Friday, December 30, 2005

A reasonable expectation of Rape

Today, Connex chose yet again to cancel my train. Although they publish misleading figures suggesting cancellations are low, in fact, for whatever reason, certain lines are cancelled frequently. Mine is the last you can catch to get to the city for a 9 o'clock start, so this seems particularly contemptuous.

Each day I sit in carriages where 2 or 3 arseholes inflict their usually inexplicably bad taste in music on the rest of us. In evenings, and even more so on weekends, violence is an ever-present threat, with thugs of various descriptions freely pissing up, chroming down, and hurling abuse at each other and along the carriage.

I've been threatened by one of the failed cops they recruit for the heinous act of putting one foot on a metal bar- not even the seat. And you can guarantee if you skip a ticket they'll be onto you like a pack of hyenas.

But security? As a right, as a reasonable expectation held by the public transport user, as an essential pre-requisite to moving more people out of cars into trains? Forget it.

You can be raped, you should know, and what's more it's your responsibility not to offer yourself up by such wanton acts as... drifting off to sleep:
A 55-year-old man charged over the rape of a 20-year-old woman on a train yesterday was arrested after he was recognised on last night's television news, police confirmed today.
Good that he's caught, but have a read of this:
Senior Constable Twaits said the attack was "very opportunistic, very brazen and quite callous."It is probably a timely reminder for those travelling on public transport to be mindful of their surroundings".
Maybe. Maybe, Cont-stable Twats, it's a timely reminder of the fact that between you and Connex someone is not doing their job.

7 comments:

cfsmtb said...

I was attacked on the Upfield line five years ago. My bike was the 'cause' of this altercation. The little shits wanted it. I basically said fuck off. Nasty punch on followed. So much for chivalry, huh?

Anyway, I wanted to follow up this attempted robbery & assault, and was duly informed 'there's no video surveillance, can't investigate' blahblahblah.

Moral, if any. There's been something wrong for a while. A long fucking while.

GS said...

One of the commercial networks announced the story last night saying "there has been a sexual assault on a train". I just couldn't get the image of some guy humping a locomotive out of my mind.

But I digress and this is no laughing matter. They have the guy on video putting the assault on hold when the ticket inspectors came through the carriage. Remember Connex only inspect tickets not stop rapes. It's not in their job description.

One Christmas I caught the overnight train from Sydney to Mullumbimby. When booking my ticket I was asked if I wanted a seat in the 'women and childrens carriage', I looked puzzled but they strongly suggested i did, saying I was free to move out of the carriage if i wanted to once I was on the train. Through the night guards contiunously bought women to the carriage as a make shift refuge. We had a guard semi permanently looking after us. It was very spooky, as if this warzone was going out just out of view. The authorities knew that drunkeness and assaults were a major feature of the trip, that some passengers were in danger and attempted to do something to rectify the situation (other than loosing their profit on alcohol sales).

How many women need to be assaulted on public transport before guards and conductors are bought back? (The answer is of course, a hell of a lot to ever cause them financial dyscomfort). In the meantime we (women) have to fork out money for taxis because its not safe to walk or catch the train...agian.

Unknown said...

Sometimes I think the NSW Transit Police are scarier than the drunk or whatever potential troublemakers.

I have a feeling, like security guards, that none of these people would qualify, particularly on psychological grounds, for the police force.

I have just about given up travelling on my local interurban service (Sydney to Katoomba) because of drunken yobos, REALLY strange people etc. As you say, travel without a ticket and your done over really well, but be a victim of assault .... sorry, what was you name?

JahTeh said...

Going waaaay back, I remember the carriage nearest the driver was for women, late at night, Melb to frankston.
We always felt safe in that carriage and being sometimes overtired (hic) could have forty winks.

Anonymous said...

Since moving to Melbourne, I haven't been overly impressed with the Connex service and I prefer to catch the tram. Stops closer to my home, anyway.

I don't think the police can be in million places at once, however.

Hope marriage is treating you well.

Armagnac Esq said...

Sorry Helen, I'm just armaniac here.. Helen said:


"Thanks for this post ....."

BwcaBrownie said...

Jahteh!!! The FRANKSTON line? at night?
You wouldn't get on it without a gun.

While working in melbourne I used to get on at Flagstaff for Sandringham and on Fridays hoons with SLABS of cans would get on and drink. it was surreal that other passengers would ignore this 'elephant'.

When I mentioned it to station staff they said to me "ho ho its worse on the Frankston line - they piss out the doors".
Let me know if you ever see peter batchelor travel by train without a film crew.