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Military Rd vs the Ferry

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      jdennis Junior Train Controller

    Hi fellow Railpagers,

    I will be in Sydney with some friends in a few weeks to check out the University of Sydney open day. We are staying in Manly and plan to travel to USYD to get there by 9am on the Saturday of the open day. My question is, what will be the state of Military and Spit Roads at that time? I have a feeling it would be just easier to get the ferry across, but this also means taking a train to Central and then walking to Railway Square to get the free bus to USYD. My friends, on the other hand, would prefer to drive because of the supposed convenience - but if the traffic is bad then this obviously becomes very inconvenient.

    What do you think?
    Posted: 10 Aug 2013 18:11

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      awsgc24 Minister for Railways

    Location: Sydney

    What do you think?
    jdennis

    On occasions, the ferry is cancelled because of:
    * fog
    * rough weather
    * strikes
    * mechanical breakdowns (hopefully getting fewer)
    Posted: 10 Aug 2013 20:47

    Last edited by awsgc24 on 10 Aug 2013 20:47; edited 1 time in total
      Watson374 Chief Commissioner

    Location: Fully reclined at the pointy end.
    On the morning of your departure to the USyd Open Day, check the service status. If the ferry isn't cancelled due to fog, rain storms, hail storms, snow storms, lightning storms, ferry crew strike, wharf crew strike, management strike, control room strike, Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority strike, broken ferries, stranded ferries, sinking ferries or some other problem, take the ferry and change to a train from Circular Quay to Central and walk to Railway Square, connecting to the free bus. (Or take the STA bus all the way to USyd.)

    Military Rd will be horrifically congested. You could take an E70 to Wynyard and change, but honestly in terms of novelty value, the ferry wins - the bus ride has only one short high point (crossing the Spit) whilst the ferry has the awesomeness all the way through to Circular Quay.

    Please be aware that unless you're using an unlimited periodical, like a Daypass, the ferry will be considerably more expensive than the bus.
    Posted: 10 Aug 2013 21:18
      jdennis Junior Train Controller

    ...fog, rain storms, hail storms, snow storms, lightning storms, ferry crew strike, wharf crew strike, management strike, control room strike, Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority strike, broken ferries, stranded ferries, sinking ferries or some other problem...
    "Watson374"

    Those unions are at it again! Just kidding of course, but I never realised the ferry had such a reputation for being unreliable!

    Thanks for the advice, I agree with you that the ferry would be the best option - the bus is pretty pointless though as if we're going to be stuck on Military Rd all day, we may as well be in the comfort of a car.

    The difficult part is going to be convincing my friends that the "awesomeness" of the ferry is actually better than the car... sadly I suspect that I'm not going to be successful. (Honestly I can't understand why people love car travel so much ... but that's another discussion entirely).
    Posted: 10 Aug 2013 21:30
      theanimal Chief Commissioner

    On occasions, the ferry is cancelled because of:
    * fog
    * rough weather
    * strikes
    * mechanical breakdowns (hopefully getting fewer)
    awsgc24
    when was the last time there was a ferry strike?
    Posted: 10 Aug 2013 21:39
      Watson374 Chief Commissioner

    Location: Fully reclined at the pointy end.
    Those unions are at it again! Just kidding of course, but I never realised the ferry had such a reputation for being unreliable!
    "jdennis"
    I jest - it's quite reliable nowadays, but the frequency isn't great. (Of course, Manly being Manly, you could nip round the back for a lovely flat white, but I digress.) Generally, though, it's more reliable than the buses which are liable to jams.

    Thanks for the advice, I agree with you that the ferry would be the best option - the bus is pretty pointless though as if we're going to be stuck on Military Rd all day, we may as well be in the comfort of a car
    "jdennis"
    At least you're still paying the same fare, not more for petrol burned while going absolutely nowhere.

    The difficult part is going to be convincing my friends that the "awesomeness" of the ferry is actually better than the car... sadly I suspect that I'm not going to be successful. (Honestly I can't understand why people love car travel so much ... but that's another discussion entirely).
    "jdennis"
    Tell them that it's a fun ride, and that if after the ride they think it sucks they can hooning on the Wakehurst Parkway at midnight.

    Also, parking around USyd is a pain - it's either really hard to get, or it costs an arm and a leg.
    Posted: 10 Aug 2013 22:10

    Last edited by Watson374 on 10 Aug 2013 22:11; edited 1 time in total
      jdennis Junior Train Controller

    Tell them that it's a fun ride, and that if after the ride they think it sucks they can hooning on the Wakehurst Parkway at midnight.

    Also, parking around USyd is a pain - it's either really hard to get, or it costs an arm and a leg.
    "Watson374"


    I'm not sure that we'd be going to the uni open day if we were interested in hooning on Sydney's roads at midnight!

    The parking issue will probably be even more of a problem on Open Day as there'll be so many people around - also, we are planning on going into the city after we've finished at the uni, so we may have to cough up a fair bit for that too.

