Trams/light rail and their advancement and survival or even their demise are always going to be highly dependent on governments, Teaasury Departments, Transport Departments (particularly with their competency or otherwise), academia, policy groups (eg the Light Rail Association in Sydney), commercial interests, politicians, .industry lobbists, the anti contributions of bus boosters, a knowledgeable and informed media, best practice (especially from overseas sources), industry operators (especially multi national and multi mode private sector companies.
TDU is a national and even international informed grouping and it is essential that we constitute a respected, up to date and broad based community. posting articles about situations in Australian
We are never going to be of any relevance if we confine ourselves to the gunzel based narrow outlook that has seen many tramway support groups fall away to irrelevance and infirmity.
For example to not inform each other of relevant issues, such as how companies delivering public transport services in one particular city are performing when they are operating across Australia.
I should also point out that providing information from the public media/without commenting for or against/ enables people who need to be informed to come to their own conclusions'
This article, from today's Sydney Morning Herald, and the public responses are an interesting example of public concerns about the state of public transport in Sydney. Comparison with the quality of public transport services in Melbpurne, for example, and public opinions are something worthy of widespread consideration.
Greg
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/i-haven-t-been-on-time-for-work-in-months-voter-fury-over-northern-beaches-buses-20230314-p5crxt.html
‘I haven’t been on time for work in months’: Voter fury over northern
beaches buses
Angus Dalton
By Angus Dalton https://www.smh.com.au/by/angus-dalton-p53653
March 22, 2023 — 5.00am
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Voters on the northern beaches contending with cancelled buses, long queues and stranded schoolchildren are preparing to take their frustration to the polls as a crippled bus service helps the region branded the “insular peninsula” live up to its name.
Over the past six months, 11 per cent of planned buses bound for the city from the northern beaches never made it onto the road during the morning rush.
Sophia Masur says she hasn’t made it to her city job on time for months as her buses are constantly cancelled.
Sophia Masur says she hasn’t made it to her city job on time for months as her buses are constantly cancelled.Credit:Kate Geraghty
“It’s outrageous. I haven’t been on time to work in months,” Sophia Masur, who works in the city, said on a day when five out of eight city express services from Manly were cancelled within an hour.
“Interest rates are going up, cost of living’s going up, you just want to get to work so you can literally feed your family.”
On Monday, five out of eight express buses scheduled to the city from Manly within one hour never materialised.
On Monday, five out of eight express buses scheduled to the city from Manly within one hour never materialised.Credit:Sophia Masur
Masur, who said upset children trying to get to school are frequently among the stranded passengers, hasn’t decided who she’ll back at the state election on March 25 https://www.smh.com.au/link/follow-20170101-p5cp06 but Manly MP and Environment Minister James Griffin has lost her vote as a result of the chaos.
“I’ve been a Liberal voter, but I definitely won’t be voting Liberal this time,” said Masur. “It’s really pissed me off.”
A resident in Dee Why has taken to reporting bus cancellations daily in the suburb’s community Facebook group alongside weather updates; last week she reported that 60 buses to the city and 29 buses bound to Manly from Dee Why were cancelled. The Rail, Tram, and Bus Union said the Brookvale bus depot was dropping between 160 and 200 trips a day.
Keolis Downer, the company that took over the operation of buses on the northern beaches from the State Transit Authority in 2021, said a shortage of 82 drivers was behind the chronic cancellations and delays.
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An urgent recruitment drive includes a $2000 incentive for new drivers who join and stay with the company for 12 months, but Keolis Downer is competing for employees amid a 10 per cent national shortage of bus drivers.
Independent teal challenger to Griffin Joeline Hackman wrote to outgoing Transport Minister David Elliott last month, and again on Tuesday, demanding the details of service contracts with Keolis Downer.
“You can’t just sell off a public service and hope that the company is going to deliver for the public,” Hackman said. “It needs to be with really strict oversight about those deliveries. Otherwise, you have this sort of hub-and-spoke system where it’s not working for people that are not on a profitable route.”
