Category: Transport
Railway station and tram stop patronage in Victoria for 2008-2021
Good news! The State Government has finally begun releasing patronage data for railway stations and tram stops in Victoria. I will do some separate posts analysing the data, but first I am publishing the data below for metropolitan and regional railway stations, as well as tram stops that have been released by the Department of…
The most and least punctual bus routes in Melbourne
See the data here. On Friday last week, the Department of Transport added metropolitan bus performance data to its monthly public transport reporting. This is exciting news as it was not previously publicly available. The data is not very easy to find. To get there, you have to visit ptv.vic.gov.au, scroll to the bottom of…
A funny thing happened on my way to the city
Anyone who takes public transport has their own weird and wonderful stories about things they have seen. In keeping with that spirit, I would like to share some of my experiences over my years of catching trains, trams and buses in Melbourne. Cockatoos on a tram I was on a 48 tram heading into the…
When the Queen rode a tram
The royal visit of Queen Elizabeth II in 2011 was the latest and one of the few times that she has visited Melbourne. It was also notable for being the only time that she or Prince Philip were on a tram (as far as I can tell from my research anyway). On the day, now…
How to improve PTV disruption information
Despite some recent changes, I think there is still a lot of work to be done to improve the quality and accessibility of rail disruption information in Melbourne. Consider the main ‘Disruptions’ page on the PTV website, accessible here: https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/disruptions/disruptions-information/ If you are a passenger looking at this screen, you might thing that all is…
What is the shortest road name in Victoria?
The Victorian Government data portal has lots of great information available for anyone to use. One of the more commonly-used datasets is the Vicmap Transport series, especially the one containing information on gazetted roads. It also contains trails, tracks and even ferry routes. This is the second in a series of posts on road names…
What is the longest road name in Victoria?
The Victorian Government data portal has lots of great information available for anyone to use. One of the more commonly-used datasets is the Vicmap Transport series, especially the one containing information on gazetted roads. It also contains trails, tracks and even ferry routes. This is the first in a series of posts on road names…
Where are the busiest bus stops in Melbourne?
Update 3:25pm 24/07/2020: It’s been brought to my attention that some of the figures below are incorrect due to an error with amalgamating patronage data from multiple stops. I’m working to fix it ASAP and will update here again once it’s complete. Update 7:45pm 24/07/2020: I’ve tried several programs and techniques but nothing seems to…
Six least understood Victorian road rules
There are several hundred rules and regulations governing what is permitted and prohibited on Victoria’s streets, roads and paths. The large majority of these are covered by the Road Safety Road Rules 2017 and Road Management Act 2004. Despite driving tests, public education campaigns and the fact that being out on our streets and roads…
Melbourne’s strange tram stop names
I once came across this curious Google Maps error which placed a tram stop from Pascoe Vale outside the North Balwyn Coles for over two years. Ever since then, I’ve been paying more attention to the names given to tram stops. There are stops named for things that no longer exist or have been rebranded:…
