Bus lane proposal on High Street Doncaster.

Yet another bus lane to further restrict the flow of cars in the Manningham area. Fifteen per cent of the travelling public to further disadvantage the 85% of local residents who use cars. Traffic flow should be improved for everyone, not just for government run facilities. Then bus lanes wouldn’t be required.

VicRoads is proposing to install a part-time bus lane on High Street, Doncaster later in 2012. The bus lane will run southbound from north of Stutt Avenue to Doncaster Road and will operate from 7am-9am and 4pm-7pm, Monday to Friday.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
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Manningham seniors Beryl Gray and Doss Lusted celebrate the 30th anniversary of Doncare's Social Support Group.

Operated from Wesley Uniting Church in Doncaster East every Tuesday, the group’s management was taken over by welfare organisation Doncare 10 years ago.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
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Fouad Elias, of Doncaster

Fouad Elias, of Doncaster, said the pilot had told passengers something "weird" had been found in the plane and he was returning to Melbourne.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
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80 per cent issued for speeds less than 10km/h over the limit.

State government statistics show more than 1.1 million speeding fines were issued in the 2010–11 financial year, with 80 per cent issued for speeds less than 10km/h over the limit. ... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
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Whitehorse rail plan gets thumbs down

A BOX HILL-Doncaster rail line proposed by Whitehorse council has failed to win support from neighbouring Manningham City Council.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
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Principal Eva McMaster said that following the successful trial

DONCASTER Secondary College is one of three Victorian schools to trial a program to educate year 8 students about positive body image.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
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Talks for striking Doncaster workers

Hundreds of Hanson Construction Materials employees walked off the job last Monday to try to secure improved pay and working conditions.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
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29-year-old Doncaster man

THE last living moments of a man who died after being hit by a bus will be re-enacted tomorrow in Melbourne's southeast in a bid to unravel his mystery demise. ... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
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Balwyn Subway tricked with fake money

The following article doesn’t relate to Doncaster directly, but because of the proximity to Doncaster and that people are presenting fake money it is good for local traders to be aware.

BOROONDARA shoppers and traders are being warned to keep an eye out for fake money after a Balwyn Subway was targeted with counterfeit cash.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
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Speed camera in High Street Doncaster on Trapster

I noticed cars flashing their lights on High Street Doncaster, a sure sign of a speed trap in the vicinity

I decided when I wasn't driving to check Trapster and yes the location was a known enforcement point.

If speed cameras concern you then checking where cameras are located will give you peace of mind.

I don't generally speed but none of us are perfect. Keep the speed down and you won't get fined.
Everyone I talk to believes speed cameras are largely to raise revenue, but do you really want to be giving the government even more money. At least with speeding fines you control if they get the money.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
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Doncaster Rail Study: Options divide community

I often think about the prospect of rail to Doncaster and often for me it doesn’t seem to make sense. One argument is we are the only municipality without a heavy rail line. Does that really matter? We have a line to Eltham to the North and a line to Box Hill to the South. I’m sure there are other areas around Melbourne that need to travel further to their rail line in a municipality that has one.

Where is the parking? Parking at existing stations is inadequate so are we to expect parking at new stations will magically be any better. Certainly paid parking at Shoppingtown would kill parking in that area for train travel and free parking would create a conflict with paid parking at Shoppingtown.

Interestingly I thought the comment was probably the best aspect of the article. The commenter suggested a light rail (tram) from Doncaster to Box Hill. That made me think about the Balwyn tram line and how it finishes in the middle of nowhere. On a Sunday to get from the end of the tram line to Shoppingtown can take hours between buses. That simply doesn’t make sense. That isn’t a public transport system that people will use.

Why not extend the Balwyn line to Shoppingtown and then to Box Hill to create a loop.

For me the missing element of public transport is a bus from The Pines in Doncaster East along Foote Street, Templestowe Road to Heidelberg Station. As it is now the delays caused by multiple buses means it isn’t a timely way to travel yet it would knock of a considerable amount of time having to go to Eltham first.

