The C word still lingers
They haven’t changed the seat design with the hidden word “Connex” in it — it’s not very obvious and probably a hassle to do. But even some of the electronic signs stubbornly revert to the former train operator’s name occasionally. These two were snapped in the last month or two, both on X’Trapolis trains.
Perhaps deep in the heart of the machine, the words of the company that originally commissioned them is destined never to be totally removed.
Until quite recently, some of the screens at CBD station would display a Connex logo when not displaying any information, and reverting to their “Listen for announcements” state.
Tags: Connex, Metro, trains
7 comments
Music on the train
Fantastic: Atomic Tom performing Take me out, live on a NYC subway train using just iPhones.
NB. Please don’t try this unless you are actually talented.
According to the New York Daily News, the intro text about their instruments being stolen is fictitious.
(via Eva Blanda)
Paper spam
I can’t say I miss the old Readers Digest promotions, with their endless letters, gimmicky stickers and knick-knacks. It’s nice to see that their spirit is alive in this paper spam I got from Toyota.
Note the “Priority Express” flashy banner in faux Express Post colours — purely decorative, as the flyer arrived in a plain white envelope.
I was slightly amused to see them address it to The Resident of a post office box, and was going to mockup a graphic of a livingroom inside a box, but then The Daily Show did that gag last week, so I won’t bother.
Oh damn, I seem to have missed the big Toyota promotion. Oh well.
Tags: advertising, Readers Digest, spam, Toyota
4 comments
Spinning faster
A Herald Sun survey suggests crime and public transport are two of the hottest issues going into the Victorian election (which is in just over a month).
So you might expect the government to be frantically putting out press releases promoting what they’re up to, and what they’ll do if re-elected.
Yes indeedy. I’ve plotted transport-related press releases by week for the last four months, from Pakula (PT), Pallas (Roads and ports), and Brumby’s office.
Excel’s handy dandy trend line feature certainly agrees the number of releases per week is on a steady upward trajectory. That must be what all those Government spin-doctors are up to.
As I said last week, if you care about state issues, NOW is the time to get active.
The final Bill
Back in the day, I was obsessed by The Bill — part of my greater obsession with British television drama. I watched it religiously from the late-80s until about 2001 or 2002 when went off the rails and into soapie land, then I abandoned it.
Last night I watched the final two episodes, courtesy of iView.
If those two episodes were any judge, the writing had got back to its roots: good drama with a reasonable touch of realism.
But I’m left with questions.
- When did they change the music? (The original, used for many years, was if I recall correctly, entitled Overkill)
- When did Jack Meadows switch to uniform?
- When did Smiffy become an Inspector? (In fact I’m not sure I even remember him being a sergeant.)
- What happened to Cryer, Ackland, Carver, Stamp, Hollis? (Actually now I think about it, I think I do remember Cryer’s exit.)
- I don’t remember the Parkview Estate. Is the Jasmine Allen Estate still around?
Maybe I’ll do some reading to satisfy my curiosity, but in any case, the last two episodes, with Meadows’ speech at the end, were a satisfying conclusion to a long-running series.
(It’s not quite over: there’s a Farewell special next Saturday night on ABC1.)
Tags: television, The Bill
8 comments
Who to vote for in Transport?
Please note that as always, the views expressed on my blog are my own, and are not necessarily a PTUA position.
The state election’s about six weeks away.
The Opposition has been criticised for not having a transport policy, but it’s important to note that Labor hasn’t said much about what they’d do, either.
Sure, they’re launching lots of things like new train timetables this week, new Smartbuses last week, and new tram timetables next week. Lots of colour and movement to keep us all distracted.
But I’m generally of the view that judging past performance is of limited use, particularly as the whole debate in PT has moved on from the cost-cutting of the early 90s to the mid 2000s, when both sides sought to minimise investment. (And it should be noted that Kennett in 1999 introduced one of the biggest positive changes — the upgrade of most Sunday tram and train services to Saturday levels).
Yes, Labor has the Victorian Transport Plan, which is a blueprint for further developments. But that doesn’t really count unless the items in it are funded. Until something is funded, it may never happen (eg the Blue Orbital Smartbus in the previous MOTC plan from 2006).
The important thing for voters to know is what would the parties do differently from one another.
