Enviroment & Melbourne05 Nov 2005 08:52 am
Melbourne grinding to a halt (The Age / Dan Silkstone)
The Age today is carrying a set of stories related to the public transport woes Melbourne is currently suffering from. The government has commissioned a report titled “Most Liveable and Best Connected?” which confirms what commuters already know - the current system doesn’t work. Also revealed is the fact that the privatisation of the system has not delivered any improvements to commuters and may actually be costing the public more money than if it was still government run.
Personally I would love to be able to take public transport to work, but for double the travel time at almost the same cost as driving I don’t consider it to be a reasonable option.
November 6th, 2005 at 5:00 pm
I’d love to hear more on what it would take you to catch public transport, as I think the first battle is getting the appropriate funding, and infrastructure changes, the second is convincing people that it is the better alternative.
Personally, it takes me 3 times longer to get to work by public transport, but I either read a book or pull out my lap top.
November 7th, 2005 at 8:01 am
You would love to take public transport???
November 7th, 2005 at 8:33 am
To respond to the comments:
Kylie: The main thing I used to like about taking the train to work was being able to get in some reading on the way there or back. That and not having to keep a look out for people who can’t drive
Scott: I’d be happy to take public transport as long as there were improvements in the following areas:
1) Overall trip time comparable or less than the same trip by car. I wouldn’t expect the public transport trip time to be less in off peak times, but during peak hour if trams and busses are given priority over cars this should be achievable.
2) Public transport needs to be cheaper. Unless you’re going somewhere with expensive parking its not currently much (or in some cases any) cheaper than going by car.
3) The overcrowding problems need to be fixed. A couple of years ago when I used to get the train home in the evening on the Glen Waverley line it was not uncommon to have to stand up for the whole trip. I don’t mind standing for short trips - but to run the entire length of the train line without being able to sit down is ridiculous.
Those are my main complaints as a public transport user. If they can address those issues I’d be willing to give it another try.
November 15th, 2005 at 8:01 am
I live in Boston and I d o not dirve. I mainly bike and take pblic transportation. Our system is pretty bad too. It is the oldest subway in the country and it really shows. The stations are old and dark, trains run slow and have random sceudles. I think that it is still better than driing in Boston. Boston traffic is terrible. During rush hour I usually get places faster than the cars do. THey just need a lot of work.