Default fares kind of make sense (an assumption about where someone travelled if they don’t touch-off), but the way they’re implemented under Myki leaves a lot to be desired. An example from Saturday, when I zipped down to Geelong and back on the train. Summarising the official history: 12:15 Touched-on at Footscray (zone 1). The ... [More]
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View of the city from the outer west
If you catch a train towards Geelong, just after Deer Park, where the train branches off the Ballarat line to head south, you’ll see a great view of the city on your left. (View it larger) Against the bluey-grey skyline, the wheel stands out of course, as do the silos in Kensington-ish. In the foreground ... [More]
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Investments
Sorry, few updates this week due to general busy-ness and a web hosting issue that prevented posting. Last year I dipped my toe in the sharemarket: I bought shares in Xero, the cloud accounting service. They were about $25 at the time. Since then they have dropped in price by about half. If only I’d ... [More]
I for one welcome our new public-transport-loving overlord. As recently as Friday, new Prime Minister-designate Malcolm Turnbull was riding trams in Melbourne: And here comes today's tram – the number 70 to take us to Hawthorn and a morning with @JoshFrydenberg pic.twitter.com/zeGCmct6nj — Malcolm Turnbull (@TurnbullMalcolm) September 10, 2015 It’s great that — unlike Tony ... [More]
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It’s okay
I don’t know if anybody’s done this before, but… It’s from The West Wing, the finale of season 1, a signal the staff work out to indicate that the Space Shuttle has resolved an issue while on a mission. The show is known for infusing humour into the drama — in this case, the Shuttle ... [More]
Grade separating level crossings has numerous benefits: it allows more trains to run without impacting on others, it cuts delays to motorists, bus/tram passengers, pedestrians (including train users) and cyclists. And emergency services. Clayton is particularly bad for this, because it’s so close to Monash Medical Centre, but it’s not uncommon to see ambulances or ... [More]
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New architecture intruding on old
From the Victorian Heritage Database: The school building was sited for optimal viewing from Alexander[sic] Avenue. The low lying land in the foreground was utilized for a sports oval and the land in between was terraced with steps, paths and roadways. This resulted in uninterrupted views of the impressive building from the north and west. ... [More]
The tram stoppage is on today. From about 8:30 trams start heading back to depots, and won’t resume fully until about 3pm. Full details on the Yarra Trams web site, including precise last/first times, replacement services and alternative services. As I’ve written before, getting around the CBD is actually not too hard without trams. Even ... [More]
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A 30 minute nugget of ideas
This podcast from ABC Radio National’s Late Night Live a few months ago is a 30 minute nugget of transport and city ideas: Why fund rail when roads are our future? Ignore the thoroughly incorrect title and the first minute or two from the host, previewing the later parts of the program. The participants throw ... [More]
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A minor Myki mystery solved
I’ve solved a little Myki mystery. For years I’d been asked about this scenario: Assume you have paid your daily fare on Myki Money (eg pay as you go), if you load a Pass (eg a weekly or monthly) onto the same card, will the Pass activate immediately, or wait until your daily fare has ... [More]
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#TrainStrike
That moment when you’re talking about train disruptions, and one sneaks up behind you… …but I think I bumbled my way through it okay. So here we are. The first major industrial action on the train network since 1997, following a similar tram stoppage last week. Trains begin shutting down from 8:17am — that’s the ... [More]
I’m all for al fresco dining. It can be lovely sitting in the sun on the street enjoying food and drink — and will be doubly so once the smoking ban comes in, in 2017. And it helps make our streets more interesting and interactive. But getting off a bus in Brighton the other day, ... [More]