Thursday, October 14, 2010

Thai Restaurant Bulleen - Instead of Chicken Tonight perhaps think about Thai Tonight

The aim of JustLocal is to encourage local businesses to promote themselves online so locals can more easily find and use their services. It is my belief every restaurant, tradesperson and in fact any small local business can help their potential customers by having a basic web presence.

When we have friends over and we’re thinking about grabbing some local takeaway, often the only menu we can find online is one of the big well known companies. There’s nothing wrong with that but I also like to also help the smaller businesses when I can.

I’ve recently sponsored and completed a menu for a new Thai restaurant in Bulleen, Tra-La Thai Restaurant, so now you can check out their menu online and enjoy some delicious Thai food. I’ve eaten there a number of times. Recently my daughter and a friend went there and we’ve all had a lovely experience.

Please feel free to check out the Tra-La Thai Restaurant’s menu at www.Tra-LaThaiRestaurant.com. You can also find Tra-La Thai Restaurant on the JustLocal 3105 page (www.JustLocal.com.au/3105).

 

Kelvin Eldridge

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

TED: Ideas worth spreading

I’ve listened to a number of the talks from a site called TED. I find some of the ideas shared to be thought provoking and felt that perhaps others may wish to know about the site.

 

Riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world

- Kelvin Eldridge

TRUCK LANE RESTRICTIONS ON EASTERN FREEWAY NEXT WEEK

Trucks travelling on the Eastern Freeway will be restricted from the right hand lane from next week, Roads and Ports Minister Tim Pallas announced today.

I found this article as a result of the discussion on this forum http://www.netrider.net.au/forums/showthread.php?t=116059. I hadn’t been aware these changes were coming about. Things just seem to happen in Victoria without any input by the people.

I was driving back from Geelong on Monday using the freeway and noticed some writing in the right lane indicating some form of restriction. There was three lanes. No one was in the right lane. I was in the left lane and a car was further back in the middle lane. I could see a truck approaching that was stuck behind the car in the middle lane. I had my cruise control on and my car was gradually moving further forward. The truck moved into the lane behind me. My cruise control was set to 100kph but I know because of the way most speedometers are set low and I’d just measured my 100kph speed using the speed check, that I was really doing 95kph. So here is a truck that can overtake in the right lane which had no traffic at all, now forced to be stuck behind slower cars in the middle and left lane. I moved into the centre lane enabling the truck to move on and then moved back to the left lane after the truck had moved ahead. The driver showed their appreciation.

I understand there will be reasons for the laws to be changed. But when I see a situation like this it reminds me the government seems to use a sledge hammer to crack a nut. Surely when there is a low volume of traffic and no one is in the right lane, trucks should be able to use the lane for a short period to pass slower moving traffic. I have to add I don’t know any of the specific reasons for the new legislation. It would be interesting to see a list of the reasons for the change in legislation, the options considered and why this was considered the best compromise.

- Kelvin Eldridge

New SmartBus Routes and DART Smartbus 901, 905, 906, 907, 908.

I found the references to Smartbus and then DART to be somewhat confusing. Are there now three bus services or something I thought. So I thought I’d simplify things. A bus is a bus. Just think of the Smartbus and DART as marketing, remove the terms and think of a bus service. Then it becomes simpler.

901 – This bus goes from Frankston to Melbourne Airport. Quite a few people have said to me who’d bother. But I reply, “think of the bus as a continuous route where you can get on and off where it suits you. If I just want to go from Templestowe to the Pines I can”. Just because a bus can go from Frankston to Melbourne Airport doesn’t mean we all have to use it that way. The 901 travels up Blackburn road to the Pines, along Reynolds Road, Fitzsimmons Lane, Main Road, Para Road, Greensborough Station. To me we now have a service which services Templestowe, Doncaster East, and can be used to go to Greensborough Plaza, The Pines and at a push, Ringwood shopping centre.

905 – City to The Pines. This bus travels from Lonsdale Street, Victoria Parade, Hoddle Street, Eastern Freeway, Thompsons Road, Parker Street, Porter Street, Blackburn Road, The Pines. It replaces the old 301 route and now makes the service a continuous service every fifteen minutes between 6:30am and 9Pm on weekdays and 30 minutes at other times. Previously the 301 stopped travelling to the city and a bus charge was required.