There are lots of VTP projects already funded, already underway. Unless we are told different, we must assume that these would happen no matter who gets power: Regional Rail Link, Sunbury electrification, completion of Myki, South Morang rail, 50 new trams and an upgraded tram depot, Bumblebee trams kept, various new outer-suburban stations.
What’s different between the big two parties? Here’s what they’ve announced so far which is not already funded and underway:
The Opposition: Rowville/Monash rail feasibility study; Eltham North station feasibility; armed Protective Service Officers on Metro stations after 6pm; increase transit police numbers; $1 million competition for a plan to renovate Flinders Street (not really a public transport issue per se, as long as whatever’s built doesn’t adversely affect station operation — really a heritage and planning issue)
Labor: Balaclava Station upgrade; increase transit police and Authorised Officer numbers.
(The Greens have a lot more in their policy, but I’m just looking at the big two for now. Let me know if I’ve missed anything.)
So in fact, while the Opposition gets the flak, in fact Labor are also keeping their cards close for now. They’re both pretty light-on for detail in such a key issue, no doubt wanting to avoid being trumped by the other side.
Who’s going to pledge not just South Morang, but Mernda? Who’s going to build Southland Station? Who’s going to duplicate and electrify to Melton? How about 7 day 10 minute trains/trams/Smartbuses? Half-hourly V/Line services? And the next lot of Smartbus routes, for that matter?
Only once we know these answers (and provided one has some confidence in their promises) will people know which side is going to do more in public transport.
Tags: Coalition, Greens, Labor, politics, public transport, transport, Victorian Election 2010
23 comments
Stop slacktivism now!
Pic from Indymedia
So you’ve got a beef? Something’s wrong with the world and you want it fixed?
Don’t be fooled — joining a Facebook group won’t change it. Adding a ribbon to your Twitter avatar won’t change it. Leaving a comment on a blog won’t change it. All these forms of Slactivism may help you feel like you’re doing something, but in reality they rarely change anything.
Ah yes – the new way to lazily attempt to impress your opinion on… someone… the Facebook pages. If your only action is to join some … Facebook page then you really don’t care about the issue that much.
– Commenter on Lifehacker
To give another example closer to my pet interest:
… if you just want to get rid of your anger, by all means tweet it into space with #transitFAIL. But you’ve done nothing to improve your transit system.
I’m all for social networking (my God, how long have I been blogging?), but if you want something to change, you have to actually get off your arse and do something.
Because unless many thousands of people join your Facebook page (very rare) or read your tweet, or comment on your blog, and it becomes so big that gets into the mainstream media, it’ll never really influence public opinion to any great extent, and nothing will happen.
1.3 million people read the Herald Sun; The Age about half that. Unless you’re Stephen Fry, it’s unlikely the number of people reading your tweets or looking at your Facebook page will reach even a hundredth of those numbers.
What you really need to do is stir up debate, and find and target those who make the decisions.
Write a letter – to your local or daily newspaper, get people talking about it.
Find a group campaigning on your issue – join them and get active – they can probably do with your help.
Contact your local councillor or Member of Parliament or candidate for office – by letter, by phone, or go and make an appointment and go and see them. If it’s a corporation, track down a contact in there and lobby them.
Get media coverage – hold a rally, hold a stunt, start a petition, get your message out there.
Oh, you don’t think your voice will have any effect?
Then remember that a few years ago, a team of three got the government to reverse its decision not to run trains all-night on New Year’s Eve.
In Victoria we have a state election coming up in about six weeks. And it’s not blindingly obvious who’s going to win. If you have a state issue, there has never been a more important time to make your voice heard.
Oh, before you do all that, join my Facebook page, of course.
Then get busy.
- PTUA: How you can help keep up the pressure for better public transport
- Yeah, I know social networking isn’t totally useless. But somehow, at some point, it has to relate to action in the real world. GetUp is probably a good example of how it can work.
- Thanks to Brendan Durward for this link: Small Change — Why the revolution will not be tweeted, by Malcolm Gladwell.
Myki short term tickets set off shop alarms
Occasional commenter Peter from Murrumbeena has sent me this video of Myki short term tickets setting off a shop alarm.
Apparently it relates to the RFID technology used in the tickets. When a number are placed in close proximity, they look to the shop alarm like the tag attached to protected goods, setting off the alarm.
(Short term tickets are not yet available in Melbourne, but will eventually replace single-use 2-hour/daily Metcards for people who don’t purchase a re-usable Myki card.)
Tags: alarms, Myki, RFID
3 comments
