Perils of Public Transport
written by Kevin Summers, May 2003
One could easily have missed news of the incident. In a week in which our Head of State fought for his survival, our Prime Minister was deemed "a man of steel" and the Victorian Government brought down its budget, a man with an intellectual disability was set upon by five youths near Narre Warren station. They fractured his jaw and caused other injuries. The police requested assistance from members of the public.
The assault, while cowardly in the extreme, will not surprise those who travel on our trains, especially during non-peak time. Anyone who boards a train late at night, or even during the middle of the afternoon, understands that a difficult situation may lie ahead. Since deciding two years ago to sell my car and attempt to travel by public transport and bicycle, I have witnessed, and sometimes been involved in, such unsavoury incidents that I have seriously entertained the idea of returning to the road.
Some months ago I boarded an afternoon train and sat opposite three large young men who specialised in spitting at travellers as the train left each station. The other passengers, mainly elderly folk and a few students, ignored their tawdry display. What was I to do? As a relatively fit and solid middle-aged man, I weighed up the possibility of confronting them. But what to say? A lecture on social responsibility? I admit that I was scared - I figured they would take to me with their fists and boots and possibly knives - and meekly remained in my seat, electing to avoid eye contact till the trio swaggered off the train.
I stewed upon my inaction for days, feeling useless and more than a little pathetic. But my real anger was reserved for the transport system. Why had I been placed in this situation? Why did I and my fellow travellers have to studiously examine our shoes and put up with these barbarians? Moreover, when I later put my concerns to others who use our trains, each had stories of vandalism, harassment and distress.
We have in fact a two-tiered train system - a peak time service which conveys patrons with a minimum of fuss (sceptics may also claim a minimum of efficiency), and another which offers the prospect of apprehension and sometimes real danger. And who suffers? Well, it's quite a list - women, the elderly, the young, the infirm, the unemployed, and that endangered species - the citizen who has a commitment to public transport as integral to the health of our cities.
It is clear that the roaming rail inspectors, and an occasional police presence, cannot ensure a safe train system. It defies logic that a six-carriage train offers nothing in the way of passenger protection than a driver with a mobile phone. While it may be too much to expect manned stations, a guard with a warrant to move among the carriages would be a positive step, a starting point to engender public confidence in the network.
I really don't want to buy a car, clogging the roads and fouling the air. I have no wish to dust off my copy of The Rules of Road Rage or fork out for my CityLink pass. The thought of morphing into a road lobbyist fills me with despair. I want to pay my taxes and have my political masters show a little forward thinking regarding our transport needs. If one wants evidence of the pyrrhic victory of the automobile look no further than Athens where the success of the Olympics is already threatened by the likelihood of massive traffic gridlock.
Has anyone seen Steve Bracks boarding the 11.07pm from Parliament station to Williamstown? Or Robert Doyle getting an early start via the platform one express rolling out of Malvern? Now I would harbour warm feelings for any politician who elected to regularly travel on public transport. It would show a real concern for the everyday affairs of the citizenry. Indeed, politicians who travel with their constituency may find themselves better informed than those who rely on the latest opinion poll.
But who am I kidding to hope for a rational public transport policy? Might as well hanker for a Western Bulldog premiership.
Home