Trams And Trains

[Karellen]

... Or just write off the £3m income from the public transport system, and make all the buses, trams and trains free. That will get "bums on seats" and out of cars for a lot less money than some of the proposed congestion schemes.

 

A cheap, quick answer if you ask me.

 

I dont see it would make a jot of difference.

 

Who is going to say "hmmm...I need to go to Ramsey; do I walk for 30 minutes to the nearest bus stop and spend 2 hours on public transport....or take the car"?

 

or "hmmm... I need to go to Tescos for the weekly shop, do I walk for 30 minutes to the nearest bus stop - and then carry all the shopping bags on the way home....or take the car".

 

or "hmmm...my 6 year old child needs to get to school and surprisingly for the Isle of Man its raining...do I walk him there and come home to get dried off before walking to work (arriving half an hour late).... or take the car"?

[grant]

... Or just write off the £3m income from the public transport system, and make all the buses, trams and trains free. That will get "bums on seats" and out of cars for a lot less money than some of the proposed congestion schemes.

 

A cheap, quick answer if you ask me.

 

This is a very interesting idea, if they were free, how many people would use them. Because I work nightshifts at present, I couldn't, when this changes, if public transport was free, I would go out my way to use it. I like the idea of commuting on the mer, scenic, stress free and free. It'd be very interesting to see how many people would go for this.

[Major Chip Hazzard]

The island railways have great potential, all they need is right person to grab the train by the buffers and chuff if up the right track.

 

The market is there, all we need to do is divert some of that all important cash for the TT to and channel into the railways. Unless they run commuter trains, there is not a enough local traffic to keep them running. So, we need those railway enthusiasts, SAGA people, and anybody else they can round up to visit the rock.

[cheeky boy]

I think the proposal to run the rail network on the discount airlines model are worth investigating.

 

Easy Tram, Ryan Steam etc.

 

Downsides are going to be things like:

 

DOUGLAS to RAMSEY (dhoon) 50p

 

DOUGLAS to CASTLETOWN (santon) 10p

 

DOUGLAS to PEEL!!! BOOK NOW FOR 2012

[WTF]

the 'problem' with all these bus/tram/train systems for the isle of man is that the journeys are short compared to the cost of a ticket so £ per mile is compoarable to fuel in a car, ( obviously not purchase cost and insurance ). the other snag is time. long gone are the days when a person was expected to take an hour plus to travel to and from work. modern society does not allow for 'wasting' time getting to work. the train takes according to the timetable from a few years ago an hour from douglas to port erin,so thats 15-20 mph average with all the stops. and that gets you to tesco's. you then have a walk ( in the rain and wind maybe )or bus ride ahead of you.

most peoples lives are too busy to go when and where a public transport system will provide. people need to be where and when they want. how many MHK's go to work on public transport in question?? none i would guess. park and ride? again, you are 'waiting' on other peoples timetables. I don't have time for that, with overtime and a social life it won't work for me. how many trains go south at 1 am??

our antiquated public transport is a quaint idea, but even TT week trafic failed to get locals using it. if as said earlier a modern metro system was in place, that could have potential if it went through douglas. join the MER to the donkey tram tracks and then join to the steam railway. they are all the same gauge. then you could get on a modern DMU type train and go from Port erin right through to ramsey if you wanted without changes and tossing about.

[Pragmatopian]

Certainly worth investigating the cost of connecting and upgrading the existing rail lines. Get a few modern trains for the commuter traffic and maintain less frequent services with historical rolling stock for the enthusiasts.

[Alias]

Who is going to say "hmmm...I need to go to Ramsey; do I walk for 30 minutes to the nearest bus stop and spend 2 hours on public transport....or take the car"?

I always thought the biggest benefit of the bus (to working people, not the young/elderly who have an inherent need for the bus service) was the ability to not have to find parking for your car at work. I can't really see the bus being used for casual trips for most people, as people totally getting rid of cars would be quite a massive hurdle.

 

If you're on a budget and the buses were free/substantially cheaper than parking, could either save you a few hundred quid or get rid of the need to move your car every 2 hours.

