Unlike a lot of people I know, I don't actually mind taking public transport. I'm pragmatic about it - I take it because, quite frankly, I can't afford to drive everyday. And if even if I could afford it, there's nowhere to bloody park the car. Taking the bus can also be highly amusing to someone who enjoys observing human behaviour as much as myself. There are regulars I take the bus with and I sometimes use their presence as a marker as to how late/early I am :D. Also, I admire the skill that the bus drivers have weaving such a large vehicle in and out of peak traffic. Truly, there's an art to manoeuvering between a tree on the left and a wide truck, or as I like to call it, threading the needle. In addition, given the state of traffic in my area, I'd have to leave my home at 8am, quarter past at the latest, in order to get to work by 9am. Or I can wake at 8am and get to work by 9:15-30 if I take a bus. Being a relatively healthy chick, I also don't mind the 1km walk from the bus stop to my place and can do it in about 10 minutes.
However despite my practicality, I happily say the state of public transport in this city is rubbish. There are three main forms of PT in this city - trains, trams, and buses. The freeway from my place to work is so horrid because buses are the only PT into my area and I know a lot of people, e.g. my brother, dislike them on principle. Despite much lobbying from local government and population, I highly doubt a train line will be built into my area.
On one hand, I can understand the argument why it wont be built - trains work on electricity, electricity comes from brown/black coal. In order to cancel out the cost of setting up the system and trying to make it green, the train would have to run at capacity all day - which isn't going to happen because demand only occurs at peak hour. Therefore, so long as the freeway has a dedicated bus lane (which it does), it makes more sense to keep running buses. The really stupid thing is that these freeway buses only come once an hour after 6pm (WTF?!) and stop completely at 10:30pm. There is another bus that goes through the suburbs that thankfully continue until midnight but these too come at the frequency of once an hour after 8:30pm. THAT IS RUBBISH.
Another thing the city does need is a circle line to link stations. The train system here is set in a radial manner - all lines lead into the city. To change lines, you have to head into city loop. That might have worked when the system was originally planned, but given the sprawl of the population vs. employment location now, it just doesn't cut it. If you live in Fairfield and work in Hawthorn, while those suburbs are approximately 5km apart, if you wanted to take a train from one to the other, you would have to go into the city loop and change lines; a total travel distance of about 10km. Where's the sense in that?!
The govt complains that the cost of requisitioning land in order to build the line would be enormous due to skyrocketing land costs in the inner city and, again, to use bus links. I've taken various existing bus links (remember, I don't mind taking public transport) but quite frankly, they don't work in this city This is due to two main issues. If a train is late (as they often are due to the overloaded system), you will miss the bus link. Secondly, the buses are on suburban roads and unlike the freeway, cannot have a dedicated bus lane. When demand is high on the roads, you can't predict how long it takes a bus to pick up the passengers to get to the other station. So the bus itself is often late, meaning the people on the bus will miss their train and the people waiting for link are now even more late.
And don't get me started on trams. My advice to the government? Stop wasting money on building more super roads for this city and start investing in infrastructure. The way things are makes me wish for a return of the day when a city could just evict people and build whatever they wanted.
The one thing I can console myself with is that at least I don't live in Sydney. I've been stranded on the wrong side of the city once, trying to make it to the other. It wasn't fun.
4 comments:
I HATE public transport! My most hated is the train, just because I don't trust the noises, I keep thinking they're derailing or something. I have too much experience of the bus during rush hour and I can say the two years I had to commute to and from uni were the worst years of my life - sweaty man, fat lady, chav boy, possible rapist - all people I am pleased to never have to share my seat with again :D
(waves hands - sydney commuter here!)
Yeah - what are you complaining about, hey?
At least you have trams - though we have ferries too.
And darn it - there goes the fornightly weekend trackwork - no trains again :(
u left a section - PT on HOT days.
Melbourne needs to attack its public transport problem head on rather than dancing around the issue.
In terms of buses, perhaps Melbourne could follow NY's green strategy and adopting hybrid buses. On the train front, we simply need more trains and more routes to connect the breeders to the city. Again, hybrid trains may be an option, depending on the government's budget. Trams could also follow along these lines as well. PT in Melbourne is attrocious and is embarassing, and must be addressed if Melbourne continues to grow and aim to reduce its carbon emissions.
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