6 Mar 2009: SEQ: Reclaim public transport for the community

[ozbob]

Media Release 6 March 2009

SEQ:  Reclaim public transport for the community

RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org) a web based community support group for rail and public transport and an advocate for public transport commuters has called for a concerted campaign to empower the community to develop a sense of pride in and respect for their public transport assets.  All candidates for the forthcoming state election should be prepared to commit to a positive movement for reclaiming our public transport for our community.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"It is heart breaking to travel on our public transport and see scratched windows, damaged seats, and graffiti masquerading as art on rolling stock and line side structures. The community has become detached and desensitised to many of these effects.  The costs of the vandalism to transport operators must be considerable.  Public transport staff are frustrated and often feel not appreciated, and this in turn affects the morale of everyone."

"Rail corridors are littered with rubbish."

"We continue to see more attempts at enforcement and regulation which is necessary but that is surely not the only answer.  How about we try a stepped up preventative approach?  Educate the community, bring people on board, encourage respect for property and person. Set up local volunteer groups that can keep stations clean for example.  I am sure there are people who would be happy to be part of a local group that helps make public transport facilities attractive.  These things used to be done once, but we became too focused on fares and enforcement."

"Public transport belongs to the people. This point is seldom reinforced but it is a good start point.  Our transport, our City!  Let's look after it!  Bring back weekend family/group tickets for our public transport.  This can work as a valuable education tool as it encourages adults and children to get out on their public transport and shows them what a valuable asset it is. It will help endear respect.  Step up the ongoing promotion of public transport in the schools, encourage students to look after their trains and buses."

"Engage the wider community.  Focus on the broader positive social aspects of public transport, make public transport first choice, not last choice!"

Contact:

Contact:
Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org

[ozbob]

Found this link at the ATDB, thanks Dave.

http://www.cityrail.info/training_rules/customer_courtesy.jsp

Training Rules

Customer courtesy

"Let's keep beastly behaviour off our trains."
Have you ever been standing on a train because someone in your carriage is hogging two seats? Ever had a persons headphones blaring right next to you?

Last year we ran a campaign to encourage customers to consider fellow passengers and be more courteous while travelling on the train. You may remember the "beasts of bad behaviour".

More than 1000 people informed us of the inconsiderate behaviours they find most annoying.

We'd like to find out if these behaviours have changed or whether there are new "beasts" emerging on our trains.


The Blarer
These beasts bug you with the noise blaring from their headphones. You said you'd rather listen to nails down a blackboard than their second-hand music.


The Blocker
These beasts block you from getting off the train. You flatten like a stamp to get past, but then you have to say, "excuse me" to them. You told us this really bugs you.


The Grubber
You said these beasts bug you by putting their grubby feet on the seats. Trying to be cool, but smelling bad. And they wonder why they always sit alone.


The Hogger
You told us these beasts won't give up their seat for anyone. Older people, pregnant women, passengers with disabilities. Hey, even their bag hogs a seat to itself.


The Rubbisher
These beasts just dump their rubbish on the train for you to enjoy. Which is probably why they bug you more than living in a 20-person share house.


The Shover
You said these beasts bug you by shoving onto the train while you're trying to get off. And if you wanted to play league you would have joined a team, right?


The Splutterer
This sniffy beast refuses to cover its mouth when it coughs and sneezes. Instead it sprays the entire train with its germs. You said being spluttered on by strangers really bugs you. Really, even talking about it is gross enough.


The Yeller
You told us these beasts bug you by talking really, really loud on their phone. And the worst part is, the more boring their conversation, the louder they yell it.

[ozbob]

From http://www.citytrain.com.au/Citytrain/News_room/Current/articles/905.asp

QR Passenger Positive Partnerships Thank Milpera Students For Chelmer Stations Captivating Mural

5 March 2009

QR Passenger Positive pARTnerships program will host a morning tea on Thursday 5 March at Chelmer Park for Milpera State High School students who helped design and paint a mural on the Chelmer station subway wall.

The impressive student designed mural consists of 45 butterflies in five different shapes completed and installed over a painted background of butterfly silhouettes.

The light morning tea of muffins and drinks is in appreciation to the 60 students who assisted QR Passenger?s Positive pARTnerships artists create the visually eye catching mural.

QR Passenger Executive General Manager Paul Scurrah said ?positive partnerships is one of the key areas we seek to involve the community and is essential to our customer service focus.?

?This mural will provide students from the Milpera high school with a sense of ownership of the Chelmer station and they can be justifiable proud of their work. The Positive pARTnerships program brings together creative minds and artistic ability of varying levels to actively improve station facilities and the appearance of stations and car parks.?