The biggest bottleneck is the bridge joining Bulleen and Heidelberg. If the Greensborough ring road was extended to East Link much of the traffic would be removed from that area making it much better for public transport. As it is now, buses are delayed with the heavy traffic.

What is really missing is for politicians to use public transport. If they did we’d have the best system in the world. As it is they make decisions on public transport they wouldn’t even use themselves. Force politicians to use public transport and we’d get some real world decisions being made.

Ultimately however JustLocal is about getting people to think about doing more locally. Do we really need a heavy rail system? If we put the same amount of thought and funding to create local jobs the need for heavy rail systems to the area and for much of the car traffic is reduced. Remember according to council figures only 15% of people regularly use public transport which means 85% don’t use public transport.

Next time you’re thinking about buying a product service think about buying local. Make sure you don’t get tricked by businesses outside the area with bigger advertising budgets. Use a local business. Buy locally if you can. Build a stronger local community and we’ll reduce our impact on the environment, save time and resources and heavy rail just won’t seem so important.

MANNINGHAM residents have failed to back any one of the three rail options proposed by the Doncaster Rail Study.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
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FILTHY shopping centre toilets are pushing consumers out the doors of major shopping centres and on to the internet

I find the behaviour of people in shopping centre food courts have changed in Australia as a result of the shopping centres themselves. In the past when you went to a food court you took your rubbish to the bin. Now people seem to want to be waited on and leave the mess for others to clean up.

This behaviour didn’t exist in the past. As people see others leaving their waste they end up doing the same. Instead of just needing to clean up inadvertent accidents people are now required to clean up what people could easily do themselves.

We are becoming an incredibly lazy group of people but only as a result of the behaviour which appears to be encouraged and endorsed by shopping centres. If more people threw out their basic rubbish, more time could be spent ensuring eating areas were properly cleaned.

Shoppers in Melbourne’s most popular outlets, including Chadstone, Westfield Doncaster, Westfield Fountain Gate and Victoria Gardens, have relayed accounts of grubby toilet seats, benches drowning in water, unidentified liquids spilt on the floor and bins overflowing with rubbish.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
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Mrs Gail Pritchard's husband (Alastair Pritchard) of 47 years, Alastair, wrote Turning the Titanic

THERE is perhaps no greater metaphor for disaster than the sinking of the Titanic, so it seems apt the century-old real-life drama is being used as a powerful allegory for climate change.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
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Teen and father hurt as youth mob punches on at Doncaster McDonald's

Doncaster police have called for information relating to a scuffle outside Doncaster McDonald’s involving about 15 youths. ... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
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Transport groups push for outbound bus lanes upgrade

THE RACV and Bus Association Victoria are calling for the urgent introduction of dedicated bus lanes north bound on Hoddle Street and along Victoria Parade to increase the effectiveness of Doncaster buses.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
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Jobs at Manningham Council in Doncaster

Manningham Council, in Doncaster, has five positions for home support workers, a job for an arborist and work for school crossing supervisors.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
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29-year-old Doncaster man had forced his way off the bus when it was stopped at a red ligh

POLICE are still looking for a friend of a man killed when he was hit by a bus in Melbourne's southeast on Saturday night.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
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Drivers for Hanson Construction Materials have announced a 24-hour strike

Drivers for Hanson Construction Materials have announced a 24-hour strike to campaign for better pay and conditions.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
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A MAN accused of going on a thieving spree at 30 churches

The man, of no fixed address, is accused of robbing churches at Essendon, Moonee Ponds, Burwood, North Melbourne, Dandenong, Preston, Coburg, Glen Waverley, Mitcham, Greensborough, Doncaster and Heidelberg.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
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Refurbishment Doncaster's Birralee Primary School

The government also delivered on a $3 million promise to refurbish Doncaster’s Birralee Primary School.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
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Louis Thompson, son of former Hawthorn and North Melbourne AFL player Nathan Thompson

