Citymapper is broken in Sydney

Citymapper is one of the few transport apps that has  not been formally approved or promoted by Transport for NSW but it is one of the world’s most popular transport apps worldwide especially in London.

But in Sydney, Citymapper falls flat on its face as one of the worse and it’s not so much the app itself but how the data is used and what Citymapper considers a city. See, Citymapper is focused on the Greater Sydney area only but the transport data used covers all of NSW used in other apps such as Tripview and Nextthere.

With this, Citymapper has hand picked only a couple but not all routes and areas causing major problems in its trip planning. Just to show some examples:

First, anyone heading out of Sydney will be shut off, such as Sydney to Wollongong or Sydney to Katoomba.

However, Sydney to Umina Beach (in Central Coast) shows another picture completely removing the rail option and proposing a more scenic route.

What’s worse, buses in outer areas such as Newcastle, Wollongong and the Hunter Valley etc. are shown as normal with real time data, stop timetables and route maps (but no trip planning)

It gets worse with rail, not only is all intercity and regional lines which do stop at suburban stops are omitted from real time alerts but all stations (with some weird differences) outside of  “Greater Sydney” also show real times but no trip planning.

For now, while Citymapper is a worthy competitor. These gaps make the app somewhat useless to others who travel or want to explore outside Sydney and needs to expand the boundaries of Greater Sydney to include some of these areas likewise to London and National Rail services.

WestConnex – The road I don’t want (but still want)

 

When current roads minister, Duncan Gay announced the start of construction work of WestConnex, a major motorway project for Sydney i was not sure if I was excited or disconcert. For someone getting excited over a road sounded more like a mental condition there’s a bit more to the background of my initial expression. Currently, the car is part of my job description which I use daily with most trips involving funneling through the disaster that is the M5 East, a road tunnel that plays an important role in Sydney’s orbital motorway but was built without any future proofing that has a repetition for it’s bad and worsening traffic so it was no surprise to me personally that an improved M5 would sound like a god send. However, questions were begged over the overall outcome of the project and how it would evolve from the initial announcement into reality and the more the details, environment reports and plans came forward the more the project became twisted and fraudulent.

“They will be rejoicing, they will be singing in their cars, frankly, because their cars will be moving,” – former Prime Minster Tony Abbott,  Sydney Morning Herald March 8th 2015

“The previous Labor government had 16 years to do something about the missing

links but squibbed every opportunity. While separate investigations have been carried

out for major projects on the M4 and M5 in the past, this is the first time the corridor

has been looked at in its entirety. – former NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell, Media Release 3rd October 2012

WestConnex is being put forward as the most ‘important transport infrastructure project’ in Sydney. The billions of federal and state funding being pumped into what most see and hope will be the golden paved road to fix the major bottlenecks of the motorway network and it’s no surprise the project has it’s supporters due to the lost productivity and economic losses that comes out of congestion. But even still, building motorways is nothing new and past attempts to address congestion have resorted to just short term benefits or causing further problems down the track.

It is no surprise that the old nature of building roads to address congestion is faltering with more active mass transit solutions being put to the table. However, the lack of political will to prioritise public transport is still a large concern due to a heavily dominated roads lobby, disappointment of previous major transport projects resulting in projects being finished overdue and over budget such as the problems associated with the Epping to Chatswood Rail Link and a heavy car dependent population ranging into the 70-80% of total trips travelled in most major cities.

“The U.S. government is also in the business of providing people with a good they really want: roads. And just like the old Soviets, Uncle Sam is giving this commodity away for next to nothing. Is the solution then to privatize all roads? Not unless you’re living in some libertarian fantasyland.” – What’s Up With That: Building Bigger Roads Actually Makes Traffic Worse – Wired, 2014

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Westconnex has been the result or more-so like a Frankenstein of 30 plus years of road planning, cancellation and mishaps. Since as early as the 1950s, the original corridor for the Western Expressway proposed the highway starting in the inner west around Glebe and Five Dock. When the M4 as we know it today was constructed during the 60s and 70s, heavy opposition and a mood of change against vast motorway planning and viaducts during the Wran Government prevented any extension of the motorway past the ‘temporary’ end at Concord with the section canned in Feb 1977 and the corridor sold. If built during the 1970s, the extension would have cost $287 million (not adjusted from inflation) but the nature of the inner west would look very different to the present day.

