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Sent: Tuesday, 24 November 2020, 10:16:13 pm AEDT
Subject: Tues.18.8.20 daily digest

Roderick

 "181130-Melbourne'Age'-CO2-emissions-trend.jpg" with ATN

 "181130-MelbourneExpress-BourkeStMall-bollards-proposal-ss.jpg"
 "181130-MelbourneExpress-elevated.station(Clayton)-a-ss.jpg" [two seem to be delivery of a new suburban train from Newport to Pakenham]
 "181130-MelbourneExpress-elevated.station(Clayton)-b-ss.jpg"
 "181130-MelbourneExpress-elevated.station(Clayton)-c-ss.jpg"

 "200818Tu-Melbourne'HeraldSun'-level.crossing.abolition.jpg" 

18.8.20 Metro Twitter
Buses replace trains on sections of the Upfield line until the last train of Sun 15 Nov (level-crossing works at Coburg and Moreland).
8.00 Westall: No lift access between the concourse and pfm 2/3 until Mon 14 Sep ('upgrade' works).
16.22 Upfield line: Major delays (an 'operational incident'). Trains will be held.
- 16.37 clearing.
16.38 Werribee line: Major delays (an equipment fault at Hoppers Crossing). Trains will be held and may be changed.
Buses replace trains Newport - Werribee from 19.25 until the last train (works).
Buses replace trains Dandenong - Pakenham from 20.30 until the last train (works).

