23 June 2009

Third world Belconnen Buses?

| jessiegirl
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Morning,

I catch a bus from Belconnen to the City every morning. I understand the need to update the original bus interchange and to have aternative arrangements while this is occuring. My gripe is the revolting state of the bus stops and surrounds at the Lathlain Street bus stops. This morning I had to step over copious amounts of rubbish, broken glass, abandoned shopping trolleys and dirt and gravel covering the floor of the bus shelter and around the shelter. I have never seen such attrocious care of a public place, it felt very third world.

Why can’t Action Buses clean and maintain their temporary bus stops like they cared and maintain the old interchange?

In addition, the people who are dropping thier rubbish less than a metre away from the provided rubish bin should be ashamed. Put your cigarette butts, macdonald wrappers, beer bottles and newspapers in the bin provided. Have some respect to the other people who use those bus stops.

Cheers

Unhappy public transport user!

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DrKoresh said :

Skidd Marx said :

Don’t blame ACTION, blame the littering bogans who are so adept at living for themselves whilst making things unpleasant for the majority of citizens who actually have some semblance of class. Take a walk through Erindale some time if want to experience authentic third-world conditions.

Walking through Erindale is certainly a thrill. From dodging speeding cars, to avoiding the gazes of bikies, there is something for everyone.

I hope you nominated this experience for the 100 top things about Canberra?

Skidd Marx said :

Don’t blame ACTION, blame the littering bogans who are so adept at living for themselves whilst making things unpleasant for the majority of citizens who actually have some semblance of class. Take a walk through Erindale some time if want to experience authentic third-world conditions.

Walking through Erindale is certainly a thrill. From dodging speeding cars, to avoiding the gazes of bikies, there is something for everyone.

Punter said :

#1 Budapest only has one bus stop? At least you know you’ll get off in the same place you got on, there’s no chance of catching the wrong bus.

in the parlance of the riotact of old, gold! 🙂

LivesUnderBridgeEatingGoats11:16 am 10 Jan 13

Everyones so damn quick to blame the Government, yet in reality it’s the wonderful people of Canberra that turn these places into the rubbish tips that they are. Irony is redefined by seeing a tool with an aussie pride or southern cross tat throw a ciggarette butt \ maccas wrapper on the footpath then piss next to a bin…

‘Burke and Hare’d?

Now I aint sayin’ you a grave digger…

Don’t blame ACTION, blame the littering bogans who are so adept at living for themselves whilst making things unpleasant for the majority of citizens who actually have some semblance of class. Take a walk through Erindale some time if want to experience authentic third-world conditions.

But in its wisdom, the ACT Government has removed responsibility for bus stops and interchanges from ACTION.

Weirdly, responsibility now rests with the ‘Transport for Canberra’ administration (=ACT Roads)……strange, but true!

For your information, Action Buses aren’t responsible for the cleaning and maintenance of bus stops. Neither do they clean or maintain the interchanges. This is dealt with by Urban Services (TAMS) or sub-contracted out to private cleaning firms. Contacting Canberra Connect will get you better results.

You can lodge a complaint, but it’s probably TAMs who are responsible for cleaning those stops now, not Action? I know when I complained about the temporary Tax Office bus stop having a lack of shelters, Action stated that unfortunately they were not reponsible for the design and layout of those bus stops.

Also, as littering is an offence and a fine can be imposed, maybe the ACT government can put all those cameras they have put around the bus stops to good use, and start doing something with the video footage of litterbugs? Maybe use some of the videos as a PR campaign on telly. Or are they….not connected to anything. [ominous music plays].

“Why can’t Action Buses clean and maintain their temporary bus stops like they cared and maintain the old interchange?”

I have a better question, why can’t Canberrans look after what the government gives them.

#1 Budapest only has one bus stop? At least you know you’ll get off in the same place you got on, there’s no chance of catching the wrong bus.

mebbe not, jc, agreed; but trevar has, nonetheless, a point…

trevar said :

“it felt very third world.”

