-----Original Message-----
From: Roderick Smith [mailto:rodsmith@werple.net.au]
Sent: Tuesday, 14 August 2018 11:00 AM
To: 'transportdownunder@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: Mon.13.8.18 daily digest
Attached.
180813M Melbourne 'Herald Sun':
- letters (mainly rail).
- tunnel II. [we can't run our current system properly, so give as more].
- energy, NEG. with tdu.
- free-tram zone.
- election opinion. [Frankston rail is usually a decider].
180813M 'Canberra Times' - tram interior.
180813M 'SMH' - frequent bus.
Roderick.
Mon.13.8.18 Metro Twitter.
9.15 Upfield line: Minor delays to 15 minutes (an operational requirement).
- 10.38 Trains are now on the move, with major delays, after an earlier
operational incident at Gowrie.
13.21 Upfield line: Minor delays (police attending to a trespasser in the
Moreland area).
- 13.33 Delays are up to 15 minutes (police attending earlier to a
trespasser).
16.30 Our team will be at Westall station this afternoon serving up some
delicious samosas from Taste of Taj .
- 17.42 Don't worry about that; just get enough buses operating between
stations would be a good bloody start.
- 19.11 Too right!
17.33 Craigieburn/Sunbury/Upfield lines: Minor Delays (an ill passenger
requiring medical assistance at Flinders Street).
17.45 Alamein/Belgrave/Lilydale/Glen Waverley lines: Minor delays after
earlier ill passengers at Flinders Street and Blackburn.
- 17.56 Ill passengers? I'm nervous now. Should I wear a mask on the line?
Is there a plague/outbreak which your loyal commuters should know about?
19.02 Craigieburn line: Minor delays (an equipment fault at Roxburgh Park
and after an earlier ill passenger at Flinders Street).
- 21.04 I do understand that currently projects are going on. Please
arrange additional trains in the morning peak period on the Upfield line.
Craigieburn passengers are using Upfield services; people are cramped
together in the
morning times (not enough space to board). Ta.
22.05 We have arranged additional trains for peak periods on the Upfield
line to cater for the additional passengers during the Craigieburn planned
works.
Because of industrial action buses will not run on Thursday 16 August.
Customers are advised to plan ahead and seek alternative travel arrangements
where possible.
Melbourne Express, Monday, August 13, 2018
Man accused of lewd acts on train, A man is accused of exposing himself and
performing an indecent act on a train from Sunbury to Footscray about 2am on
Saturday.
The 49-year-old Pascoe Vale man was charged with multiple offences including
sexual exposure, obscene indecent behaviour in a public place and sexual
activity directed at another person.
He'll face Melbourne Magistrates Court on December 7.
A Melton man has been seriously injured in a hit and run involving a moped
scooter at Melton railway station. The 52-year-old was walking to his
waiting wife when he was struck by a scooter riding on the footpath.
Police say the rider and his passenger were thrown off the bike but weren't
injured. The rider walked back to the victim and stood over him before
getting back on his bike and riding away, a spokeswoman said.
6.29 A pedestrian has been struck on Elizabeth Street at Latrobe Street in
the CBD.
5.50 Minor delays already on the Glen Waverley line thanks to an earlier
equipment fault. Elsewhere, there are works alerts again for Cranbourne and
Pakenham, with buses replacing trains on parts of the lines.
<www.theage.com.au/melbourne-news/melbourne-express-monday-august-13-2018-20
180813-p4zx3d.html>
Consumers aren't the big winners out of National Energy Guarantee 12 August
2018. 84 comments.
<www.watoday.com.au/politics/federal/consumers-aren-t-the-big-winners-out-of
-national-energy-guarantee-20180811-p4zwyv.html>
Tony Abbott mounts public attack on Turnbull's energy policy ahead of
crucial party vote. 13 August 2018 29 comments.
<www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/tony-abbott-mounts-public-attack-on-turn
bull-s-energy-policy-ahead-of-crucial-party-vote-20180813-p4zx9i.html>
'Opportunity to pause': Transport minister defends review of Sky News at
stations 13 August 2018. 16 comments.
Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan has defended her decision to review
content screened at Melbourne's train stations, despite claims that a plan
to kick Sky News off station screens was a form of censorship.
On Monday, Ms Allan said a review would provide ''an opportunity to pause''
and review content displayed in public transport spaces.
Jacinta Allan Photo: Simon Schluter.
On Thursday, she announced that she had directed Metro Trains to remove the
TV news channel from all city station screens after the broadcaster aired an
interview with convicted racist Blair Cottrell.
"Hatred and racism have no place on our screens or in our community," Ms
Allan tweeted that day.
But Sky News claimed that the interview with the United Patriots Front
leader never aired at the City Loop stations, which include Melbourne
Central, Flagstaff and Parliament stations. Ms Allan was accused of
censorship by conservative sections of the media.
