Brilliant, so I stoled it from iMetro

There is a transit blog community out there.  If you're not as crazy as me, you may not have realized it.  So I made play nice with a few, and that includes MetroMan of DC.  Yesterday he had a brilliant post on ways for the WMATA to make money, so I decided y'all needed to read it.

It seems that our nation's capitol is worse off than Atlanta at the moment.  Since Atlanta is a little money poor itself, I thought maybe we could borrow a few of these brilliant ideas.  And with that, I would like to propose that we fine people of poor escalator etiquette.  And a tax on suburbanites going to events downtown. 

So if you're bored, go check out www.wtfmetro.com.  I'll admit it, he's more entertaining than me.

Metro Money-Making Ideas

With the ever-looming budget woes due to years of mismanagement, we all need to pitch in and provide WMATA with ideas and suggestions on ways to help overcome this budget gap that is being faced. Now in all fairness, it's not ALL due to mismanagement, but that has played a role. Aside from the fare increases/surcharges that are PROBABLY right around the corner, we need more options of supplementing this cause.

Everyone likes to relax on their train ride home. After a hard day of work, we all wish for a little bit of peace as we make our way home to family, pets, and/or alcohol & harsh narcotics. One way we attempt to achieve this peace is via sleep. I swear... sometimes after a long day at work, I can hop on the red line at Sliver Spring and be KNOCKED OUT before my train hits Takoma. Unfortunately, we don't all have the luxury of doing this. Primary reasons preventing this are usually unruly passengers, overcrowded trains, and the herky jerky stop and go action due to manual train control. While we can't combat the first item without Metro Transit Police actually doing something (guffaw), I do have a solution to combat the latter of the two. This invention will allow riders to stand up and catch some ZZZZZs while maintaining a stable base, leaving passengers worry-free about falling due to unskilled train operators. I first present to you, The Chinpod!



Chinpod allows passengers to cram in and take a nap wherever the sardine school of passengers takes them. It even works on station platforms! Orange line riders will LOVE this. Chinpod offers a stable base with its triangular leg structure, composed of the latest titanium technology. The telescoping shaft has a demonstrated weight capacity of 487lbs, accommodating riders of all physical statures. Metro can rent Chinpods at popular/busy stations such as Metro Center, L'Enfant Plaza, and Dupont Circle, and have return/drop-off locations available system wide. Rental fee will $5, and $6 for Asians. No reason for the extra surcharge, but I figure we should just go ahead and use random discrimination for a financial gain. I'm open to discussing the surcharge being shifted to other ethnicities. Heck, how about we rotate months. Asians (January), African-Americans (to include African natives) (February), Hispanics (March) Caucasians (April), repeat. I thought about a $2 surcharge for tourists, but we all know they don't ride the train for long distances, nor do they sleep...they just talk excessively loud.

I know what you're thinking right now. "Metroman, that's so awesome. You're so great...but what about the poor bastards such as yourself that ride the bus!!?!?" Relax my friend, we've got you covered. Now the bus is a bit more tricky, as space is significantly more confined. We opted NOT to provide a standing sleep-aide, but rather a seated device. Don't you hate trying to nap while positioned in those sideways seats ? The odd swaying of left to right with the drivers' erratic applications of gas & brakes. Fear no more, my fellow bus riders. Metroman presents to you, "Bus-A-Cap"

Bus-A-Cap, whose name is inspired by the former [and current] criminals employed by WMATA, features the latest in suction devices, providing a secure connection to bus windows. The patented construction-grade hard hat provides 360 degrees of cranial support, ensuring a restful and relaxing ride in the roughest of conditions. It's been tested to dampen motion from routine occurrences, such as collisions with trains at railroad crossings , it even withstands the impact from the railroad crossing gates (original posting here). Hell, you wont even feel a THING when the bus mows down pedestrians. Bus-A-Cap is just that awesome!! Standard rates & fee schedule will be applicable.

