Article: Drugs rife on trains

[ozbob]

From the Herald Sun click here!

Drugs rife on trains

Drugs rife on trains
Article from: Sunday Herald Sun

Stephen Drill

January 18, 2009 12:00am

ONE in two passengers has seen drug-taking on Victorian public transport, including chroming, marijuana smoking and alcohol consumption.

And one in four passengers has seen drug deals on the train, tram and bus networks.

Strap hangers have told of their shock at seeing young girls getting high on paint on morning peak-hour trains into the city.

Young women have been repulsed by smelly drunks swigging out of long-neck bottles of beer.

After a week of cancellations that crippled Melbourne's train network, 99 per cent of passengers have complained that the State Government needs to add more frequent services.

A Sunday Herald Sun survey of the Public Transport Users Group also reveals:

84 per cent of passengers say the State Government's new transport plan will not help them get to work quicker.

17 per cent have seen a fight involving weapons on a public transport service or at a station.

64 per cent say public transport is unreliable.

64 per cent do not agree with plans to remove seats.

Public Transport Users Association president Daniel Bowen said staff needed to be put back on stations and conductors returned to trams to make the network safer.

He said security was a continuing issue.

"Nothing is more intimidating than going on to an empty station at night," Mr Bowen said.

He said the Government was wasting most of its $38 billion Transport Plan because it was helping only a minority get to work faster.

Opposition transport spokesman Terry Mulder said the State Government needed to invest in more police to keep our trains safe.

Stephen Moynihan, a spokesman for Transport Minister Lynne Kosky, said an additional 50 transit police would be funded as part of the transport plan announced last year.

[ButFli]

If you're going to count alcohol consumption as drug use then of course one in two passengers has witnessed. The only reason it isn't higher is probably because only half of passengers ever travel after dark. They may as well declare that "90% of train drivers admit to drug use".