"Metro Trains have advised me that following the broadcast of that interview
.. they did receive a spike in complaints about what was broadcast on the
City Loop screens," she said.
She confirmed on Monday that all content screened on train station screens
was now under review.
"Metro Trains have already publicly indicated that they've had some hundreds
of complaints on social media about what is broadcast on the City Loop, so
it's an opportunity to pause, have a look at the content that is advertised
on those screens and we will complete that review in due course."
This coincides with a decision by the Andrews government to lift the
standards on advertising content appearing on the public transport network
last year, Ms Allan said.
"We lifted the level of the sort of content we wanted to put on our public
transport assets," she said.
"That's why, taking those factors into consideration, we are taking the
chance to review all content that is screened on those TV screens."
The review would also consider whether news programs are considered
advertising.
Metro Trains has been approached for comment.
Ms Allan made the comments as she announced that a new road bridge over
Patterson River in Carrum would be finished by the end of September, months
ahead of schedule.
The road will provide a better connection between Carrum and Bonbeach,
enabling motorists to drive along the bridge rather than detour onto the
Nepean Highway.
The project is part of $588 million works to remove level crossings on the
Frankston line at Mascot Avenue, Station Street and Eel Race Road.
<www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/opportunity-to-pause-transport-minister
-defends-review-of-sky-news-at-train-stations-20180813-p4zx74.html>
If this is the price for curing Sydney's congestion, I won't pay it 13
August 2018. 19 comments.
I was a late starter when it came to driving. "Why drive when you can take
the bus?" I told my driving friends as they smirked at me. Of course, once I
got my licence, I never looked back. Now I can't live without my car. Now,
I, too, smirk at the thought of public transport. So I find the idea that
the government could decide if and when we drive our cars hard to swallow.
Technology may be the solution to Sydney's congestion but at what cost to
personal freedom? Photo: Quentin Jones
Niroshan Jeyarajah, the principal manager, TIS Strategic Engagement, at
Transport for NSW, spoke at the Smart Infrastructure Summit in Sydney about
a world where "orchestrated network routing" could help alleviate crippling
traffic
jams.
Step one is a central traffic hub that would adjust traffic signals to try
to ease congestion. The second step would be for the hub to suggest
alternate routes to drivers. And the third step? Potentially stopping cars
(which would
mostly be automatically driven) from hitting the roads at all.
"We could restrict vehicles entering the network if it's going to cause
congestion, so people may have to wait in their car park," he said.
Such ideas are undoubtedly well-meaning. Any relief for the long-suffering
drivers stuck in hour-long traffic jams is welcome. As Sydney races to a
population of 7 million in the next 30 years, reducing the number of people
- and
potential drivers - has been placed in the too-hard basket. Instead, we
appear to be turning to technology as a possible solution.
Some experts even claim that by 2030 most people won't own their own cars.
Self-driving cars that you can summon from some major car storage depot may
be the norm. Imagine a scenario when you call one from your phone from a
central
depot to take you to work - then calling it again when you're ready to
leave.
The car is our personal vehicle to a world of adventure. Photo: Not for
syndication
However, I would argue that car ownership is one of the last frontiers of
personal freedom. It's more than an issue of convenience - it's an issue of
pride and pleasure. We are a nation of car lovers, from hotrod to Kingswood.
It's also a question of control. We can't save the environment, we can't
afford a house in Sydney or Melbourne, we can't avoid the ubiquitous road
tolls, but we can drive a car whenever and wherever we want.
The car is our modern horse, our personal vehicle to a world of adventure. I
don't want the government riding side saddle with me, telling me what to do.
For many years we've fought to keep the government out of our bedrooms. It
would be a shame if we now let them into our cars.
Charles Purcell is a Sydney writer.
Related Article Plan or perish: management can solve population anxiety.
<www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/if-this-is-the-price-for-curing-sydney-s-conges
tion-i-won-t-pay-it-20180813-p4zx7w.html>
* As a driver with 45 years experience, and driving in multiple countries,
I'd like to add a few points:
A lot of these problems are caused by political expedience and
mismanagement. Instead of using public funds to build the road network, it's
been sold off to the private sector. The result is that the cost of driving
in Sydney is already prohibitive. Los Angeles has toll roads, however their
road network is infinitely superior, with plenty of "freeways", not
tollways, and lots of options for getting from A to B. Another point - road
safety is clearly a priority, but the obsession with enforcement has reached
such a point of zealotry that motorists are cowed into submission. I
question how many lives the road safety juggernaut actually saves in light
of the need to allow traffic to actually flow.
* We luv our cars. There was a study not so long ago that showed given a
choice between having a third child or a second car that people would choose
the car.
Sadly as Sydney swells and the transport infrastructure program struggles to
merely play catch-up many families have little choice but to have multiple
cars in their driveways, especially so if you're living in an outer suburb .