Elliott’s office said the minister had written back to Hackman.
Griffin backed the government’s view https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/lcdocs/inquiries/2858/Government%20Response%20-%20Report%20No.%2018%20-%20PC6%20-%20Privatisation%20of%20Bus%20Services.pdf that private bus operators deliver better outcomes for passengers but said he shared commuters’ frustration.
“There will be a focus on increasing the number of drivers by securing proficient drivers from overseas, waiving training fees, offering bus drivers in Greater Sydney subsidised travel and giving local communities the opportunity to have input into bus services,” Griffin said.
Manly candidates’ transport policies
*Liberal MP James Griffin *backs privatisation and has promised to recruit bus drivers from overseas and subsidise driver training fees. He intends to establish an Uber-style on-demand bus service in Manly.
*Teal independent Joeline Hackman *supports returning bus operation to the now-dissolved State Transit Authority and wants to improve bus driver working conditions and pay, and re-establish cancelled bus routes.
*Greens candidate Terry le Roux* opposes privatisation and wants to upgrade B-Line connections from Dee Why and Mona Vale to metro stations on the north shore.
*Labor candidate Jasper Thatcher *wants to bring back the larger Freshwater class ferries and supports Labor’s bus industry taskforce, which would assess the recommendations of the parliamentary inquiry https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/abject-failure-parliament-committee-want-to-roll-back-sydney-bus-privatisation-20220920-p5bjky.html into privatisation of bus services.
Balgowlah resident Stephen McNulty described getting a bus to the city as a “lottery” and said the failing public transport system forced commuters into driving.
“The government needs to look at the privatisation and make a decision as to whether it’s giving citizens the service they need,” McNulty said. “Public transport is a fundamental. Clogging up the roads with more people getting into a car because they can’t trust the bus is a horrible answer to this problem.”
The Amazing Race: Manly edition
Reporters Millie Muroi, Angus Thomson and Angus Dalton decided to check out the public transport situation in Manly with an /Amazing Race-/style experiment. They went head-to-head in a time trial from Manly to Wynyard using three different transport options. Here are their findings.
Ferry: Millie Muroi
*7.50am:* The best way to beat congestion is to fly over it. But conditions on the water aren’t choppy enough to send the little Emerald-class ferries flying https://www.smh.com.au/link/follow-20170101-p5aaom, and in the absence of Uber helicopters, my journey will be mostly seaborne. A brisk walk from Manly Corso lands me at the wharf where the Fast Ferry commuters whisk their way past me. A 16-minute wait later – precious time in the /Amazing Race/ – I join the horde of passengers clambering onto the green and yellow ferry.
*8.20am: *The seats fill up rapidly, but snagging one on the side, I experience what I imagine is the same feeling a dog has when sticking its head out of a moving car, as the engines revved and the wind rushed past me. Scenic cliffs, seagulls and a clear blue sky takes the edge off our race for a while.
Commuters wait for ferries at the Manly Wharf.
Commuters wait for ferries at the Manly Wharf.Credit:Kate Geraghty
*8.43am: *A healthy dose of vitamin D later, the Opera House drifts into view and my feet touch the wharf at Circular Quay.
*8.49am: *A swift walk and four-minute train commute carries me triumphantly into Wynyard Station, with a final arrival time of 8.54am. No sign of the others: victory!
Bus: Angus Thomson
*7:50am: *I leave Manly Corso at a canter. I’m in this to win. A short walk to Manly Tennis Club bus stop (across the road from the office of teal candidate Joeline Hackman).
*8:00am: *I board the 142 bus to Allambie Heights. There’s a dozen or so on board. Fortunately, none are fellow backseat bandits, and I claim the back row.
Manly residents waiting for the bus. At least 11 per cent of peak hour morning services have been cancelled in the last six months.
