Perth in summary
I’ll start with five points for each for now, but will no doubt add more as I think of them.
The good bits:
- Relatively benign climate, except for the occasional inhumanely hot summers day
- Fastest and most efficient suburban rail system in the country
- Decent beaches within easy reach of the CBD
- Superb local music scene
- Fremantle
The “could do better” bits:
- Parochial and insular attitudes remain common, although this is slowly changing
- Zero print media diversity – the sole daily newspaper is the most reactionary in the country
- Unhealthy preoccupation with sport (watching it of course, not actually playing it)
- Historically car-centric approach to urban planning – this is only now starting to be addressed
- The CBD, though modern, is rather soulless and devoid of character
The Rationale
Now that the blog’s been up and running for a couple of months, I thought it might be time to make some sort of justification for it, by way of explaining my motives and what I aim to accomplish.
This blog was chiefly born out of a feeling of impotence. Impotence when confronted with the sheer stupidity that pervades the message boards of many popular forums. These message boards are obviously a magnet for hebetudinous thought, as they are certainly not indicative of the intelligence of the broader community. Initially, my reaction was to try to create some form of balance by making my own posts based on fact and reason,to counter those based on ignorance, fear, bigotry, and fallacy. I soon discovered that this was a losing battle. These messages were almost invariably attached to a news article that was blatantly worded with the aim of eliciting a particular response – usually a decidedly simplistic one, despite the complexity of the issues raised. Any dissent was shouted down in a torrent of cliches, hysteria, and appalling spelling and grammar.
That’s when my responses were published at all.
On more than one occasion, I have spent more time than I should crafting an informed and concise retort to a barrage of inane drivel masquerading as the vox populi, only to be dismayed to find that my precious contribution had vanished into the cyber abyss. Either it is frequently determined that my comments do not fit the desired tone of the message board, or else I’m on some sort of blacklist.
The main motivation behind this blog, then, is as a form of therapy for yours truly. I can articulate my thoughts with a far lesser likelihood of my comments being deliberately taken out of context, or being responded to with a personal attack. I am my own editor and my own moderator. Obviously the number of people happening upon my blog will be considerably fewer than those reading the comments attached to major news article. However, I’m sure it is fair to say that the former category of person is much more likely to remain on the blog for at least a short period and make some sort of effort to understand my perspective, even if they do not agree with it.
Best of all, when I blog, I don’t have a pesky word limit to contend with.
Training them for train travel
A most welcome long weekend is on the horizon. You may yet see me at my most prolific, as I am aiming to make a post each day. Let’s see if I’m able to stick to this plan…
Anyway, what can I complain about today?
Well, the behaviour of some Perth rail commuters rather gets my gander up. I experienced the most extreme example of this some weeks ago, on the day of a football game of some significance. Upon nearing my stop, I made my way towards to the doors. As the doors opened, however, a vast horde of football fans stampeded in without any regard for the likelihood that some passengers may wish to disembark. I ended up having to continue to the next stop, then walk back to my intended destination.
I see less extreme variations of this same scenario repeated on a frequent basis. All too often, boarding passengers either stand directly in front of the doors as they open, thereby blocking the path for disembarking passengers, or worse still, barge their way straight past them. The time is long overdue for a passenger education program. It needs to be drilled into the minds of these inconsiderate passengers that not only is allowing passengers to disembark before attempting to board basic common courtesy, but it is also the most efficient means for both parties to complete their respective processes.
Another irksome factor, albeit a somewhat lesser one, is the insistence among standing passengers of congregating around the doors. If the carriage is not crowded, this is of little consequence, but during many a peak hour I have found myself trying to squeeze my way on board without being guillotined by the door. This has in fact happened to me more than once. Not only is it distressing, but it is also embarrassing. People point and laugh at you. Anyway, I appreciate that passengers who are only travelling one or two stops would be well advised to stick close to the doors. However, if everyone else were to move as far along the carriage as possible, it would greatly ease boarding and make the journey more comfortable for everyone.
Some years ago, Transperth had in its repertoire a recording of a rather stern female voice which periodically instructed passengers to “Please stand back so that other passengers can alight when the train arrives” and “Please move along the car away from the doors”. Naturally, these messages were systematically ignored, so simply breaking her out of retirement would unlikely prove effective. A more comprehensive courtesy campaign should be trialled – radio, television, print, the works. If it goes some way towards addressing these problems and fostering a greater degree of passenger courtesy, it will have been well worthwhile.
Faded cows and confused curtains
It may come as a surprise to some that the question of Daylight Saving, settled years ago in most other jurisdictions, remains a political hot potato in this state. At present we are in the midst of a three-year trial of DLS, to be followed by a plebicite (commonly referred to as a “referendum”, although this isn’t strictly correct as no alteration to the Constitution is required) to ascertain the degree of public support for continuing the practice.
Naturally I have my own views on the matter – not particularly strong ones, but I do know which way I will be voting. However, I will be content with the outcome regardless of what it happens to be. I just hope that by the time the plebicite rolls around, everyone will understand both the rationale and the mechanics of Daylight Saving and be able to make an informed decision. Unfortunately, there are indications that we are still someway short of this point.
DLS opponents claim that they have moved beyond the comically misinformed arguments of yore about faded curtains and confused cows. In light of the arguments that have been presented recently, however, some have perhaps not moved as far as they think. A recurring refrain against DLS is that “we already have enough daylight here as it is”. I struggle to understand what is meant by this. Obviously, DLS makes absolutely no difference to the duration of daylight experienced each day. In any event, the assumption that Perth somehow receives more daylight than other parts of the country can be immediately dispelled by simply referring to a map:
It seems that some have trouble grasping the fact that Perth (1), owing to its higher latitude, actually receives less summer daylight than Tasmania (2).
Perhaps opponents are in fact attempting to refer to the number of hours of sunshine, rather than daylight, that Perth receives. It is true that Perth is Australia’s sunniest capital, but again, the time our clocks display has absolutely no bearing on this!
At its simplest, DLS need only be understood in the simple terms of whether the preference is for the hour of daylight to be in the morning or in the evening. We will then be adequately equipped to have a meaningful debate and to make an intelligent decision when it comes time to vote on the issue.
