Public transport geekery
Apr. 16th, 2008 09:07 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hnpccI had far too much fun coming in to work this morning. I've been kind of experimenting with routes in to work - it used to be just tram-tram, but since I moved I've tried train-tram, train-train and going home I've tried bus-train, tram-train, bus-bus, train-train.
The simplest and probably quickest route is the train/tram combination... but that's what I do every day. And for me there's always the side need of "what if the train system goes down? what if the tram network goes down?" to have back up plans. This, of course, is where the buses come in.
Mostly I experiment going home, usually because I don't have to get there as quickly. But today I was running early, so when I realised I could probably walk up one block from the train station and catch the bus to work... well, it was an opportunity not to be missed.
The first bus I caught was running very late, and so terminated at Flinders St. The second one, once we got past the congestion around Crown, absolutely fanged it down St Kilda Rd, passing trams as we went. I'm tempted to try this route again, although I might try it from the National Gallery stop rather than Queen St, where I started.
I have to admit it always surprises me when people don't know where the buses outside their work go. I tend to read the Melways to find out. And then, when I need a bit of a change, catch them to see where, exactly, they go. I've jumped on quite a few trams and buses to see what was at the other end of the route.
The transport plan released for Melbourne last week doesn't really cut it for me, except for the proposed Caufield-Footscray train link. Now that, I'm up for. And not just because it would probably get me to work even faster again (part of this experimentation is that it's currently taking me roughly the same time to travel nearly 20km by train as it is 4km by tram. There has to be a quicker route, seriously.) The East-West road tunnel has the smell of someone's long-cherished plan. Not that I can talk. If they gave me control of the budget for Victoria there'd be train lines sprouting within minutes. Well, OK, days. Or weeks. But the line to Monash University would be started as quickly as I could bloody make it.
I do wonder if another part of this jumping on and off forms of transport is just me really, really wanting to go travelling again. Probably.
The simplest and probably quickest route is the train/tram combination... but that's what I do every day. And for me there's always the side need of "what if the train system goes down? what if the tram network goes down?" to have back up plans. This, of course, is where the buses come in.
Mostly I experiment going home, usually because I don't have to get there as quickly. But today I was running early, so when I realised I could probably walk up one block from the train station and catch the bus to work... well, it was an opportunity not to be missed.
The first bus I caught was running very late, and so terminated at Flinders St. The second one, once we got past the congestion around Crown, absolutely fanged it down St Kilda Rd, passing trams as we went. I'm tempted to try this route again, although I might try it from the National Gallery stop rather than Queen St, where I started.
I have to admit it always surprises me when people don't know where the buses outside their work go. I tend to read the Melways to find out. And then, when I need a bit of a change, catch them to see where, exactly, they go. I've jumped on quite a few trams and buses to see what was at the other end of the route.
The transport plan released for Melbourne last week doesn't really cut it for me, except for the proposed Caufield-Footscray train link. Now that, I'm up for. And not just because it would probably get me to work even faster again (part of this experimentation is that it's currently taking me roughly the same time to travel nearly 20km by train as it is 4km by tram. There has to be a quicker route, seriously.) The East-West road tunnel has the smell of someone's long-cherished plan. Not that I can talk. If they gave me control of the budget for Victoria there'd be train lines sprouting within minutes. Well, OK, days. Or weeks. But the line to Monash University would be started as quickly as I could bloody make it.
I do wonder if another part of this jumping on and off forms of transport is just me really, really wanting to go travelling again. Probably.
no subject
Date: 2008-04-16 07:04 am (UTC)Yes, seriously.
no subject
Date: 2008-04-16 07:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-04-16 07:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-04-16 07:13 am (UTC)