Manly residents waiting for the bus. At least 11 per cent of peak hour morning services have been cancelled in the last six months.Credit:Kate Geraghty
*8.13am: * I disembark at Manly Vale and instantly know I’m in trouble. Possibly more than a hundred bored commuters make up a line almost 100 metres long. As I draw closer I see teal shirts weaving in and out of the crowd – Hackman and her merry crew of volunteers are out on the hustings. “We’re going to fix the buses!” the teal candidate for Manly announces. “This is what privatisation gets you.” I join the line. Five minutes pass, then 10. The line is moving – not quickly, but it’s not stagnant. Hackman approaches the man in a Taronga Zoo uniform standing behind me: “Thank you for your services, how long have you worked at the zoo?”
*8.24am: * Taronga man and I finally board the 177X to Wynyard. I lost 10 minutes at Manly Vale, but I’m back in with a shout here. Taronga man gets off at Spencer Street and wishes me good luck for the rest of the race. I fear the odds aren’t in my favour.
*8.55am: * Arrive at Wynyard station bruised, but not beaten (I even managed to nab a seat as we crossed over the Harbour Bridge). Unfortunately, Millie has pipped me by a minute. Still, no sign of Angus on four wheels.
*9.05am: * Angus finally pulls up and rescues us from peak hour Pitt Street. The city is no place for a Corolla at this time of day.
Car: Angus Dalton
*7:50am: *I hop in my trusty Toyota Corolla. My route on Google Maps is dominated by red and orange strips, indicating slow traffic, but the first leg is pretty cruisy as I zip past commuters standing at bus stops. So long, suckers!
*8:02am: *I hit the red. It’s a 13-minute swamp of congestion. What time does the Spit Bridge go up again?
*8:23am: *I’m crawling along Manly Road. Some buses sail past. I’m bracing for a smug glance from Thomson aimed at me from the bus lane. After inching across the Spit I hit another bout of 14-minute congestion. I wonder how many of my convoy companions are dreaming of a Beaches Link.
Peak hour traffic along Military Road in Mosman.
Peak hour traffic along Military Road in Mosman.Credit:Brook Mitchell
*8:35am: *Bless the Google AI gods; they’ve generated a back-streets shortcut that will allegedly shave 29 minutes off my trip. I gleefully zigzag through the streets until I realise I’ve been sold a lemon; there’s a “No Left Turn” sign to get back onto Military Road. A hasty retreat.
*8:50am: *If I had a 9am job interview I’d be weeping. My speedometer has barely jumped above 20km/h. But I can see the city!
*9:05am: *I hate losing. But I pull over at Wynyard and my fate is sealed. If anything, our race has proven the efficiency and value of public transport, when it works. After covering 14 kilometres in an hour and 15 minutes, I can see why a number of northern beaches public transport devotees have lamented being forced back to their cars.
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On 20/03/2023 6:08 pm, TP wrote:
> It's the new boats that are vastly more efficient, usually the case when you compare a new, modern piece of transport equipment with one forty years old. The operating costs of the Freshwaters are horrendous and they spent $7 million refurbishing just one of them, all to appease a bunch of lobbyists at Manly (marginal seat, leading to need for pork barrelling), many of whom probably never commute on the ferries. That money would have almost paid for another new Emerald. All made more crazy by the fact that both regular passengers and tourists prefer the Emeralds, but of course when there's a political agenda afoot never mind what the public wants. A big number of commuters are also happy to pay more money to travel on the Manly Fast Ferry, which is a privately run service also using cats. Everybody prefers a fast, frequent service, which is the normal expectation for public transport. The whole affair is a scandalous political game and not originally the fault of the government which shouldn't have given way on it.
>
> Another off-topic generated by Greg's posts. Do you enjoy being an agent provocateur and upsetting the apple cart Greg? How about sticking to electric traction or buzz off to ATDB or similar where a broader range of transport is accommodated?
