Public transport rant

[hnpcc]

My car is not happy. The clutch started doing "really funny" things yesterday, as distinct from the "funny" things it was doing for the past couple of months. Basically it's dropping out and failing to engage - not good. What's worse is that it was serviced two weeks ago, and the guy replaced all the clutch fluid, so it's not something easy like that. *sigh*

The upshot is I caught a tram, train and bus to work this morning. It took me from 7.30am to 9.15am to get to work. It's the connections (particularly the bloody bus) that slow you down. I want a railway station at Monash. I really, really, really want a railway station at Monash. I have dreamt that there was a station here (for those of you who know Monash at all it was under the sports centre. No, I don't know why there either. There were also three tram lines under the sports centre as well.) I feel guilty driving a 5 seat vehicle with only me in it to and from work - but it takes me 30-40 minutes. I would ride my bike but I doubt I can do 35km in a reasonable time. Actually I don't doubt it, I know I can't do 35km in a reasonable time.

I can't understand how a university can have such piss poor public transport - there are only buses and they're half-assed in Melbourne at best. Why they built the university in what was then the middle of nowhere, miles away from the train station I'll never know. *sigh*

Still. I actually enjoyed the tram/train trips - it's just a pain that the train was a "stopping all stations" one, and so took a fairly long time to travel the distance. It doesn't help that according to today's paper trains only go at 40kph in Melbourne. For God's sake peoples! Get some bloody trains that _move_ and you might actually increase your customer base.

So might returning conductors to trams, manning train stations and putting more buses on, but that's only my suggestion.

I think my problem is that I live in an area with two major tram lines, a train line and three bus lines that I can think of offhand and I consider that to be baseline. I also spent quite a long time at Melbourne Uni, which is accessible by public transport from pretty much anywhere in Melbourne - so again, baseline.

And now I have to get home again and get the car to the garage. *sigh*

Comments

[sand-l.livejournal.com]

Ah, how the words 'public transport' and 'rant' are forever to be linked together.
I do always feel vaguely guilty when I get in my car all alone, but most of the time there isn't really any viable alternative. It would either [a] take too long [b] not be safe [c] is only possible with too many changes of transport and long walks.
Pffftttt.
Another thing that lots of folks in the world have in common I guess. 'The Powers That Be' of course claim it's too expensive and that not enough people use it to justify spending 'even more' money on...but I'm not going to go down that road of futile argument right now. [Thank goodness!] Pfffffttttt again.
But it's all awsomely efficient compared to what there was, where I was in N.C. [Nothing]

[dsn.livejournal.com]

When living in Melbourne, a train station at Monash with fast trains to Spencer Street would have be blindingly useful and having the station under the sports centre would have been perfect. Perhaps your dream is but a vision of what is now your duty to see implemented :)

Dave

[hnpcc]

Don't tempt me. It's election season coming up. :-)

And yeah, I agree, under the sports centre and/or grounds would be just about right.

So would a tram down Wellington Rd and a bike lane down the centre and... just don't get me started. I have an entire new public transport system worked out in my head... ;-)

[hnpcc]

I honestly thought the UK would have fantastic public transport up until quite recently. The reasoning for this was (a) large population and (b) small land area. (As distinct from here, which is small population and huge land area). I was disabused of that idea by Lee first and then by hawkida. But it made sense! And Belgium had quite good public transport, and Germany's was ace so logically Britain's should also have been good! *sigh* :-)

The train system in the northeast of the US was great btw - we got rail passes for the northeast region and used them from Washington DC right up to Boston (stopping en route) then across to Toronto and down to Chicago. The routes between Washington and Boston were really good, the rest had ~1 train/day (but then we were travelling not commuting so it didn't matter). And we found that public transport in NY, Boston, Washington and - suprisingly - Los Angeles was fine for what we wanted. (Go the Santa Monica Big Blue Bus!) Didn't try in NC though. ;-) And Syracuse's (upstate NY) sucked. As did any provision for pedestrians.

Argh. Melbourne's main problem with public transport is that the trains are based on a hub system, which is fine if you want to get into the CBD but not that fine if you want to get across town. The trams are great, but don't go far enough out (Bundoora and East Burwood excepted - but they take forever, which is why they're not generally used for commuting into the CBD). The buses are what's used to get between the trains but I find that they (a) don't run frequently enough and (b) if you don't know exactly where they're going you can end up totally lost.

*sigh* At least we have a public transport system during the day I guess (there's nothing weeknights after midnight). Syracuse's public transport system was peak hour based, with almost nothing in between. And no nice maps even to tell you where the buses went. Not that suprisingly I suppose they'd never thought of wierdo tourists like us coming there (for the Erie Canal museum since you ask!) and actually not having a car.

Still. I fail to understand anyone driving into the CBD and then whinging about the traffic. If you hate the traffic, take the train. I also completely fail to understand anyone even bothering to attempt to drive in London, NY, Paris or Sydney, but all those places have massive traffic congestion, so people must.

OK, finishing long rant now. :-)

[dsn.livejournal.com]

Vote for hnpcc. Vote for Public transport to Monash