Power Point: Shaking, Rattling and Rolling Forward

Today marks a very sad anniversary.

Forty-nine years ago, the Sydney tram shook and rattled it's way down Sydney's streets for the final time. R1.1995 operated what would be the end of an era, a very rich era in Australia's transport.

On the 25th of February, 1961, Sydney said farewell to the tram.

Most people don't even remember trams in Sydney, or were even aware that trams once rumbled down George Street towards Circular Quay. In fact, Sydney once had the largest tram system in the Southern Hemisphere, with more than double the amount of trams Melbourne has today.

So how did such a large system fall?

The post-war mentality triggered a sense of pride in petrol-powered motorcars. The bus soon became a more comfortable and faster way of travelling compared to the tram. Myths that trams took up more road-space than several hundred cars were taken as truth. And peak motoring body group the NRMA supported the closure of Sydney's trams.

Yet, amongst all that, Sydneysiders didn't want to let go, but the Government had other ideas.

The system that once ruled the Harbour city was doomed after the end of World War II.

Pitt Street, Sydney in 1949. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

Looking back, it's amazing to see how foolish most Australian cities were in closing their tram systems. Brisbane, Sydney and Adelaide are now working towards trying to re-establish trams in their cities after decades since they disappeared from their streets.

It seems that old technology is helping cities move towards creating a network that can move the masses at minimal cost. It is the humble tram that is revolutionising and revitalising transport networks around the world.

Those in the 1940's, 1950's and 1960's who said that buses were the way ahead, and trams would pull us backwards, were wrong. And it certainly shows in Sydney, who's bus services are primarily modelled on the tram system.

The amount of cars and buses in the City Centre is causing a lot more congestion then what trams would. Buses now fight for space at Circular Quay, kicking passengers off a block before reaching the Quay, saying that it's the last stop.

Yesterday's Daily Telegraph published an embarrassing blow to Sydney Buses. They showed that it took 35 minutes for a bus to travel just 3.5km from the Railway Square to Glebe. THAT'S A STAGGERING 10 MINUTES PER KILOMETRE!! A tram with a right-of-way, or a "tramway reserve", would have done that in less than 10 minutes.

In fact, by the late-1960's, we were already aware of the flow-on effects removing trams would have on our roads.



One, little fact has always been passed over when comparing trams to buses, even when Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide wound down their tram systems. Buses carry less than trams.

Sydney's unique system allowed for trams to couple during the peaks, effectively making two trams run as one. One set of coupled O or P-Class toast-rack trams carried more passengers than a double-decker bus (which replaced trams in the '50s). A single R-Class corridor tram could carry more than a standard single-decker bus even today.

And quite ironically, almost 50 years to the day since Sydney lost it's trams, NSW Premier, Kristina Keneally announced that trams will make a come-back to their streets, linking Circular Quay to the current light-rail at Haymarket.

So, Mr.1940's, 50's and 60's, who's laughing now? It's certainly not the car or the bus.

Today may be a sad day in Australian transport history, but with any luck, Sydney will be shaking, rattling and rolling again in the next 50 years,

 An R1-Class tram on Glebe Point Road in 1958. Image courtesy of Sydney Architecture.

Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord!

Finally, a Victorian Government initiative which can be backed.

What a brilliant idea for clubs/pubs to provide free water to patrons in order to curb late night CBD violence.

Hoo-rar!

Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord!

Pauline Hanson has left the country and may never return.

Hoo-rar!

Today's Headline

"Metro is worse than Connex."
- A Metro Employee

Power Point: Selling Out.

Power here, and welcome to my new column, Power Point.
(Although, you may have noticed that my previous posts have been rebranded with Power Point, but this is officially the first column.)
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Thankfully another Valentine's Day has come and gone.

No, I'm not some bitter, cold bastard who hates Valentine's Day because of the actual sentiments surrounding the day.

What I am bitter about is the fact that large corporations are taking over and ruining the main purpose of these special events in the calendar year.

I am someone who believes that Valentine's Day was created by some depressed florist or card writer who thought that they could make a quick buck by creating the some useless celebration on the calendar and by exploiting couples.

In fact, I'd even go as far as saying that the people who actually purchase extravagant gifts and whatnot for Valentine's Day are actually selling themselves out to these companies.

Valentine's Day is not some day which is solely based around the purchase of Belgian Chocolates, French Champagne, and expensive electronic goods from Japan. No, Valentine's Day should be about the individual. About focusing solely on that special person in one's life, not some sodding bunch of flowers that some Mexican picked.

