58 Replies to “Sunday Open Thread: San Francisco 1905”
Does anyone know the song in that video?
As indicated by the title of the video, La Femme d’Argent by Air (whoever they are).
Clearly I did not put two and two together :)
Air’s a band from Versailles. This video actually got me interested in them a while back when I saw it on Reddit, and since then I have bought some of their music, including the album this song is from called “Moon Safari.”
Heh, and on another note… notice how cars and people seem to whiz by the street trolleys and not get hit all without traffic signals?
Things moved a lot slower back in those days. And cars hadn’t yet asserted their ownership of the roadways.
A lot slower. There are bicycles riding as fast as the streetcar, and people walking between streetcars.
see the bicyclist at 1 minute?
no issues with the streetcar tracks.
No helmet either. Did that guy have a death wish?
I think the video is slowed down a bit.
I think it’s played at close to normal speed. There will be a mismatch between the frame rate they used back in those days and more modern standards, but it seemed to me that the speed of people and horses moving around seemed natural.
A seven-minute video with no accidents. Very impressive. Especially with the cable cars moving at the lightning speed of what appears to be about 4 mph! I would imagine they had a very large number of accidents per year on this stretch, judging by the number of close calls in this short video. However, they would have been very low-speed accidents with probably not too many fatalities. Wonder if anyone has any statistics on accidents on this stretch of road back in 1905?
You can definitely see why autos took over from cable cars, as soon as people could afford to buy autos. Cars were so much faster, and you could drive right to wherever you wanted to go — you didn’t have to stay on the trolley tracks and then get off one trolley and wait to transfer to another trolley every time you wanted to change directions, or stop every couple of blocks to let people on or off the trolley.
What a mess that was back then. Cool video, though.
Keep in mind the Model T didn’t even come out until after this video, and very few roads were paved at this time. Even the 1920s Kroll Seattle map marks which roads are paved or not. So in other words it took many years of paving roads at massive expense for cars to become popular. Remember that in 1905 the idea that everyone should have a paved street or electricity or a telephone was very controversial.
Look at all the idiotic drivers…some things never change. The world would be a lot better place had the car not been invented!
Couldn’t you say all of the same things which you just said about the streetcar, about the bus systems we have?
I recommend Peter Norton’s book “Fighting Traffic: The Dawn of the Motor Age in the American City” for the fascinating story on how streets were repurposed from a shared space to the exclusive domain of motor vehicles in the early 20th century. The automobile interests successfully redefined the problem from “safety” to “freedom” and invented the term “jaywalking” to implicitly criminalize what used to be socially acceptable and common practice, because pedestrians and streetcars were getting in the way of cars.
And pedestrians never get in the way of streetcars and buses?
And streetcars never get in the way of other streetcars? There are no places where different streetcar tracks cross each other, so no need for signals for streetcars?
Same with buses — bus routes never cross each other, so signals are not needed, are they?
And what is with that stupid rule in the downtown bus tunnel? No crossing from one side of a station to the other on the street or tracks? In other words, “No Jaywalking” in the downtown tunnel! And there are not even any cars allowed in the downtown tunnel! So shouldn’t pedestrians be allowed to cross the roadway/tracks in the downtown tunnel any time they want to? There are no cars to get in the way of.
Yes it is all because of evil cars. People should be allowed to cross streets and rail tracks any time and anywhere they want to! Nobody has ever been hit by a train or streetcar. They are perfectly safe.
Dam those evil cars.
Did you even read the book? It isn’t arguing for a return to the past; it’s documenting what happened, why and how. However, there are many examples of such spaces in Europe and Asia that continue to work just fine.
Note that it worked fine when horses were in the mix. I blame the withdrawal of horses from the streets for the current congestion and accident rate.
They had horsedrawn ice wagons and the like during WWII in the midwestern cities, and public transit started going downhill shortly after they left at the end of the war.
Coincidence, or cause? I think the answer is obvious!