>
> Tony P
>
> On Monday, 20 March 2023 at 15:24:20 UTC+11peterm...@... wrote:
>
> Sounds stupid, stop the in efficent run and run the efficent older
> boats and get more!!!
>
>
> On Monday, 20 March 2023 at 15:16:14 UTC+11bblun...@... wrote:
>
> When the Freshie runs, it is leaves from the opposite side of
> the wharf at CQ, a couple of minutes after the Emerald. (This
> is necessary to enable the Emerald to get to Manly, turn
> around its passengers and depart before the Freshie arrives).
> It is clearly in view of intending passengers, with those
> signs clearly visible. The crews also announce that the
> Freshie is slower.
>
> The majority of passengers choose the faster Emerald service,
> but the STMF tragics have a conspiracy theory that Transdev is
> deliberately preventing them from catching the Freshie.
>
> There is only one wharf normally available at Manly, so both
> type can't be moored there together.
>
> Brian
>
> On Monday, 20 March 2023 at 02:55:13 pm AEDT, TP
> histor...@...> wrote:
>
>
> Yes, if there is an Emerald and a Freshwater at the wharf at
> the same time, people can choose which one to ride. There is a
> sign advising that the Freshwater is the slower trip, only to
> head off complaints later that the passenger didn't realise.
>
> Tony P
>
> On Monday, 20 March 2023 at 14:34:02 UTC+11
> peterm...@... wrote:
>
> GAH!!!!
>
>
> On Monday, 20 March 2023 at 14:01:34 UTC+11 Tony Galloway
> wrote:
>
> Hey hey, Perrottet
>
> How many koalas did you kill today?
>
> Just making a gratuitous comment.
>
> As for ferry “choice”, what happens?
>
> An Emerald and a Freshwater ferry both dock at Manly
> wharf at the same time, and the commuters get to pick
> their ride?
>
> Jeez, these liberal electorates get it good. Doesn’t
> mean they’re still going to vote for them though.
>
> Tony
>
>> On 20 Mar 2023, at 12:38, TP
>> histor...@...> wrote:
>>
>> Of course they never mention that the
>> Australian-built Freshwater Manly ferries had control
>> system problems that took over twenty years to fully
>> resolve. There were some spectacular groundings out
>> of that one. Memories are short, or selective, in
>> politics. Meanwhile, the travelling public is voting
>> with its feet and overwhelmingly uses the Emeralds.
>> After all, if you have a choice between a faster,
>> more frequent public transport service and slower,
>> less frequent one, which one do you choose? It's not
>> rocket science.
>>
>> Tony P
>>
>> On Monday, 20 March 2023 at 12:20:50 UTC+11 Greg
>> Sutherland wrote:
>>
>> https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/new-manly-ferry-suffers-another-steering-failure-on-sydney-harbour-20230320-p5ctjb.html
>>
>> One of the new Manly ferries has suffered another
>> steering failure on Sydney Harbour, forcing the
>> operator to pull the troubled vessel from service
>> amid ongoing concerns about defects plaguing the
>> three catamarans purchased to replace larger
>> Freshwater ferries.
>>
>> The failure of the Fairlight’s steering occurred
>> at about 7.30pm on Sunday evening while the ferry
>> was sailing from Circular Quay to Manly, and
>> resulted in it swerving to port, according to
>> multiple sources. The ferry was carrying about
>> 150 passengers.
>>
>> Following the incident, the Chinese-built
>> catamaran ferry was removed from regular
>> passenger service and is now docked at the
>> Balmain shipyard.
>>
>> The Fairlight ferry has suffered another steering
>> failure.
>>
>> The Fairlight ferry has suffered another steering
>> failure.Credit:Edwina Pickles
>>
>> The latest incident takes thenumber of steering
>> failures
>> https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/high-number-of-steering-failures-involving-new-manly-ferries-revealed-20221202-p5c35r.htmlinvolving
>> the Fairlight to nine since the government-owned
>> vessel entered service in late 2021. It has
>> sparked calls for transport authorities to remove
>> all three of the second-generation Emerald-class
>> ferries from service.
