Having spent the last 15 years living in the suburb of Maida Vale (da hood), I like to think of myself as somewhat streetwise. Okay not streetwise but at least somewhat able to cope with what my closer-to-the-city friends would turn their noses up at – ie. camping in tents, killing small insects, catching public transport. This last quality, however, hasn’t been tested for a while – until this week.
My trusty Laser has been out of action since last Tuesday and after finally running out of energy to persuade another family member to pick me up from work again, I succumbed to looking up the bus and train timetables from East Perth to Maida Vale. In the last few days I’ve caught two trains and one bus and it’s amazing that while some things have changed in the world of public transport, most haven’t.
Things that haven’t changed:
• The bus itself. The one I caught didn’t appear to have been upgraded since the late 1980s and the seats didn’t look as if they’ve been cleaned in that time either. I’m no hygiene freak but I found myself wanting a shower when I got home.
• Grumpy bus driver.
• Schoolkids on the backseat talking about more inane subjects than I could have dreamed possible at a volume that allowed the whole bus to hear. “Oh my god, did you see Cathy come in late this morning? She had like, so not even thought of an excuse.”
• Being selected as a seat-buddy by the one overweight passenger who got on reeking of smoke.
• Sullen teenager wearing headphones that pumped out an audible level of his fave death metal tunes.
• An amazing cross section of people – that’s a polite way of saying that there are some serious fruitbats that come out of the woodwork to get from A to B. Example: A boy standing up on the train wiping at his lips vigorously, examining his hands and wiping the offending substance on his pants. Then glaring at anyone who happened to be looking at him.
On the bright side, I love the brilliant Transperth website that allowed me to map out an endless number of possible routes by train, bus or foot. It even told me how many metres it would take to walk from my house to the nearest bus stop. And the new smart card is very sci-fi - swipe on, swipe off. It was nice to not have to worry about a park and to feel a little smug about not contributing so much to global warming for a day or two but I must admit, I’m looking forward to getting behind the wheel of my ride again next week.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Going public
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20 comments:
Yeah, I love the walk option (in part because they're prepared to highlight an option that doesn't involve you using their service at all - so altruistic).
Right now, I'm 7278m from home - it's a 1hr51min journey if I head for home right now on foot.
More tantilising though, is the 2733m journey that will take me from work to home post-July. Interestingly, if i was to take that journey by bus right now it would only get me home 60 seconds earlier than if I was more pedestrian.
By the way Sezy: that guy wiping his lips and running his finger down his pants...that was me. What's the beef?
welcome to the world of public transport !!! I have a master degree in it majoring in Bus. Ask me anything related to that and I can help.
For all these years I've been thinking those Curtin degrees were for Business. Now it all makes sense.
those days we can be graduate in anything... look at some certificate at TAFE
for the last 9 months that we were in perth i gave up my parking space at work, left the mazda at home and took the train. i loved it. i got 1 hour per day of reading and ipod time, changed my life. we saved a stack of money on fuel and maintenance, i actually got out of bed earlier to get the train so i got to work early everyday, and it gave me a great excuse to leave work on time (something not often done in the consulting industry) - "I have a train to catch".
friday mornings i'd still meet the boys for coffee at rosso, taking the train to town and wandering through the city, then getting back on the train and going on to the office at subi without paying any more! i'd do it all again in a heartbeat, love that train.
further to that, i loved the independence that the train provided. some people may think that you'd lose your independance by not using the car, but i found new found freedom in not being encumbered by a large hunk of blue metal that i have to pay to leave somewhere, i could get off at my designated stop and wander whereever i wanted doing what i pleased. if i ran into a friend i could continue with them without the need to return to collect a car, everything i needed was slung in a blue bag over my shoulder - books, music, etc. i felt like more of a global citizen, allowing the provisions of the city to meet my needs in an environmentally and economically friendly way and using my feet to discover the places in between. its a grand satisfying feeling!
it also slowed down my pace of life - traffic was no longer my problem. sometimes my wife would catch the train also and meet me in town for a surprise date - it was exciting meeting your wife at a secret location in the city for a date.
train train train train, yeah!
So Garrick: why don't you like trains? What's so bad about about them?
well, if you ever move to live in that little brick and tile you fullas have got over in oats street, you'll learn that you can't close your bedroom door at night as the gentle pulsating of the 10pm to armadale passing through the oats st station rattles the door in its frame and disturbs your slumber. apart from that, its really quite hard to fault the train.
