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Showing Tag: "transport" (Show all posts)

Carbon tax repeal means cheaper public transport

Posted by Matt Hayden on Tuesday, November 4, 2014,
The manner in which the state government has refunded the cost of the repealed carbon tax to users of public transport seems to have been met with a range of reactions. But I have to say it's fine by me. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I didn't have to pay a cent to go anywhere I wanted to yesterday.

And I was greeted with another pleasant surprise today: My all day ticket went down from $12.10 to $11.80. Not a huge plunge, but that will add up over time. I get around Perth a lot on ...
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Two Hoots campaign addresses rudeness on public transport

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...
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Cleanliness of Perth trains reveals city's wider culture

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...
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The millipede train crash story and our enduring cultural cringe

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...
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The tram carriage sculpture in McCallum Park

Posted by Matt Hayden on Monday, July 15, 2013,
If you drive over the causeway from Vic Park into the Perth CBD you have probably noticed a tram sculpture in McCallum Park, just near the Swan River. I was curious about this and had a closer look recently.







It appears to have been built in a location that was part of Perth's original tram network. The placard on the work itself says it's part of the Tram Stop Trail Project along Albany Highway and was installed in 2001. I think that other intended stages of this project haven't materialized ...
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Labor's Metronet and the Libs' light rail plans are ideologically distinct

Posted by Matt Hayden on Saturday, February 16, 2013,
People like to say that there is very little difference between the Labor and Liberal parties on many major issues, particularly when it comes to state government. I think that's long been quite true.

However in recent years the two parties have started to diverge and become ideologically more distinct. Federally, Labor has become much more of a high tax, high spending government. It keeps coming up with grand projects for the people but so often they come a cropper through incompetent managem...
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Perth train and bus commuters have justified safety fears

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 ...
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Perth's train lines better policed and managed than Sydney's

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 ...
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The Metropolitan Area Express will change the city's character

Posted by Matt Hayden on Sunday, September 2, 2012,
There are always new infrastructure projects going on in this city. But I hadn't heard of the Metropolitan Area Express until now. This is a light rail project that has just received the go ahead.

The first stage will start at Polytechnic West (Balga Campus) and extend east-west through the city to the QEII Medical Centre, in Nedlands, and the Causeway.

One of the main reasons for such a project is to relieve traffic congestion, and reduce carbon emissions. That's an illustration of just how cr...
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Increasingly crowded buses arriving late more often

Posted by Matt Hayden on Friday, July 6, 2012,
As a frequent user of public transport in Perth, the news that about a third of buses run late doesn't surprise me. Clearly this is due in major part to the fast increase in the number of people using public transport, which is something I've posted about previously.

Still, it's generally a very efficient system. Currently, around 71% of buses arrive on time (compared to 85% a year ago). I'm not sure of the figures in other Aussie cities but I suspect these would compare favourably with...
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Perth trains increasingly crowded

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...
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Perth buses to become more crowded

Posted by Matt Hayden on Sunday, December 11, 2011,
Transperth has just made a decision to increase the maximum number of passengers allowed onto its buses. Yet another sign of the city's inexorably rising population, no doubt.

Being a regular bus and train user myself, I've noticed just how crowded they have become lately. Obviously, peak hours are the worst. That said, things aren't that bad.

Most of the time the buses here are only about half or three quarters full. The main downside is that you tend to get antisocial behaviour on them from ...
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Perth traffic getting steadily worse

Posted by Matt Hayden on Thursday, September 22, 2011,
A while ago I wrote about how much busier the roads in Perth seemed, compared to decades past. Now there are some facts and figures to confirm this perception.

Statistics gleaned from Main Roads showed that people generally spend much more time driving to and from work than they did twenty years ago. That would be expected, of course. But there's even been quite a rise in the last year.

This is clearly an issue of great concern for the State Government. And you can see evidence that they are on...
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William Street, Perth now a bustling, noisy hub

Posted by Matt Hayden on Wednesday, September 7, 2011,
The stretch of William Street between Murray and Hay is right in the heart of Perth's CBD. It has long been one of the busiest parts of the city. But even up until, say, five years ago, it wasn't all that different from what I recall from my youth.

I definitely can't say that about it now. Lately, there's been a lot of construction along William Street. And of course there's the Perth Underground Train Station, which opens onto the Murray Street Mall, right near the corner of William Street.

I...
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Increasing traffic in Perth

Posted by Matt Hayden on Friday, April 22, 2011,
Aside from all the construction that's occurring all over Perth, there's a lot more traffic nowadays. The sheer number of vehicles on the road, and the noise they make, really brings home just how much Perth has grown in the last decade or so. While it is nowhere near as bad as a city like Sydney, which is a traffic nightmare, driving is becoming increasingly stressful in Perth.

Traffic jams were very rare in days of yore, but now they happen quite frequently, even if they are only minor a lot...
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Good books about and set in Perth and Fremantle
Perth
Line of Sight
When War Came to Fremantle
The Devil's Garden
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