Bus drivers threaten 48-hour strike over masks, social distancing August 18, 2020. 136 comments
Sydney bus drivers have warned they will strike for 48 hours next week if the state government does not improve the enforcement of social distancing measures and mask use on public transport during the coronavirus crisis.
In a letter from the NSW Rail, Tram and Bus Union, sent to Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Monday, division secretary David Babineau accused the government of failing to provide and enforce legitimate regulations for commuters.
Bus drivers across Sydney's northern beaches and eastern suburbs plan to strike next week.CREDIT:JANIE BARRETT
The strike would impact State Transit Authority bus regions 7 (north western suburbs), region 8 (northern beaches) and region 9 (eastern suburbs), which are all slated to be franchised to private operators over coming years.
It could affect several hundred bus routes across the three regions, though the Herald understands the union expects some skeleton staff to be operating across parts of the network.
Mr Babineau said 2300 STA bus drivers will stop work for 48 hours from next Monday if the government does not introduce mandatory mask use for commuters when levels exceed the social distancing requirements, among other safety protocols.
"We have not made this decision lightly, but we have no other option," Mr Babineau said in the letter, seen by the Herald.
"Now, for the good of the community, we are giving you notice that we cannot in good conscience continue to come to work."
NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance says the strike could jeopardise social distancing on the network.CREDIT:RHETT WYMAN
But Transport Minister Andrew Constance said the 48-hour strike would reduce services across Sydney and potentially jeopardise the physical distancing requirements on the network.
"My message to them is if you start protesting like this you're going to force commuters to be closer together because of less services. There's actually a risk," Mr Constance told the Herald.
"We're trying to have as many people physically distanced as possible and I don't want to see industrial action get in the way of that."
Mr Constance is expected to meet with union officials on Tuesday morning to discuss the potential industrial action.
Mr Constance told the Herald on Monday night he wanted to work with the union to reach a "kind and responsive outcome" that doesn't harm commuters and their families.
"I am hoping resolution can be reached quickly," he said.
"Our bus drivers have done an amazing job throughout the pandemic and deserve enormous praise.
video Transport minister calls on bus drivers to cancel strike Tuesday August 18: NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance has urged bus drivers to call off a proposed strike next week saying it would inconvenience hundreds of thousands of people.
"We have plenty of time to engage in constructive dialogue and not be engaged in a painful dispute at a time when everyone is hurting with COVID."
In the letter, the union also calls for the government to delay the tendering process for the three regions until after the COVID-19 pandemic.
"At a time when the operation and maintenance of our public transport is essential to public health, privatisation is a potent risk to public safety and will compromise people's ability to get around during this crisis," Mr Babineau said in the letter.
While all three of the regions were first slated to be franchised together, the government has split them up, citing the impact of coronavirus on the market.
Mr Constance on Monday said rates of face mask use had not lifted since last week, with about 30 per cent of commuters seen to be wearing them, despite encouragement from the state government.
The government is using CCTV at five of Sydney's busiest train stations to monitor the number of people wearing masks, with Mr Constance pleading with commuters to lift rates so the government didn't need to begin policing the measure.
"No one wants to see us at a point where we are having to see where we're having to see government mandate the issuance of fines for not having masks on," he said.
"We're providing them to transport staff and I'd like to see them all wearing them, because it's about everyone's safety."
Frontline transport workers were last month provided with facemasks by the state government, which has also reduced the amount of commuters allowed on public transport since May in a bid to keep people well distanced during the pandemic.
But the unions said not enough is being done to enforce the restrictions, with public transport not yet part of the state's public health orders.
"Months after the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, we still don't have adequate measures needed to keep our bus drivers, transport staff, the travelling public, and the wider community safe," Mr Babineau said.
RELATED ARTICLE Coronavirus Australia.  As the day unfolded: Victoria records 222 new COVID-19 cases as Sydney hotel quarantine guard contracts virus; Australian death toll jumps to 438
RELATED ARTICLE The NSW government is using CCTV cameras to count the number of people wearing masks in Sydney. CCTV monitors how many are wearing masks on trains
<www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/bus-drivers-threaten-48-hour-strike-over-masks-social-distancing-20200817-p55mlc.html>
Just the first few, probably typical of all:
* I caught a bus this morning and my bus driver was NOT wearing a mask! ( I was).
* My limited experiences yesterday (Monday) in the Eastern Suburbs. Signs on all the buses requesting that riders wear masks. The only people actually wearing masks on the buses was the driver and me. Fortunately, buses weren't crowded so some social distancing was possible. Requesting people do the responsible thing has consistently proven to be ineffective. If you want to actually achieve an objective the right incentives need to be in place. Mandatory and enforced requirements are the only reasonable alternative.
* Most drivers are not masking up themselves and packing out their buses. Everyone should wear them
* The union would have a much stronger argument if all their drivers also wore masks. Over the last week the majority of drivers on buses I caught were not wearing masks themselves.
* Just do it look how quick Victoria went down and Auckland is growing. I was on my bus this morning with a gent who was coughing & sneezing not covering up & no mask. Looked quite happy with himself. Only about a third of us had masks.

Some Brisbane CBD parking to go for permanent bicycle paths August 18, 2020
<www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/some-brisbane-cbd-parking-to-go-for-permanent-bicycle-paths-20200818-p55msm.html>

Shade structures on Brisbane's Victoria Bridge under council investigation August 18, 2020
<www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/shade-structures-on-brisbane-s-victoria-bridge-under-council-investigation-20200818-p55mvc.html>

