Man on the Bondi Tram
Encyclopedia
The Man on the Bondi
Tram
is a fictional legal character used in civil law
in New South Wales
, representing an ordinary person. Jurors, for example, have been directed to consider what the man on the Bondi tram would think of whether a statement is defamatory. The phrase is similar to the English formulation of the 'man on the Clapham omnibus', who personifies an average, reasonable person
. It is comparable to the phrase 'the man in the street'.
Government trams were discontinued in Sydney in the 1950s, to be replaced by buses. The present day-equivalent of a Bondi tram is a '380 bus', also somewhat notorious for overcrowding in its own right. Hence, the saying 'the man on the Bondi tram' has been out of date since the 1950s. A single limited Metro Light Rail
service has been reinstated in the CBD of Sydney, but most original tram tracks have been overlaid with tarmac
road surfaces. Historically, the names of the beach suburbs 'Maroubra Junction' and 'Bondi Junction' derive from tram junctions, when all of the eastern Sydney beaches were served with tram lines.
Bondi, New South Wales
Bondi is an eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Bondi is located seven kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Waverley Council. The postcode is 2026.-Location:...
Tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
is a fictional legal character used in civil law
Civil law (common law)
Civil law, as opposed to criminal law, is the branch of law dealing with disputes between individuals or organizations, in which compensation may be awarded to the victim...
in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, representing an ordinary person. Jurors, for example, have been directed to consider what the man on the Bondi tram would think of whether a statement is defamatory. The phrase is similar to the English formulation of the 'man on the Clapham omnibus', who personifies an average, reasonable person
Reasonable person
The reasonable person is a legal fiction of the common law that represents an objective standard against which any individual's conduct can be measured...
. It is comparable to the phrase 'the man in the street'.
Government trams were discontinued in Sydney in the 1950s, to be replaced by buses. The present day-equivalent of a Bondi tram is a '380 bus', also somewhat notorious for overcrowding in its own right. Hence, the saying 'the man on the Bondi tram' has been out of date since the 1950s. A single limited Metro Light Rail
Metro Light Rail
The Metro Light Rail is the only currently operating light rail line in Sydney. The line opened on 31 August 1997, mostly along the route of an unused goods railway line, to serve the redeveloped inner-city areas of Darling Harbour, Ultimo and Pyrmont, and was extended in 2000 to serve some of...
service has been reinstated in the CBD of Sydney, but most original tram tracks have been overlaid with tarmac
Tarmac
Tarmac is a type of road surface. Tarmac refers to a material patented by Edgar Purnell Hooley in 1901...
road surfaces. Historically, the names of the beach suburbs 'Maroubra Junction' and 'Bondi Junction' derive from tram junctions, when all of the eastern Sydney beaches were served with tram lines.