M4 East August 20 1995 sunday telegraph 5 – by Fabian Amuso

Following the years after the cancellation, Parramatta Road become worse overtime with the growing population that resulted with the Department of Main Roads drawing up new plans to complete the M4. To avoid the nightmare of the viaduct, the preferred option was to sink it with various options proposed including a slot option. With the Sydney Olympics fast approaching, the plans became fast tracked during the Carr Government which promised construction of the new dubbed ‘M4 East’ by the new millennium as part of Action for Public Transport 1998. The M4 East would form part of the 2-lane City West Link, a cheaper but more negotiable option instead of a elevated freeway.

City West Link during the 1990s – Photo by RTA obtained by OzRoads

While the Olympics came and went, the project was already heading in disarray. No work had began on the M4 East instead of some study options proposed in 2002 and the City West Link became increasingly congested due to a lack of grade separation, traffic intersections and future proofing. With no hope of starting construction on the M4 East and growing concerns about if the City West Link including as well if the ANAZC Bridge (which also reached peak capacity) will cope, the project was dumped.

A significant amount of traffic leaves Parramatta Road at Haberfield and uses the City West Link and Anzac Bridge to access the CBD and Sydney Harbour Bridge. A significant amount of traffic also leaves Parramatta  Road at/near Lewisham and travels through or near Marrickville to locations such as Sydney Airport, Port Botany and the SSGC. – RTA M4 East Tunnel Option Study (2002)

Today, the new ‘M4 East’ is being constructed as part of WestConnex  but the initial concept of what was the original proposal; connecting the western suburbs to the CBD  mysteriously changed following the 2014 Budget when a new Northern Extension was added onto the project. The tunnel still connects to the City West Link and ANZAC Bridge which has congestion much worse then 10 years ago but the major scope of the M4 East now concerns the Northern Beaches rather then the CBD.

Northern Extension also known as WestConnex Stage 4 – Westconnex Site

While the WestConnex site has no mention of this, Infrastructure Australia proposes WestConnex Stage 4 as a top priority creating another CBD bypass and hence moving the original M4 East route away from Parramatta Road and instead to Balmain, which angered some prominent people who supported the project including former Prime Minister Paul Keating. Was this change due to a heavy Liberal Party presence north of the bridge to bring in North Sydney as part of the WestConnex project? Personally, I can’t make that call.

Despite the route diversion, the M4 East also faces criticism about the tunnel itself, the spaghetti intersections at Concord and development interests concerning Parramatta Road and the former rail lines near White Bay Power Station. For example looking back at the Lane Cove Tunnel built in 2007, Epping Road was reduced from 3 lanes to just one forcing users into the tunnel with one lane converted to a 24 hour bus lanes that carries buses on a poor frequency not fulling the standards of a bus rapid transit. There is no doubt Parramatta Road will face the same fate if the bus or light rail service proposed is not sufficient and that drivers will be diverted or even forced to use the tunnel.

The current Lane Cove Tunnel

The M4 will also be re-tolled which is also poorly mentioned on the official sites, media releases, even on the overpass ads themselves. Nobody knows what the tolls will be, if they are kilometer based or a flat fare (while they are saying WestConnex will be kilometer based, no official announcement has been made) and how long they will be in place. Some drivers didn’t even know the M4 was to be tolled again until they saw the toll booths, not so much a particular friendly sight.

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Back to the 90s and while the Carr Government initially screwed up the City West Link there was also the missing corridor between South-West Sydney and Sydney Airport. To avoid the same mistake, the M5 East tunnel was constructed on time opening in 2001 with the major difference being built by the former RTA and not being built as a PPP (Public-Private Partnership) . This meant the tunnel opened and still is (for now) toll-free. But even with the toll-free tunnel, the project came under heavy criticism of its planning, construction and environmental concerns.

“The M5 East project is one I am very proud of, which has made a huge difference to the quality of life for thousands of families in the southern and south-western suburbs of Sydney,” he said. – Former Road Minister Carl Scully, September 9 2003

The first-for most issue with the tunnel is the construction and how poorly it addresses the corridor. Without going too much into detail, the tunnel was too steep, had not enough lanes and was too low making it one of Sydney’s most congestion motorways every day of the week. Why nobody at tender stages saw these issues and took on the additional funding to address these design changes before construction was primly for mere personal merit. The congestion also played a role in changing the merits of how people travelled with less people catching adjacent public transport and people or trucks getting stuck in the tunnel on a common basis.

