Public Transport
Posted at 17:05
The first train leaving from Wishaw to Glasgow on a Sunday is at 1030 hours. I know this because I just looked it up and gawped copious amounts of disbelief aimed at the narrow-minded typical-small-village stereotyping successfully achieved by fat-cats in large suits with large BMWs.
And so I pose the question, How do I get to work on a Sunday? At least, not without leaving at least another hour early and head to Motherwell instead (on top of the extra hour I already do), to reach a city which is, funnily enough, a mere thirty minute drive!
I am really sick of Government bodies telling us to "use public transport", "save the o-zone layer" and suchlike. What about more rural areas, like Overtown and Wishaw? Why is it that despite the fact both bus and rail companies are operated by First, they don't seem to have any interlinking facilities whatsoever? Not only are the buses at the current moment sporadic and unreliable - albeit they have just taken over from Hutchison - but timings are all over the place with regards to bus/railway interlinking.
I have no idea what the hell goes through the mind of someone when they decide the first train on a Sunday should run at half past ten; maybe they think that everyone in small towns sleep all morning?
I think the worst thing is knowing that I can't make a difference. Not myself. And it doesn't matter how many people read this and agree with me, or how many of my friends appreciate my musings, or how many old women I hear grumbling at bus stops, none of us will do a thing about it. Sure, we might have a 'crazy' moment and write a large essay-style rant to First Group, we might even talk to some useless Member of Parliament and pathetically wait for their monotonous general we-sympathise-with-you-but response that so many of us have come to accept with customer service e-mails nowadays, however it won't make a blind bit of difference. The buses will continue to advertise "AT LEAST every 10 minutes" but you'll find yourself waiting double and checking up on your "I Can Tell the Time" pre-school book just to make sure you aren't imagining things, and the trains will continue to be absolute pap (although they are generally on time, lets give them at least one point for that). Head Offices will continue to command exactly when we can travel, MPs will continue to talk far too much, and I will continue to sit here, in a quiet rage, pissed off because I want to change the world, but I can't.
And so I pose the question, How do I get to work on a Sunday? At least, not without leaving at least another hour early and head to Motherwell instead (on top of the extra hour I already do), to reach a city which is, funnily enough, a mere thirty minute drive!
I am really sick of Government bodies telling us to "use public transport", "save the o-zone layer" and suchlike. What about more rural areas, like Overtown and Wishaw? Why is it that despite the fact both bus and rail companies are operated by First, they don't seem to have any interlinking facilities whatsoever? Not only are the buses at the current moment sporadic and unreliable - albeit they have just taken over from Hutchison - but timings are all over the place with regards to bus/railway interlinking.
I have no idea what the hell goes through the mind of someone when they decide the first train on a Sunday should run at half past ten; maybe they think that everyone in small towns sleep all morning?
I think the worst thing is knowing that I can't make a difference. Not myself. And it doesn't matter how many people read this and agree with me, or how many of my friends appreciate my musings, or how many old women I hear grumbling at bus stops, none of us will do a thing about it. Sure, we might have a 'crazy' moment and write a large essay-style rant to First Group, we might even talk to some useless Member of Parliament and pathetically wait for their monotonous general we-sympathise-with-you-but response that so many of us have come to accept with customer service e-mails nowadays, however it won't make a blind bit of difference. The buses will continue to advertise "AT LEAST every 10 minutes" but you'll find yourself waiting double and checking up on your "I Can Tell the Time" pre-school book just to make sure you aren't imagining things, and the trains will continue to be absolute pap (although they are generally on time, lets give them at least one point for that). Head Offices will continue to command exactly when we can travel, MPs will continue to talk far too much, and I will continue to sit here, in a quiet rage, pissed off because I want to change the world, but I can't.