Free Travel

One of the great things about public transport this year has been the new "10 journeys, then travel free" offer. And this week i've taken great advantage of it.

As the name suggests, only the first 10 journeys in a week are paid for. This week (as well as going to work) i made trips out on Monday and Tuesday nights. So leaving work on Wednesday was my 10th trip.

Today i had free travel. Same goes for Friday. And anywhere i want to go this weekend.

The other great thing about it is that it caps my travel costs. I live in zone 2 of the public transport network (a $3.58 fare during peak time) so the maximum i ever pay in a week is about 35 bucks. Obviously this compares very favourably with the costs of running a car.

Panic stations

Today at my work there was a helpful email advising employees of the closing down of a nearby car-parking facility. In the minutes afterwards i heard at least 3 fairly alarmed conversations of car-commuters unsure of their future plans. While having sympathy, i do find it a little amusing.

"Independence" is one of the things people tell me is an advantage of car driving. But in reality, travelling by car just means being dependent on a range of different things. Parking is just one of many.

It will be interesting tomorrow to see if people are late for work, after spending time (and petrol) hunting out a parking place and walking from that place; or whether they just leave home earlier to allow for that - which is also ironic for the people who say they drive because it's "quicker". (More on that another time)

Path Peace (x2)

Travelling side-by-side along the bikepath, my fellow rider and i realised someone right behind us. Oops, we were blocking the way. I went ahead, so he could pass us.

"Thanks mate!" he cheerfully said, disappearing into the distance.

"No worries" i assured him (though i'm not sure if my voice carried to him).

It was a pleasant and polite exchange, which i was regaling to my fellow rider - whilst making the point that interaction on pathways is the opposite of the irritated honking and road rage that goes along with cars.

As we (I) talked, the bikeway and pedestrian path merged into one (with sides marked for walkers and riders). A couple with a pram were approaching us, but the man pushing the pram was distracted by the scenery and didn't realise he was on the rider side, until he saw us.

"Sorry mate" he offered, while skillfully manouvering himself and the pram back to walker territory.

"No problems" i replied (he'd done so with plenty of time to spare).

"OK, point proven." was the comment from my fellow rider (as if i'd organised the pram guy merely to prove me earlier point). Though she also added that part of the difference is that cars have the "potential to kill someone". That kind makes people more on edge.

I guess she's right. It's also another good reason not to be part of that scene.
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ps. "path peace" is my term for the opposite of road rage.

The Pain of the Pump

A friend sent me this cartoon, illustrating the financial pain of having a big car:

Whilst the hybrid owner is quite happy, the person with no car would be whistling even more :)

Little Old Ladies

As part of the railway upgrade, this weekend my local train was replaced by a "Rail-bus" which takes passengers through the suburbs normally covered by the train.

No worries for me, but this evening as it stopped in my suburb, i was about to head home, when i realised the only other passenger getting off at this stop was a little old lady (who lives on the other side of the tracks) and was not sure where she was (especially at night).

I took my chance to be Mr Citizen and guide her to the station - where she was relieved (and thankful) to be in familiar surroundings.

ps. this may sound like a negative story, but i look at it in a positive light. Public transport has vibe of community support. People who are lost when driving a car either keep driving round in circles until they start to run out of fuel, or pull over to the side of the road while the other cars speed by. On the buses, your fellow traveller is your friend.

Cleaner, Greener, Smarter

One of the parties in the upcoming state election had this great animation on their website.


I think it's a great example of how the non-car option can be better in so many ways.

"A train every 10 minutes transports the same number of people as a freeway. Cleaner. Greener. Smarter."

Missing it already

I've just finished my first full week at my new job. When changes happen, there are new exciting things, but also old things we miss. One of the things i miss is the afternoon bike ride home.

I would go along the Bicentennial Bikeway, in the pleasant afternoon shade. I'd enjoy the activity of joggers and bike riders alongside the nature of the trees and the river. Depending on the time i left work, there might also be the bonus of a sunset over the river. Great times!

But i'm sure there'll also be great things about catching the train to my new job. On my first day, i disembarked at the station and asked where the ticket machine was. My fellow traveller pointed it out, and also gave me directions from the station to my new workplace. Ok, i kinda new that already - but it was still very friendly of the guy to do that for me. :)

Pram / Bike

Perhaps i watched too much 'Transformers' as a kid, but i really enjoy inventions like this. It seems like a great idea for parents of young ones, who also like to ride.


I was mostly impressed by how it can change from one mode to the other. Here's the video, showing how it's a 20-second changeover.

Driving for Exercise?

I cracked a smile when i saw this posted on facebook.


I've always found it a little odd how some people drive cars practically everywhere they go - including to the gym to get 'exercise'. It seems rather inefficient in time and money. Surely the occasional use of more active transport might fix both issues.

Anyway, glad to see others also perplexed by this.

View From The Ferry

Last week, i wrote about the convenient citycycle bikes for people catching the ferry from the Toowong terminal. For the benefit of my long-distance readers, here's a video of the ferry ride into the city / southbank.



Brisbane City Council website has a collection of these videos. They're obviously sped up for our viewing convenience, but they show how enjoyable a public transport can be.