Re: [NSW] Buses ireplaced of trains.........

["Ivan Smith" <ivsmith11@hotmail.nospam.com>]

"Brendan" <nadnerb_2000@nospam.start.com.au> wrote in message
news:3ad1b81f_3@news01.one.net.au...
> And how does any of your whining, rambling, gargle above excuse fare
> evasion, which is illegal? People like you make MY weekly ticket more
> expensive. I've probably lost more than $12 on upped fares that could
partly
> have been caused by fare evaders.

>
> And how does any of your whining, rambling, gargle above excuse fare
> evasion, which is illegal? People like you make MY weekly ticket more
> expensive. I've probably lost more than $12 on upped fares that could
partly
> have been caused by fare evaders.


EXCUSE ME!

Will you bastards get it through your thick heads I'M NOT A FARE EVADER. OK?

My weekly goes up too and I pay for it too. Do you think fare evasion makes
me happy, and I treat it as some sort of sport because I've nothing better
to do? I've news for you. I'm trying to get to and from work as best as
possible with as little hassle as possible.

I'm whining because I'm fed up with the SRA and it's inefficiencies, it's
disorganisation, it's undependability, it's bureaucracy and the laws which
govern it. I'm tired of the countless Government initiatives to restructure
it, push around, divide it up, make it more efficient etc...Let's face
it...it's a big white collumping beurocratic Elephant and little more than a
political puppet for the Farmers Federation and the current State Government
of the day.

I'm annoyed at recently being done for fare evasion when the circumstances,
if explained properly and supported by corroborating evidence, would have
shown I was not guilty, and it was in fact, a series of circumstances and
honest ignorance.

Having been a police person in a previous employ, in Adelaide, I thought it
best to consult a solicitor on NSW Law to see where I stood. I go for the
machine logs of the ticketing machine at the offending station (my only
defence besides my unacceptable word), and low and behold, they couldn't,
neither Chubb, nor the Station Master, provide any evidence or log that the
machine was faulty the day I said it was. That's efficient? That's
organised? That's being helpful and forthcoming with the commuters on their
system? I don't think so.

For years, over 20 years, I've watched the SRA go through various
reorganisations, governments, restructurings and efficiency drives.

I've seen it worse than it is now (late 80's/early 90's), and I really try
to do the right thing. I hate fare evaders too and I can't tell you the
feelings inside when I see some prick jumping tracks and fences and getting
away with it time after time. The SRA staff are hardly equipped, able or
enthused to stop these people. They are the people you should be directing
your anger at. Not me. If I evade it's because of ignorance (no legal
defence) of the Rail Safety Act, and there are far more forms of "evasion"
as you call it than you can imagine. It's easy to get done for evasion with
a ticket even if the inspector that day decides he doesn't like you.

Also I noticed on Friday night that there were at least 20 "youths"
flaunting the rail regulations, in sight and hearing of the Chubb Security
Guards and with the knowledge of the train guard (from the departure point).
What were they doing? Oh, everything that can get you done: Feet all over
everything, alcohol being consumed from stubby bottles, which ended up
rolling all over the carriage and causing hassles for the other and elderly
passengers, foul language, abuse of other passengers (due to drunkenness)
etc...

At least 5 were smoking near the inter-carriage door with 4 being out on the
couplings between the carriages. One graffitied something behind me on the
back of a seat with a spray can and us "normal commuters" were too
frightened to turn around and tell them to stop it. They were loud, smelly,
raucous and totally out of line, but the guards did nothing and even picked
up the bottles that were rolling around after the kids had left only two
stations away from where they boarded.

Apart from the numerous breaches of a plethora of SRA Act Sections, By-Laws
& Regulations, they were also consuming alcohol in a notified banned public
place and were well under age to boot.

Is it any wonder I'm annoyed???

Truth be known I'd buy a friggin' yearly if I thought the service could be
delivered. It can't, so they don't get the money and I miss out on the
substantial discount (of course). I buy a weekly and even that's wishful
doing that.

The current state of legislation and the fitness of the organisation, make
it possible for me to be seen to be fare evader and pay the costs, both in
court time and fees, but also in increased fares, and I'm sorry about that
part as far as you are concerned, but I really am not an habitual fare
evader.

It's not because of people like myself that fares are rising. It's more to
do with the GST and Government mismanagement of allocated funds than someone
who gets caught for occasional, circumstantial, ignorant or deliberate fare
evasion. Habitual evaders are scum and I treat them with the contempt and
respect they deserve.

I apologise for not reading the Rail Safety Act 1993 from introduction to
summary, act by sub sectioned act and amendment, to make sure that I didn't
do anything out of ignorance which causes your ticket to go up. If we all
read the Act no-one would travel on the trains for fear of breaking some
part of it, to be truthful.

You lot can think what you like, and especially Rod Speed, who can take a
running jump as far as I'm concerned.

None of you can know the exact circumstance under which I was charged with
fare evasion and I can't expect detailed answers. I can't give information
out in here whilst my case in progress, but I like to just to shut all of
those up who take particular delight in firing off half cocked on an eighth
of the facts, and then lord over all and sundry with the view that they know
best, when they clearly don't! - Rod!

All I have to say to those people is: When the station announcement
announces "Please remain behind the yellow line until all passengers have
alighted from the train" ; just hope you aren't the one standing face to
face with me when the doors open, and if you dare to lurch forward into the
carriage before I've alighted, you'll be knocked over and pushed out of the
way for not listening to the announcement and doing what it asks, as I do.

Will I be done for common assault? Possibly, but I was following the rules
and they aren't, yet I'll still get the back end of the situation because I
technically committed assault as perceived. No mention would be made of the
fact that the other person assaulted me first by stepping into my space and
onto my toes.

Hmm.

Ivan