I can’t imagine that third world countries would produce enough rubbish to make their bus stops untidy. Countries where food is rarely packaged in individual portions and where alcohol is a precious commodity are hardly going to have a significant amount of rubbish.

Only first world countries are both careless enough to create significant quantities of garbage, and wealthy enough to expect their government to employ someone to clean it up!

So, perhaps you should complain that it felt very first world…

I take it you have never REALLY been to a third world country then?

Mr Evil said :

Typical! Here in the ACT we get a UN-approved warm and cosy Prison, but a Khmer Rouge approved sh1thouse for a Bus Station!

day made, muchos gracias! ; )

What are these “bus” things you speak of?

A new and wonderous time travel device.

Yes, they somehow manage to turn a 15 min trip into a 2 hour trip

#15 – Ant
“it’s terrible when people post things on online forums, isn’t it?”

Bahahahahaha. Ha. Too funny. Bren thinks it is most terrible indeed. RiotAct should be for what, Bren … ?

Well if you included in you’re post that you’d spoken to Action about it without any success, you’d have my support. But too many people, come here whinge first and wonder why nothing changes.

I’ve never had the need to complain to Action, but when I’ve actually complained to the appropriate section of other Government Departments I’ve got a result.

bren said :

Why can’t you complain to Action Buses first and then if you don’t get the result, have a whinge here.

it’s terrible when people post things on online forums, isn’t it?

As for mcdonalds wrappers, I think it’s a condition of purchase of such food that you do not use a rubbish bin for your bag of stuff. You can track how long it takes bogans to eat the contents of the bag by the point on the road at which they discharge the bag, they’re usually quite consistent (Captains Flat Rd being a case in point).

Typical! Here in the ACT we get a UN-approved warm and cosy Prison, but a Khmer Rouge approved sh1thouse for a Bus Station!

barking toad12:19 pm 23 Jun 09

What are these “bus” things you speak of?

“it felt very third world.”

I can’t imagine that third world countries would produce enough rubbish to make their bus stops untidy. Countries where food is rarely packaged in individual portions and where alcohol is a precious commodity are hardly going to have a significant amount of rubbish.

Only first world countries are both careless enough to create significant quantities of garbage, and wealthy enough to expect their government to employ someone to clean it up!

So, perhaps you should complain that it felt very first world…

People should complain if they’re unhappy – at a recent public meeting I heard the govt has only received 70-80 complaints about the changes, and they’re crowing about how successful the project has been.

bren said :

Why can’t you complain to Action Buses first and then if you don’t get the result, have a whinge here.

LOL, yeah I once complained to ACTION about an issue. Most pathetic response I’d ever seen. Unless there was a real alternative public transport option (taxies are too expensive) ACTION has an effective monopoly, and they won’t be lifting a finger to do anything.

I have seen a couple copulating very proudly at a ACTION bus stop before. So not everyone finds them unpleasant.

If you want a clean Bus Station in Belconnen, catch a bus from Tuggeranong. Only joking.

But Cohen Street Bus Station, which is a permanent bus station, is spotless & it has no bins at all.

bren said :

Why can’t you complain to Action Buses first and then if you don’t get the result, have a whinge here.

because, bren, ya get a quicker response here. and more thorough… and ya can interact with the conversation about it. and it’s easier…

RandomPoster10:34 am 23 Jun 09

paperboy said :

Aaah, the plusses of cars.

Yes! I was in the unfortunate position of needing to catch a bus on Friday from Belconnen to Woden. It reminded me why I normally avoid them whenever possible.

thanks for the advice Bren.
“Why can’t you complain to Action Buses first and then if you don’t get the result, have a whinge here.”
I have already contacted Action buses. The more support an issue gets the more likely something will be done. Thanks again.

Aaah, the plusses of cars.

You should visit the bus station in Budapest 😀 I remember dodging people urinating at the bus stop there.

Sounds just like pretty much any bus stop in Canberra.

Coming back from Singapore recently it was quite noticeable how manky a majority of public spaces are in Australian cities. Canberra is definitely no exception.

Why can’t you complain to Action Buses first and then if you don’t get the result, have a whinge here.

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