Col

Every time you write you look more foolish.

My business does not involve selling equipment to any public transport company. My livelihood is NOT IN ANYWAY tied to the continuance of a public transport system NOR EVER HAS BEEN.

The fact that I worked for a manufacturer of railway equipment at one stage does not make me influenced by vested interest. Would you dismiss the views of a doctor because he has a vested interest in health? Of course not, unless you are an idiot. It is called PROFESSIONAL ETHICS. It comes with responsibility and concern for others.

If your skills are in an area devoted to very “measured” results please let us all know what they are.

If the public transport is run by "morons" what does that say for the private management that is in charge. After all National Express was a complete failure.

When it comes to the elections perhaps Bracks made a mistake about the Scoresby Motor Way and decided that the replacement of schools and hospitals closed by the Kennett Government was more important.

No doubt your education was financed by either your parents or was free and you will now deny that to others.

Logic “My business does not involve selling equipment to any public transport company.”

How nice for you – So, you spent an inordinate amount of time supposedly developing a skill and knowledge base in public transport networks which you now claim and flaunt here, yet have no ongoing or residual commercial interest from it? I find that hard to believe – did the stench of public monopoly cronyism get too much for you or were you just “not one of the gang”?

National Express. The point is when a private company fails, it is not a general burden on the tax payer but to the venturers who undertook the “risk”. When public owned transport utility fail, the tax payer is the first to be stiffed with the bills of keeping it afloat and then for making sure the morons who created the mess are kept in what becomes a sheltered workshop for incompetents.

“No doubt your education was financed by either your parents or was free and you will now deny that to others.”

Looking for more goading points, it will not work. Do some reading, you claim to have studied, experienced and have experience in the public transports networks of the world, yet strangely have no ongoing or residual interest from that knowledge ---mmmm.

As for “Every time you write you look more foolish.”

Your opinion is irrelevant to my views. You just cannot tolerate dissent.

Whilst my business is involved in provision of the qualities of reason and measurement, I learned a long time ago, as far as an influence on the vast majority of people, a ton of logic weighs the same as an ounce of emotion.

On any scale, you, by name, are just a “light weight”. Better wear heavy boots or you will float away (to presumably settle in another public transport system somewhere).

My 'little hissing fit', Col? I think most other readers would describe my series of posts to you as getting to the nub of what a future eater and an unreconstructed, selfish, thatcherite tory you are, let alone what a belligerent bully you are here on OLO. Far from a fit, I was having an amused dig at your prejudices and the poverty of your position on this thread. So bereft are you of any shred of plausible self-justification that you are reduced to trying to glibly dismiss your opponents.

A tip, Col. Sometimes on OLO it might be wise to quit while you are behind. You just have to control your hubris - difficult, I know, after all these years. But something that you must do to try to rebuild any credibility.

Hey guys, someone just pointed out this little argument to me. I don't think it's bad enough to start suspending anyone or deleting comments, but if I were new to OLO there's no way I'd want to comment on this thread, which would be a pity.

OK I have read most (but not all) comments. I agree mostly with PK, Bobalot, and Logic on this one.
Without an environment there will be neither society nor individuals. I am sorry for future generations that they have to put up with all the mess that we created in the past few hundred years. The least we can do is to give the future generation a bit of a leg-up.
And largely improving public transport IS a way to reduce Greenhouse gases.

The most important thing is that we need to learn how to find a balance between looking after the planet and meeting needs and demands of people.
A carbon tax might work if there are viable alternatives being offered at the same time.
At this stage, given the trouble the environment is in, I think that it is reasonable to expect people and industries to pay for the privilege of destroying our planet but this should be balanced by rewarding more green energy users.

However, taxes should be based not just on CO2 as there are other pollutants contributing to Global warming as well, for example, NOx which is a car exhaust emission.

If taxes on vehicles itself would be banned but only charged according to their emissions, people and industries will be motivated to make the green choice and buy cars that are low in producing toxic emissions. There will be much more demand for cleaner options.

Largely improving public transport and making it more attractive is a must if the Govt is serious about reducing emissions.
Not only services, timetables etc can be improved, but to make public transport more attractive we need to attend do people's needs. For example, for people with laptops there should be facilities to use free or very low-cost, fast internet while traveling by train.

There could be a ‘business wagon’ for people with laptops and more space- this would be much more preferable for people going to work than being stuck in traffic jams.
A wagon designed to stall bikes?

All it takes is willingness and money ;+)

GrahamY implies that he would not contribute to the debate on this thread presumably because the tone of some of the argument is a bit tough. Well, Graham, by posting you may be able to simultaneously raise the tone and shed some light on the matter at hand. So, post away. We are not going to come around to your house, drag you out and hang draw and quarter you just for posting your views. Well, Col Rouge might try. But we'll protect you.