Melbourne had a new rail operator since the start of the year. Many passengers like I had high hopes for this rail company headed by Hong Kong’s MTR Corporation, but instead of reducing cancellations and improving punctuality, railway operation has been going downhill recently.
墨爾本年初換了火車營運商，由港鐵公司為首的集團經營，本對其寄予希望，能減少火車脫班誤點，不過近來則每下愈況。
Last week there was a series of railway delays, and it struck when I least wanted. The trains decided to make a fool of me last Wednesday. I left work earlier than usual for a family occasion, but there was a problem with overhead power supply that was affecting train departures. I could sense something serious as the count-down timer for the next train had frozen, and I had to dust off my Plan B and took an unaffected train line so that my parents could pick me up somewhere else. (A Plan B is indispensable in Melbourne if one relies on public transport for the daily commute, and it will be practised at least 2 to 3 times a year.) It also didn’t help matters that it took me several attempts before my mobile phone could connect to the network when dialling home. I must have had enough by then and decided to vent my frustration out in my Facebook status, saying ‘Why do the trains always fail me when I have important family occasions to attend? And why do I have to put up with pathetic Melbourne infrastructure (not just transport)?’ (Yes, I decided to take a swipe at the general state of infrastructure in Melbourne too.) I had two replies from friends who told me that I should buy a car instead.
上星期火車接連出現延誤，星期三那天家中有喜事，提早一點下班跟家人出外吃晚飯，豈料火車遍遍要跟我作對，總站發生電力故障，影響列車開出，眼看站台顯示屏顯示下趟車的倒計時完全停頓，心覺不妙，馬上決定改坐另一條線（在墨爾本坐公共交通上下班必須要準備後備方案，而且一年要應用最少兩、三次），打手機請家人到另一個車站接我，撥了好幾次才接通網絡，不禁無名火起，在Facebook狠罵火車公司為何總是家中有重要日子時就來耍我（也順道罵墨爾本的基建為何這麼差勁），有兩個朋友回覆說，還是買輛車開車好了。
Then on Saturday, I was going to meet with a couple of colleagues at Camberwell for lunch before picking up my laptop from Box Hill. As the train trip from Camberwell to Box Hill would take only 10 minutes, same as driving, I decided that I could drive my family car to Box Hill, park it there and take a train to Camberwell to save some driving. I set off just before midday and arrived at Box Hill in 20 minutes. There I first looked for parking in the free underground railway car park, but the some 300 parking spots were all taken and I had no luck finding a spot having done a full circuit within the whole car park. The paid shopping centre car park one level above the railway car park was no better as its entrance was packed. So I could only drive back to the ground level, circle the nearby streets, then back to the underground car parks to try my luck again, but it was all in vain. Knowing that there wasn’t much time left to muck around, I returned to the ground level once more and quickly grabbed a road-side metered parking spot in a street farther away and parked the car there for 4 hours. A good 20 minutes was spent just for parking – the same as driving from home to Box Hill and certainly enough for driving to Camberwell! But once I was in Camberwell, I was only glad that I didn’t drive all the way there, because parking spots were also in short supply and had a maximum limit of 2 hours whether they were free or metered. It would have been a hassle if I forgot about the parked car while enjoying myself in Camberwell, as the municipality, like all others, sees traffic infringements as money-raking opportunities and will fine all the guilty motorists in earnest.
到了星期六，我約了同事在Camberwell區吃午飯，然後到Box Hill區拿電腦，心想Camberwell到Box Hill坐火車也祇是十分鐘，跟開車差不多，所以決定祇是開車往Box Hill，在那裡把車停放（泊車），再換乘火車往Camberwell，那就可以省一點駕車路程。我中午開車花了20分鐘，到了Box Hill，本想在火車站的免費地下停車場停放車子，但敞大的停車場、三百多個停車位竟然全滿，繞了一圈繞個空，想到上一層的商場收費停車場，看到入口也水洩不通，便返回路面，繞了一個大圈再次回到免費地下停車場碰碰運氣，也無功而還，眼看時間不多，祇好無奈返回路面，到遠一點的地方，在路邊的計時停車位停放四小時。由到達Box Hill直至找這個停車位，前後便足足花了20分鐘，足以開往Camberwell了！不過到了Camberwell，才發現那裡的停車位同樣供不應求，而且無論收費或免費也最多祇可停放兩小時，要是顧吃飯或逛街而忘了時限便糟了（開交通罰單是搖錢樹，所以每個市政區都會嚴厲執行，絕不放過逾時停車的），我也慶幸沒把車駛到Camberwell。
Of course I could have spared myself totally of driving by catching a bus to Box Hill, but in return I would have to put up with 30-minute frequencies in the morning and 40-minute in the afternoon. Taking public transport can be a real pain in Melbourne, but driving doesn’t necessarily make life easier when parking becomes so arduous. Is hiding home the only good solution?