The same goes for Christmas. Every year I find that the two major department stores, Myer and David Jones, seem to start putting their Christmas decorations earlier each year. Last year I noted that Santa was busy setting up his temporary village at David Jones in the middle of bloody October.

And it's apparent with Easter too. My local Woolies has been stocking Easter eggs and rabbits, as well as hot cross buns for the last three weeks. And, if you believe what people have been saying on the internet, some stores have had Easter stock out the back on pallets since early January.

EARLY JANUARY?!? Christmas stock hasn't been cleaned out yet, and department stores and supermarkets are already stocking Easter products! It's absolutely absurd.

Quite frankly, I find the shift in focus regarding these calendar events rather disappointing.

Somewhere in the thick of the pre-Christmas sales, or commercialism of Valentine's Day lurks the, now neglected, intended focus of those events. The person.

Maybe it's time to refocus on what is truly important. Not selling out to some corporation.

Clarkson's Weekly Rant: The Dark Depths of Child Porn.

Our ever-reliant media outlets must have had a field day when it was recently revealed that a current The Biggest Loser contestant had been charged by our brilliant police force in Queensland, regarding the possession child pornography.

What kind of sick bastards would find enjoyment in watching this type of shit? Really, do these PERVERTS really find enjoyment and self- satisfaction in watching little kids being molested? I must state that watching “normal” pornography is weird as you “can’t get any” but how can you watch little kids degrade themselves?

Imagine this, your child, cousin or younger sibling being subjected to this type of FILTH and degradation. What would your reaction be? Would you be happy and have a tingly feeling down your pants; immediately grabbing the moisturiser and tissues?

If you are like most people, you would be outraged and be “WTF’ing” at this “shit”. Not many people would do what I suggested of grabbing the tissues.

If you are one of these people, please report yourself to the nearest police station or alternatively expose yourself to the nearest Primary School so that you can be charged and jailed.

THESE SICK, MENTALLY CHALLENGED people need to be incarcerated, shot, hanged, isolated from society (pretty much what Britain did with the convicts when they sent them to Australia), or all of the above.

Parents, please, watch what your kids are doing as many kids nowadays love “cam-whoring” and many expose too much of themselves to others. This is the risk that predators may to stalk your child.

AGAIN, we need our government to do more to protect the “future” and not let these “fuckwits” reach “climax”. I suggest that all perverts, molesters and pedophiles simply be put into a giant prison where they can molest themselves.

Time to get my gun.

Editors Note: Suburban Termini would like to advise that it does not condone violence or vigilante attacks.

Power Point: Butt Out. No Butts about it.

Like the shining beacon on a cove in Dover on a foggy morning, the Frankston City Council is a shining light in the midst of heavy cigarette smoke.

They've developed a bold plan. A plan that can only be described as, as breath of fresh air. They've decided to trial the ban of smoking from Frankston's streets.

Yes, that's right. Banning smoking.

I mean, good God. It's 2010. We're aware of the risks smoking poses to both smokers and non-smokers and it's damn about time that someone lead the way in banning smoking in public areas

The trial will see an end to smoking in three busy open-air shopping districts in Frankston. Those who decide to light up in the designated zones will face fines of $110.

But it raises a good question. Is a fine of $110 enough to deter those who smoke from lighting up in a designated exclusion zone?

I for one say no. And that's a very big no.

We've already banned smoking from undercover areas, in front of most buildings in the CBD, in cars with children, in restaurants and on public transport. But creating smoke-free streets is an absolute must.

Fines amounting to $500 would work better as a deterrent that $110. In fact, a fine for smoking in an undercover carpark or a covered area of a railway station amounts to $173 - yet, I haven't seen a decrease in people smoking in those areas.

In conjunction to having higher penalties, a more pro-active, high-profile approach to combatting smoking in public areas must be undertaken. Having more Police and Authorised Officers patrolling streets, railway stations and other public areas, will create a visual presence in the fight against smoking.

I absolutely despise smoking. In fact, I deplore it. It's a disgusting habit and it's absolutely nothing to be proud about.

I don't give a damn about how someone got addicted or attracted to the foul stench of tobacco smoke, but what I do give a damn about is the health and safety of those who do not smoke - those who subjected to inhaling smoke from one inconsiderate, well quite frankly, a jackarse.

Those who compromise the health and wellbeing of those around them have absolutely no regard for those people, whether it be their loved ones, or just the general public.