Churchlands students sentenced over 'chillingly vicious' station attack August 18, 2020
Four of the five Churchlands Senior High School students who bashed a man so severely he was put in an induced coma will spend their first night in detention after being sentenced on Tuesday.
The boys spotted Matthew Henson, who they suspected had stolen shoes from a friend, on a bus heading to Stirling train station about 1.30pm on February 13.
Matthew Henson sustained severe head injuries and was placed in an induced coma .
Formulating a plan to "get back at him", the boys followed the victim to the train platform, where one of them ran up behind him and fly-kicked him.
Mr Henson fell face-first onto the platform, with the group of boys kicking and stomping on his face and head. One of the boys then stole Mr Henson's shoes, while another removed a bag from his unconscious body.
The sickening attack was captured on security cameras which also showed the boys – all in school uniform – running away from the platform and station and high-fiving each other while Mr Henson lay on the concrete.
When it was shown in court, none of the boys appeared to watch the vision.
The boys' victim was rushed to Royal Perth Hospital for urgent care, which included being intubated and placed into an induced coma in the intensive care unit.
Mr Henson sustained a severe and traumatic brain injury, with doctors saying he could have died without emergency treatment.
He still requires specialist rehabilitation and may never fully recover from his horrific injuries.
Interviews recorded by police included statements from some of the boys saying their intention was to "hurt" or "scare" Mr Henson.
Lawyers for each of the boys detailed their respective client's part in the attack, with each boy said to have been remorseful.
Two of the boys had written letters to the victim expressing their sorrow over their actions.
One of the letters referred to the attack as a "weak move", with the author writing he had not thought "that sort of damage would be done" to Mr Henson.
"Kicking a person when they're down is just disgusting," one lawyer said.
Another told the court her client had been suicidal since the attack, and another had received online threats.
Described as "disgusting, weak, and cowardly", the attack attracted widespread media attention and public condemnation of the boys' actions.
All were expelled from school, and strict bail conditions prior to sentencing had been imposed.
In February, Churchlands Senior High School principal Neil Hunt wrote to parents of his “absolute disappointment”.
“I am certain that you all shared my absolute disappointment, and that of my staff, if what has been alleged is true; that the students charged over the assault and robbery at Stirling train station on Thursday afternoon were from our school,” he said.
“I’m sure you were equally distressed to hear that their alleged actions resulted in a young man being hospitalised with severe injuries and our thoughts are with him and his family at this time as we pray for his complete recovery.”
In sentencing, Children's Court Judge Julie Wager said the attack had been "life shattering" for Mr Henson, and she needed to send a deterrent to other youths.
The longest sentence handed down to the boys was for 14 months, while another boy was sentenced to 12 months in detention.
Two others were given seven-month terms, and one boy's seven-month term was suspended.
<www.watoday.com.au/national/western-australia/churchlands-students-sentenced-over-chillingly-vicious-train-station-attack-20200818-p55msg.html>
* and the sentence for an adult would be?
* They should have all been given jail sentences in an adult prison. They are criminals
* Disgraceful behaviour - and a soft touch sentence! They were old enough and educated enough to know right from wrong.
* Disgusting sentencing.
* There are no winners in this act of thuggery- The best way forward to to include this crime in a lesson taught to every child sitting in a classroom in Australia. It's about respect & the value of people who (they) have yet to meet!
* Those "boys" getting 7-14 month sentences is a disgrace. Should be 7-14 years. Why do we tolerate violent thugs in our society?
* Just try that in Singapore. Then again - maybe not.
* "He still requires specialist rehabilitation and may never fully recover from his horrific injuries." As part of all of these boys punishment they should be made to assist this poor bloke whenever assistance is required for the rest of his life... no matter what that involves,,
* The last thing that a victim of crime wants is coming face-to-face with an able-bodied perpetrator assisting them in the tasks of daily living.
* It would be good if you also reported (journalism) on the 2 Aboriginal lads that came to this person's aid. They were originally profiled until they worked out they had helped.

Transport magnate mourned
Tues.18.8.20 Melbourne 'Herald Sun'
VICTORIAN transport magnate Doug Kefford has died, aged 80.
From the 1970s, Mr Kefford built the Kefford Corporation into one of the state’s largest bus operators.
The business, which had a fleet of more than 300 buses and six depots, operated the Eastrans, Westrans, Davis and Benders Busways brands.
It was sold to Cabcharge for $150 million in 2008.
Mr Kefford, who died on August 12, was a founding member of the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame and Outback Heritage Centre at Longreach, Queensland.
He was awarded an Order of Australia in 2004 for service to the bus industry and to the community through philanthropy and the preservation of the nation’s rural heritage.
The Stockman’s Hall of Fame said in a statement: “Mr. Kefford was a mentor, an adviser, and a man who gave his time and considerable abilities in making ASHOF one of the premier rural heritage centres in Australia”. His passing was observed by the Bus and Coach Society of Victoria.