The Milpera state secondary school provides intensive English language and settlement services to prepare newly arrived immigrant and refugee students for participation in secondary schools around the Brisbane area.

?We are also working with Milpera for the Rail Safety Orientation Day which is being held on 18 March at Roma Street station to educate students as to expectations of behavior and safety for all passengers on trains and platforms,? Mr Scurrah said.

The positive pARTnerships program involves local schools, community groups and organisations in the beautification of our train stations which can include station walls, shelter sheds, subways, car parks and bike lockers throughout the South East Queensland network.

The program validates QR Passenger?s commitment to the safety and well being of customers while enhancing community pride.

If your school, community group or organisation would like to be apart of the QR Passenger Positive pARTnerships station beautification program, please contact:

Art Projects Coordinator
07 3235 1610
email pARTnerships@qr.com.au

[ozbob]

From the Queensland Times 11th July 2009 page 5

Rail manners lacking

Rail manners lacking
Reader wants loud mobile phones and Pods banned
ROB LOCKYEAR

THERE is a reason they are called personal music players, but intrusive music on public transport is driving some Ipswich commuters round the bend. One Queensland Times reader, who did not want her name published for fear of reprisal, said she recently asked a young girl to turn her iPod down because the sound escaping the headphones was driving her to distraction -the girl refused.

"Your disrespect for others shows you don't care about anyone else except yourself," she wrote in a letter to the QT. "You are lucky I didn't pull the rotten thing out of your ears and throw it out of the doors of the train - I am surprised you aren't deaf."

According to public transport group RAIL Back on Track spokesman Robert Dow, these discordant feelings are increasing. "I know some people who won't travel on certain trains because of this," Mr Dow said. "It is an issue that is always there."

Mr Dow said schoolchildren were often the worst offenders and he encouraged train users to report them to Queensland Rail, who works in close partnership with the schools.

But he said while QR have clear guidelines prohibiting loud music on trains and programs to tackle inappropriate behaviour, without a police officer in every carriage it was hard to control.

But the solution is clear for our disgruntled reader. "Personally I think Queensland Rail should ban iPods and mobile phones on trains as they are such a disruption when people are so inconsiderate about their fellow passengers," she said.

"It would be sheer heaven to travel to Brisbane without someone who has their iPod up too loud or someone who doesn't know how to speak softly into a mobile phone."

[ozbob]

From the Queensland Times 11th July 2009 Editorial page 16

QR should heed iPod complaints

QR should heed iPod complaints

THE next time you are stuck in a traffic jam on the Ipswich Motorway, spare a thought for some whose journey to work might be even more hellish than yours -rail passengers.

Queensland Rail customers may not get stuck in jams, but their journeys can be far from hassle-free. Trains can be delayed - or even cancelled - without warning. Finding a seat can be a challenge too. And if you do find somewhere to rest your weary feet, be prepared to cop an earful of aggravation.

As if the constant, inane chatter of mobile phone addicts was not enough to drive commuters to despair, they now have to listen to the non-stop buzzing of iPod users.

Queensland Rail suggests that anyone who is troubled by noisy iPods should politely suggest its owner turns down the volume.

If that fails, they should report the disruption to a QR employee. Assuming, of course, that you can actually find a QR employee on board one of its trains. Such advice is clearly inadequate -especially when those most annoyed by such noise are likely to be elderly citizens who are understandably reluctant to confront rowdy teenagers.

The time has come for Queensland Rail to follow train companies elsewhere and banish those who use mobiles and iPods irresponsibly to their own carriage. Smokers were once similarly banished for their anti-social habit - before they were banned from lighting up altogether. Inconsiderate iPod users won't give anyone cancer, admittedly, but they are still an unwanted blight on our railways.

[O_128]

Im sorry what a stupid article if this autrthor got his way over 90% of all rail pasengers would be in one carrige

[mch]

Most of these problems happen because there is confusion about the real ownership of the rail services.  The transport security people are really a step away from being committed to supporting CityTrain and the same happens with a lot of staff.

The tussle between the Translink Transit Authority and QR does not help.

The process of removing staff from stations does not assist as well.  The set of QR rules and regulations that clearly prohibited these types of actions have been replaced with less definitive should and should not?s.

We need to get back to clearer defined rules and provide security staff with a better definition of not just checking tickets, but helping to correct bad behaviour.

[ButFli]

The private security dudes they put on at night always seem to be getting up people for having feet on the seat, eating in the carriage etc. Maybe if they trained up the Trannies to be more like these guys the problems would go away.

And maybe they should actually send the Trannies out on weekdays. I only ever see them on weekends sticking it to the occasional public transport users. If they want to make a difference they need to travel on the peak-hour services and stamp out the systemic fare evasion that occurs when people go to work every day without a ticket.