Judging from that video, I would guess the accident rate on that street back in 1905 was extremely high — much higher than on any street in Seattle currently. Particularly when measured in accidents per passenger-mile.
In places where there is a lot of pedestrian activity, such that the pedestrians outnumber greatly the cars, jaywalking is commonplace and acceptable. I’m thinking for example of Pike Place or Stevens Way. Cars recognize that they are the ones encroaching on pedestrian right of way, and thus will readily stop for pedestrians crossing the road.
The DSTT is a different story. Buses are going 35 mph, are very frequent, and are oftentimes hard to see. Combine that with the fact that buses are a product of the automobile revolution.
Not to mention the very quiet trains.
Buses in the DSTT are not going anywhere near 35 mph in the stations, which is the only place where pedestrians are allowed. Buses and trains go very slowly in the station. So why aren’t pedestrians allowed to cross the street and tracks at stations between platforms? There are no cars in the DSTT, so why isn’t “jaywalking” between station platforms allowed?
What do you think MLK Jr Way would be like with no signals at any intersections, and jaywalking allowed anywhere? Do you think that would make a trip on Central Link faster? Or slower?
How about along the route of the S.L.U.T.? No signals at any intersections. Pdestrians allowed to cross all streets whenever and wherever they felt like it. Would that make trips on the S.L.U.T. and buses faster or slower?
Do you think elminating traffic signals and allowing pedestrians free use of streets would result in fewer or more accidents on those routes?
The point is not that signals, crosswalks and lanes should be removed or that jaywalking should be legalized or encouraged. Oran is pointing out that these things basically didn’t exist prior to mass adoption of the automobile. They weren’t needed when streets were a shared, public space for a number of reasons, primarily that horses streetcars were travelling at slow speeds compared to automobiles today.
I think we take our focus on automobiles in cities for granted, so it is educational to remind everyone that is wasn’t always this way and perhaps we should decide if what we have is what we want.
Depends on the streets. Cars are allowed in the Altstadt of Heidelberg, and there aren’t even sidewalks much less any traffic signals. And yet there are almost no accidents as bikes and pedestrians have right of way and cars are forced to drive very slow through the area.
Actually, I do think on many streets traffic control devices should be eliminated and the majority of the street domain handed over to pedestrians in some sort of manner…clear to the car driver. Maintain a network of arterials where cars can make their through trip at a reasonable pace (not 35+ for sure, save that for the freeways). Each intersection of the arterial would of course need proper traffic control to allow safe and convenient passage of other roadway users, including other cars in other directions.
As it stands, residential streets are receiving a lot of arterial overflow traffic, whom tend (not all, but a growing percentage) to think they own the right-of-way. Rather infuriating on the residential streets in my neighborhood where most car drivers are visitors (to SU).
But, I’m sure you have a better idea.
Leave it the way it is. Works fine, for the most part. But prohibit bicycles from using streets. Make bicycles use sidewalks.
Most of the people who live in Seattle own and drive cars, so most people drive on the steets on which they live. And most people want to be able to get where they are going as quickly as possible, which is why most people don’t want pedestrians jaywalking.
Yeah! CARS ONLY!!!!
“…most people don’t want pedestrians jaywalking.”
Except for the little fact that most people are pedestrians and most people jaywalk (city people, anyway). I’ve jaywalked mid-conversation with a police officer in Manhattan (not in custody, just discussing the Knicks). Jaywalking is an accepted part of urban life. Always has been, always will be. Get over it.
And most people bicycle too fast for sidewalks, which is why bikes on sidewalks are illegal in many cities. Bikes belong on roadways and MUPs.
“Leave it the way it is.”
I’m fine with that. Let’s leave everything the way it stands as of today. No repaving or fixing potholes and definitely no widening of streets and freeways. The streets would soon be overcome with the worst nightmarish traffic; everything would be safe because no cars would be moving. Besides the fumes from idling traffic, everything would be super.
“most people don’t want pedestrians jaywalking.”