Stage 2 of WestConnex is being put forward as a band-aid to address the congestion issues of the M5 East. The tunnel is higher, the gradients are narrower and the tunnel is three lanes but this tunnel has its own problems. Initially, the WestConnex proposal was to upgrade the existing tunnel or to parallel with the current one but the tunnel goes on an entirely new direction with the first exit at St Peters being further from the International Terminal and Port Botany. Despite the efforts of getting people to use the new M5 such as yet to be released way-finding signage, most drivers could end up using the existing tunnel simply due to the quicker direction. In addition, the tunnels new and old will both be tolled with little to none information similar to Stage 1.

St Peters Interchange – WestConnex site

WestConnex Stage 3 has been one of the most decisive arguments about the project as a whole. In general, the link is aiming to address the most slowest corridor in Sydney, the Princess Hwy which can average a speed of 14km/hr in peak according to the RMS. The link has also come under question by both the NSW Labor who as part of their 2015 Election campaign promoting scrapping Stage 3 (they supported Stage 1 and 2 with revised business cases) and transport experts have questioned the traffic forecasts of the link with no clear indication of how many vehicles will use it per hour while keeping in mind forecasts have been wrong in the past such as forecasts for the Lane Cove and Cross City Tunnels.

“The community can have no confidence in WestConnex until the business case is publicly released and the route doesn’t dump hundreds of thousands of cars and truck in the middle of St Peters,” – Shadow Minister for Roads Michael Daley

The link will also have a entry point near the University of Sydney to try and pressure people away from the ANZAC Bridge which was also proposed by former Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s proposal of linking WestConnex to the CBD. However the former Federal government had more skepticism over the current WestConnex scope that the previous Abbott government. Should the Rudd government won the near impossible 2013 election, the entire nature of the project could be much different than what is being constructed today.

“We want the State Government to come up with a real plan for western Sydney that ticks those boxes and we obviously want that to happen sooner rather than later.” –   David Bradbury – Labor MP

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Boston Big Dig – before and after – Wikipedia

WestConnex has quite a bit of uniqueness of what it is trying to fix all in one go though the reality will be the project will only fix congestion temporary unless the car dependency of Sydney dramatically drops. But WestConnex is not the only project of this kind with one in the US with similarities. Over in Boston, there is still questions of the legacy of the “Boston Big Dig” (Central Artery/Tunnel Project), dubbed the most expensive freeway project in recent United States history. Like the WestConnex, the Big Dig project was designed to address congestion leading into Downtown bit like the congestion leading to the Eastern Distributor in which Stage 3 is addressing. Without going into too much detail the Big Dig was a disaster before and during construction with costs overblown, delays, redesigns and overall an engineering nightmare. Today, Boston is still paying off its major motorway project until 2038 with little to none of the promised mass transit projects part of the Big Dig scope being built. While it was not all doom and gloom, the Big Dig did clean up the spaghetti motorway network in Boston at the time while opening up space for recreational use.

But did it solve the congestion problem? A bit of yes and no.

Firstly, yes it did. The congestion did decrease with the additional capacity of a second north-south tunnel. According to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, significant travel times were reduced on the Interstate I93 and around the Boston Airport.

Due to traffic improvements and substantial reductions in traffic delay, the total vehicle- hours of travel on Project highways has dropped 62 percent between 1995 and 2003 and are now providing approximately $168 million annually in time and cost savings to travelers. Residents from south and west of Boston average travel times from the I-90/I-93 interchange to Logan Airport during peak periods have decreased between 42 and 74 percent depending on direction and time of day. In 2004-2005, the “savings for travelers was estimated at $166 million annually” – Link

However, while it did reduce some choke points here and there. The golden rule of any massive transport infrastructure megaproject is always the same; “Build it and they will come.” And so in 2008, traffic began to spread into more outward areas causing little to no improvements to travel time as mentioned.

Today’s marquee mega projects are all about mass transit. Should so much have been invested in new highways? A little-known fact is that there was another way. Confronted by the deteriorating Central Artery back in the 1980s, we could have chosen not to replace it at all.  – 10 years later, did the Big Dig deliver? – The Boston Globe

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There is no doubt WestConnex will benefit many (myself included) but major road motorway projects like this may could be coming to a end. There is growing sediment particularly in recent years of billion-dollar motorway projects (such as the East West Link) and the few long term benefits they provide while causing more congestion then they reduce. It’s pretty sad that people today still believe the buzzwords of a motorway to fix congestion where the evidence is clearly out that these projects do not benefit in the long run. The WestConnex fills like a guilty pleasure, a gamble if you like where the odds will never be in your favour and you can never win back on the losses but you still get a guilty joy of doing it anyways.

