Coe mocks Corbell bus surrender

Mozzie said :

Gungahlin Al said :

Bussie said :

@qbngeek, I’d be pretty surprised if any cities in the developed world have profitable public transport systems. But if you can give any actual examples from among your “many, many places around the world” please do so.

They use a funding model where the responsible agency calculates the saving to the community in raod construction/maintenance

exactly, more passengers carried on public transport mean fewer cars on the road, which means the government needs to invest less public money in expanding road infrastructure.

It is hardly fair to demand that public transport users bear the full cost of saving the government money. Especially while the government continues to provide roads for free.

Also, there was an article on the ABC’s Drum a while ago talking about how Zurich’s public transport system operates at a much smaller loss than Melbourne’s. This is despite the fact that they are roughly comparible. The link is here: http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/40728.html.

The article does a very good job of explaining why we don’t have a good system, but the Swiss do.

Roads are NOT provided “for free”. Our taxes and vehicle registrations pay for them, and everything else that the government administrates. They don’t give us anything for free.

that’s a lot of ‘s’s for Alistair

Gungahlin Al said :

Bussie said :

@qbngeek, I’d be pretty surprised if any cities in the developed world have profitable public transport systems. But if you can give any actual examples from among your “many, many places around the world” please do so.

They use a funding model where the responsible agency calculates the saving to the community in raod construction/maintenance

exactly, more passengers carried on public transport mean fewer cars on the road, which means the government needs to invest less public money in expanding road infrastructure.

It is hardly fair to demand that public transport users bear the full cost of saving the government money. Especially while the government continues to provide roads for free.

Also, there was an article on the ABC’s Drum a while ago talking about how Zurich’s public transport system operates at a much smaller loss than Melbourne’s. This is despite the fact that they are roughly comparible. The link is here: http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/40728.html.

The article does a very good job of explaining why we don’t have a good system, but the Swiss do.

steveu said :

00davist said :

I can agree with an awfull lot of what you are saying there, except can we be carefull what we say about further fee’s for rego, it already costs a sustanial amount, and even if you do use public trasport (which is not for everyone) many still need a car, unless you want to rule out travelling to much of this country!

Good point. We pay enough for rego, and you are right, they will just use it as licence to double the fees etc.

Yep, they will!

I agree with finding ways to encourage the use of public transport, but not methods that disadvantage drivers, cars are still needed, and not all of us have easy access to busses, for me, its a long walk before i can get to a bus stop, a very long walk!

00davist said :

I can agree with an awfull lot of what you are saying there, except can we be carefull what we say about further fee’s for rego, it already costs a sustanial amount, and even if you do use public trasport (which is not for everyone) many still need a car, unless you want to rule out travelling to much of this country!

Good point. We pay enough for rego, and you are right, they will just use it as licence to double the fees etc.

steveu said :

Stuff trying to run them at a profit. Make them free. Put a fee on rego if they are serious about encouraging people to use public transport. Make school carparks park and ride so familes can drop their kids off to school and then catch the bus to work from there. Be couragous! While you are at it, let the ANU students finish their Iphone app instead of wasting taxpayers money by doing it yourself. Im sure the students can do it in a cheaper way.

I can agree with an awfull lot of what you are saying there, except can we be carefull what we say about further fee’s for rego, it already costs a sustanial amount, and even if you do use public trasport (which is not for everyone) many still need a car, unless you want to rule out travelling to much of this country!

Maybe we need something new, some innovation. It might turn out to be something that wasn’t invented 100+ years ago, and which takes into account the reality of our city / population / cost etc.. and Canberra could lead the way in new futuristic transport ideas (viable for modern small country towns)

However, I suspect we’ll just get a bigger stick. That’s how we roll.

Stuff trying to run them at a profit. Make them free. Put a fee on rego if they are serious about encouraging people to use public transport. Make school carparks park and ride so familes can drop their kids off to school and then catch the bus to work from there. Be couragous! While you are at it, let the ANU students finish their Iphone app instead of wasting taxpayers money by doing it yourself. Im sure the students can do it in a cheaper way.

00davist said :

damien haas said :

When anyone asks me how public transport pays for itself, i ask them how their private car that they park for 9 hours a day in a carpark pays for itself.

Well, it may not actually pay for itself, but it certainly means i can get to work, and thus have money!

. . . and I don’t have to worry about my car going on strike, having to allow extra amounts of time due to circuitous routing, risking my safety waiting at Interchanges and having to stand squashed in like sardines having people sneezing and coughing over me.

damien haas said :

When anyone asks me how public transport pays for itself, i ask them how their private car that they park for 9 hours a day in a carpark pays for itself.

Well, it may not actually pay for itself, but it certainly means i can get to work, and thus have money!