Since I don’t have a transport-related post ready at the moment, here’s a quick one about music. I’m loving the Sonos system. I’d been warned that buying extra speakers for it was addictive, and it’s true. I just got another Play:1. They’re the smallest of the range, but they still pack a punch. (All Sonos ... [More]
Here’s another in my series of old photos from ten years ago: December 2006. On the 9th, there was a lot of smoke over Melbourne from a large number of bushfires around the state. Here’s a view (not snapped by me, I should add — I was driving) of Melbourne CBD, taken from the Bolte ... [More]
The rebuilt Ormond, McKinnon and Bentleigh stations opened in August. Following this, the car parks all opened in November. But what about the bike cages? The answer is that they’re still not open. “Parkiteer” Bike cages around the rail network have proved very popular. Some stations have multiple cages. It was a smart move to ... [More]
I was invited by the Level Crossing Removal Authority to look around the Bayswater station grade separation project. This is removing two crossings, either side of the station: Mountain Highway and Scoresby Road. They’re in the final stages of the major works period, with a rail shut down of 37 days almost over, the line ... [More]
Below you can see the current rail network map. As maps go, it’s pretty useless, because it tells you where the tracks go, but not where the trains go. Looking at it, you might assume that trains run from Sunbury to Upfield — but you’d be wrong, of course. (The latest version does at least ... [More]
Another comment piece in The Age: Myki fare hikes favour some users, punish others and increasingly encourage driving Yes, fares are jumping by about 4% in January. This is a CPI plus 2.5% (eg 3.9%) rise that was devised by the Coalition in their December 2013 budget update, and delivered by Labor. So a big ... [More]
Those of you who follow me on Twitter will know I see a lot of motorists blocking intersections, including pedestrian crossings. Here’s road regulation 128: 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: ... [More]
I’m not sure if it’s new, but I noticed the other day that the old Brinsmead’s Pharmacy in Ripponlea now has a plaque marking its significance. When I was a kid, this was still a chemist. Its survival as a chemist for so long, over sixty years, probably helped the original features stay intact. Nowadays ... [More]
The Night Network trial, in particular running the trains all night on weekends, isn’t perfect, but has solved a lot of problems. No “last train” that revellers have to rush for No long wait until dawn if you miss the last train (this was said to be an issue contributing to CBD night time violence) ... [More]
Another in my series of photos from ten years ago. I found quite a few this month, and also found one from October 2006 which had been missed, and since added to that post. The Bentleigh Festival. Obviously this spot looks quite different now with the level crossing gone. PT spotters will also notice the ... [More]
A couple of years ago I got a ceiling fan fitted in the kitchen. The electrician was pleasant, competent, and did a good job. He said he’d send me an invoice. He never did. A couple of months later I emailed him and asked him to send it. He acknowledged the email and said he’d ... [More]
Remember the Dingley Bypass? The western end was built as the “South Road Extension” as two lanes (one each way) just last decade. It mostly wasn’t dual carriageway, but it was otherwise suspiciously freeway-like. Having appeared in the 1969 freeway plan, it wasn’t difficult to see that it would be expanded. (Dingley Arterial 2015 – ... [More]