Re: [AUS] Radio forum on public transport

[Michael <mk@netstra.com.au>]

Judging by your talk of "gasoline" and "parking lots" and an email address 
in the .org TLD (which doesnt mean much these days anyway) you seem to be 
in america. We are talking about Australia here. 

Regards
Michael

Mark Gibson scribbled something with a chicken feather on 19/07/1999 in 
<MsgID-suppressed>:

>Michael (mk@netstra.com.au) wrote:
>>14km in 10 minutes. Lets see, that makes your average trip speed 84kph. I
>>certainly hope for the sake of you not getting a speeding ticket that
>>there is a freeway from your front door to your office/workplace. 
>>
>>I would love to see an average person ride a bicycle 14km in 20 minutes.
>>That is 42kph on *average*. Once again include stop start times, and you
>>would have to be going bloody fast. 
>>
>>Train to travel 14km, lets see, it takes me 55 minutes, giving TWO train
>>services with a 10 minute wait between connecting services. The train is
>>also going around the very long way, i.e. Broadmeadows to City, then City
>>to Ivanhoe, including a full circle around the City loop. 
>>
>>A car driving *direct* (i.e. Pascoe Vale Road, then Bell Street, then
>>Waiora Road) takes close to 30-40 minutes when there is average traffic
>>on the roads. 
>>
>>A car will also cost me at least $30 per week in petrol, $1000 per year
>>in insurance, (because i am under 25), $500 per year in registration and
>>a further $500+ per year in maintenance. That equals a grand total of
>>$3560 per year to own a car and take it to/from work every day. 
>>
>>The train costs me a grand total of $993.20 per year.
>>
>>And yes, i DO live in MELBOURNE.
>>
>>Where did you get your figures from?
>
>I drive a sports car. I pay just over $300 a year in insurance, about $50
>per year in registration fees (although that is going up to about $100
>next year, I think), and maybe $20/week for gasoline.  I figure I spend
>another $1200 per year on maintenance.  So next year I expect to spend
>less than $2700 or so on getting around via my own car.
>
>That beats the hell out of wasting money on transit.  I come and go as
>I please, when I please, and I go from door to door--I don't have to worry
>about when and where the buses and trains are running.  If I wake up at
>3am and want a bite to eat, I hop in my car and drive directly to a
>restaurant that is open 24 hours a day.  Losers who depend on transit
>just have to starve...
>
>Regards,
>Mark
>