The Bundy Clock

A heritage listed ‘Bundy clock’ at the Domain Interchange in Melbourne. This type of clock were installed during the days of the Melbourne and Metropolitan Tramways Board to check that trams arrived on time.

Special keys were issued to each driver from the corresponding depot to record arrival onto a paper tape for the tram inspector to collect the tape and return the records.

Today, the bundy clock system has been widely removed and replaced with the rollout of electronic real time tracking. The bundy clock at Domain is the only bundy clock remaining on the tram network with another one sitting at Essendon Depot to commemorate 100 years of Melbourne’s tram network. It was fortunate that the clock is now listed as a heritage item and was able to capture it during my trip down south this year.

More information on the bundy clock operation can be found at the Friends of Hawthorn Tram Depot Inc website.

 

2859 at Toolijooa

An Endeavour railcar operated by NSW Trainlink traveling past the rail bridge at Toolijooa just north-east of Berry. The Kiama-Bomaderry branch may have a poor two hour (sometimes three) frequency and lacks any direct services to Wollongong and Sydney since the discontinuation of of these services in the 1990s but still remains one of most successful regional rail branches in New South Wales that does not operate directly out of Sydney with a respectable patronage level.

Wayfinding Signage — Did Sydney get it right this time?

Lollipop signs at Railway Square marking a Train and Light Rail stop

In the 1970s, Massimo Vignelli was assigned with a challenge for New York City, to combine the various forms of signage that existed on its complex subway system into one united brand. What originated out of a simple set of numbers, letter and colours built upon a strong font became what was known as a nomiculture and significant feature of the New York City Subway. While wayfinding is not always been a primary goal for the general public, it does play a significant part for transport operators and plays an important part of telling people how to get from A to B, something even today’s modern transport applications fail to do to a certain degree.

A sample of subway signage standard in NYC

Sometimes, distinguishing a transport mode overseas can not just be from fast trains and grand stations. Different symbols, logos and fonts can play a greater part in giving a cities transport system a sense of identify. When you think about British Rail / National Rail — you think about the ‘arrow of indecision’, when you think about the London Underground, you think about the famous blue and red roundel and the tube map designed by Harry Beck and when you think about metro, there is a list of numerous logos, fonts and sizes around the world all different but indicated the same thing.

Sample of guidelines for British Rail

In 2012, Transport for NSW decided to embark on a change of its look on its buses, trains, ferries and light rail in order to take up a position with other world renowned transport networks.Today, you would probably see some T’s at some railway stations or L’s along Sydney’s newest light rail line and over the next 4 years, over 100,000 different signs will be rolled out across all NSW to bring forward a new template of wayfinding. Now while it all sounds great on paper, for most people as well as some taxpayers, gunzels etc. most see this as another failed marketing attempt to “paint over a crack” and their has been a solid argument that the money used for this new wayfinding program (which no one knows the exact amount) can be reinvested into new fleet and services. However, like all transport changes this has happened before and this is not the first time this has happened regardless of which party was governing at the time. So the agreement I will address is, with all the past and future strategies implemented on Sydney’s transport network, did Sydney (and TfNSW) get it right this time?

Old & Current Signage at Moss Vale

We start back when red rattlers and Leylands were still norm. Unlike today where transport operators are more tightly controlled, in terms of wayfinding each transport operator would take on the responsibility themselves and not from the Department of Transport. For most part each operator would use its own brand to distinguish a transport mode, the most common logo around was the L7 logo used by the PTC, Urban Transit and State Rail (with a revised colour scheme). The result was this logo would reflect Sydney’s transport mode as a whole with the exception of private buses that would run with their own brands. However, the major problem was a lack of unity and I’ll bring in the bus network as an example where they were seen more as a ‘other’ rather than part of the bus network of Sydney as a whole. This problem would get worse later on when the L7 logo became less common as organisations began to reshape and split after the changes in the early 1990s..

A typical yellow bus stop

By the 1990s, the DOT decided to bring in some sense of unity with early stages of brand unity. Firstly was the introduction of probably Sydney’s most common symbol to distinguish buses still used today. This new symbol would be on every bus stop however it was the private operators who would implement the change and basically nothing happened. While some companies such as State Transit, North and Western and Busways began updating bus stops, most other just stuck with their plain bus stop on a pole or sometimes nothing at all which still causes problems today. For the others, Cityrail, Countrylink and Sydney Ferries would use their own brands like before but it wasn’t until a certain sporting event where things would change drastically.