Louis Thompson, son of former Hawthorn and North Melbourne AFL player Nathan Thompson, suffered deep lacerations and punctures on his right thigh in the unprovoked attack at Doncaster Reserve on April 11, ... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
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Bunnings' proposed store and residential development in Doncaster

The development will include 389 apartments split between three buildings on a 1.17ha site, which will be built above the main 11,500sq m Bunnings store.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
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Vietnam veteran Ian Teague served in the Australian army for 30 years

The 77-year-old also completed three tours in Vietnam in 1964, 1965 and 1970 and developed a program called People’s Action Teams (PATS).... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
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Westfield Doncaster has lodged plans to build a restaurant on the centre's roof, near the cinemas

The proposal is for a 726sq m extension, which will house restaurant TGI Friday, presently located on the ground level.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
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10-storey development on corner of Sovereign Point Court and Williamsons Road in Doncaster

The building, proposed for the corner of Sovereign Point Court and Williamsons Rd in Doncaster, would include 96 dwellings and two basement levels, with a total of 114 single and 17 tandem underground carparks.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
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Marian Dimmick has recently begun helping out selling Anzac badges.

RESPONDING to a call to arms, Marian Dimmick says she’s honoured to volunteer for the Doncaster RSL sub-branch as it struggles to raise money in the lead-up to Anzac Day.... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
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Red light camera on corner of Williamsons Road and Doncaster Road, money spinner for the government and a warning to locals

The following article shows just how much money the government is raising from the red light cameras in the area, and in particular the red light cameras at Shoppingtown.

A NEW red light and speed camera outside Westfield Shoppingtown in Doncaster has generated $1.27 million in fines in three months - more than $14,000 a day.... Read More

I’d like to share a warning for drivers who are turning right from Williamsons Road in front of Shoppingtown, into Doncaster Road. When turning right most people will move with the flow of traffic, but what happens if the car in front of you stops in the middle of the intersection for no reason. You are then trapped behind the car. You’ve entered the intersection whilst the light was green. Whilst we are always watching for poor driving behaviour of others and take appropriate care, if is very difficult to plan for the incompetence and stupidity of other drivers. Once the car decides to move what do you do. Move ahead and clear the intersection, or sit slightly in the intersection.

What most people don’t realise are the sensors aren’t before the line cars stop at, but they are after the line. Hence if you’ve moved off and you need to stop because of the driver in front stops, your rear wheels may be on or before the sensors. If you move your car the traffic camera will go off and snap two pictures of you. If you don’t move your car you may slightly annoy others and be placed in a dangerous situation, but will the cameras go off? A very difficult choice.

A person I know who lives out of the area was faced with exactly this choice. Their rear wheels on or before the sensor and blocked whilst the turning light remained green, waiting for the driver who obviously didn’t know what they were doing. Another driver to the left of the stopped car also stopped in the intersection because of the and unpredictable behaviour of the driver. No one knew what the car was going to do. Was it trying to move across multiple lanes whilst in the intersection so it could go down Elgar Road? No one knew. The car did move off after the lights changed and went into the bus lane heading west along Doncaster Road.

The person I knew was not speeding at all. Entered into the intersection as we all would whilst the turn arrow was green.

The result was three demerit points and the easiest $305 dollars the government has ever made.

In hindsight, had the person I know simply sat in the intersection and not moved they may not have set off the sensors and not incurred a fine. I consider that would have been potentially more dangerous and not appropriate.

I wonder how many people now focus on the traffic lights rather than watching the surrounding traffic. If you don’t watch the lights very closely now, with the government so eager to raise money through fines, you can easily be out of pocket $305 and be on your way to losing your licence through what most people would not consider their fault.

The government is always talking about the research they perform, but I wonder what the research is, on how much fines should be. At what point does a fine become a disincentive to people to stop speeding? Above that it is just revenue raising. A local business person once said to me they have no problem with fines. Whilst they’re fining others they’re not putting their taxes up. Whilst true, I don’t consider excessive fines for revenue generation to be fair on the general public.

