Some thoughts on public transport

Car trying to keep cool on one of those hot days a few weeks ago

I have a new resolution: to try not to use my car on the weekend. As I get more and more comfortable with my bike and public transport the easier it gets. This weekend I managed it, and I've done it in the past too.

Providing there are no visits to my family in the suburbs or special occasions I think I can do it.

Since my move to Brunswick, public transport has gone from not available except for 1 really long bus ride to available in very form. Trams are by far my favourite but I now have a train station close by so that also gets used often.

Mr T and I often embark on explorations to different suburbs via public transport on sundays thanks to the sunday saver cheap ticket.

I have been loving it despite some less than savoury characters on it. I was just remarking today about how this sat in the city I was waiting for a tram in the middle of the day when a group of about 6 teenagers started chroming along side me. I've seen chromers before but never chroming together.

This comment lead to comments from many of my co-workers about how that's why they don't use public transport and how there are too many 'freaks' on public transport. I always guessed that one of the major reasons people avoid it is the inconvenience sometime caused by public transport but maybe not. Maybe it's a class issue. I remember someone made a similar comment once about people who choose to drive into the city and pay crazy amounts of money on parking and sit in peak hour traffic rather than catch public transport because it was below them to be on public transport. That I could believe but people like me who didn't earn that much surely they couldn't be that snobby.

Could it really be that simple? Just the act of avoiding 'freaks'? Or is it a fear thing?