Incorrect, traffic engineers and some drivers don’t want peds jaywalking. The funny thing is, most, once out of their car, they don’t have a problem with jaywalking. I never see someone walk up to the corner to cross after having parked their car on the opposite side of the street of their destination. The only contingent that continues to snub their nose at jaywalking are busy-bodies that think they have to tell everyone to follow the rules they seek to follow (while completely ignoring other rules, such as speed limits, yielding to pedestrian right-of-way, etc.). I see you are one of those. Enjoy getting all heated and shaking your head in a disapproving manner at everyone else’s actions for the rest of your life, because no one will be able to live up to your standards.
Jaywalking was invented because of the automobile. Traffic lights, crosswalks, lanes, drive on the right or left, one-way traffic, parking meters, stop signs, speed limits, parking signs, etc. were all invented because of the automobile. Also, more work for the police, lawyers, judges, mechanics, etc. because of collisions and disputes.
I often wonder what law enforcement even did before cars. Seems like so many resources go to speed traps and the like, but I guess that’s just the part you see.
Even before the auto, there were conventions about whether horses and horse-drawn vehicles should pass on the left or right.
And before cars, there was still thievery and murder, so the law enforcers had something to do. And of course financial crimes, like not having any money.
Are you serious? I’m pretty sure the accident AND fatality rates were quite high back then. Particularly among children. Watch how the automobile drivers seem to think they rule the road in this video and all the pedestrians darting out of the way. Life was dangerous back then.
There was a change to dwell times with the Central Link signals at stations along MLK a week ago that increased slightly the time at the stations (all stations now have the same dwell time that Othello Station SB has had for several months). It may be a coincidence but I didn’t experience any loss of signal cascade along MLK this week other than a few times when emergency vehicles were responding near by.
We were notified after the fact that the dwell times had changed but no mention of any other changes to the signal system. Curious if anyone else noticed this last week or if I had several lucky days where the transit gods were smiling upon me.
He agrees with Ben, John, and Martin that BRT is probably the best bet for the 520 corridor because of how the destinations are diffuse on both sides of the bridge.
Thanks for the link.
I’d still like to see more debate among the transit pros about the utility, feasibility, and cost-effectiveness of each of the individual elements in the study Seatle commissioned on 520 rail.
I think we still have time to talk through and coalesce around one option for the Montlake cut, in particular. Ben is happy with two general-purpose bridges. I don’t know anyone else who is.
The neighbors seem content to block any redesign for now. I’m not okay with that. They need to choose a Montlake cut bridge design, hopefully with the best interests of bus riders and taxpayers in mind. But 520 can’t be stalled forever. Jonathan, do you have a preferred plan for getting buses between 520 and UW Station?
From Downtown to Fauntleroy, the 54 is much faster than the 116 (and the related 118 and 119), which is supposed to be the express to Fauntleroy. Is this simply due to the fact that the 54 gets on the Viaduct Downtown instead of in SODO?
Check out the boy on the bike crossing the tracks at 1:00.
San Francisco, 1905 — boy were THEY in for a shock in a few months.
Just got back from a weekend getaway to Savannah Georgia.
Wow. Had an awesome time. Really interesting layout to the Historic District. When it was founded (1733) they had an interesting plan, dividing the city into 24 ‘Wards’ each centered around a park.
Great walking city, I was very pleasantly surprised by how much fun I had.
Isn’t Savannah amazing? I loved living there when I went to college. The only drawback is that since there are a lot of tourists who are not accustomed to the streets there were a lot of close misses with cars hitting pedestrians and cyclists. So many one-way streets.
Overall, I am impressed with the planning for such a beautiful city. I wish the founding fathers and mothers had a better idea of how to make Seattle into a more boulevard, wide streets, landscaped, and denser city. Seattle would have been the Paris of the States if they had stuck with old 1920’s city plans. At least I think so.