Those who compromise the health and wellbeing of those around them have absolutely no regard for those on hospital waiting lists, or in dire heath straits because of the effects of passive smoking.

Those who compromise the health and well being of those around them have absolutely no regard for themselves.

I've seen the effects emphysema have on people. In fact, I've seen it first hand. And I can tell you damn well now that it's not something I want to see ever again. I've seen someone who I thought was the strongest person in the world, die because of complications from emphysema. Yet, he never smoked a day in his life.

Whether his emphysema was connected to passive smoking, I'll never know. But I know for sure that it's not pretty sight. Nor is it something I want to see happen to anyone else.

I am glad that the Frankston City Council isn't afraid of taking on this very big issue.

I am glad that they are not afraid to stick it to those who continually risk the health of those around them.

Here's hoping that the trial is a success. And that more local councils follow suit.

Swanston Street... no, Walk... no, Street... err, what?

Last Wednesday, the Melbourne City Council released plans to overhaul Melbourne's beloved Swanston Street.

For years, Swanston Street has played a vital role in shaping Melbourne City. The street for public rallies, the Grand Final Parade, Moomba and many, many more events. And who could forget Swanston Street being the backdrop to AC/DC's It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Want To Rock and Roll) music video.

Since it's controversial conversion to a "Walk" in the 1990s, it has been nothing of the sort. One tends to consider a "Walk" as something along the lines of the Bourke Street Mall, where pedestrians stupidly walk in front of moving trams, but are at least, not confined to the footpath because of a road in the middle of the street. Despite the street's closure to through traffic between 7am and 7pm, it still closely resembles a normal City thoroughfare.

Artists impression of the redeveloped Swanston Street. Image courtesy of the City of Melbourne.

With Swanston Street a mix of taxis, cyclists, commerical vehicles, horse-drawn coaches, trams and until last year, tourist buses; the proposed changes by the City of Melbourne can only be interpreted as a step forward in creating a pedestrian-focused City Centre.

Although, one this seem a little askew. Upon reading the proposal by the City of Melbourne, it denotes that only trams and cyclists will be permitted in through the redeveloped Swanston Street.

CYCLISTS?!?!

Upon nearly every of my frequent trips into the CBD, whilst stepping off a tram, or crossing the road at lights, cyclists always fail to stop and narrowly miss pedestrians. They don't follow the road rules, they skip traffic lights, they pass stopped trams unloading and loading passengers, and they constantly weave in an out of busy city traffic.

It just seems a little stupid for the Council to continue to allow cyclists through, what is practically, a pedestrian mall.

The new plan incorporates cycle lanes, but despite these lanes, I fear that there will be pedestrian-related accidents as a result of permitting cyclists through the street. An 84-year-old man was killed in Collins Street a few years ago, after a cyclists collided with the man whilst alighting from a tram - what's not to stop that from happening again in a pedestrian mall, where there are more people around?

For Melbourne to continue to grow as a vibrant and cultured city, we need to focus on a Swanston Street that is spacious, accessible, family-friendly, and most importantly, a safe public space. And cyclists pose a threat to the safety of this public space.

People may say that trams are more dangerous than cyclists, but Swanston Street is an important tramway thoroughfare for Melbourne's southern and northern routes - the entrance point for hundreds of thousands of tram travellers, and not to mention tourists. The exuberant costs of removing tram tracks and related infrastructure from the street would actually be a step backwards in creating an accessible city for all.

Lord Mayor Robert Doyle said, "By 2012, this plan would see the street transformed into a world-class promenade car-free, with more quality public spaces, encouraging an enhanced retail and outdoor dining offering." He also said "One of the major reasons for beautifying the street is to make it desirable for these sorts of businesses to move to Swanston Street and change the culture of the street, particularly late at night."

 

The proposed City Square area. Image courtesy of the City of Melbourne.

Cr. Doyle is on the right track, the focus should be on changing the types of businesses trading on Swanston Street. A Lygon Street-style dining precinct, mixed with the charm of Parisian end of Collins Street and the shopping that is the Bourke Street Mall, is what Swanston Street should be - not some street riddled with discount stores, fast food outlets and adult shops. This move would, of course, upset some traders and shoppers, but a better, higher-class, modern, and most importantly, safe, City Centre is what needs to be achieved.

Swanston Street may not be currently be in the company of malls and promenades in Paris, Copenhagen, Rome or Berlin, but we can damn well try.

Here's to the new Swanston 'Street'.