Various Bus Stands during the Sydney Olympics

In preparation for the Sydney 2000 Olympics became a dramatic branding change for the transport network. While operators could continue to use their brands a new set of pictograms and guidelines were rolled out in line of the thousands coming overseas. So now a bus stop would be a ‘bus pictogram’, a ferry wharf a ‘ferry pictogram’ and vice versa. The guidelines implemented by ORTA would be the first attempt of a wayfinding strategy for Sydney. However, this rollout would only be for venues associated with the Olympics until two years later.

Sample of different bus stops

In 2002, Transport NSW created a new set of way-finding signage guidelines which would be the first one of its kind for navigating Sydney’s transport network. The report outlines the many types of bus stops to be used and how the signage would work at transport interchanges and hubs (such as Blacktown and Bondi). The guidelines would be rolled out across the network at upgraded interchanges and the network in general.

While the signage was easy to read and understand, only a small rollout was implemented where even today some railway stations (including Gosford, Turella and basically the whole Southern Highlands Line) still have way-finding signage dating back to the 1990s and bus stops that don’t even have a bus stop or still have bus stops with the classic icon dating back to 1992. Why Transport NSW never pushed for the rollout to be completed can be caused by basic bureaucracy or the fact that their were other bigger issues to face i.e. Waterfall and 60% on time running. These guidelines would be later go under numerous revisions some of which were pointless and costly. The best example was a revision to railway signage and the removal of the ‘yellow’ ring around its circles which resulted in signage being replaced after only being placed for less than 5 years. Another failed example was revision of all bus stops to be plinths which in term were more expensive than the previous model, more prone for vandalism, littered with outdated announcements, timetables or network maps and located on bus routes with infrequent services making the purpose of its location pointless.

By 2012 after the formation of Transport for NSW, it sort to begin consultation on a new wayfinding strategy which could not be done in the past 10 years and finally fix flaws and improve accessibility. TfNSW commissioned London-based Maynard to bring forward a new concept for Sydney and in mid-2013 a glimpse was unveiled at Milsons Point Station. The change saw some minor revisions such as returning back to a 1980s State Rail feel but one significant change was spotted.

Unlike before where pictograms would distinguish a transport mode, a T took its place. This decision was not by Maynard but by Transport for NSW as the proposal sought to use the original pictograms. The reasons was TfNSW wanted to distinguish not just a new wayfinding strategy but a new mode/service proposal as well. One would hop onto a T1 train and catch the F4 ferry as they announced. The new signage was panned by critics for the use of letters creating a element of confusion between transport modes. However, Sydney is not the only city that now distinguishes a train with a T, (take a bow Boston.)

The signage also had some negative aspects as well such as using a ‘poo brown’ colour to show a exit and poor visibility in dark areas. But it did have some significant advantages particularly for bus stops which now showed where one would be, where he/she would be going and a ‘transit stop number’ for use for SMS bus tracking. Despite being a ‘trial’ it was rolled out to numerous stations and wharfs until the opening of a new light rail route tipped the scales once more.

In 2014 TfNSW decided to redesign, the redesign. Out went the poo brown and the navy blue in line with black and in came the lollipop signs. This time, the signage would be official as part of the “Wayfinding Program” and a major tender was awarded for a complete state wide rollout “within the next four years”. Concord West and Shellharbour Junction were the first stations to be rolled out with the new signage revision. While most signs stayed the same, one major issue was replaced with another as platform information ceased to appear. Below is a photo of Town Hall old and new and straight away there is a big problem. While for some small stations its not so much of a problem but for big interchanges it will be and I will stress that out. I know people can now use a app to find platform information but for the rest, it will only make it more difficult. Look at Town Hall, try telling someone to interchange trains i.e. Burwood to Bondi Junction for the first time.

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Now I get the whole concept of simplicity but too much simplicity doesn’t always make things better. It’s a bit like designing a app, there needs to be a borderline between little and too much information. While TfNSW now wants to go down this path of minimalist design, I express a word of caution and that when those information displays fail, it will only make it worse not better.The Wayfinding Program will be a test. A test on if it can be rolled out in full unlike the previous disaster and providing some much needed improvements for wayfinding and accessibility. But this is just one half of what I’m asking. This is about if this will make Sydney’s transport system unique. Well for a city with its harbour and other attractions that push its par-average transport system to the side, it wouldn’t see it as something that will take the world by storm. But like before, the Wayfinding Program will finally address missing bus stops in Western Sydney, removal of outdated signage and hopefully make it easier for people to navigate our complex transport network regardless if the public are willing to pay for it or not. Till then, I await for the arrival of the M.

