I don't like Cityrail

After being fined 233$ earlier in the year for ignoring a stop sign, and having to pay 850$ excess to NRMA for the subsequent accident (which involved 6 cars and around $80 000 damage), I was fined 200$ today for travelling without a valid ticket.

I remember a few years ago I spoke with my brother about the economics of fining everyone the same amount for the same offence. My opinion was that the size of the fine should reflect the wealth of the offender. A rich person should be fined a lot more than a poor person for the same offence, because as a proportion of income the fine is a lot smaller. My brother’s view was that it is unfair to penalise the wealthy for being wealthy.

From a Christian perspective, I think the purpose of fines and imprisonment isn’t so much to hurt someone, but to help them to learn their lesson. DB Knox says in "D. Broughton Knox: Selected Works, Volume 1: The Doctrine of God", he says: "some members of the judiciary are confusing retribution with revenge. ... Sometimes retribution, which is the basis of punishment, is confused with revenge; but the difference is very clear. Revenge is selfish, and the Bible makes clear that there must be no revenge in the administration of justice. You must render what is due, not what gives you satisfaction."

My point is, 200$ fine is way too much for me. I'm just a student. What happened was that my ticket was from Central to North Sydney. My friend was going to Strathfield, so I caught the train from Central to Strathfield with her. I wasn’t going to stay in Strathfield. I was just accompanying her, and catching the train back home to North Sydney. The railway cops stop me just as the train was approaching Strathfield.

My argument is, the laws of cityrail do not state (or do not state clearly) that when I bought a ticket I had to take the fastest route from A to B. Nor is this implied - if one was going from Burwood to Hornsby, there are two ways to go about it, either via Strathfield or via Central. Both ways take roughly the same time. Why is it that I have to catch a train from Central to North Sydney via the north shore line? Why can't I catch it via Strathfield then via Hornsby and back down to North Sydney? What if I suspected there was a bomb in Wynyard. What if i was superstitious and I didn’t want to travel directly to North Sydney because they were 4 stations apart?! What if I just wanted to waste time? Isn't the ticket just giving you the ability to go through the gates? I am not going through any gates. In the future, if you fall asleep on the train and you go 1 station past your destination, watch out, you could get a 200$ fine.

The cityrail guy was ok; he encouraged me to write in to the people, and try to argue that the fine be cancelled. He said I was honourable for accompanying my friend home because Central to Strathfield at 5pm is just so dangerous. What the..