Re: Sydney Light Rail (CSELR) Now GC Riders prefer buses.
  Richard Youl

Ride for yourself before you condemn.

I'm commenting as a former tram conductor who had to overcome G forces while selling tickets with 2 hands.

Richard

> On 17 Aug 2017, at 11:29 am,prescottt@... [TramsDownUnder] TramsDownUnder@...> wrote:

>

> You'll really have to ask Translink Richard, I have no idea and I haven't been at Gold Coast recently so I can't relate direct experience. Issues like on-time running and service frequency would fall outside the "comfort" question. The quality of ride in a bus depends largely on the conditon of the roads and the competence and attitude of the driver. This varies greatly between cities and operations. There's no problem standing when both are good.

>

>

> You'll also find a very large number of people don't like rear-facing seats. You can detect attitudes in various cities by looking at which seats people head for when they board. Indeed many studies have been done on this internationally. Buses have mostly forward-facing and longitudinal (which people also seem to not mind) seats, trams in Australia have half their seats facing backwards. Most studies identify personal space as a big issue and many people are averse to facing and sharing knees with a stranger. Neurological issues are also a factor. A snippet on the subject:

>

> https://www.quora.com/Why-do-most-people-prefer-to-sit-facing-the-direction-of-movement-when-they-travel-on-trains-and-buses

>

> The acceleration/deceleration on Gold Coast trams can't be all that great if you can stand only with leg bracing! Riding a tram in Czech Republic you'll quickly be on the floor if you don't have a hand on something - and that's not from rough driving, but just from G forces. Obviously "the G" lacks G forces and should be renamed on the grounds of misrepresentation forthwith! ;)

>

> Tony P

>

> ---InTramsDownUnder@..., <tressteleg@...> wrote :

>

> It would be very interesting to know who was questioned and what they were asked.

>

> I believe that I am capable of objectively comparing modes of transport even if I have a liking for one over another.

>

> Today I went to Southport via bicycle, bus and tram.

>

> The bus from here and the tram from the hospital terminus were both on time.

>

> Along the way I checked the seats of each mode, and the degree of padding and comfort was very much the same, about an inch of foam padding which was adequate.

>

> On the tram, unless the track brakes are used in an emergency (never experienced here) it is possible to ride the tram standing without holding on, but leg bracing is needed due to rapid but smooth acceleration. It is dangerous to stand on a bus while it is moving even when holding on firmly.

>

> While the tram service heading home around 3.30pm was running to schedule, the hourly 714 from the hospital to Helensvale Station due at 3.44pm did not arrive until 3.59pm, just one stop after leaving the terminus. It left at 4.01pm.

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> Due to peak slow traffic, it was 20 minutes late when I got of at 4.15 pm.. Thus it would have missed the Brisbane bound train it was due to connect with by at least 15 minutes if no more heavy traffic were encountered. Trains run half hourly.

>

> That in my eyes is a fail, by no means a rare event for the 714 and 715 which also is scheduled to meet trains.

>

> Whenever I see or ride either of these I take note of punctuality and far too often I judge them as fails for meeting the train. I now refuse to catch the bus if I need to travel to Brisbane. Southbound trains are almost certain to connect.

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> Just about all the GC stations have bus connections, so there would be other routes which from time to time fail to get to the station before the train.

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> Incidentally buses do not wait for trains at all late.

>

> So how do you these points fail to be noticed by bus passengers?

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> Perhaps other factors come into play.

>

> There are still plenty here who call the tram a white elephant. Presumably these are people who live in the wrong place and so see no benefit in it. And plenty of others mistakenly believe that the tram is impacting unfavourably on their council rates.

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> Additionally when the trunk bus service between Broadbeach and Southport ran, council subsidised free bus rides for seniors ceased to exist in that corridor as tram rides are not free. No doubt some are still beefing over that.

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> I daresay that others see the tram unfavourably for all sorts of other reasons with which I would probably disagree.

>

> Regards,

>