Combine this with most of our city highways being ever increasingly tolled
and the governments dwindling petrol tax-rake from a change over to electric
vehicles using reduced/little/no fossil fuel then somethings gunna have to
give.
My guess is that down the track we'll all be paying a per kilometer road tax
every time we leave the driveway and this is going to hurt some groups in
our community a lot worse than others.
* It won't happen. All the toll road rent seekers will make sure of that.
* I live next door to a family with two grown kids and everyone has a
car-four cars in one household, in a suburb where off-street parking is
tight. We need a fundamental rethink of the 'right' to own a car. In
Singapore there is a huge tax on cars-$40k+ for 10 years. Drastic, but you
don't see much traffic conjestion. Going over The Spit bridge I see car
after car with only a driver. With 3 people those drivers could use the
transit lane, like I do, watching them sit in traffic. Start charging cars
on the number of people in the car. Start charging higher registration for
second, third, fourth cars in households-sure, with means to assess renters
etc. Sure it's all problematic but there are real quality of life and
environmental issues at stake.
* Heartily agree - but I suspect the concept of "ground traffic control"
giving clearance for take off will only happen within the big cities - which
isn't where I go to enjoy my driving freedom.
* This sort of thing won't happen until we get driverless cars. And that's
quite some time off. Many Many years into the future. By then we will be
conditioned to accept change. In the present and immediate future, same old.
* It's okay Charles, Transurban will come to our congestion rescue and build
another freeway tunnel (with taxpayer funding of course).
And, they will make sure that we all get funneled into one of their tollways
whether we like it or not.
It is the true meaning of "orchestrated network routing".
* I never owned a car in Sydney as worked in city with no parking and on the
weekends I like a drink. Make public transport free and call the losses
environmental expenditure.
* One thing is for sure. The current situation where everyone has a car and
they are all out on the road, 5 or 6 to a house, cannot go on much longer.
How addicted individuals are weaned off the habit, I'm not sure, greater and
greater congestion doesn't work, you only have to look at places like Manila
where it takes an hour to travel 8km.
My answer would be to include all the costs of roads, pollution, etc, in the
price of fuel. Then only the rich can afford to drive and we can watch them
get fatter and fatter. The rest of us will ride bikes.
* In principle I believe in public transport, reducing pollution, and
reducing congestion & life wasted in traffic.
But some people need their own personal car for health & disability reasons.
Any controlling measures need to take this into account. A share car would
never work for some people.
* Sure. if anyone thinks an automated system driven by public servants can
solve Sydney's congestion problems they might as well start walking.
Human-driven cars will still be the way it all works for at least the next
two decades, and the posited 'network' is only an excuse for poor road
planning.
* The government is getting desperate if it wants to mess around with our
cars. What they should be doing is: use the available technology to build
efficient public transport, less tollways, and take cars off the road.
They've created the transport congestion with irresponsible immigration, no
long-term public transport plan, piecemeal transport solutions and
band-aids.
* Dreaming. I lived in Lane Cove for six years. I sold my car and used the
bus and train. You are mad if you drive in Sydney. When I retired I moved up
to the NSW Mid Coast in March. Here, three cars in a row is a traffic jam.
The bus picks me up to go to town, and drops me back at my house, not the
bus stop. The bus is busy if six people get on. No one presses the next stop
buzzer. The driver knows where you are going and stops at your actual
destination. He asks when you will be finished and picks you up there as
well if you time it right. Its amazing. All you have to do is plan your day
around the simple one trip a day there-and-back timetable, and know the
route.
Everyone is polite, looks you in the eye and asks how you are going,
specially a newcomer. They are interested in your story. But one curious
thing, you never get asked what your job is or was. You could be a brain
surgeon or
unemployed. It doesn't matter to them. I am 100m from a beach that is devoid
of people, except the regular fisherman or surfer. I sit there and read the
paper. The odd person comes up and says, g'day. Thats all. No third degree.
This is how life should be. Once, back in my childhood, Sydney was like that
too. Peter Fitzsimons wrote a book about it. But now, its screwed and thats
a tragedy.
* Good luck with this Chasa. You live in Sydney and use a vehicle as the
first choice of transportation? You have unknowingly joined that esteemed
21st century group The Flagellatti.
* "For many years we've fought to keep the government out of our bedrooms."
What were you doing on the ramparts when that was going on, if it was going
on? Is it your idea of a personal adventure to crawl through Bankstown at
5:00 pm on a Friday? Would your adventurous spirit be diminished if you were
prevented from entering a traffic jam? Apart from that, it was a lightweight
article with no suggested solutions and no taking of any personal
responsibility. I think we are more a nation of car haters than lovers.
* would be funny seeing us all being blocked from flyiny our flying cars by
2030.. or was that 2000?
governments work to oppress their populations until there is a revolution,
unfortunately the weather is too good in australia for that to happen, so we
will be oppressed for ever.
