Andrei.Hicks wrote on Dec 31
st, 2010 at 10:58am:
Surprise Buzz supports the public sector.
Services without paying anything in to run them.
Shock.
Free-loaders, we've got them everywhere.
Are you saying that users of public services (i.e. public transport) are freeloaders who don't put any money into funding the services provided?
If that's the case, I'd have to disagree. I mean, unless you're fare evading you're putting some level of funding into the service. And even if you're not paying for tickets, it's arguable that some proportion of your taxes go to running PT.
In general though, I think PT is essential for a large city like Melbourne. We can't all drive to our respective workplaces due to parking/traffic/money issues, so having a reliable PT system to get people around is invaluable. Sure, there's many issues with our PT, but most of these are a result of increased patronage and indicates that a large proportion of Melbournians want better trains, trams and buses.
And while I'm happy that Baillieu/Brumby announced greater crackdowns on train violence, I think there's a little too much fear about who is on trains. Sure, you get drunks and ratty teens and poor people on board, but you also get business professionals, families, seniors and pretty much every element of Australian society on the system. Maybe I'm just lucky when I travel, but I'd still strongly argue that people refusing to take the train because of the 'deviants' on board are highly misinformed...