當然我可以連駕車往Box Hill也省掉，不過代價是忍受上午30分鐘一趟、下午40分鐘一趟的公交車（巴士）。此間坐公共交通難，開車找停車位也惱人，難道真的是閉關在家才可免一切煩惱？
As I was looking futilely for a parking spot in the underground car park, I heard from the radio news that many parts of the world were experiencing extreme heat and this year would be on track to be the hottest in history. This is no doubt a sign of global climate change.
就是在地下停車場兜兜轉轉的時候，我聽到電台新聞報導說，現時全球多處天氣異常酷熱，今年極可能是有紀錄以來地球平均溫度最高的一年，想必是全球氣候變化的徵兆。
I felt bad for becoming an accomplice of climate change as the petrol was burnt needlessly for 20 minutes doing nothing terribly useful.
我白白燒了20分鐘汽油找停車位，不經不覺間也成了氣候變化的幫兇。
There was a similar situation when I flew from Melbourne to Brisbane in June.The plane had to spend an extra 20 minutes circling south of Brisbane before it could land. I could not figure out what was holding up the plane on Saturday midday, as it certainly wasn’t a peak time of air traffic and Brisbane is not a particularly busy airport in general. Although the delay didn’t bother me much and gave me a good opportunity to take some aerial photo shots, it was definitely not doing the environment a favour. I couldn’t help thinking how much fuel would be wasted and greenhouse gases released unnecessarily if a number of flights were also affected at the same time.
六月從墨爾本飛往布里斯本時，我也遇上類似情況，飛機在布里斯本南面繞了兩三個圈，耽誤了20分鐘才降落，那時是星期六中午，不是甚麼繁忙時間，布里斯本也不是個特別繁忙的機場，究竟有甚麼因素阻礙飛機降落呢？浪費時間還算小事，我也因此可以拍攝好幾張高空風景照，但燃油昂貴兼污染性高，如果那時多班飛機同時受影響的話，會平白消耗不少寶貴資源、產生大量不必要的溫室氣體，破壞環境。
The varying and interesting relief in southern Queensland
山巒起伏的昆士蘭南部
The southern suburbs (left) and CBD (right) of Brisbane
布里斯本南面的市郊（左）和市中心（右）
The container port near the airport
機場鄰近的貨運碼頭
Driving and flying are undoubtedly rather damaging to the environment through the pollutants and greenhouse gases generated, but they are necessary evils of modern life as there are often no alternatives. A good part of the damage stems from the pointless burning of fuel during engine idling, e.g. congestion on the roads and airport tarmacs, or when the vehicle is operating unproductively, e.g. finding a parking spot for a long time and diversion of air traffic in crowded airspace. This wastage and pollution ought to be reduced through improving traffic flow or air traffic control so that the cars and planes can travel more smoothly and burn less fuel. Legislating when car engines must be switched off is also useful in this regard. I can’t give up driving or flying, but I want to feel less guilty about them.
