Rising PKP Charges

Nothing should surprise me anymore but once again I couldn’t believe me ears. On my way to work today and listening to the radio I heard another ridiculous idea. It seems that PKP want to start charging people to be able to use the station and its platforms, and pay to catch the train.

„Dworce mogą wyglądać tak jak lotniska. Być bezpieczne, czyste i ładne - przekonuje w swojej najnowszej kampanii informacyjnej spółka PKP i wyciąga rękę do naszej kieszeni. Z błogosławieństwem rządu, podkreśla "Metro"” http://biznes.onet.pl/oplata-dworcowa-juz-za-dwa-lata,18727,3601444,1,prasa-detal

Do the stations have to look like airports? Nope. Should they be safe, clean and pretty. Yes, but that should be a given not something I or any other passenger has to pay extra for.

Personally, I don’t like entering the stations for free so I doubt that I’ll be wanting to use them when I have to pay extra. Most are disgusting, poorly looked after, stink of piss and drunks, have limited public utilities which you have to pay for, and unpleasant staff who don’t understand the concept of customer service.

I’m curious as to where all the money they earn now goes. A normal ticket costs about 2.80zl for the SKM lines. PKP charge a lot more depending on the distance you travel. On top of that there is also the EU funding which Poland received which reaches the tens of billions. What’s happening to that money? Why does the government and all the other organization persist with taking money from the citizens but refuse to give anything in return?

„Według wyliczeń resortu infrastruktury nasi przewoźnicy płaciliby rocznie 134 mln zł opłat dworcowych. Wstępne symulacje wskazują, że koszt podróży jednego pasażera podniósłby się wtedy od 10 do 80 gr.” http://biznes.onet.pl/oplata-dworcowa-juz-za-dwa-lata,18727,3601444,1,prasa-detal

10-80gr extra doesn’t seem like a lot. But what guarantee do passengers have that the PKP are going to keep to their word and provide the region with ‘safe, clean and pretty’ stations everywhere. Whenever there are extra charges, the money seems to disappear into thin air in this country and no one knows exactly where it goes. I’d like to see the promised changes made before I fork out any extra cash otherwise I prefer to cycle.

Computer troubles

As a writer my Internet usage is very high. Unless I’m on holidays I’m constantly doing something on the Internet or on the computer in general. Writing. Researching. Reading. Surfing. When the computer starts playing up my blood pressure rises. The area I live in has a poor Internet connection even though it’s classified as Warsaw. Go figure. The capital city and I can’t get fast Internet just some slow crap. It just stops halfway through uploading something. Or cuts out completely for no apparent reason. Recently it’s begun to shut down all the Internet pages I’m using. To say it’s getting on my nerves is a understatement. Frequently, I change the rooms in which I work to get a better connection.

Last week my lap top started making funny noises. I’ve had it for almost two years and apparently the computer repair guy told me that after one year it has a right to start breaking down. Yikes. So does that mean that I have to have a few thousand ready every year or so to get a new lap top. That’s crazy. And the Internet connection? Do I have to move to the centre of town to be able to get decent Internet speed?

Other than that, I can’t imagine not working on my lap top but it definitely is time for a new one. Maybe I’ll treat myself to a Macbook Pro for Christmas if I behave and get my work done to satisfaction.

A brief update

I haven’t been motivated to write on this blog for a while now. I guess I’m uncertain of the direction I want it to take. At first I considered it to be a blog about life in Poland as well as my writing journey and that’s not a bad idea but I do need to make it a more regular activity. I’d like to promote Poland a little. It’s a beautiful country from an ecological perspective. No venomous snakes and spiders that you have to worry about when you go wandering in the forest. I’m going to try and make an effort to post at least once a week.

Recent updates are that the Polish government needs a lot of work. The fact that Poland is a part of the EU is saving it from an internal battlefield. I feel uncomfortable with what is going on between PO and PIS and their supporters. What happened with the cross outside the Presidential Palace in Krakowskie Przedmiescie was a joke. It got so much media coverage that the nation forgot about more important things like the floods that have jeopardized the livelihood of thousands of Poles. Komorowski won the election and Kaczynski has shown his true personality now that the race for President is over. No surprise since it’s virtually impossible to change your persona over night and do it genuinely. Whether things are going to improve is anyone’s guess. The government and all its Ministers need to start taking responsibility for their actions and actually do something instead of falling asleep, pointing fingers and earning money, well, for pretty much doing nothing. Palikot has been in the news recently. While many people don’t like him, he definitely gets my vote. If he toned down his blatant attitude just a little bit I think that he could really go a long way. A politician like him would take control and slowly but surely solve the many problems that surround Polish politics, society and economy.

On a personal note I have been very busy over the past two month. Writing articles and trying to finish my novel. Enjoying the summer with a bit of traveling. Training for a marathon. Cooking. Relaxing. Forgetting to write on the blog. It’s been a busy few months.