* fully automated flying cars are on their way with AGLT coming sooner than
expected! (anti-gravity levitation technology)
* It's inevitable that individual cars for transport are unsustainable. Get
on a bicycle. Its faster than any other form of transport and is the
solution to our pollution and obesity woes. The perfect solution and comes
with complete
freedom!
* I see most car drivers as slaves to traffic. If you want real "freedom"
try cycling.
Rapid bus service to run from Bondi to city every three minutes 13 August
2018.
Eastern suburbs commuters will be able to ignore timetables and catch a
"turn up and go" bus service that will run every three minutes during peak
periods on a new rapid route to the city.
An extra 26 bendy buses will run between Bondi Beach and Circular Quay every
six minutes outside peak periods and every 10 minutes at night from late
September, Transport Minister Andrew Constance announced on Monday.
NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance announces a rapid route service
between Bondi Beach and the city centre on Monday. Photo: Fairfax Media
Mr Constance said the 'Bondi link' service would be a "high-frequency,
high-capacity bus service" that would add 1100 services and shuttle an extra
29,000 people along the 333 route each week.
"It will enable more than 1000 extra customers to get on a bus along Bondi
Road during the morning peak alone. We will also boost capacity by 10,000 on
the weekends for families and tourists visiting Bondi Beach."
An overnight bus on the route will operate all-stops between the city centre
and North Bondi, seven days a week.
Mr Constance said the service would mirror the northern beaches' 'B-line'
double-decker bus service that runs between Mona Vale and the city centre
every five minutes during peak periods.
"Everyone has loved B-line, everyone is going to love Bondi link because of
the very nature of the turn up and go service."
Changes to the 333 route will mirror the 'B-line' bus service on the
northern beaches. Photo: Supplied
He said power lines along Oxford Street and Bondi Road meant the route had
to be serviced by the bendy buses, drawn from the existing fleet, rather
than double-decker buses.
Those buses could fit more than 100 people, compared to 60 commuters on a
standard bus.
Unlike the northern beaches service, the Bondi link buses would not travel
along a dedicated traffic lane on the notoriously congested route between
the beach and city centre.
But Mr Constance hoped the added capacity and frequency of bus services
should encourage more commuters to opt for public transport and reduce the
number of cars on the road.
"I'd sooner have 100 people on a bus instead of 100 people in cars, and
that's the aim in terms of the service."
Some commuters would also get off at Bondi Junction train station, he said,
where adult Opal cardholders could benefit from a $2 discount for switching
modes of public transport in a single journey.
State Transit Authority chief executive Steffen Faurby said the service
provided "a real alternative to people driving their cars" and allowed
commuters to "turn up and be able to get on a bus without having to worry
about a timetable".
Mr Faurby said the authority had completed "extensive audits and reviewed
the situation around Bondi Junction" to make sure the bus interchange could
cope with the new services.
Vaucluse MP Gabrielle Upton welcomed the "long-awaited" boost to services
along the route, which she said was one of the busiest in NSW.
"Not only are there the locals but of course you've got all the
international visitors who come here to see this world-famous beach."
Waverley mayor John Wakefield said he welcomed any improvements to public
transport in the area, but not at the expense of other services.
"There are long-outstanding issues in the area including Oxford Street and
Rowe Street into the Bondi Junction bus rail interchange ... and the cutting
of other bus services in the eastern suburbs which we are requesting be
resurrected, such as the Bondi to Rose Bay service and the direct 378 from
Bronte Beach to the city."
Related Articles:
An artist's impression shows a new B-Line style bus.
B-Line bus battle erupts on Sydney's northern beaches.
<www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/rapid-bus-service-to-run-from-bondi-to-city-eve
ry-three-minutes-20180813-p4zx8g.html>
Is Canberra's public transport the best we can do? By John L Smith. 13
August 2018. 17 comments.
Whenever the ACT government is pressured into defending its light rail
network plan the response is that overseas experience has shown that
wherever light rail has been introduced there have been increases in
property values,
development and public transport use.
In Canberra it seems that there will be another effect that is exemplified
by a proposition made by Hindmarsh developers to the Woden Valley community
council in August. Hindmarsh will underwrite a cooperative exercise with the
community to plan the surroundings of its proposed twin 27-storey tower
development that is to be situated within 200 metres of the light rail
route.
This development will dominate and overshadow a swathe of existing
three-storey apartment blocks and commercial buildings. Meanwhile, residents
of the Bellerive Retirement Village, a few blocks away, find that three
hours sunshine a day is all that the codes guarantee as they are to be
dominated by the 24-storey Geocon development.
Overall public transport amenity for the city has come as an afterthought in
the much-criticised revamped bus/light rail network. Photo: Sitthixay
Ditthavong.
