5 Replies to “Sunday Open Thread: God Created Transit”
Does anyone know what the * means next to the arrival time on SDOT’s LED pole-mounted real-time arrival signs? I’ve Googled a bit and have yet to find any answers.
Could be “estimated” time, when there’s no real time arrival info available at the time. Similar to when Onebusaway shows a grey colored time.
I was considering that, though that prompts my next question: how does this differ from REFER TO SCHEDULE? Sometimes all the times are REFER TO SCHEDULE (suggesting the entire system is down), but sometimes there’s just one in the middle of a bunch of valid times, suggesting a technical problem for that particular bus.
That video seems just a bit triumphal. Transit hasn’t divided communities, rich against poor, white against black? Where do you think the phrases “wrong side of the tracks” or “back of the bus” came from? Transit often pollutes and occasionally kills. Transit buses literally come down hard on streets; poorly conceived transit projects have cost cities real money.
People created transit. And transit, all throughout history has borne the genius and the flaws of its human creators.
My feedback on the fare proposals I gave to Metro:
“Considering that in the initial phase, keeping the current farebox recovery standards (which, at 25%, is the highest in the region except for Link) was the second lowest rated priority, I find it puzzling and unfortunate that Metro is only considering options that will increase overall fare revenue, instead of considering revising the target farebox recovery. If a very minor service reduction is made, then Metro could introduce a $2.50 fare across the board. Unfortunately, Metro is going directly against the feedback of the people, who are saying that the fare is already high, and keeping this high farebox recovery standard after the elimination of targeted long distance fares makes absolutely no sense. I envision an alphabet of RapidRide routes and millions of dollars of public investment, made ineffective by a fare that is so high as to make any trip on transit less than 8 miles not worth it.”
I reluctantly support the $2.50/$3 option, but Metro really gave us no good options here. They are blowing a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reconsider their farebox recovery standard (which, correct my history if I’m wrong, dates back to when they had 30+ fare zones. Can someone say, outdated??)
Does anyone know what the * means next to the arrival time on SDOT’s LED pole-mounted real-time arrival signs? I’ve Googled a bit and have yet to find any answers.
Could be “estimated” time, when there’s no real time arrival info available at the time. Similar to when Onebusaway shows a grey colored time.
I was considering that, though that prompts my next question: how does this differ from REFER TO SCHEDULE? Sometimes all the times are REFER TO SCHEDULE (suggesting the entire system is down), but sometimes there’s just one in the middle of a bunch of valid times, suggesting a technical problem for that particular bus.
That video seems just a bit triumphal. Transit hasn’t divided communities, rich against poor, white against black? Where do you think the phrases “wrong side of the tracks” or “back of the bus” came from? Transit often pollutes and occasionally kills. Transit buses literally come down hard on streets; poorly conceived transit projects have cost cities real money.
People created transit. And transit, all throughout history has borne the genius and the flaws of its human creators.
My feedback on the fare proposals I gave to Metro:
“Considering that in the initial phase, keeping the current farebox recovery standards (which, at 25%, is the highest in the region except for Link) was the second lowest rated priority, I find it puzzling and unfortunate that Metro is only considering options that will increase overall fare revenue, instead of considering revising the target farebox recovery. If a very minor service reduction is made, then Metro could introduce a $2.50 fare across the board. Unfortunately, Metro is going directly against the feedback of the people, who are saying that the fare is already high, and keeping this high farebox recovery standard after the elimination of targeted long distance fares makes absolutely no sense. I envision an alphabet of RapidRide routes and millions of dollars of public investment, made ineffective by a fare that is so high as to make any trip on transit less than 8 miles not worth it.”
I reluctantly support the $2.50/$3 option, but Metro really gave us no good options here. They are blowing a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reconsider their farebox recovery standard (which, correct my history if I’m wrong, dates back to when they had 30+ fare zones. Can someone say, outdated??)