Originally Posted by
JusticeZero
Here's what happened in Melbourne.
They built the greatest and most extensive commuter rail network imaginable. They built an amazing network of tramways (streetcar). Then they let the two compete against each other, and let all of the different bus companies compete as well.
You can't easily transfer from the train to the tram. Even though the train stations are next to tram tracks, you have to walk a couple blocks to a tram stop.
You can't easily transfer from the train to the bus, or vice versa. On a time trial I conducted, we came into a train station on time to watch the bus dissapear into the distance. To get to the bus stop, we had to make our way around a razorwire cyclone fence, jaywalk across a 6 lane road (no pedestrian crossing), then walk two and a half blocks to a vandalized stop - then wait half an hour, as the bus times were arranged so that the transfer would be impossible. We wanted to get on a different bus, but the routes snaked around and were spaced to make that equally difficult.
Ahhh, the wonders of privatisation. I remember my solitary experience of using a suburban Melbourne train a few years back. I recall that the station I was at wasn't staffed, meaning I had to purchase a ticket from a vending machine. Not a problem if the machine actually lists the stations to assist you in making a purchase decision, but this one listed only "fare zones". How is someone who doesn't actually live there supposed ot work that out? Luckily, there were no transit police that day, but I'll think twice about doing that again.
Still, it's the same in just about every city in Australia -- well, almost every city. Here on the GC it's about 10 times worse. We have a total of three, that's right, three train stations in the entire city -- all built in the middle of nowhere, with only one route -- to Brisbane. Buses? They might be an option if you live within two blocks of the Gold Coast Highway, otherwise forget it, they'll have stopped for the day by the time you finish work. And that's if they show up at all. Personally I make a point of having more than one bike in good working order, so that if something happens to my primary bike, I can ride the other one. It's either that or pay for a taxi.
That said, I think that generally speaking, the biggest problem with the public transport is the public. Especially in Australia which is rapidly turning into a nation of vapid bogans. On the rare occasions when I use a bus to go somewhere, there's almost invariably some dickhead getting on who thinks they know where the bus is going better than the bus driver and wants to waste everyone's time by arguing the point. Now if that idiot (or others like them) uses buses on a regular basis, you soon see why they're all running at least 15 minutes late.
The only real solution is the one in place in London, with a high speed underground rail network. I had the pleasure of using it last year. Even if a train isn't running, there's another one along within a few minutes anyway. Best of all, there's virtually zero opportunity for a bogan to sit and argue with a train driver and hold everyone else up.
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I am clinically insane. I am proud of it.
That is all.