One might argue that the ACT government has a very simple approach to urban
planning that is based on proclaiming light rail network corridors that the
developers will then fill in as densely as possible, starting at the towns,
after
neutralising the concerns of citizen groups.
No attention is evident towards urban planning aesthetics which the eminent
planner, Professor Ken Taylor, recently blamed on the lack, since
self-government, of a dedicated authority to manage the vision for the city.
The latest
example of this problem is the City Renewal Authority, charged with
implementing the Northbourne to Lake corridor.
Related Article In Transport Canberra's war room, a bus network is built
from scratch.
Overall public transport amenity for the city has come as an afterthought in
the much-criticised revamped bus/light rail network that has been introduced
in anticipation of the opening of the Gungahlin-Civic light rail link. This
is
just another compromise that introduces more walking and more interchanges
in favour of more frequent services that may well discourage as many
commuters as it attracts.
Many are questioning whether this is the best we can do for a city spanning
45x35 kilometres and until recently noted for an urban design that brings
the hills and valleys into every aspect. Furthermore, recent technology
developments cast serious doubt on the light rail network proposal as
economic or a functionally suitable public transport system for Canberra.
The minimalist approach is also evident in the ACT government's submission
to the inquiry into Commonwealth and parliamentary approvals for the
proposed stage two of the light rail network. Rather than preparing a
detailed design, the light rail plan submitted to the inquiry was nothing
more than a line on a map accompanied by elaborate but largely
unsubstantiated claims about the benefits.
The official response of the National Capital Authority (NCA) to the inquiry
committee was that despite much interaction with the ACT government the NCA
would not be able to comment to the committee on the major heritage and
traffic
issues until there was a detailed design.
This test of reactions from the inquiry committee and the community produced
numerous other questions and concerns about heritage, the route, transport
amenity and overall cost benefit. In answer to a question about wire-free
running of trams along Adelaide Avenue the ACT government response was that
there might be suitable technology available by the time construction
begins.
Inside one of Canberra's new trams. Photo: Sitthixay Ditthavong.
This selective faith in technology accompanied by a good deal of secrecy is
becoming extreme. In his report to the ACT Legislative Assembly on an urban
renewal delegation to North American cities having light rail in common,
Planning
Minister Mick Gentleman failed to mention that, with the exception of Oregon
and Vancouver, the latter having a very expensive grade-separated transit
system, the new streetcars in US cities are little more than icons of the
past,
running infrequently. Detroit's QLine is a 5km downtown line unlikely to
undergo any expansion.
Minister Gentleman's delegation visited the former Google company named X in
San Francisco that runs the Project Wing trial in Canberra to deliver small
items by drone. However, the Minister elected to overfly Phoenix where
Google's
sibling company Waymo is already carrying public passengers in driverless
cars and has contracted to Walmart for supermarket deliveries. Similarly, in
San Francisco, the Minister might have met with General Motors and San
Francisco city officials who are in negotiation for the deployment of a
fleet of self-driving Chevy Bolts for a commercial ride-sharing service.
While there are numerous barriers to deploying driverless cars at present,
not to mention the community attitude to trusting one's life to a robot,
there seems to be little legal, infrastructure or technology limit to the
recent
innovation of trackless trams. This technology uses dotted lines painted on
the thoroughfare to define a virtual track and presents no new safety
questions. It merely blurs the distinction between a bus and a tram. The
virtual track
tram in the city of Zhuzhou carries 300 passengers at 70km/h, the same as
the Urbos trams now beginning to operate in Canberra.
There are no details about requirements for the trackless tram thoroughfare,
but it does seem that the dotted lines that define the virtual track could
be painted on existing roadway and that roadway could still be shared with
other
vehicles. By following the Woden-Civic rapid bus route, a trackless tram
line could be put in place quickly and at a small fraction of the estimated
cost of a steel rail line, and not infringe on any heritage consideration.
Moreover,
the option exists of having both a fast, direct route and a route through
Barton, still at a small cost compared with the current traditional light
rail proposal.
The role of light rail in urban renewal and environmental outcomes has not
been fully evaluated in the Canberra context, especially in the light of new
technology. The 2016 census shows that of those who travelled to work, 76
per cent drove a vehicle, 7 per cent were car passengers, 8 per cent used a
bus and 8 per cent used active transport (walking or cycling). Even if the
number of commuters using public transport and active transport was to
double by 2030, given the light rail has sufficient capacity, this would not
keep pace with population growth and there would still be more vehicles on
the road.
If there is to be a solution to traffic congestion and a return to our
beautiful urban design, then it lies in the direction being taken by
technology giants such as Google-Waymo and General Motors. Ride-sharing in
small driverless
vehicles may not arrive until after 2025, but until then the ACT government
would be well advised to limit its investment to a better bus network.
Currently, it has its head in the sand.
John L Smith is a retired CSIRO scientist and Canberra resident since 1969.