906 – City to Warrandyte. This bus travels from Lonsdale Street, Victoria Parade, Hoddle Street, Eastern Freeway, Blackburn Road, The Pines, Andersons Creek Road, Heidelberg Warrandyte Road, Warrandyte. The bus runs seven days a week every 7-10 minutes during peak times, every 15 minutes during weekdays and every 30 minutes at other times.

907 – City to Mitcham. This bus travels from Lonsdale Street, Victoria Parade, Hoddle Street, Eastern Freeway, Doncaster Road, Mitcham Road, Mitcham Station. The bus runs seven days a week every 7-10 minutes during peak times, every 15 minutes during weekdays and every 30 minutes at other times.

908 – City to The Pines. This bus travels from Lonsdale Street, Victoria Parade, Hoddle Street, Eastern Freeway, High Street, King Street, Blackburn Road, The Pines. The bus runs seven days a week every 7-10 minutes during peak times, every 15 minutes during weekdays and every 30 minutes at other times.

To me the really interesting route is the 901. Because this always stays in zone 2, it means only a zone 2 ticket is required and that can be more cost effective.

I still feel there are two aspects missing. A bus going from The Pines to Heidelberg station via Foote Street and Templestowe Road would help reduce one bus for locals travelling to La Trobe University and those taking the train from Heidelberg station. A second aspect is the cost of public transport discourages very short trips. It costs me the same to go from Frankston to the Airport as it does to go from my local bus stop to Templestowe Village shops or up to the local swimming pool. I noticed the same problem in the UK. Short trips aren’t encouraged and I think that is short-sighted. This encourages people to use their cars. The fuller buses are the better for the environment. When buses run around empty and via quite indirect paths, a fuel efficient car may be a better environmental choice and that shouldn’t be the case. A gold coin option for short trips on buses I feel should be part of our public transport options.

The update to the bus network in the Templestowe area is a welcome change. Will it encourage more people to use public transport. Only time will tell.

Kelvin Eldridge

 

 

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Reduce the need for printed catalogues like Target's

I often think there is no need for printed catalogues from most of the major department stores and have a no junk mail sign on my letterbox. Unfortunately that doesn’t stop the department stores as they simply move their catalogues into the local papers and local papers ignore the no junk mail signs. If I want to check out a department store’s catalogue I just go to their site such as Target’s (http://target.dynamiccatalogue.com.au/portal?lsm) and select the area. Catalogues will keep coming because department stores make money from the catalogues as advertisers have to pay for product placement. If catalogues were a cost they’d probably stop tomorrow and that would save a lot of trees. Check out the online catalogues. You can often find out the information before your local paper arrives. When I’m looking to buy a commonly advertised item I’ve often checked for and found products using the online catalogues saving some money.

Kelvin Eldridge

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Free passes to local gyms

I found this link (http://www.gymlink.com.au/Gym-Bulleen/VIC) and couldn’t help feel a free pass is a good way to test out each gym if you are thinking of joining a gym.

Kelvin Eldridge

Monday, October 4, 2010

Mobile speed camera locations (Bulleen, Doncaster, Doncaster East, Eltham, Lower Plenty, Montmorency, Templestowe, Templestowe Lower, Warrandyte)

Published mobile speed camera locations for October 2010.

Bulleen
Bulleen Road, between Thompsons Road and Manningham Road

Doncaster
King Street, between Williamsons Road and Veda Court
George Street, between Victoria Street and Williamsons Road
High Street, between Manningham Road and Doncaster Road
Wetherby Road, between Doncaster Road and Koonung Creek
Doncaster Road, between Rose Street and High Street

Doncaster East
Doncaster Road, between Blackburn Road and Wetherby Road
King Street, between Nedlands Court and Ashcroft Avenue
Blackburn Road, between Raintree Road and Johns Grove
Blackburn Road, between Beverley Street and Turnstone Street
Blackburn Road, between Reynolds Road and King Street

Eltham
Main Road, between Leane Drive and Kalbar Road

Montmorency
Sherbourne Road, between Porter Street and Karingal Drive

Templestowe
High Street, between Rosemary Street and Linton Avenue
Serpells Road, between Church Road and Killibury Court
Reynolds Road, between Hawtin Street and Smiths Road

Templestowe Lower
Manningham Road, between Ayr Street and High Street

North Warrandyte
Research-Warrandyte Road, between Camelot Close and San Angelo Road


Kelvin Eldridge