Posted by Matt Hayden on Wednesday, October 9, 2013,
I do a lot of travelling on public transport. And I've seen quite a bit of antisocial behaviour on buses and trains. The main thing that really annoys me is people playing their iPods really loudly. But there are other things that can be infuriating like people slouching all over the place and taking up lots of space, or plonking their bags on seats and not moving them for people who want to sit down (but who are too meek to ask). It's amazing what you see sometimes.
Clearly a lot of other peo...
Continue reading ...
Posted by Matt Hayden on Monday, September 9, 2013,
I'm not surprised that a recent test has found that Perth trains are actually
cleaner than the average kitchen. The general spotlessness inside the carriages is something I really noticed after spending several years in Sydney.
The trains are grotty
as in that city. And it's not just because they are more crowded and scrubbed less thoroughly (and presumably less often) than the ones here. I think it also has much to do with the general attitude of the people there.
Basically, Sydneysiders come...
Continue reading ...
Posted by Matt Hayden on Friday, September 6, 2013,
It's interesting that whenever something that's occurred locally gets reported in overseas media outlets, it often becomes news back here. The bizarre case of a minor train accident being linked to millipede infestation
is the latest example. The fact that this odd event has been reported in Britain's
Daily Mail is deemed newsworthy in itself! Now can, you imagine the inverse happening -- that is, a British newspaper gushing that similar events involving Pommie millipedes had been reported by...
Continue reading ...
Posted by Matt Hayden on Friday, November 23, 2012,
Not only have Perth trains become increasingly crowded in the last few years, but a high proportion of commuters feel unsafe on them,
particularly at night.
The number of passengers who felt unsafe at night jumped from 23 to 28 per cent - including nearly half of all Armadale patrons interviewed and nearly one-third of all Midland patrons.
Four in five commuters identified drunks and drug users as the biggest safety threat at night.This survey measured commuters' perception of risk, so it was ...
Continue reading ...
Posted by Matt Hayden on Thursday, November 8, 2012,
I live in Mosman Park now, and often go into the city by train. When heading back I've noticed that after Claremont Station the transit cops pretty much always check the passengers' tickets and SmartRiders. Every now and then you see some poor bugger get nabbed for not having a valid ticket and thereby copping a fine.
Cynics would no doubt argue that the reason they're so assiduous about this is because the Government wants to raise revenue. And I think they'd have a point.
But there's also a ...
Continue reading ...
Posted by Matt Hayden on Friday, March 23, 2012,
One thing I have noticed since returning to Perth back in 2010 is how much more crowded the trains have become. This is really pronounced at peak hour. I haven't ridden on all the lines at this time but I've often caught Midland line trains around knock-off time and been amazed at just how chockas they were.
There must be a lot of frustration about this growing problem for Perth commuters. And Labor are trying to tap into that, encouraging people to express their feeling about the issue on
soc... Continue reading ...
Posted by Matt Hayden on Saturday, January 14, 2012,
Not unlike the Daglish station nearby, the railway station at Shenton Park is covered in many
colourful murals. It seems that the ones now present are a second edition. (The first batch were painted back in 1998, but peeled away
over the years.)
This photo shows the station from the western side.
Here's the view as you walk down the steps into the station.
The artwork on this side is generally train-related (appropriate considering the location!).
Then it becomes a pretty wacky and surreal sce...
Continue reading ...
Posted by Matt Hayden on Wednesday, December 21, 2011,
I picked up a recent issue of the
Subiaco Post and read a story about a project being conducted by the Public Transport Authority. The tactic was to deter graffiti taggers by beating them to it,
so to speak. But instead of putting up the usual ugly symbols, they would commission images that were aesthetically pleasing to passengers.
Urban artist Drew Straker created the works at Daglish station that were mentioned in the article. It seems he's been doing this
for a while now.
The photo publish...
Continue reading ...
Posted by Matt Hayden on Friday, April 22, 2011,
Many of the older railway stations in Perth have been substantially improved, if not completely rebuilt, in recent years. But some have remained pretty much the same. One of these is Mt Lawley train station.
The shot below was taken looking away from Perth and north towards Midland.
Mt Lawley is a very comfortable, leafy suburb. While not as well off as, say, Peppermint Grove, it's certainly well to do. The area to the left of the photo above certainly boasts many impressive, large and stylish ...
Continue reading ...