State of the Transport Apps

The applications I use to navigate Sydney’s transport network

There was a time when if you wanted transport information you would ring up a transport hotline or a bus company to mail you a bus timetable. In the past, transport organizations would print out large bus network booklets such as one from 1998 shown above or you would download PDF train timetables to the PDF reader on your Nokia phone. But that’s changed.

Trainview Screenshots

In 2009, the owner of Sydney’s railway network at the time Railcorp issued legal notices to four developers regarding copyright infringement and using timetable data that was considered “out of date”. One of the those apps ‘Tripview’ created by developer Nick Maher would later become one of Australia’s most used applications for finding public transport information and sits in the Top 10 of Google Play’s store and Apple’s App Store in the Australia market. In a interview to SMH in 2009, Nick talks about how his former app ‘Trainview’ which displayed a scrolling indicator and list view of all train times with a paid version of $10 for weekday timetables (which i brought — twice) and the proposition it could have been a licensed Cityrail app from 2007 but that idea soon dissolved. Former NSW Premier, Nathan Rees later dropped the legal dispute.

“I continued to sell it for a couple of years and just recently I contacted them to let them know I had a new version for the iPhone and they said they’d changed their stance with regards to copyright and that they weren’t giving any permission for people to use their timetable data in third-party apps.” — Nick Maher

The change of heart came at a time when Symbian phones went into freefall. The first stages was a SMS tracker for State Transit announced in March 2011 (now disconnected) and this later followed with three new approved apps for the use of real-time tracking of bus movements, Arrivo Sydney, TripGo and TripView. This followed with the the announcement of the NSW transport data program, new applications and the rollout of real time on most (but not all) modes of transport.

“Having real-time information is a game-changer when it comes to public transport,’’ former Transport Minister, Gladys Berejiklian

So with a wide variety of transport applications for Sydney. Here is my list of my preferred apps that I use. While most apps offer similar features, I don’t use one app in its entirety but on the nature of how I travel when and where.

Tripview

[Bypasses] are devices that allow some people to dash from point A to point B very fast while other people dash from point B to point A very fast. — The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

 

Tripview is my preferred app for set journeys. Tripview provides one of the most simplest designs available. Put in a point, set another point and there is your journey. Overtime, Tripview has evolved from the original designs of Trainview and the original version of 2009. New features including automatic routing, platform numbers, trackwork timetables and real time data provides up to date information on which journey to take and which ones have been affected. While Tripview has been a popular application for some time, it does lack some information particular for people with little knowledge of Sydney’s transport network. The downfall comes when transfers are involved for example if someone wanted to travel from Parramatta to Coogee Beach the app does not pick the journey and its up for the user to determine how they want to get from point A to point B (very fast). Nevertheless, Tripview is one of my main transport apps for getting to set planned journeys. Tripview also lacks a sync feature for saving journeys. Tripview is available free for Sydney and Melbourne on iOS, Android and Windows Phone with limited features with a paid app available for the cost of a well crafted latte.

NextThere

Now, you’re either on the bus or off the bus. If you’re on the bus, and you get left behind, then you’ll find it again. If you’re off the bus in the first place — then it won’t make a damn. — Ken Kesey

NextThere is one of the set of transport applications by developer Rupert Hanson. Like Tripview, the app has a very simple interface and provides real time transport data but unlike Tripview puts a more primary focus on the next service rather than the journey. The app provides location services to determine the closet transit stop (or entering in the transit stop number / location) and providing a list of every next service in a simple to read list. Nextthere also allows saving your favorite stops like your local train station or a bus interchange you frequently visit and also provides push notifications for those stops as well as alerts for the whole transport network where real time is provided. You can save up to 3 favorite stops or unlimited stops with a subscription. Stops can be arranged in a card format and stops can only show selected services. While i use Tripview for journeys and knowing when i arrive at Point B, i use NextThere for when I don’t tend to mind what time I arrive but when the next service comes. It is a bit more quicker than finding that journey on Tripview (or making it from scratch). Tripview also puts a much better approach on real time information with real time service notifications which is a real gem of a feature (shame not all transport operators provide this). In addition, features such as a mini-indicator in the Today view and the new 3D touch shortcuts make it worth while. The only features really missing would be a more simpler arrangement of stops (such as a smaller card view) and the ability to sync stops to all devices. Nexthere is available in limited cities free on iOS devices (sorry Android) with limited features with cheap in-app subscriptions. Make it worth while and support this app.