I was very impressed. I had always heard good things but had a friend that went to CofC and so all my roadtrips in that direction during college ended up in Charleston.
Isn’t it amazing how 300 years ago we knew how to design a city that not only worked great THEN but also today, and yet somehow it seems with all our technology and models we still can’t seem to get it right.
New super cool bus stop sign NB on 3rd between Pine and Pike. Just briefly saw it but it’s quite cool looking.
I rode the 550 the other day and it was on a Metro bus, and I couldn’t remember the two-zone ST youth fare, so I asked the driver, and he just told me to put in 75c. Is it a policy to charge Metro fares when ST routes are on Metro buses or was it probably just because he didn’t know and that Metro bus just had a KCM fare card?
The latter. He should have gotten the correct fare card; I’m not sure who screwed up though. The only reason you see Metro coaches on ST routes is because East Base Maintenance sucks, and they run out of hybrids often, so they have no choice but to run a Metro coach. I think ST reimburses Metro for the use of the coach, but I’m not sure.
Just another question–on the soon-to-be-delivered Metro Orion buses, I hope they use push tape to ring the signal bell (like on ST buses) instead of a cord. Metro needs to break the mold of using only cords to ring the bell sometime (yes, I already know about the wheelchair signals). With the push tape there is no risk of cord breakage.
I prefer the cords over the tape. It’s easier to reach and pull than a narrow strip. Also, they’re cheaper to install and repair according to NYC Transit:
Last year when the agency purchased a new line of hybrid Orion VII buses, in a move aimed largely at saving fuel and reducing emissions, it decided to reintroduce the cord system because it was cheaper to install and repair, Mr. Seaton said. The bell cord system costs $293 per bus, compared with $1,056 for the touch tape system (a new bus costs just under $550,000).
I have a question on the electric trolleybuses. Every so often, there’s a sign up in the overhead wires that says “Power Off.” It’s a small sign, and must be there for the driver, but what does it mean, and why? Obviously the buses pass that point – are they coasting through with no power?
That’s where one “zone” of power-feed ends and another begins. There are numerous neighborhood transformers throughout the electric system; the power does not all come from a single source. The sign tells the driver to take her/his foot off the accelerator to avoid a jerky ride for the passengers.
Thanks. Does this mean the wires are not continuous at this spot? I’ll have to take a look more closely next time I’m on the 7. The infrastructure of a city is fascinating and hidden for the most part.
The wires are usually separated by some type of insulating device at these points.
“THE city most comparable to Portland might be Vancouver in Canada, reckons Sam Adams, Portland’s mayor, although “we look to Amsterdam, Helsinki and Stockholm” for ideas….”
So I know I’ve asked a few times before, but…
does anyone know how to add coins (nickles, dimes, quarters) to ORCA?
Every TVM I’ve tried had a piece of metal blocking the coin slot from the inside.
Well they finally replied, and I think this answer is a bummer.
I guess I can be a dick and bring a bag of coins for them to count and add?
“You can add value using coins at any of our ORCA customer service offices. I have attached a list of those locations for your consideration. They take coins, cash, cards, and most other forms of payment.
The ticket vending machines do not accept coins or change of any kind, they only give out coins. I apologize for the inconvenience.
Another option for you to consider is exchanging the coins for dollars and using those in the ticket vending machines. Please choose whatever option is easier and more convenient for you.”
WOW!! Get this…
“Please disregard my first response, I was uninformed and I apologize for that.
The ticket vending machines do accept all coins except for pennies. If the ticket vending machine in question is not accepting coins, please try another machine and email us the ticket vending machine number (A 3 digit number on a yellow sticker on the top corner of the machine). This will allow us to forward the matter onto our technicians for a resolution.
Please allow me to apologize once again for the misinformation and I hope that it has not caused any inconvenience.
Thank you and have a wonderful day!”
Does anyone know the song in that video?
As indicated by the title of the video, La Femme d’Argent by Air (whoever they are).
