For those who are unaware or disinterested in the clusterfuck that is Sydney Trains, this was quite predictable. After all, it was judged to be the fourth worst for operational efficiency of any metropolitan network in the world, whilst also being the most expensive. Not to mention the previous iteration of the agency and its minor difficulties with corruption.
If you were relying on Sydney Trains to get you home after midnight on New Year’s Eve during an electrical storm, the expression ”Plan B” should be firmly in your vocabulary.
Even the most die-hard fans of fireworks must be prepared for a masterclass in stoicism once the last rocket has been fired.
How bad was the latest train-related problem?
Delays of up to three-and-a-half hours were felt across the grid, with many New Year’s Eve revellers taking to social media to vent about the havoc that occurred after the midnight fireworks.
Jeesh, that’s a long post-midnight wait to get home or, more likely, to where your car is parked to then get you home. Not the best start to 2019.
Let’s look at an example;
Tania Holt had a similar experience after spending New Year’s Eve at Barangaroo Reserve with her family, including her five-month-old nephew Jenson.
Wait, what? You took a five month old baby to the middle of Sydney to see the New Year’s Eve fireworks? What could possibly go wrong?
Oh, maybe this (highlighting added);
“My nephew started to get extremely distressed and started to panic as many of the crowd were drunk and abusive as we passed through,” she said. “My brother and his fiancée were so upset by the end as they were just so worried about his safety; it was completely incompetent planning and appalling service.”
Yes, it certainly does look like a case of incompetent planning, taking a 5 month child to a very crowded New’s Year celebration when a storm is forecast.
Bill’s Opinion
“Accountability” is the mot du jour in Australia; from cricketers being accountable for cheating, to bankers being accountable for charging fees for no service, everyone wants to know who is/was accountable.
In true doublespeak though, what it tends to mean is, “someone else is accountable“. Hence why it’s not the fault of the parents of a young baby that they found themselves stuck in the middle of a boisterous and unhappy crowd long after midnight in a thunderstorm.
Heaven forbid that they put the best interests of their 5 month old baby first and stay home on New Years Eve! I am guessing that the parents are part of the “Me Generation”, why should they forego the fireworks display just because they had a baby? Some one (the gubberment?) should have made sure that there were plans in place to cater just for young parents.
Not to mention the fact that I have seen 10 year old children reduced to tears by the local Australia Day fireworks (a pretty tame affair), one can only imagine the effects of the Sydney NYE fireworks on babies and small children.