Triptastic

With Nexthere, there is also the paid Triptastic. Triptastic provides real time transport movements as it happens shown on a easy to read map. Triptastic colour codes all modes and provides one of the most easiest trip planners around. Tap on a point of interest and tap the smiling bus for a immediate result. Triptastic also provides features available with its sister NextThere including real time data forecasts, offline timetable data, transport alerts and a simple search feature with an option to save favorites. The only real drawback of Triptastic is the regular updates may take a toll with some data plans (about 10–15mb a week) and having real time movements is a bit clumsy in built up CBD areas making it hard to distinguish where each route goes. The colour coding may also confuse some users and can been seen as a drawback for some i.e. using Triptastic in New York City shows all subway lines in a single orange color.

Personally i use Triptastic for travel in areas where I may not know the area that well and for some this is an advantage. There was a time i would save PDF maps of bus maps back in the Symbian days but that no longer is the case with Triptastic. I would recommend this app for tourists and people not keen of the transport network around them. Triptastic is available in limited cities on iOS only.

Opal Travel

 

Opal Travel is the official Transport for NSW application which has replaced the 131500 Transport Info application removed in 2013. Like the above apps, Opal Travel’s main feature is really a trip planner with map but the app offers fare information when traveling with Opal, not available on Triptastic, Tripview and NextThere. Opal Travel also provides a NFC feature for Android phones to scan a Opal card to view previous trips, credit information and progress of the Weekly Travel Reward (travel 8 journeys a week, rest of week is free) although there are better apps out there such as MyOpal, Opal App and the Opal website. Besides that, Opal Travel lacks real time alerts but does allow saved trips. While i don’t use this app, I would recommend it if you prefer a simple trip planner app that shows fare information and being a official application although the best apps are not always free. Opal Travel is available free on iOS and Android.

Google Maps

 

Google Maps is a popular and near universal application providing transport information to most cities (laughing at Melbourne). Google Maps provides a simple trip planner but offers the differences of cycling, walking and driving. Google Maps also allows choosing when you travel and its mobile applications provide transit information of stops nearby to your location as well as a transit map similar to Triptastic but without real time vehicles. However, Google Maps does not provide real time travel alerts and can feel a bit clumsy when planning journeys. Google Maps is available free on iOS and Android.

TransportNSW.info

If apps are not your thing, there is also the simple mobile site of Transport NSW. Like Opal Travel it’s another basic trip planner and nothing more.

CityMapper

 

CityMapper is not available in Sydney however it has been first on the leaderboard for some time and is coming eventually. While this app has won numerous awards for its design and ease of use overseas, most other applications above (particularly Tripview and Triptastic) already provide the features available on CityMapper. While this is the case, CityMapper does have other unique features such as the Get me Home button, Offline Maps, fare information, compression of all modes like Google Maps and the use of Twitter feeds of transport operators within the app. The decision will be whether you want to support independent developers or not. Citymapper is available in selected cities free on iOS and Android.

Shutting down George Street. We have been there before

Grab your calendars, October 23 marks an important day in Sydney’s history. Whether you use public transport or not, the way people enter and exit the Sydney CBD will dramatically change. For those who don’t know, over the next three years, major construction will begin on the CBD and South East Light Rail project, bringing light rail back on George St in over 80 years.

Previous Light Rail Extension — Metropolitan Transport Plan 2010

However this project is not a “tram” system like the predecessor with priority at intersections, pedestrianised zones and no sharing with other vehicles unlike other cities including Melbourne and Toronto. Now with any major transport project there is bound to be criticism and this month the heat is building up with the NSW Opposition Leader Luke Foley, former NSW Premiers Nick Greiner and Bob Carr as well as the board of Infrastructure NSW all opposing the project, instead offering a bus tunnel solution similar to Brisbane as per the 2012 SIS Report or in Labor’s case, scrap the CBD section or divert it to Barangaroo as stated in Metropolitan Transport Plan by the former government in February 2010.

I’m not going to get into the light rail vs. BRT segment again as there are plenty of articles on the matter but I do want to focus on the George Street closure. There is no doubt that George Street plays a vital part in the spinal cord that is Sydney’s CBD road network but the road does close down time to time for major events such as ANZAC Day, New Year’s Eve, the International Fleet Review in 2013 and various protests by the *left* but the most important time where the Sydney CBD had to undertake major traffic and transport changes was during the Sydney Olympics.