駕車和坐飛機雖會產生廢氣和溫室氣體，但現實生活有時並無他擇，所以可說是「必要之惡」。排放的源頭，往往來自無建設性的消耗，例如道路塞車、等候載客時或大量航班在停機坪等待起飛時的引擎空轉，和找停車位或因避開空域擠塞而繞道降落的白白消耗燃料。針對這些排放，應從改善車流和航道管理入手，令交通更流暢，減少空等或繞道帶來的浪費，又或立法規定車輛甚麼時候必須關掉引擎（例如最近在香港鬧得沸沸揚揚的「停車熄匙」立法），令我這個久不久便要坐飛機和開車的，心安理得一點。
墨爾本年初換了火車營運商，由港鐵公司為首的集團經營，本對其寄予希望，能減少火車脫班誤點，不過近來則每下愈況。
Last week there was a series of railway delays, and it struck when I least wanted. The trains decided to make a fool of me last Wednesday. I left work earlier than usual for a family occasion, but there was a problem with overhead power supply that was affecting train departures. I could sense something serious as the count-down timer for the next train had frozen, and I had to dust off my Plan B and took an unaffected train line so that my parents could pick me up somewhere else. (A Plan B is indispensable in Melbourne if one relies on public transport for the daily commute, and it will be practised at least 2 to 3 times a year.) It also didn’t help matters that it took me several attempts before my mobile phone could connect to the network when dialling home. I must have had enough by then and decided to vent my frustration out in my Facebook status, saying ‘Why do the trains always fail me when I have important family occasions to attend? And why do I have to put up with pathetic Melbourne infrastructure (not just transport)?’ (Yes, I decided to take a swipe at the general state of infrastructure in Melbourne too.) I had two replies from friends who told me that I should buy a car instead.
上星期火車接連出現延誤，星期三那天家中有喜事，提早一點下班跟家人出外吃晚飯，豈料火車遍遍要跟我作對，總站發生電力故障，影響列車開出，眼看站台顯示屏顯示下趟車的倒計時完全停頓，心覺不妙，馬上決定改坐另一條線（在墨爾本坐公共交通上下班必須要準備後備方案，而且一年要應用最少兩、三次），打手機請家人到另一個車站接我，撥了好幾次才接通網絡，不禁無名火起，在Facebook狠罵火車公司為何總是家中有重要日子時就來耍我（也順道罵墨爾本的基建為何這麼差勁），有兩個朋友回覆說，還是買輛車開車好了。
Then on Saturday, I was going to meet with a couple of colleagues at Camberwell for lunch before picking up my laptop from Box Hill. As the train trip from Camberwell to Box Hill would take only 10 minutes, same as driving, I decided that I could drive my family car to Box Hill, park it there and take a train to Camberwell to save some driving. I set off just before midday and arrived at Box Hill in 20 minutes. There I first looked for parking in the free underground railway car park, but the some 300 parking spots were all taken and I had no luck finding a spot having done a full circuit within the whole car park. The paid shopping centre car park one level above the railway car park was no better as its entrance was packed. So I could only drive back to the ground level, circle the nearby streets, then back to the underground car parks to try my luck again, but it was all in vain. Knowing that there wasn’t much time left to muck around, I returned to the ground level once more and quickly grabbed a road-side metered parking spot in a street farther away and parked the car there for 4 hours. A good 20 minutes was spent just for parking – the same as driving from home to Box Hill and certainly enough for driving to Camberwell! But once I was in Camberwell, I was only glad that I didn’t drive all the way there, because parking spots were also in short supply and had a maximum limit of 2 hours whether they were free or metered. It would have been a hassle if I forgot about the parked car while enjoying myself in Camberwell, as the municipality, like all others, sees traffic infringements as money-raking opportunities and will fine all the guilty motorists in earnest.
到了星期六，我約了同事在Camberwell區吃午飯，然後到Box Hill區拿電腦，心想Camberwell到Box Hill坐火車也祇是十分鐘，跟開車差不多，所以決定祇是開車往Box Hill，在那裡把車停放（泊車），再換乘火車往Camberwell，那就可以省一點駕車路程。我中午開車花了20分鐘，到了Box Hill，本想在火車站的免費地下停車場停放車子，但敞大的停車場、三百多個停車位竟然全滿，繞了一圈繞個空，想到上一層的商場收費停車場，看到入口也水洩不通，便返回路面，繞了一個大圈再次回到免費地下停車場碰碰運氣，也無功而還，眼看時間不多，祇好無奈返回路面，到遠一點的地方，在路邊的計時停車位停放四小時。由到達Box Hill直至找這個停車位，前後便足足花了20分鐘，足以開往Camberwell了！不過到了Camberwell，才發現那裡的停車位同樣供不應求，而且無論收費或免費也最多祇可停放兩小時，要是顧吃飯或逛街而忘了時限便糟了（開交通罰單是搖錢樹，所以每個市政區都會嚴厲執行，絕不放過逾時停車的），我也慶幸沒把車駛到Camberwell。
Of course I could have spared myself totally of driving by catching a bus to Box Hill, but in return I would have to put up with 30-minute frequencies in the morning and 40-minute in the afternoon. Taking public transport can be a real pain in Melbourne, but driving doesn’t necessarily make life easier when parking becomes so arduous. Is hiding home the only good solution?