Clearly I did not put two and two together :)
Air’s a band from Versailles. This video actually got me interested in them a while back when I saw it on Reddit, and since then I have bought some of their music, including the album this song is from called “Moon Safari.”
Heh, and on another note… notice how cars and people seem to whiz by the street trolleys and not get hit all without traffic signals?
Things moved a lot slower back in those days. And cars hadn’t yet asserted their ownership of the roadways.
A lot slower. There are bicycles riding as fast as the streetcar, and people walking between streetcars.
see the bicyclist at 1 minute?
no issues with the streetcar tracks.
No helmet either. Did that guy have a death wish?
I think the video is slowed down a bit.
I think it’s played at close to normal speed. There will be a mismatch between the frame rate they used back in those days and more modern standards, but it seemed to me that the speed of people and horses moving around seemed natural.
A seven-minute video with no accidents. Very impressive. Especially with the cable cars moving at the lightning speed of what appears to be about 4 mph! I would imagine they had a very large number of accidents per year on this stretch, judging by the number of close calls in this short video. However, they would have been very low-speed accidents with probably not too many fatalities. Wonder if anyone has any statistics on accidents on this stretch of road back in 1905?
You can definitely see why autos took over from cable cars, as soon as people could afford to buy autos. Cars were so much faster, and you could drive right to wherever you wanted to go — you didn’t have to stay on the trolley tracks and then get off one trolley and wait to transfer to another trolley every time you wanted to change directions, or stop every couple of blocks to let people on or off the trolley.
What a mess that was back then. Cool video, though.
Keep in mind the Model T didn’t even come out until after this video, and very few roads were paved at this time. Even the 1920s Kroll Seattle map marks which roads are paved or not. So in other words it took many years of paving roads at massive expense for cars to become popular. Remember that in 1905 the idea that everyone should have a paved street or electricity or a telephone was very controversial.
Look at all the idiotic drivers…some things never change. The world would be a lot better place had the car not been invented!
Couldn’t you say all of the same things which you just said about the streetcar, about the bus systems we have?
I recommend Peter Norton’s book “Fighting Traffic: The Dawn of the Motor Age in the American City” for the fascinating story on how streets were repurposed from a shared space to the exclusive domain of motor vehicles in the early 20th century. The automobile interests successfully redefined the problem from “safety” to “freedom” and invented the term “jaywalking” to implicitly criminalize what used to be socially acceptable and common practice, because pedestrians and streetcars were getting in the way of cars.
And pedestrians never get in the way of streetcars and buses?
And streetcars never get in the way of other streetcars? There are no places where different streetcar tracks cross each other, so no need for signals for streetcars?
Same with buses — bus routes never cross each other, so signals are not needed, are they?
And what is with that stupid rule in the downtown bus tunnel? No crossing from one side of a station to the other on the street or tracks? In other words, “No Jaywalking” in the downtown tunnel! And there are not even any cars allowed in the downtown tunnel! So shouldn’t pedestrians be allowed to cross the roadway/tracks in the downtown tunnel any time they want to? There are no cars to get in the way of.
Yes it is all because of evil cars. People should be allowed to cross streets and rail tracks any time and anywhere they want to! Nobody has ever been hit by a train or streetcar. They are perfectly safe.
Dam those evil cars.
Did you even read the book? It isn’t arguing for a return to the past; it’s documenting what happened, why and how. However, there are many examples of such spaces in Europe and Asia that continue to work just fine.
Note that it worked fine when horses were in the mix. I blame the withdrawal of horses from the streets for the current congestion and accident rate.
They had horsedrawn ice wagons and the like during WWII in the midwestern cities, and public transit started going downhill shortly after they left at the end of the war.
Coincidence, or cause? I think the answer is obvious!
Judging from that video, I would guess the accident rate on that street back in 1905 was extremely high — much higher than on any street in Seattle currently. Particularly when measured in accidents per passenger-mile.
