Free public transport.

In The Age on Sunday was a brilliant exposé about making public transport free in Victoria.

According to the article, around $400 million is needed to make it fully public – 60% is already paid by the government. The monstrous fiasco that is our ticketing machines (the ones where large chaps physically grab and restrain people who try to rush through whilst the detained scream for them to be let go, there’s an image that will stick with me for a while) costs a cool $60 mill per annum, so that can be finally and joyously confined to the scrap heap, bringing the cost down to $340m.

One costing has been proposed for households to pay between $100 and $200, attached to council rates, less for those with fewer services, pensioners, etc. It'd be nice to see a council rate hike actually justified.

Benefits: (from the article, and myself)
* increased public transport usage
* reduced congestion
* reduced road toll
* reduced pollution
* drunk drivers may have a more tempting option of not driving
* always (within reason) available transport, no matter how much cash is at hand
* no more manhandling and charging those without tickets, or: harder to steal a ride (unless you’re a tax dodger, in which case you are then a thief)
* wonderful for tourism - might be a more attractive reason to visit than being sworn at.
* less confusion in understanding the ticketing and zoning pricing structure

Cons:
* taxpayers who do not use the system will have to pay more for it, (100% instead of the usual 60% for a system they do not use.)
* increased public transport usage, which will require investment in more rolling stock. (Which is exactly what is in demand at the moment.)
* priority should be given to expanding services to certain areas.
* priority should be given to improve the reliability and frequency of services.

There are many benefits and side benefits, and the negatives range from the usual user-pays gripes, to cost, to, well, changing the subject by pointing out other aspects of the transportation system that need work.

The daily poll was “Is free public transport a responsible solution to Melbourne's traffic chaos?” 88% said yes, 12% no. The current state government does not support the idea.

The closest we’ve got to such a system was during the radically conservative Jeff Kennett era.

Traffic is shocking, the dust is already flying on our impressive user-pays $2.5 billion Eastlink tollway. Perhaps soon, some will be paying to use the Eastlink, paying to use Citylink, paying for parking, along with the extra congestion tax, go to work to pay for the above and petrol, then beg on the streets to afford food.

Currently, it is far cheaper to drive than use public transport.

A golden opportunity exists to lead by example here – none can claim that any of the potential benefits are not of serious concern to them. “But Victoria's Transport Minister Peter Batchelor doesn't like the idea, saying that increased subsidies to public transport would have to be borne by taxpayers who did not use the system.”

According to Wikipedia, he “is a member of the Socialist Left faction of the Australian Labor Party.”

WARNING: The following commentary contains course language.

My arse he is. A “SOCIALIST LEFT” factional member of the opposition LEFT party making a comment pro user-pays (user-pays a little bit more, no less) rings a few bullshit alarm bells. The ALP has the same majority in both houses in Victoria as Howard does at the federal level, and the same control over legislation. Inaction cannot come without accountability.

This issue will vanish, and will be forgotten. The following day's paper provided no further reporting, and no letters on the subject, despite several pages dedicated a day prior. This is, of course, unless the handful of voters required to vote for the you-know-who’s provide balance of power this year.

(Also, I noticed http://brackswatch.blogspot.com/ while Googling.