The PTV web site reckons there are 298 car spaces in the car park at Clayton railway station. Until recently the spaces were distributed around the station, some on the western side of Clayton Road, most on the eastern side, both sides of the railway line. But with the new elevated “skyrail” line under construction ... [More]
(Backdated. Posted 28/7/2017) Click on any photo to see it larger After a long flight from Singapore, we landed in London, and as we taxied I did my usual thing of checking out the exotic airlines you can see at airports outside Australia. I particularly liked the Brussels Airlines slogan “We fly you to the ... [More]
(I am prone to do long overly-detailed blog posts about my holidays, perhaps more for my benefit and enjoyment than yours. Here’s the first instalment. This post is backdated. Published 26/7/2017) This holiday was a long time coming. Co-ordinating with my sons (including university holidays) and work and M and relatives, let alone getting the ... [More]
Intersections on curves can be tricky. Even slight curves. Every time I pass the Astor on Dandenong Road in a car, particularly eastbound, I watch what happens. It’s not uncommon for vehicles to veer into the next lane over as they cross Chapel Street. Usually, thankfully there’s nobody in the way. This morning it happened ... [More]
Hideous concrete “bollards” are being distributed around central Melbourne, in an effort to prevent terrorist attacks with motor vehicles such as those seen in Europe. #Melbourne has hundreds of concrete bollards placed around the city. My toon @theheraldsun #terrorism pic.twitter.com/dtmx35DV8Y â Mark Knight (@Knightcartoons) June 24, 2017 Everyone knows they’re hideous. But they’re also temporary. ... [More]
Time for another in my monthly series of photos from ten years ago… something of a bumper crop this time. Let’s start with a view over the city from Quarry Park in Footscray. Apparently the Melbourne Star observation wheel had been under construction since 2006, but I can’t see in anywhere here. I can’t actually ... [More]
It turns out some are floating the idea of the Swanston/Flinders Street intersection being converted to a pedestrian scramble crossing (aka a Barnes Dance/Barnes Walk). THE CBD’s busiest intersection, at Flinders and Swanston streets, could get a pedestrian-friendly makeover under changes forced by the Metro Rail tunnel project. Lord Mayor Robert Doyle has revealed one ... [More]
As you grow older, you find yourself doing things you genuinely had no idea you’d be doing. At least I do. Perhaps other people have all their plans worked out way further in advance. When I was growing up, we had little money, and I couldn’t dream of owning my own home. At age 30 ... [More]
A reminder that despite how it may sometimes seem, not all my blog posts are about transport. If you want to view only the transport posts, try here. For convenience, this link is also on the menu at the top, under Transport. Over the years I’ve had many mobile phones. Here’s an update to that ... [More]
The Age broke the story last week that the new High Capacity Metro Trains (HCMTs) are being designed to cope with up to 2000 people, at a density of up to 6 people per square metre, and seats for 30-40% of the total load. Cue the outrage (from some quarters) — but it’s important to ... [More]
We all remember the East West Link. Specifically denied by the Coalition during the 2010 election, after a policy turnaround, they ignored the unfavourable economics of the project, and rammed through the contracts without a mandate, ahead of the 2014 election. The design ran a motorway through the middle of Royal Park, and required demolition ... [More]
Those of you who follow me on Twitter might recall I spent a lot of July last year posting about the 5 weeks of bus replacements on the Frankston line. One of the things they got right was to run the buses along the main roads, rather than diverting them into the railway stations, three ... [More]
Infrastructure Australia released a study today claiming that privatising public transport can save billions of dollars: Media release: Franchising public transport services could deliver $15.5 billion in funding for new transport services (Full study here) I had a quick read of the study and I have to say, I found it utterly unconvincing. The executive ... [More]
Very busy the last few weeks, which is why the blog has been so quiet. Long-time readers would know that I like to write about my interstate and overseas holidays in almost excruciating detail. Well brace yourself for another one – I’ve got a European holiday in planning for later this year. It’s looking like ... [More]
This is an occasional series, when a few things happen during the week and I want to put a word in… ABC: Ticket inspectors taking tram user’s phone to seek proof of identity unacceptable, PTV says This is a concern, but context is important. It’s a matter of degrees. I think whether it’s acceptable or ... [More]
Another in my series of ten year old photos. If you drive out of the car park at Southland, down the ramp from the 2nd level, near the railway line, you may have noticed that there’s a sign there saying to “Give way to pedestrains“. Evidently it’s been that way for at least ten years. ... [More]