport https://t.co/lY7DEPxdMt #exclusive #springst pic.twitter.com/hVAtgHE2l6 — Herald Sun (@theheraldsun) January 27, 2018 “THE death of the trouble-plagued $1.5 ... [More]
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]
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]
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]
Another in my series of ten year old photos. In late-2007/early-2008 there was a stoush around the banning of bicycles in zone 1 during peak hours. In February 2008 the ban was reversed. Notice that this sign is ambiguous: are the bikes banned on any train that serves zone 1 during peak, or just banned ... [More]
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]