* This is the same Edinburgh tram which has seen revenue up 24 per cent and
passenger journeys up 19 per cent in 2017 and plans for an extension to the
system because of its popularity.
* A lovely opinion piece, bringing with it the promise of galvanised
comments. I tip my lid to the "any progress is good" crew and nod with
amusement at the "change is bad" bunch.
Where I come from is simple. Value for money. For those who like to read,
please take the time to follow up on the Edinburgh Tram. There are eerie
parallel between our project and the 14km/16 stop tram and our special
project - even
down to the funding model.
Land and rates are cheap in North Haverbrook, I hear.
* Trackless tram....isn't that a bus?
* They may as well dream about driverless vehicles and wireless trams
because we presently have clueless planners and useless leaders.
* The only winners are the developers.
* Would love to know the cost of traffic management measures in places along
the light rail line. Probably could have reduced the overall budget by a few
million. 99% of the road closures seem to be in place purely for the traffic
guys to look busy, lanes closed for no reason, different intersections
closed every day with no workers or work in sight in the areas, road
closures are not advertised majority of the time until you get to the
intersection. You just have to drive past EPIC to see four guys standing
around doing nothing to let a bus through once an hour, I think you'll find
most cars will let a bus pass without a lollipop man. I might go buy a
couple of traffic cones and a lollipop and apply for stage 2 works. And yes
I am in the construction industry and understand they are there to do a job
but as mentioned above majority of the traffic control in place seems to be
for no reason whatsoever! All for the light rail and traffic disruptions are
a given but they have made it so much worse than it needed to be and can't
imagine how much money as been wasted.
* Suggest the following for transparency in your footnotes: John L Smith is
the chairman of Can the Tram, a group opposed to light rail, espousing
numerous other experimental technologies to solve problems that are here and
now.
* "Small driverless vehicles may not arrive until after 2025, but until then
the ACT government would be well advised to limit its investment".
What a bizarre article this is. Let's wait for a form of transport that is
totally conceptual, may never arrive and then do next to nothing in the
meantime, even as the population booms, traffic worsens and the bus network
fails to keep pace. Genius stuff.
* Exactly and that has been the problem for so long. Even the bus network
change is a good case in point. Read through people's comments and no one
can think or grapple with new ways of doing it. On another website someone
is co playing to get from Kambah to City requires 3 buses. One to Weston
creek, one to Woden and one to the city. Why because their minds are stuck
on the traditional interchanges. Reality is they only need to change once at
Weston Creek and most
likely avoiding Woden their trip will be quicker. But oh no interchanging at
Weston is no good, queue a million reasons why.
Whilst there is plenty of to complain about with the new network most
complaints are people not open to change when reality is we cannot just keep
doing what we have done in the past. It doesn't work!
* "In answer to a question about wire-free running of trams along Adelaide
Avenue the ACT government response was that there might be suitable
technology available by the time construction begins." The technology
already exists and is either batteries or underground feed - both of which
are far more expensive than overhead wires. To ignore such a piece of
information when it is clearly known is at best negligent and at worst
fraudulent.
* And oddly one of the reasons this consortium was choose was because the
CAF Urbos3 vehicles are modular in design and can have battery packs added
for short distance wire free running by simply dropping in the battery pack.
Birmingham is doing just this at the moment. No other physical changes
needed.
As for the cost for short sections the costs of the battery option it is
negligible in terms of savings from not putting up overhead. The problem
with the batteries is they can run for short distances and recharge at stops
quickly but after a few cycles of quick charge it needs a longer time under
the wires.
In the case of Canberra this is ideal though. Wire free is required from
City Hill to the Lodge. So a couple of stops with quick recharge at each
between the two and then run down Northborne or Adelaide Ave under the wires
to fully get the batteries recharged for later.
The problem with underground is to date all systems are proprietary and are
indeed very expensive. The reason for the expense is the safety systems
needed to ensure the line is only live when a tram is over the top and
de-energised when no tram so people can cross over without getting fried.
* They should have built dedicated bus lanes along Northbourne with proper
stations, electronic info signs, decent shelters (maybe even heated), colour
coded rapid route network - all for a fraction of the cost, and all
dramatically
more flexible (as buses can peel off onto any road) and useable. Instead we
got a solution picked first and then a retrofit business case built around
increasing the number of apartments along the corridor - as if we needed any
more
than the oversupply we already have.
* Moan moan, whinge whinge. There are few things more tedious than older
Canberrans harking back to the "good ol' days" of our "beautiful urban
design" (read endless car parks, oversized empty roads everywhere, ghost
town vibe, a
general ugliness everywhere) and their general resistance to anything
approaching vaguely sensible urban design. You could easily develop an
impression they have never visited cities outside of the ACT!