A question I have is: how many people are getting fined whilst turning right from Williamsons Road into Doncaster Road in similar situations?

In the article the first three lanes caught 2,958 drivers and the other three lanes only caught 1,322. Are the first three lanes including the two right turn lanes? These are usually people who are moving at low speed with the right turn arrow. Not the so called speedsters Acting Sgt Mark Wickman keeps an eye out for on the intersection of Williamsons and Doncaster roads as stated in the picture in the article.

- Kelvin Eldridge
http://www.onlineconnections.com.au/
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PS. It should be noted a request for reconsideration was lodged but denied by the driver.

Computers solutions in the MyAnswers database now available for purchase at a price you decide.

I like trying new approaches and enjoy seeing how people like or don’t like the approach. There is no right or wrong way to do things, just better ways. I always learn something when I try something new.

The MyAnswers database is a database of my notes on problems I’ve solved for clients and the solution to the problem. I use the solutions frequently myself and for assisting my clients. This saves myself and clients a lot of time and given time is money, that means a financial saving for clients.

I created the MyAnswers database so clients could request solutions to problems and use the DIY approach. If people can solve their own problems with a little assistance then why not. Clients can request solutions they are interested in from that MyAnswers database. If the solution doesn’t help them there is nothing to pay. If the solution solves their problem, I now let clients decide for themselves how much they wish to pay.

Check out the solutions at MyAnswers. There are a large range of solutions covering many aspects of IT, and some areas of interest to me. Because of my nature I often investigate things which interest me that aren’t IT related and I’m happy to share what I learn from those investigations as well.

You can find MyAnswers at www.MyAnswers.biz.  Please note the solutions are only available to clients. It is only because of the support of clients that the bills are paid each month. I hope and trust clients take advantage of the MyAnswers service to help them solve their problems themselves and in doing so, increase their knowledge, have some fun and at the same time, save some money.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

 

Google now tracking potentially 10-25% of Australians on the internet

The other day I was checking the statistics for a page on my site. I’m able to see what people searched for in Google and thus why they came to my site. I find this to be useful information. But lately I’ve noticed for the keyword a value of “(not provided)” started to appear, and more recently, on some pages this had become a considerable portion of the traffic.

I decided to investigate. Initially I didn’t know what may be causing the keywords used from not being provided. A bit of research indicated That recently Google decided to stop passing on keywords for searches on their overseas sites and more recently that was implement in Australia.

Knowing how and why people get to your site is quite important information and can assist you to make better decisions and where to direct your efforts. But if Google hides this information in effect, all you really know is they came from Google but you don’t know why.

Now what started to concern me even more, if what I read is correct, is the keyword is not provided if people are logged onto a Google service. The concern here for me, is Google is now able to identify and log an individual’s activity on the internet without them being really aware and I’m inadvertently assisting Google by using their services.

For example, most people will accept that if they perform a search that Google knows about the search. What may not cross their mind is, if they are logged onto a Google service, the searches can be associated and tracked to them. From what I see people don’t even realise they’re logged on to a Google service when they’re searching because they don’t make the connection with Google’s internet search and Google’s other services. I’d even suggest many people forget they are logged on. For example, many people use Gmail. They log on and then don’t log off so that when they open the Gmail site there are their emails ready for them to read. People at work are using the internet all day for work and during the day flip over to check their email.

In addition people are using other services such as YouTube and again remain logged on. Google have a range of services including their Android mobile phones, all potentially logging the activities of an individual without them realising it.

Even when you’re not thinking you’re using a Google service you may be. When you visit a site with advertising is that advertising provided by Google (as it is in many cases), are you being tracked. I’d guess you are. When you view a YouTube video, a Picassa photo, a page that has Google’s services embedded such as their analytics, are you being tracked? I’ve done searches on Google early in the day to visit a site later in the day, and found Google has remember what I searched for at the start of the day and provided ads later in the day based on the search I entered.