In 2000, all of Sydney’s road and transport network was coordinated by one organisation, the Olympic Roads and Transport Authority, a bit like TfNSW from 15 years ago. In preparation for the Sydney Olympics, ORTA introduced a number of bus networks including Action Plans and Olympic Neighbourhood Activity brochures so that residents and businesses were ready for the planned road closures and transport changes. You can find most of ORTA’s traffic and transport routes over at Pandora. For the Sydney CBD, ORTA introduced three key parts.

Olympic Routes in Sydney CBD — ORTA

First was the Olympic Routes, a network of “Olympic Vehicles only” lanes backed with 24/7 clearways connecting one venue to another to avoid the traffic chaos from Atlanta 1996. The network gave athletes and officials confidence that they would get to venues on time and played such a successful role that they would play a big part in London 2012. In practise they worked similar to a Russian ZiL lane, dedicated for senior government officials. Buses and taxis could also use these lanes as well as regular vehicles when turning or entering property.

Cross City Routes in Sydney CBD — ORTA

The next part was the Cross City Route. This was chosen by ORTA instead of just a blanket “no cars” ban. These routes were also 24/7 clearways and played a major role for cross CBD connections back when the Eastern Distributor and Cross City Tunnel were yet a reality.

Street parking was removed but residents parking was retained around Pyrmont and Millers Point and deliveries were subjected to certain times only (1am — 10am). Taxis also introduced a 10% surcharge and parking fees rose to lure people away (in some cases fares doubled). Most importantly, parking was not available at most venues where park + ride facilities were instead encouraged. Park a car at a designed place (most likely a school carpark) and catch the shuttle bus.

Night Pedestrian Network — ORTA

Day Pedestrian Network — ORTA

The last part was the massive increase of Pedestrian activity in the Sydney CBD, especially due to the arts and events of Sydney 2000. To counter this ORTA created a Pedestrian day network where certain roads / lanes were closed off to vehicles between 5am and 3pm. In addition, a Pedestrian night network also operated between 3pm and 5am which opened up some extra roads.

In addition, ORTA undertook other measures to curb people not to drive into the CBD with an emphasis on public transport. Other measures included a CBD Bus Loop Shuttle similar to the current 555, free trains for spectators that ran 24 hours a day and increased services on all corridors. Walking was also encouraged to reduce loads around certain CBD stations, car pooling was promoted and an ORTA Business Plan was introduced to encourage businesses to alter working hours or let employees work at home.

The results of three years of planning by ORTA and test runs at Sydney Olympic Park achieved much praise from transport planners and the general public. Overall it worked remarkably well as set up a base template for Olympic transport and traffic planning for the future.

Corinne Mulley and Claudine Moutou from the Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies concluded that the success of the Sydney Olympics was a team effort from everyone and not just ORTA in general:

ORTA convinced Sydneysiders that there was no alternative and that if travel behaviour did not change for the Olympics there would be chaos: Sydneysiders embraced this message and took some responsibility for implementing a change which made the Olympics a success. — Corinne Mulley and Claudine Moutou, Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies, The University of Sydney

Adele Horin from the Sydney Morning Herald also commented of the success of the intermodal and integrated transport network at the time in an article for The Conversation:

As my bus cruised into the city this week in record time, I found myself wishing the Olympics would go on forever. Commuting has never been so pleasant: nor the city so delightful a destination, full of people, but mercifully emptied of cars — Adele Horin, SMH, September 23 2000.

Overall the success of the construction of the CBD and South East Light Rail will be based on two important factors; the co-ordination of Transport for NSW to alert and advise the people of Sydney of the road and transport changes in the months ahead but also the people of Sydney to embrace the changes like it did 15 years ago and understand that the patterns of travel that people undertake everyday has to change.

This will play a big role financially and politically on each side. Back in 2000 Sydney did not have the luxury of altering people of major CBD changes via the internet and through social media. This can play a big role in letting people know beforehand before causing the ‘chaos’ that some are hoping won’t come to reality.

But still it will be a team effort even though their are no gold medals this time. It is important that Transport for NSW market its transport network in a positive light, encourage people to ditch the car to the CBD at least and provide adequate staff to tell people where they need to go. It is important to note regardless of the fear that we have been hearing that we have done this before and we can do it again. Only this time it will be longer and harder.