* Now that you have gotten your moan out of the way why can't Canberra be
different? It is meant to be the "bush capital"
Also how well do rate Gungahlin's current urban design, sensible? Or
possibly a very vague interpretation of sensible urban design? I will call
it out as worse than the later.
* For this day and age Gungahlins design is the more sensible or should I
say sustainable on many fronts. Including land use and population density.
There is a good reason stage 1 light rail goes out that way.
Of course not everyone's cup of tea but really nor are 800m2 blocks of land
like we all used to yearn for. Especially in Canberra where the drought of
the early 2000 changed the ways many people used their land. Large expanses
of lawn for example are no longer as common place because we realise it is
an ineefcient and inappropriate use in (dry) Canberra.
* To put it more succinctly.......a total failure.
<www.canberratimes.com.au/national/act/is-canberra-s-public-transport-the-be
st-we-can-do-20180809-p4zwff.html>
High Capacity Metro Train plans at risk due to carriage-moving dispute
Herald Sun August 13, 2018.
video: Books on the rail.
PLANS for new high capacity trains that will carry up to 1100 people risk
going off the rails because of a dispute about who is allowed to move
carriages around a maintenance facility.
Testing of the first High Capacity Metro Train is planned for November - the
same month as the state election.
But a workplace agreement for a new maintenance depot being built in
Pakenham has sparked fury among the locomotive branch of the Rail, Tram and
Bus Union and risks causing delays.
Under a proposed EBA non-qualified drivers would shift the 160-metre-long
trains out of the new facility, before they are used by operator Metro for
services.
That matter is now set to go before the Fair Work Commission, while another
dispute about rostering could throw the train assembly process into chaos at
a Newport facility west of Melbourne.
Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan insists the timeline for the HCMT
project, which will see new trains run on the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines
next year, will remain on track.
Victorian Minister for Public Transport Jacinta Allan. Picture: AAP
Metro Trains and the Downer-led Evolution Rail consortium that is building
the outer suburban facility, are trying to resolve the standoff with the
RTBU, which is bracing for union elections in the same month as the November
state
election.
Government spokesperson Hayley Bester said "we encourage the parties to
continue to work constructively and in good faith to sort through the
issues".
"This is a matter for the operators, their employees and the unions, and we
understand it is the subject of ongoing discussions in the Fair Work
Commission," she said.
"The Government has been advised this will have no impact on HCMT testing
later in the year."
The RTBU secretary Luba Grigorovitch said the proposed EBA was an attempt to
"divide the workforce".
"The RTBU will fight tooth and nail to ensure that no worker is
disadvantaged in the maintenance of new trains," she said.
Rail Tram and Bus Union secretary Luba Grigorovitch with workers at a rally.
Picture: Ian Currie
Long-term, the new generation trains are scheduled to operate on the new
Melbourne Metro rail tunnel between Pakenham and Sunbury.
Sixty-five HCMTs are being assembled in Newport with carriage shells
imported from China but 60 per cent of the total content provided by
Victorian companies.
DESIGN FOR HIGH-CAPACITY TRAINS FINALISED.
HI-TECH DOORS TO BE FITTED TO METRO TUNNEL STATIONS.
<www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/high-capacity-metro-train-plans-at-risk-
due-to-carriagemoving-dispute/news-story/53c98ee52413ddeb237e7e58d500bd2b>
Commuters brace as bus drivers prepare to strike on CDC and Transdev routes
across Victoria.
Herald Sun August 13, 2018.
video: Bus driver's strike - union apologises to commuters.
COMMUTERS are being warned to brace for further disruption as more than 1000
bus drivers prepare to strike on Thursday.
About 120 CDC and Transdev routes across Melbourne, Geelong and Ballarat
will be disrupted by the 24-hour strikes.
Drivers are pushing a 4 per cent pay and one per cent superannuation rise in
their new workplace agreement.
They also walked off the job as part of strikes last week.
Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan on Monday urged the Transport
Workers Union and bus operators to stay at the negotiating table to avoid
further strikes.
"I don't want to see any unnecessary disruption for passengers, whether they
are trying to get to school, to work or to medical appointments," she said.
The TWU's John Berger (right) at a drivers' strike in July. Picture: AAP
"I'm very disappointed to see that this action may be taking place and
that's why were are urging the parties to get back to the negotiating
table."
Transport Workers Union Victorian branch secretary John Berger said on
Saturday that negotiations had come close to a resolution but had broken
down.
"There was nothing to stop us taking action over the past two weeks but we
decided to do everything we could to resolve the issue out of good faith and
without triggering further industrial action," he said.
"However, while our members do not take any joy in inconveniencing the
community they serve, they also need to look after themselves and their own
families."
UBER DRIVERS STRIKE ACROSS AUSTRALIA .
CDC BUS STRIKE LEAVES COMMUTERS IN THE COLD.
<www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/commuters-brace-as-bus-drivers-prepare-t
o-strike-on-cdc-and-transdev-routes-across-victoria/news-story/29aac5e00df7a
1a60ff58023825c18c7>.