    Thanks for your advice Watson - if we end up driving, at least I'll be able to say "I TOLD YOU SO!" when we encounter a wall of traffic on Military Rd!
    Posted: 10 Aug 2013 22:21
      remotemants Train Controller

    Location: Northern Beaches, Sydney
    Everyone seems to have missed the point jdennis said he/she is travelling on a Saturday. There will be normal non-peak traffic before 9am on a Saturday. I drive to USYD from Manly on Saturday mornings regularly and it always takes about 30 minutes (vs 60 minutes ferry/train/bus/walk). Your main concern will become parking, which around that area isn't great unless you're prepared to pay a little, walk a little, or do a few laps of the streets for a while.
    Posted: 10 Aug 2013 22:32
      jdennis Junior Train Controller

    Everyone seems to have missed the point jdennis said he/she is travelling on a Saturday. There will be normal non-peak traffic before 9am on a Saturday. I drive to USYD from Manly on Saturday mornings regularly and it always takes about 30 minutes (vs 60 minutes ferry/train/bus/walk). Your main concern will become parking, which around that area isn't great unless you're prepared to pay a little, walk a little, or do a few laps of the streets for a while.
    "remotemants"


    That's a good point, as I didn't think there would be a great deal of difference between a weekday and a weekend, now that so many businesses are open on weekends and the number of people that travel for other reasons. Still, it seems parking is going to be a bit of a difficulty...
    Posted: 10 Aug 2013 22:53
      Watson374 Chief Commissioner

    Location: Fully reclined at the pointy end.
    Weekend? Oh, I knew that...

    No, the difference on weekends is noticeable - the traffic isn't nearly as great and the peak is later. That said, parking will still be a right royal pain, and on that basis I still recommend the ferry.

    Why not also come to the UTS one? ;P
    Posted: 10 Aug 2013 23:26
      awsgc24 Minister for Railways

    Location: Sydney
    when was the last time there was a ferry strike?
    theanimal

    Ferry "strike" includes "stop-work-meeting".
    Posted: 10 Aug 2013 23:32
      Goose Chief Train Controller

    when was the last time there was a ferry strike?
    theanimal
    ...........on a Saturday?
    Posted: 11 Aug 2013 07:27
      simonl Chief Commissioner

    Location: Brisbane
    I would make this trip at that time by road, unless part of the goal is to take the ferry, which is a far more idealistic trip.  In fact, if there are a few of you and you don't have a car you could likely do the trip in a taxi for under $50.  I wouldn't expect a huge amount of traffic heading to USyd, but you'll get killed on the way home.

    E70 on a Saturday, eh?

    Little difference between weekday and weekend heading to the CBD before 9am?  Hmm, I don't think so.
    Posted: 11 Aug 2013 09:21
      theanimal Chief Commissioner

    Ferry "strike" includes "stop-work-meeting".
    awsgc24
    Wwll ok,

    when was the last stop work meeting

    I would me more worried about a meteorite strike
    Posted: 11 Aug 2013 09:25
      bowralcommuter Chief Commissioner

    Location: Asleep on a Manly Ferry
    I drove to my uni once at North Sydney, never doing it ever again!!! Razz I would get the bus if finance is a priority, otherwise the ferry. Even on Saturdays now there is increasing traffic on Spit and Military Rd, albeit peaking not until 10-11am. On the odd occasion I haven't caught the L88/L90/E88 and stuck at the Spit Bridge I turn my engine off to save some fuel Smile.
    Posted: 11 Aug 2013 14:04
      Jim K Train Controller

    Location: Well west of the Great Divide in NSW but not as far as South Australia
    Road: 9am on a Saturday on Military Road is still painful, not as bad as a weekday, but still some pain.... I would allow 50 minutes. I assume there is parking at the Uni? If not, parking will be your pain too!

    Ferry: If it is in a 'few weeks', September/October: Very little chance of fog causing issues, and generally the Manly run is the last to be affected by fog. Fog affects inner harbour services more so.
    I can put a lot of money there wont be a strike... on Saturday... and less chance of it happening now that they are privately operated.
    Posted: 11 Aug 2013 14:54
      theanimal Chief Commissioner

    Ferry "strike" includes "stop-work-meeting".
    awsgc24
    and the world waits patiently for awsgc24 to provide us with information on the plethora of "strikes"& "stop work meetings "that have bedeviled ferry customers in Sydney harbour, or wait, perhaps he is referring to the disruption caused when the Japanese navy torpedoed the Kuttabul in 1942?
    Posted: 11 Aug 2013 17:04
      simonl Chief Commissioner

    Location: Brisbane
    Road: 9am on a Saturday on Military Road is still painful, not as bad as a weekday, but still some pain.... I would allow 50 minutes. I assume there is parking at the Uni? If not, parking will be your pain too!
    Jim K
    Vs Ferry.  30 minutes on the ferry, 10 minutes on the train to Redfern, 10 minutes walk Redfern to USyd.  This ignores walk time to the ferry and waiting time.  I'd be thinking of getting on the 8am ferry ex-Manly so you'd need to add your walk time to the wharf.  And it's not cheap either.
    Posted: 11 Aug 2013 17:36
      matthewg Train Controller

    On a Saturday, Military road is likely to be little better than a parking lot.

    At any rate, there will be no where to park when you get there. The Usyd Uni campus has very little parking at the best of times, and while they have made parking free for the open day, don't expect to find any places.

    Between Military Road and driving around in Circles around Glebe and Darlington looking for a park, it will be quicker to walk!.

    I'd get the Ferry to the Quay and the train to Redfern and walk to the campus.

    I work for Usyd and walk from Redfern every day, so I might be biased Smile. I also work in Engineering, which is on the Redern side of the campus.

    However I'm not allergic to walking unlike many people who find having to walk more than 200m from their car impossible.
    Posted: 18 Aug 2013 08:49
      lunchbox Locomotive Driver

    1 - Ferry to Circular Quay
    2 - Train, to Redfern, and walk

    In the most unlikely event that the ferry is not available, catch a bus to Mosman and change to Metrobus (the red ones) M30, which will take you direct to the Uni.  Twenty min frequency - no probs - its pre-pay so get a ticket from a convenience store.
    Posted: 18 Aug 2013 18:48

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