Category: PT Problem of the Day

It’s been just over a year since we first presented this flowchart of all the organisations involved in public transport in Victoria. Shortly afterwards Coalition announced an election policy to streamline this maze of different bodies with the Public Transport Development Authority. This Friday it’ll be a year since the Coalition government was sworn in.…

This is an all-too familiar sight across Melbourne: trams wasting up to a third of their time waiting at red lights. This has resulted in Melbourne having one of the slowest tram systems in the world. Trams (and buses) that may be carrying 20, 50, or even 200 people should have priority over other vehicles,…

These tram-only lights are meant to light up to indicate when the tram can depart to get a green at the next intersection. It’s not as good as proper tram traffic light priority of course, but could help tram drivers wait at stops (where passengers can board) rather than at red lights (which is just…

Down these stairs is the quickest way into Flinders Street Station from the popular Centre Place/Degraves Street/Flinders Lane area. The underground Campbell Arcade goes under the road and direct into the station, so (at least when it’s open — which it’s unfortunately not on Sundays) people headed for the station can avoid waiting for traffic…

We’ve highlighted before that despite opening in mid-2010, Coolaroo station has been missing from maps at Southern Cross Station and elsewhere. It might be a lot of work to update maps right across the network, but the same is not true online. Yet 16 months after Coolaroo station opened, it is still missing from the…

There were widespread disruptions to CBD trams last Friday due to police clashes with Occupy Melbourne protestors. Trams in Swanston Street didn’t run for several hours, but for much of the time there were no indications of the blockage on the “realtime” information screens provided at stops. While some passengers at nearby stops could (provided…

Most people are accepting of advertising on and around public transport, as long as the advertising is unobtrusive, and in the hope that the revenue goes into funding better services. Unfortunately this advertising at Southern Cross Station is far from unobtrusive. Instead, it obscures wayfinding signage designed to help people find the entrance to their…

It must be some kind of cruel joke that the priority seats (that is, those designated to be prioritised for passengers with special needs, such as the elderly and those with mobility issues) are so difficult to use on Siemens trains. It is common to see even able-bodied passengers struggle to pull them down into…

Finally, almost a year after Smartbus routes started serving Lonsdale Street, the automated departure displays have started being switched-on at outbound CBD stops. This is good news, but it’s exposed other problems with the displays: this one for example, at the busy stop between Queen and Elizabeth Streets. The sign is too far from the…

As the rail network gets busier, it’s important that stations be designed to assist the efficient flow of people. The current design of some railway station exits, and the placement of Myki readers simply doesn’t make sense. 1. Armadale station — this reader is well out of the way, a long distance from where passengers…