No matter where in the world I am, I love a city where you can hop on to buses or trains or trams or light rails or tubes or ferries. I’ve been known to be a little stunned standing at bus stops during the morning rush hour watching hundreds of cars passing along with only one driver inside – personal choice, convenience, I understand but I wish they wouldn’t.
I’d like to have my full drivers licence one day so that I can go off on trips outside the city to places where the train doesn’t stop, or be able to do “big shops” rather than bugging everyone on a bus as I clamber down a crowded aisle with a dozen shopping bags and oddly shaped objects. In the 8 years I’ve had my licence however I’ve never felt the absolute urge to progress past my L (Learner) plates which I’ve renewed three times because the public transport system is (usually) fine by me.
My licence ran out last Monday and I have every intention of renewing it but before I do I want to have a read through the current Road Users’ Handbook (which is available online but of such a volume I’d prefer to have a written copy). I know that I might not have time to sort that out in the next few weeks so I intended to go to the RTA (Roads and Traffic Authority) this morning to get a photo Proof of Age which is always shown on signs outside pubs, clubs, liquor stores etc as an acceptable form of ID. Checking the RTA website stunned me a little to learn that they only provide them for 18-25 year olds – what is a person meant to do for ID who doesn’t drive and is a very youthful looking 26+ year old? Some places around Sydney now have signs up that they will card anyone who looks under 30! “The RTA won’t give me a Proof of Age card,” is hardly likely to rub with a burly bouncer.
Having said that, I can still get one of them since I fall in that age category but they want a reference statement and all sorts that just isn’t possible to organise on a Saturday morning. Hm.