Time is the most valuable thing that we have. We are giving the opportunity to allocate this time however and whichever we want to. However, the utilization of this time is highly compromised when we have to allocate most of it on travelling.
Whether you travel by car, train or bus you have to face this problem daily. This problem is in relation to the long hours that it takes most of us to get from Point A to Point B.
Most of us do not have the luxury to have our houses near our workplace/university/school and so on. Which evidently means that precious time which otherwise could be used to sleep, spend time with family, or just relax is wasted away.
Is that it? Do we just say that as I cannot do anything about it “I will just deal with it!” Well, though we provide us with the justification that nothing can be done about this; it becomes really hard to comprehend this justification every time we have to wait 20-30 minutes for a train/bus or when we are stuck in a traffic jam.
Well, so why am I reminding you of the painful moments that you spent waiting. This is my attempt to create awareness and inform you that you should not just “deal with it”. The government is already aware of this issue and it high time that they took some actions to provide us with more efficient means for travelling. It needs to be emphasized that though there are many global issues in play at the moment, this is an issue that is of considerable significance as well. Failure to address this issue not only results in a misallocation of our time, but will also drastically affect the environment.
After doing some research on this topic, I came across the following link:
This document discusses transport problems that is faced by Large Cities and has devised plans through which these problems could be better addressed in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. The solutions devised were as follow:
- Offering a real alternative to travelling by car, by improving the quality of service of public transport (safety, comfort, accessibility for disabled people, information, pricing and timetabling);
- Improving public safety and reducing crime on the public transport system e.g. by improved use of video surveillance;
- Better informing drivers about congestion to allow them to use alternative routes;
- Better integrating transport considerations into planning policy decisions and plans;
- Encouraging the use of vehicles which use alternative energy sources;
- Complementing the metro network with an improved system of rapid bus links, particularly for travel between suburbs;
- Improving public transport links to out-of town developments;
- Developing a cycle network, with links in particular to stations and major commercial centres;
- Improving road safety for pedestrians and cyclists, e.g. on routes to schools;
- Introducing a parking pricing policy which encourages motorists to make use of other transport modes, especially for shorter journeys.
This document was made in 2005. This is 2011 and Sydney’s transportation problem has increased over the years. 6 years have not seen any major changes.
I won’t deny that the Australian government has made some initiative in relation to this matter. This is inclusive of:
- The introduction of larger and “free of charge” car parks at train stations: Through this, those people who live a little far from the station can drive to the station and then catch a train accordingly.
- The introduction of a “TXTBUS” Service: passengers here would text their bus stop number and they would be provided with a list of buses that are expected to arrive in that stop for the next 30 minutes.
However, this initiative has not saved people’s time. If there is an accident on the freeway, the travelling time for those motorists increase by at least 30-45 minutes. Furthermore, it is sad whilst catching a train during the peak hours, as most passengers (after a tiring day of work/university/school) have to go home standing and being pushed by other passengers or waiting for the next train/bus to arrive.
It is high time that some action is taking.
I hope that this blog post is given some recognition and evidently helps in making a difference.
If you have a differing opinion, please do share. If you have any suggestions or comments, please so share…
Thank you so much for reading.
Here is hoping that the next time you travel, you get to your destination quickly and safely…
=)
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