In places where there is a lot of pedestrian activity, such that the pedestrians outnumber greatly the cars, jaywalking is commonplace and acceptable. I’m thinking for example of Pike Place or Stevens Way. Cars recognize that they are the ones encroaching on pedestrian right of way, and thus will readily stop for pedestrians crossing the road.
The DSTT is a different story. Buses are going 35 mph, are very frequent, and are oftentimes hard to see. Combine that with the fact that buses are a product of the automobile revolution.
Not to mention the very quiet trains.
Buses in the DSTT are not going anywhere near 35 mph in the stations, which is the only place where pedestrians are allowed. Buses and trains go very slowly in the station. So why aren’t pedestrians allowed to cross the street and tracks at stations between platforms? There are no cars in the DSTT, so why isn’t “jaywalking” between station platforms allowed?
What do you think MLK Jr Way would be like with no signals at any intersections, and jaywalking allowed anywhere? Do you think that would make a trip on Central Link faster? Or slower?
How about along the route of the S.L.U.T.? No signals at any intersections. Pdestrians allowed to cross all streets whenever and wherever they felt like it. Would that make trips on the S.L.U.T. and buses faster or slower?
Do you think elminating traffic signals and allowing pedestrians free use of streets would result in fewer or more accidents on those routes?
The point is not that signals, crosswalks and lanes should be removed or that jaywalking should be legalized or encouraged. Oran is pointing out that these things basically didn’t exist prior to mass adoption of the automobile. They weren’t needed when streets were a shared, public space for a number of reasons, primarily that horses streetcars were travelling at slow speeds compared to automobiles today.
I think we take our focus on automobiles in cities for granted, so it is educational to remind everyone that is wasn’t always this way and perhaps we should decide if what we have is what we want.
Depends on the streets. Cars are allowed in the Altstadt of Heidelberg, and there aren’t even sidewalks much less any traffic signals. And yet there are almost no accidents as bikes and pedestrians have right of way and cars are forced to drive very slow through the area.
http://cache.virtualtourist.com/1/3645143-Old_TownAltstadt-Heidelberg.jpg
Actually, I do think on many streets traffic control devices should be eliminated and the majority of the street domain handed over to pedestrians in some sort of manner…clear to the car driver. Maintain a network of arterials where cars can make their through trip at a reasonable pace (not 35+ for sure, save that for the freeways). Each intersection of the arterial would of course need proper traffic control to allow safe and convenient passage of other roadway users, including other cars in other directions.
As it stands, residential streets are receiving a lot of arterial overflow traffic, whom tend (not all, but a growing percentage) to think they own the right-of-way. Rather infuriating on the residential streets in my neighborhood where most car drivers are visitors (to SU).
But, I’m sure you have a better idea.
Leave it the way it is. Works fine, for the most part. But prohibit bicycles from using streets. Make bicycles use sidewalks.
Most of the people who live in Seattle own and drive cars, so most people drive on the steets on which they live. And most people want to be able to get where they are going as quickly as possible, which is why most people don’t want pedestrians jaywalking.
Yeah! CARS ONLY!!!!
“…most people don’t want pedestrians jaywalking.”
Except for the little fact that most people are pedestrians and most people jaywalk (city people, anyway). I’ve jaywalked mid-conversation with a police officer in Manhattan (not in custody, just discussing the Knicks). Jaywalking is an accepted part of urban life. Always has been, always will be. Get over it.
And most people bicycle too fast for sidewalks, which is why bikes on sidewalks are illegal in many cities. Bikes belong on roadways and MUPs.
“Leave it the way it is.”
I’m fine with that. Let’s leave everything the way it stands as of today. No repaving or fixing potholes and definitely no widening of streets and freeways. The streets would soon be overcome with the worst nightmarish traffic; everything would be safe because no cars would be moving. Besides the fumes from idling traffic, everything would be super.
“most people don’t want pedestrians jaywalking.”