>>
>> The Fairlightlast suffered a steering failure
>> https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/new-manly-ferry-suffers-another-steering-failure-near-sydney-heads-20221120-p5bzop.htmlwhile
>> carrying passengers near the entrance to Sydney
>> Harbour in November, less than two months after
>> asimilar incident
>> https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/manly-ferries-removed-from-service-after-steering-failure-near-cruise-ship-20220926-p5bl6m.htmlforced
>> ferry operator Transdev to urgently pull the
>> catamaran and two sister vessels from service.
>>
>>
>> Related Article
>>
>> The Fairlight ferry was pulled from service two
>> weeks ago after suffering another steering failure.
>> https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/high-number-of-steering-failures-involving-new-manly-ferries-revealed-20221202-p5c35r.html
>>
>>
>>
>> Public transport
>> https://www.smh.com.au/topic/sydney-public-transport-62q
>>
>>
>> High number of steering failures involving
>> new Manly ferries revealed
>> https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/high-number-of-steering-failures-involving-new-manly-ferries-revealed-20221202-p5c35r.html
>>
>> Labor transport spokeswoman Jo Haylen said the
>> steering failures involving the Fairlight were a
>> serious risk to passenger safety.
>>
>> “It is only thanks to good luck that a passenger
>> or crew member on one of these ferries has not
>> been seriously injured, or worse,” she said.
>> “What is it going to take before action is taken?”
>>
>> The three new Manly ferries have been plagued
>> with defects and steering failures since they
>> entered service on the busy route in late 2021.
>> The Fairlight’s sister vessel, the Clontarf,
>> sufferedan engine failure
>> https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/new-manly-ferry-suffers-catastrophic-engine-failure-on-sydney-harbour-20230207-p5cikt.htmlduring
>> regular safety drills last month, requiring the
>> engine to later be replaced.
>>
>> Advertisement
>>
>> The problems have reinforced concerns the new
>> ferries cannot handle conditions on the
>> Manly-Circular Quay route nearly as well as
>> thelarger Freshwater vessels
>> https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/end-of-an-era-last-sailing-set-for-manly-ferry-20211007-p58y0b.htmlthey
>> are meant to replace. The government plans to
>> retire two of the four Freshwater ferries this year.
>>
>>
>> Related Article
>>
>> The Clontarf is wet docked at the Balmain
>> shipyards after suffering a catastrophic engine
>> failure.
>> https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/new-manly-ferry-suffers-catastrophic-engine-failure-on-sydney-harbour-20230207-p5cikt.html
>>
>>
>>
>> Public transport
>> https://www.smh.com.au/topic/sydney-public-transport-62q
>>
>>
>> ‘There was an almighty noise’: New Manly
>> ferry suffers catastrophic engine failure
>> https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/new-manly-ferry-suffers-catastrophic-engine-failure-on-sydney-harbour-20230207-p5cikt.html
>>
>> Action for Public Transport spokesman Graeme
>> Taylor said all three of the new Manly ferries
>> should be pulled from service until the cause of
>> the latest steering failure was known, and the
>> problem fixed.
>>
>> Transport for NSW has been approached for comment.
>>
>> The Maritime Union of Australia, which represents
>> deck-hands on ferries, said the transport agency
>> needed to work urgently with Transdev to fix the
>> problems plaguing the new Manly ferries.
>>
>> “They created this mess – they need to now fix
>> it,” the union’s deputy branch secretary Paul
>> Garrett said. “It is another reason why ferries
>> should be built in Australia and why the
>> Freshwater ferries should be put back on the run.”
>>
>> Transport Minister David Elliott, who is quitting
>> politics after the state election on Saturday,
>> has also been approached for comment
>>
>>
>>
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