[WTF]

i don't think people circle douglas in the mornings playing 'musical parking space'. lots of people have car parks at work or a usual place, we are creatures of habit. its time and convenience that are the issues and public transport will struggle to cover that for most people.

[Frances]

I assume that company provided car parks are a taxable perk ? - say £5 per day = £1000 per year to be taxed at max rate - when I was lecturing the university refused to issue car parking permits (for which one had to pay) to those within a mile walk or on the university subsidised bus routes.

[Declan]

modern society does not allow for 'wasting' time getting to work.

 

But time on a bus isn't wasted time. I spend it reading and listening to music. It also provides time to switch mentally between work and home or vice versa. Even as a passenger car travel is more stressful, since you watch the road more and get hung up on whats happening ahead, on the bus you know it is out of your control and so a delay bothers you less. Also for travel to work the bus drops off outside most of the offices in Douglas (or within a short walk), you don't have to find a space to park, which is often further away than the bus stop.

 

how many MHK's go to work on public transport in question?? none i would guess.

 

Juan Watterson for one. He sits at the front and in his plain suit and Tynwald tie could be mistaken for the a conducter. I think the other MHK's should club together and buy him a cap and some badges.

 

Also didn't Martin Quayle, famously, once catch a bus from Peel?

[Grumble]

Dunno if Juan Watterson DOESN'T drive or CAN'T drive - but I suspect the latter, rather than any altruistic approach to championing public transport...

[lisner]

Mr Watterson is also knowing for using his pushbike a lot.

 

Mr Watterson has made a number of indirect references to his own use of public transport in The House when placing questions, for example on green issues.

 

 

I think he fancies himself as a bit of a Boris Johnson character although he should realise that there is quite a fine line between a likeable eccentric and a buffoon.

[Declan]

Dunno if Juan Watterson DOESN'T drive or CAN'T drive - but I suspect the latter, rather than any altruistic approach to championing public transport...

 

 

I don't see the distinction there. I know he's young, but he's old enough to drive - if he chose to and it is not as if he couldn't afford a car. Which would make it a decision not to drive.

 

I don't think it is an altruistic decision to take the bus, however, just a common sense one. It amazes that people from the South, who are working 9-5, drive. Yeah, I accept that personal circumstances (like those Minxie outlined) mean not everyone can take the bus, and if you need to pick something up, or are going on somewhere afterwards on occasions driving may be more convenient. But if you are just going to work in the centre of town, and then going home, a bus is the sensible option.

[Moghrey Mie]

I haven't been on the Steam Railway for years.

 

The main difference between the Isle of Man Trams and Trains (v UK Trams and Trains) is that the people running things here are likely to be lazy because they generally can take funding for granted. What we are really talking about here, I think, is gaining Value For Money from the civil servants charged with running things. To me it's clear that someone with a little more commercial savvy should become involved.

 

For me (or more importantly others) to be interested - and if my kids were still young I'd imagine I'd be looking for things like:

• Make it more exciting for kids (it doeesn't take much to dress up the front of the trains sometimes).
  
• Have a regular annual 'Fred Dibnah' style 'Steam Rally' or similar associated with the Steam Railway - though tricky because it requires carting some tonnage from the UK.
  
• Model railway conventions
  
• Rail art exhibitions
  
• Tie trips in with 'Big Barbeque fun days' and sports days etc.
  
• Sort out a 'tram and train' museum - including lots of other old technologies such as the history of the Douglas Head railway, or even buses etc. etc.
  
• Sort out a restaurant/bar
  
• Beer/Music festivals
  

I think the idea of driver experience days is good as it seems to work on other railways.

 

 

 

Yes, they don't seem to have cashed in on Thomas the Tank Engine or Harry Potter mania.

[Major Chip Hazzard]

Yes, they don't seem to have cashed in on Thomas the Tank Engine or Harry Potter mania.

 

They do a Thomas the Tank weekend every summer and Santa trains to Santon (where else!) every Xmas. They could do more, but seem quite happy to just run the trains to timetable and don't really do much else. The potential is there, but locomotives don't want to come out of there engine shed to play. Perhaps the new Fat Controller can do more ??

 

Edited for daft typo !!