Re: Travel patterns (was Re: New form of rail transportation)

[amorton@mullian.ee.mu.oz.au (Anthony Morton)]

>> It certainly would, but I can imagine the sort of thing that would happen.
>> Joe in Frankston is looking for a job as a computer programmer and sees
>> one listed in Nunawading.  Previously he might not have thought of working
>> so far away, but the new train service makes this a possibility.  So he
>> gets the job and travels from Frankston to Nunawading each day.  Meanwhile
>> Joanna in Nunawading, who applied for the same job but narrowly missed out,
>> finds a similar job in Frankston shortly afterwards that might otherwise
>> have been taken by Joe.  So you have two people travelling for two hours a
>> day entirely needlessly.

Peter Berrett <pberrett@optushome.com.au> wrote:

>But why did they take the job in Nunawading and not get a job nearby? Better
>two hours a day than being unemployed.

Jobs aren't all advertised at the same time.  Making it easier to travel long
distances makes it more likely that people will apply for jobs far away rather
than wait a couple of weeks for a local position.

TM