Yesterday’s collision between a police vehicle and a tram stop barrier has raised the issues of whether those barriers are a good design. Source: ABC News Thankfully the two policemen will recover. The barriers are intended to stop pedestrians crossing the tracks at tram platform stops. It’s hardly surprising that people do this, given many ... [More]
At a conceptual level, I navigate this city by rail more than by road. For instance, if I’m trying to focus on rain around home, the proximity to railways is far more useful to me than the proximity to major roads. So to make the Bureau of Meteorology’s rain radar map more useful to me, ... [More]
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Farewell MX
Freebie afternoon commuter newspaper MX finishes its run today after 14 years of publishing in Melbourne (and shorter runs in Brisbane and Sydney). Melbourne Express was its awkward morning competitor for a short time in 2001 — it was never going to last because morning distribution is so difficult. That brand name lives on in ... [More]
I noticed there’s a 2015 version of PTV’s network revenue protection plan on their web site. It’s a lot less detailed than the one The Age FOI’d in 2010… perhaps because it was intended to be made public. Some points of interest, with my notes in italics: Pages 5-6 talk about the background — total ... [More]
Despite news last year that Franco Cozzo’s Footscray building is up for sale, it appears the store is sticking around for now. Recently I noticed work being done on a mural on the eastern side of the building… Now completed, it looks rather splendid. (See this larger) Note the roller door, which when closed, shows ... [More]
Do you want to do this thing, they asked? For a weekly feature in the local paper. “Sure!” I said… all I had to do was nominated places (mostly restaurants) in my neighbourhood that I like. Easy, and it might help push the cause. I got my photo taken in one of the local parks. ... [More]
It’s not every day a major new suburban rail line opens in Victoria. In fact it’s been 85 years since the last one. Finally all the details of the Regional Rail Link (which despite its name, runs entirely within the metropolitan area) have been released, including the timetables for the line, and connecting bus services ... [More]
Melbourne’s getting a new double decker bus. It’s been on display at a trade show at Jeff’s Shed (that’s the Melbourne Exhibition Centre for those not in the know), and a PTV contact passed these photos on… Inside, as you’d expect, the low ceiling makes it seem a little more cramped than single deck buses. ... [More]
Here’s another in my series of ten year old photos. Arise Lord Vader — episode 3 got a lot of promotion. Or, as I joked at the time: Connex was aligned with the Dark Side. The Dungeon: platform 13 at Flinders Street. The screens have been replaced with a flat model, and an escalator was ... [More]
Before you read too much of this post, play the video and (assuming you haven’t seen it before), see how long it takes you to work out what it’s an ad for. … Gosh, isn’t it optimistic! And I’m finding it really catchy. Even the bloke at the end seems pretty happy, perhaps with good ... [More]
For some time – since well before the introduction of the Free Tram Zone – I’ve seen uniformed Australia Post employees with small delivery carts on board trams in central Melbourne. At first I wondered if this was a good use of space on a tram, given how crowded they can get. But I think ... [More]
PTV announced on Thursday that online realtime departure information is now available for some bus routes: specifically, Smartbus routes, which have long had realtime information displays at major stops. Ironically as I post this, it seems to be down… but when working, it’s a small but welcome step forward in the quest to get more ... [More]