* Why is it that only the multinational operators are having this issue and
not the family owned and operated bus companies? I don't know, just asking.
Metropolitan Transport Forum a chance to grill politicians about road and
rail issues.
Leader August 13, 2018.
video: Public Transport Victoria expands Melbourne by Bus campaign.
INVESTING billions in bus services throughout Melbourne is the key to
tackling road congestion and keeping the city moving, transport experts say.
Monash University public transport expert Professor Graham Currie said buses
covered 70 per cent of greater Melbourne but were underused because they
were too infrequent.
"To encourage people to use buses you need three things: frequency of
services, frequency of services and frequency of services," Prof Currie
said.
"At the moment the average frequency of bus services is 30 minutes."
He said priority lanes and traffic signals for buses were also needed.
"We're the only city left building roads and all that does is encourage more
traffic," Prof Currie said.
Experts say the key to tackling road congestion is increasing the frequency
of bus services. Picture: Wayne Taylor.
"As our population grows we need to be more efficient in how we move people.
Putting them all in cars doesn't make a lot of sense."
Metropolitan Transport Forum (MTF) chair Martin Zakharov agreed buses were a
vital way of freeing up roads.
"If more major bus routes had more frequent services and more direct routes,
buses would play an important role in reducing congestion," Cr Zakharov
said.
"If buses came every ten minutes on major routes across Melbourne patronage
would increase substantially."
With Melbourne growing at a rapid pace, transport is shaping up to be a top
issue for many voters.
A series of forums, hosted by MTF and Leader Community News are giving
readers the opportunity to grill their local candidates about their
transport policies.
A special forum held at Melbourne Town Hall on August 13 will allow
commuters who travel into, out of, or around the city to put their questions
to Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan along with public transport
spokesmen David
Davis from the Liberal Party and Sam Hibbins from the Greens.
The August 13 forum is a chance to tell politicians what needs to be done to
keep Melbourne moving. Picture: Rebecca Michael
"We need big plans to deal with a bigger city - our forums are an
opportunity for the public to ask the big questions," Cr Zakharov said.
Key issues to be discussed at the town hall forum include party commitments
to Melbourne Metro 2, metropolitan rail and tram extensions, cycling
infrastructure and planning transport to match population growth.
All forums are free and open to the public but RSVP is required.
The Melbourne-wide forum will be in the Swanston Room at Melbourne Town
Hall, from 5.30-7.15pm on Monday, August 13.
For more information, a full list of upcoming forums or to RSVP, visit
transportforum.org.au
WHY OUR STREETS ARE ABOUT TO GET MORE CONGESTED.
NEW SPEED CAMERA SITE EARNS $45,000 A DAY.
MELBOURNE'S WORST STATIONS FOR PARKING FINES REVEALED.
<www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/news/metropolitan-transport-forum-a-chance-to-g
rill-politicians-about-road-and-rail-issues/news-story/bbda8feb552f6a8a4b604
2c980b7e3ff>
James Campbell: This is just the start of the National Energy Guarantee's
perilous journey. [paywalled; with tdu].
Herald Sun August 13, 2018.
<www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/james-campbell/james-campbell-this-is-jus
t-the-start-of-the-national-energy-guarantees-perilous-journey/news-story/74
b43723d9a63bf66b04732379d5123c>
Moped hit-run motorist looked at victim before fleeing.
Herald Sun August 13, 2018.
photo: The incident occurred at Melton station.
A MOPED rider is on the run following a hit-run that left a man with serious
injuries in Melton on Sunday night.
The victim, a 52-year-old Melton man, was walking to his car in the Melton
Railway Station carpark about 11.30pm when a white moped scooter struck him.
The man was knocked to the ground and both the rider of the white scooter
and his passenger were also thrown off their bike but did not appear to
suffer any injuries.
The rider and his passenger then looked at the victim, got back on their
moped and rode along Brooklyn Rd, towards Coburns Rd.
Paramedics were called to the scene about 11.40pm and treated the man for
serious leg injuries.
He was taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
The incident comes after a young woman was killed in a hit-run in South
Yarra on Sunday morning.
The driver of a stolen car that struck the Dutch cyclist remains on the run.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000
or file a confidential report at crimestoppersvic.com.au.
video: Victoria Police releases image of man after Chapel St hit-run
MANHUNT FOR COWARD DRIVER OVER CHAPEL ST HIT-RUN.
HIT-RUN DRIVER SET TO AVOID JAIL AFTER CRASH.
VIDEO RELEASED AS CBD HIT-RUN DRIVER REMAINS AT LARGE.
<www.heraldsun.com.au/news/law-order/moped-hitrun-motorist-looked-at-victim-
before-fleeing/news-story/ef1c2f67f0040b68040292d3a8d158bf>