Incorrect, traffic engineers and some drivers don’t want peds jaywalking. The funny thing is, most, once out of their car, they don’t have a problem with jaywalking. I never see someone walk up to the corner to cross after having parked their car on the opposite side of the street of their destination. The only contingent that continues to snub their nose at jaywalking are busy-bodies that think they have to tell everyone to follow the rules they seek to follow (while completely ignoring other rules, such as speed limits, yielding to pedestrian right-of-way, etc.). I see you are one of those. Enjoy getting all heated and shaking your head in a disapproving manner at everyone else’s actions for the rest of your life, because no one will be able to live up to your standards.
Jaywalking was invented because of the automobile. Traffic lights, crosswalks, lanes, drive on the right or left, one-way traffic, parking meters, stop signs, speed limits, parking signs, etc. were all invented because of the automobile. Also, more work for the police, lawyers, judges, mechanics, etc. because of collisions and disputes.
I often wonder what law enforcement even did before cars. Seems like so many resources go to speed traps and the like, but I guess that’s just the part you see.
Even before the auto, there were conventions about whether horses and horse-drawn vehicles should pass on the left or right.
And before cars, there was still thievery and murder, so the law enforcers had something to do. And of course financial crimes, like not having any money.
“What did law enforcement do…”
http://www.amazon.com/Saga-Billy-Historians-Frontier-American/dp/0826321534
Are you serious? I’m pretty sure the accident AND fatality rates were quite high back then. Particularly among children. Watch how the automobile drivers seem to think they rule the road in this video and all the pedestrians darting out of the way. Life was dangerous back then.
There was a change to dwell times with the Central Link signals at stations along MLK a week ago that increased slightly the time at the stations (all stations now have the same dwell time that Othello Station SB has had for several months). It may be a coincidence but I didn’t experience any loss of signal cascade along MLK this week other than a few times when emergency vehicles were responding near by.
We were notified after the fact that the dwell times had changed but no mention of any other changes to the signal system. Curious if anyone else noticed this last week or if I had several lucky days where the transit gods were smiling upon me.
Credit to anyone responsible is due.
Transit consultant Jarret Walker weighs in on transit on 520:
http://www.humantransit.org/2010/04/seattle-railbus-tradeoffs-on-the-520-bridge.html
He agrees with Ben, John, and Martin that BRT is probably the best bet for the 520 corridor because of how the destinations are diffuse on both sides of the bridge.
Thanks for the link.
I’d still like to see more debate among the transit pros about the utility, feasibility, and cost-effectiveness of each of the individual elements in the study Seatle commissioned on 520 rail.
I think we still have time to talk through and coalesce around one option for the Montlake cut, in particular. Ben is happy with two general-purpose bridges. I don’t know anyone else who is.
The neighbors seem content to block any redesign for now. I’m not okay with that. They need to choose a Montlake cut bridge design, hopefully with the best interests of bus riders and taxpayers in mind. But 520 can’t be stalled forever. Jonathan, do you have a preferred plan for getting buses between 520 and UW Station?
From Downtown to Fauntleroy, the 54 is much faster than the 116 (and the related 118 and 119), which is supposed to be the express to Fauntleroy. Is this simply due to the fact that the 54 gets on the Viaduct Downtown instead of in SODO?
Check out the boy on the bike crossing the tracks at 1:00.
San Francisco, 1905 — boy were THEY in for a shock in a few months.
Just got back from a weekend getaway to Savannah Georgia.
Wow. Had an awesome time. Really interesting layout to the Historic District. When it was founded (1733) they had an interesting plan, dividing the city into 24 ‘Wards’ each centered around a park.
http://sherpaguides.com/georgia/coast/northern_coast/map_savannah_historic_7large.gif
Great walking city, I was very pleasantly surprised by how much fun I had.
Isn’t Savannah amazing? I loved living there when I went to college. The only drawback is that since there are a lot of tourists who are not accustomed to the streets there were a lot of close misses with cars hitting pedestrians and cyclists. So many one-way streets.