當然我可以連駕車往Box Hill也省掉，不過代價是忍受上午30分鐘一趟、下午40分鐘一趟的公交車（巴士）。此間坐公共交通難，開車找停車位也惱人，難道真的是閉關在家才可免一切煩惱？
* * *
As I was looking futilely for a parking spot in the underground car park, I heard from the radio news that many parts of the world were experiencing extreme heat and this year would be on track to be the hottest in history. This is no doubt a sign of global climate change.
就是在地下停車場兜兜轉轉的時候，我聽到電台新聞報導說，現時全球多處天氣異常酷熱，今年極可能是有紀錄以來地球平均溫度最高的一年，想必是全球氣候變化的徵兆。
I felt bad for becoming an accomplice of climate change as the petrol was burnt needlessly for 20 minutes doing nothing terribly useful.
我白白燒了20分鐘汽油找停車位，不經不覺間也成了氣候變化的幫兇。
There was a similar situation when I flew from Melbourne to Brisbane in June.The plane had to spend an extra 20 minutes circling south of Brisbane before it could land. I could not figure out what was holding up the plane on Saturday midday, as it certainly wasn’t a peak time of air traffic and Brisbane is not a particularly busy airport in general. Although the delay didn’t bother me much and gave me a good opportunity to take some aerial photo shots, it was definitely not doing the environment a favour. I couldn’t help thinking how much fuel would be wasted and greenhouse gases released unnecessarily if a number of flights were also affected at the same time.
六月從墨爾本飛往布里斯本時，我也遇上類似情況，飛機在布里斯本南面繞了兩三個圈，耽誤了20分鐘才降落，那時是星期六中午，不是甚麼繁忙時間，布里斯本也不是個特別繁忙的機場，究竟有甚麼因素阻礙飛機降落呢？浪費時間還算小事，我也因此可以拍攝好幾張高空風景照，但燃油昂貴兼污染性高，如果那時多班飛機同時受影響的話，會平白消耗不少寶貴資源、產生大量不必要的溫室氣體，破壞環境。
The varying and interesting relief in southern Queensland
山巒起伏的昆士蘭南部
The southern suburbs (left) and CBD (right) of Brisbane
布里斯本南面的市郊（左）和市中心（右）
The container port near the airport
機場鄰近的貨運碼頭
Driving and flying are undoubtedly rather damaging to the environment through the pollutants and greenhouse gases generated, but they are necessary evils of modern life as there are often no alternatives. A good part of the damage stems from the pointless burning of fuel during engine idling, e.g. congestion on the roads and airport tarmacs, or when the vehicle is operating unproductively, e.g. finding a parking spot for a long time and diversion of air traffic in crowded airspace. This wastage and pollution ought to be reduced through improving traffic flow or air traffic control so that the cars and planes can travel more smoothly and burn less fuel. Legislating when car engines must be switched off is also useful in this regard. I can’t give up driving or flying, but I want to feel less guilty about them.
駕車和坐飛機雖會產生廢氣和溫室氣體，但現實生活有時並無他擇，所以可說是「必要之惡」。排放的源頭，往往來自無建設性的消耗，例如道路塞車、等候載客時或大量航班在停機坪等待起飛時的引擎空轉，和找停車位或因避開空域擠塞而繞道降落的白白消耗燃料。針對這些排放，應從改善車流和航道管理入手，令交通更流暢，減少空等或繞道帶來的浪費，又或立法規定車輛甚麼時候必須關掉引擎（例如最近在香港鬧得沸沸揚揚的「停車熄匙」立法），令我這個久不久便要坐飛機和開車的，心安理得一點。
Comments
I share you pain buddy.
嗯，剛剛談起香港巴士班次可能太多，直接間接令空氣更污染... 看到Melbourne以及世界其他城市疏落的公共交通班次，可能反而驅使更多市民自駕，從而令污染向另一個方向失控... 我越來越覺得，解決空氣污染的時候，隨時進退失據。