Posted to Your News, Waverley Leader on 23/4/2011
No to pets on V/Line trains
Whether it is just for Easter or Christmas period to have pets on V/Line, the answer should be a NO! In fact, it should be a blanket NO for pets to be on any public transport at all time.
This should not be confused with having guide dogs accompanying the visually impaired on public transport. The guide dogs are more than just pets, they are instruments used to assist the visually impaired to gain mobility which most people take for granted.
A pet can be as poisonous and small as a spider, and as well-behave and big as a bull. Where do we draw the line? If pets are allowed on trains, be it V/Line or Metro, that is going to set a precedence in allowing pets in food premises, movie theatres, aeroplanes, public swimming pools, workplace and list just goes on.
Hasn't Transport Minister Mulder got better things to do? Perhaps he needs a bit more "training" for his position!
Some people argue that pets are allowed on public transport in many European countries, and that Australia is backward by not following the European example.
We don't need to follow what the Europeans do, because we are Australians NOT Europeans. Economically we are better than many European countries, because we are a better nation. In short they should follow our example. It is sorry to see so many Australians having the me-too mentality.
I do not belong to any union, and I do not like to knock any unionist for the sake of doing so. Train workers have a job to do, and their role is to look after the human passengers. Furthermore, it is not ill-founded that there are risks in handling pets. New sets of laws have to be drawn up for dealing with unruly behaviour of pets on public transport.
Having pets on the train is like asking RSPCA to use pet shelters to accommodate homeless people. There are places for people, and there are places for animals.
No to pets on V/Line trains
Whether it is just for Easter or Christmas period to have pets on V/Line, the answer should be a NO! In fact, it should be a blanket NO for pets to be on any public transport at all time.
This should not be confused with having guide dogs accompanying the visually impaired on public transport. The guide dogs are more than just pets, they are instruments used to assist the visually impaired to gain mobility which most people take for granted.
A pet can be as poisonous and small as a spider, and as well-behave and big as a bull. Where do we draw the line? If pets are allowed on trains, be it V/Line or Metro, that is going to set a precedence in allowing pets in food premises, movie theatres, aeroplanes, public swimming pools, workplace and list just goes on.
Hasn't Transport Minister Mulder got better things to do? Perhaps he needs a bit more "training" for his position!
Some people argue that pets are allowed on public transport in many European countries, and that Australia is backward by not following the European example.
We don't need to follow what the Europeans do, because we are Australians NOT Europeans. Economically we are better than many European countries, because we are a better nation. In short they should follow our example. It is sorry to see so many Australians having the me-too mentality.
I do not belong to any union, and I do not like to knock any unionist for the sake of doing so. Train workers have a job to do, and their role is to look after the human passengers. Furthermore, it is not ill-founded that there are risks in handling pets. New sets of laws have to be drawn up for dealing with unruly behaviour of pets on public transport.
Having pets on the train is like asking RSPCA to use pet shelters to accommodate homeless people. There are places for people, and there are places for animals.