Overall, I am impressed with the planning for such a beautiful city. I wish the founding fathers and mothers had a better idea of how to make Seattle into a more boulevard, wide streets, landscaped, and denser city. Seattle would have been the Paris of the States if they had stuck with old 1920’s city plans. At least I think so.
I was very impressed. I had always heard good things but had a friend that went to CofC and so all my roadtrips in that direction during college ended up in Charleston.
Isn’t it amazing how 300 years ago we knew how to design a city that not only worked great THEN but also today, and yet somehow it seems with all our technology and models we still can’t seem to get it right.
Park Avenue before cars:
http://noimpactman.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/08/21/park_ave_pre_1922.jpg
New super cool bus stop sign NB on 3rd between Pine and Pike. Just briefly saw it but it’s quite cool looking.
I rode the 550 the other day and it was on a Metro bus, and I couldn’t remember the two-zone ST youth fare, so I asked the driver, and he just told me to put in 75c. Is it a policy to charge Metro fares when ST routes are on Metro buses or was it probably just because he didn’t know and that Metro bus just had a KCM fare card?
The latter. He should have gotten the correct fare card; I’m not sure who screwed up though. The only reason you see Metro coaches on ST routes is because East Base Maintenance sucks, and they run out of hybrids often, so they have no choice but to run a Metro coach. I think ST reimburses Metro for the use of the coach, but I’m not sure.
Just another question–on the soon-to-be-delivered Metro Orion buses, I hope they use push tape to ring the signal bell (like on ST buses) instead of a cord. Metro needs to break the mold of using only cords to ring the bell sometime (yes, I already know about the wheelchair signals). With the push tape there is no risk of cord breakage.
I prefer the cords over the tape. It’s easier to reach and pull than a narrow strip. Also, they’re cheaper to install and repair according to NYC Transit:
I have a question on the electric trolleybuses. Every so often, there’s a sign up in the overhead wires that says “Power Off.” It’s a small sign, and must be there for the driver, but what does it mean, and why? Obviously the buses pass that point – are they coasting through with no power?
That’s where one “zone” of power-feed ends and another begins. There are numerous neighborhood transformers throughout the electric system; the power does not all come from a single source. The sign tells the driver to take her/his foot off the accelerator to avoid a jerky ride for the passengers.
Thanks. Does this mean the wires are not continuous at this spot? I’ll have to take a look more closely next time I’m on the 7. The infrastructure of a city is fascinating and hidden for the most part.
The wires are usually separated by some type of insulating device at these points.
Portland and “elite cities”: The new model (The Economist)
“THE city most comparable to Portland might be Vancouver in Canada, reckons Sam Adams, Portland’s mayor, although “we look to Amsterdam, Helsinki and Stockholm” for ideas….”
So I know I’ve asked a few times before, but…
does anyone know how to add coins (nickles, dimes, quarters) to ORCA?
Every TVM I’ve tried had a piece of metal blocking the coin slot from the inside.
Well they finally replied, and I think this answer is a bummer.
I guess I can be a dick and bring a bag of coins for them to count and add?
“You can add value using coins at any of our ORCA customer service offices. I have attached a list of those locations for your consideration. They take coins, cash, cards, and most other forms of payment.
The ticket vending machines do not accept coins or change of any kind, they only give out coins. I apologize for the inconvenience.
Another option for you to consider is exchanging the coins for dollars and using those in the ticket vending machines. Please choose whatever option is easier and more convenient for you.”
WOW!! Get this…
“Please disregard my first response, I was uninformed and I apologize for that.
The ticket vending machines do accept all coins except for pennies. If the ticket vending machine in question is not accepting coins, please try another machine and email us the ticket vending machine number (A 3 digit number on a yellow sticker on the top corner of the machine). This will allow us to forward the matter onto our technicians for a resolution.
Please allow me to apologize once again for the misinformation and I hope that it has not caused any inconvenience.
Thank you and have a wonderful day!”