I was at a customer’s the other day and signed them up for hosting. When they went to a site with Google advertising that wasn’t related to hosting, there was a hosting ad in the middle of the page. Both the customer and myself was quite shocked to see the obvious tracking occurring, but had I not been there the customer would not have realised, as most people won’t realise.

The page that I originally noticed this keyword “not provided” message has today received 3,407 unique visitors. Of those 91.73% came from Australia and 12.24% produced keyword “not provided”, which from what I gather means they were logged onto a Google service at the time. In other words, 382 Australians were being individually tracked, or over a year that would be 4,000-5,000 people. That’s just from my site. What about the millions of other Australian sites.

Most of us don’t yet understand what is being done with our data or how it can, or even is affecting us. I don’t even know. As an example however, a while ago I searched for travel insurance and the usual ads appeared at the top of the page promoting super discounts and special offers. I decided to check them out. Most were around $700 or more for what I wanted. I then went and got a quote from the company I’ve previously used (I researched a number of companies a while ago) and ended up with insurance for around $450.

If Google knows what you’re doing and interested in, advertisers can use that to their advantage and present you with what looks like good offers, but in fact you end up paying more. The power of tracking you gives away your bargaining position. You’ve told the company already what you are interested in and since they know they have an interested buyer, you’ve lost your negotiating position and can easily pay more than you should or could. When you look at an advertisement in a newspaper they don’t know who you are and generally have to offer a much better proposal to you to get your interest.

The concern I have is Google is gathering too much information on us individually and not just as an anonymous pool of user statistics. How that information is used we aren’t fully made aware of. I’ll leave that to people’s creative imagination to come up with how they think their data could be being used both for good, and perhaps to their own disadvantage.

As an example I read about a leading GPS company overseas that uploaded data from people using the GPS unit. The authorities purchased the data and used the data to determine where people would speed and then they were able to book more people who were speeding. The people using the GPS units ended up potentially creating the situation where the fine they received only occurred because of the information they had themselves provided. Their own information from a service they were paying for had been used against them.

Whilst I can’t change the world, a change I will now make across the JustLocal site is to remove the Google Search facility. JustLocal has been designed to make it very easy to find a business in the local area. You don’t need to search. You just need to go to the postcode page and then click on the logo for the business you are interested in. Trying to find a local business in Google is often close to impossible. You’re more likely to get a list of directories than the business itself. JustLocal solves this problem by providing single click access to a local business advertising on JustLocal. In addition we don’t track what people do.

If you’re concerned about being tracked on the internet there are a couple of things you can do.

1. Make sure you log off any online service you are using when you finish. Don’t leave it logged on in the background.
2. Think about using Bing and Yahoo search as well as Google. If you split your searches evenly Google only sees a third of what you are doing.
3. Make sure you don’t have any toolbars from installed in your browser that may be tracking your searches.
4. Think about varying your use of browsers. Keep in mind Chrome is produced by Google and Firefox receives over 80% of their income as a result of searches using Google.
5. Install all three search engines in Internet Explorer. On my Fun With Search page (www.justlocal.com.au/clients/search-fun/) I provide links which enable you to easily install Yahoo, Bind and Google as search engines in Internet Explorer. You can then easily vary which search engine you use.
6. If you have an Android mobile phone or tablet it is very difficult not to use a Gmail account. It is possible. For a while I used the tablet without having any Google account. Only when I need to download an app would I re-enter the account and then delete it again after. You can use an email account that isn’t a Gmail account for your email. You can also log on to web based services from a Smartphone rather than use the built-in apps.

Right now over 90% of Australians search using Google. Giving a single company, no matter which company it is, access to all your online activities I don’t believe is the best idea.

As JustLocal grows and I have the resources available, I hope to remove the Google services I’m currently using and further reduce the ability for Google to track JustLocal users. This blog entry for example uses Google’s blogger. Sorry. I do this for business reasons and will be able to change once JustLocal’s momentum reaches a certain point. I look forward to that day.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.JustLocal.com.au