Lima doesn't have a train system - but Garrick has been coping by walking everywhere - we only have a very dodgy 'combi' system, where the seats again have not been washed ever and its kind of like a sardine can. Imagine if you will, a small hippy combi van, then install seating for 12 people in the back, with an ailse too, and jam about 20 people in. Good thing the average peruvian is really not tall at all. Makes for some cosy times, cosy times indeed. But then at the cost of 1 sole (about 30 cents) for a 30 minute drive, who can really afford to complain?
Well hi all! I feel a bit like an Big Brother intruder seeing as I have never had the immense priviledge of visiting this site (apart from foolishly signing up to do that 40hr no water thing), but honestly i'm just so unbelievably bored at work I though I'd chuck in my two pieces...
Garrick you seem so in love with catching the train, I wonder which line it was? Countless times now I've had train'd from armadale to perth, and i have to say i don't quite share your enthusiasm! In fact, let me jogg your memory about a few of the faults...
1. The 'weird' people in Perth suddenly come out of hiding. This varies from those rocking in the corner dribbling and picking their scabs, to those enthusiastically trying to have, or 'shout' a conversation with you.
2. To have a relaxing, uneventful trip to work or uni, you must at all costs avoid making eye contact with these people, or you are thus indicating you desire conversation.
3. In summer you must take extra layers of clothing to compensate for the riduculously feezing air-con, despite 40 degree heat outside.
4. In winter, the metal benches at the station are so unbelievably freezing, it would almost be worth lugging around a pillow to ease the discomfort.
5. Some inconsiderate people think no one will notice if they eat their hot home-cooked meal smelling of disgusting tuna on the train, which in fact contaminates the entire carriage and causes some people (namely myself) to feel like vomiting.
6. During peak hour times it is so packed you have to stand uncomfortably close to other passengers, which means when someone lets a foul smell loose...there is NO escape!!
haha sorry to dampen your views about the joys of train riding, but surely now you can now remember some of the not-so-great aspects?
:0) - sharon
Gidiup Sharon! Welcome to the noise. A guy I know at Riverview met his wife (and now mother of his child) on the Armadale line, so it can't be all bad. The great thing is, since he's met her she's stopped picking at her scabs, shouting conversations, letting rip with the evil stench and eating steaming tuna. Sure, it took a little while, but you have to be patient with these things.
I sometimes see her scratching at her leg or a little bit of saliva running down her chin and wonder if perhaps there's a little relapse going on but I think she's ok.
You never know what might happen on a train.
Ever seen the movie 'Before Sunrise'? It's a sweet movie.
well, i must admit, i entered and exited the train on some of the nicer parts of the line - I caught the 7:30am express from oats st, which is about 2 mins walk from the house, so i could time it exactly to arrive at the station and step on the train with very little waiting. i had my spot on the train very strategically picked out - the seats that run parallel at the ends of each carriage. I travelled during rush hour in which the normal people travel. I exited the system at Subiaco, which is also a bit more normal. but, i was never that afraid of weird people, we're all a bit weird ourselves right, i mean, who really is normal??
Sharon's way normal.
Yeah, once you go south of oats street, it gets a bit more exciting. And I guess it didn't help that back in the day I'd train it after youth late at night, so I got more than my fair share of conversations with drunk old men. And hey Simon, why do I get the impression there's a hint of sarcasm there? Of course I'm normal...more than some of the worship leaders at church anyway...
Dear Armadale Line,
I know you're feeling pretty stinky about how Sharon has reacted to your existence.
Don't beat yourself up! You're beautiful on the inside! It doesn't matter what all those 'friends' say! You're aren't full of tuna and you don't have a cold heart... Honey, you're just unique in your own special way! If you were like all the other train lines then you wouldn't have personality!
You go get 'em Armi, and show the world that true inner beauty!!!!
Dear Clare O,
My heartfelt thanks for your compassionate letter. It's been a tough and heady-scented road that I've been traveling these last few years. It's not easy being marginalised and abused - not easy at all. All I know is that I try my best. When people tell me I'm stinky or cast aspersions on the precious cargo I carry, it grieves me. I don't want it to be like this forever yet it seems my efforts to reform and be restored are sometimes heard by graceless ears.
Your words of encouragement have breathed new life into my heart. A simple touch, a word, a smile goes a long way for a lil' old caboose like me.
You've been such a blessing to me and my engines.
Sincere thanks,
Armi
PS. Some of my friends told be that in extreme cases of animosity and gracelessness, an intervention can be ever so effective. Perhaps some of your lovely friends could intervene with "sHaZa" and embrace her as you have embraced be. After all, he who has been loved much, loves much.
See: there she goes again
sob,
Armi
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