Patent pending, void where prohibited.

Innovative ideas such as these are where WMATA needs to focus its efforts. Leading the way with such technical advances will the restore the faith in the leadership of tomorrow's WMATA. As of right now things aren't looking so hot. Not only will it generate $5B in the next 6 years (if we do some "metro math"), but GREAT inventions as featured above will change the region's outlook on Metro. Let's make it happen!!!

Bus Girls

When you ride the bus for an hour, you get to know the folks on the bus with you.  That's two hours a day sitting in a small metal box with folks, and the ridership on express buses is pretty consistent.  Like my new friend, CV, was saying yesterday, there's a community among transit commuters. 

Yesterday I rode with Tesan and we discussed the finer point of life in a shelter.  I have always thought I have an epic commute, but she wins.  Tesan lives on the West End of town, so she gets on a bus to an east bound train at HE Holmes, to transfer on a north bound out of Five Points, to Arts Center to catch the express bus up here to where we work.  Total commute: nearly 2 hours.  Distance from home to office: 8 miles.  And she is as super nice and friendly as can be while doing it!

This morning, Keisha and I both missed the 8:05 10b, so we were riding the 10 and the 50 together.  She is not as big a fan of MARTA as I am, and definately not the CCT.  This morning she lost her Breeze card, so she went to the Ride Shop at Lindburgh to get it replaced (register that thing if you haven't already!)  MARTA gave her a new card with the value immediately, but CCT told her it would take up to four days!  Craziness!  Speaking of which, I called Monday and I did finally get my refund from that whole bus incident in November.  I had to call, cause that woman she didn't let me know.  It posted in December, so total time to  refund: three weeks.  Better than I thought it would be.

And here's your bit of activism for the day!

Part of the reason I take the bus is 285.  Sure, I want to be a cool transit kid and save the environment, but really, I hate being on 285, it stresses me out, and I'm afraid I'll kill someone eventually by ramming into thier car once the delirium takes over.  Hence, my butt gets on the bus for nearly two hours.

However, GDOT *ahem, shall keep comments to oneself* has some crazy Revive285 initiative.  Back in November they submitted their proposed alternatives to the top perimeter, and they are now accepting questions and comments.  You can find out more about these initiatives and praise or condemn them at:

http://www.revive285.com/

Snowpolozia 2010!

Since everyone has to have thier own moniker to protect the innocent, and those folks who may work for a transit authority, I'm now going to refer to MF as Cabbie since he's too good for the WMATA and takes a cab or walks everywhere.  Anyways, Cabbie made the comment that he was going to anxiously wait by the computer for news on how MARTA and the ATL handle Snowpolozia 2010 - our big blizzard of the new decade.  Well Cabbie, here is your post. 

We got one heck of a wicked storm!  PS - I have no idea why only my side of the street got snow, I guess because the clouds hate the neighbors?  So we blanketed with half an inch of glorious white stuff.  Which promptly shut the city down.

My office was closed for the day, the radio and tv was advising folks to stay in and off the roads, and I decided to attend an alumni dinner by hopping on a bus.  I walked down to the bus stop, just a little treacherous, and waited on my bus.  There was a couple on the other side of the road arguing, he was accusing her of misleading him as to what time the bus was coming.  Aw heck, this does not bode well for me.  I waited, and waited, and the time for my bus came and passed.  Then I called customer service.  Sure enough, there was an announcement, service was delayed due to the weather.

There were stories of folks rearending MARTA buses, buses sliding down hills, and One said his bus driver would just put the brakes on and slid to a stop at the bottom of Peters.  What fun.  I kinda hate I don't have my own bus story to tell, cause my butt walked back to the house and drove the .8 of a mile to the station.

Day One of Session!

And the commute north was f*ed!  Normally, MARTA runs pretty true to schedule.  If I make it to Kenisngton by 7:25, then I am guaranteed to make it on the 8:05 10b at least 90% of the time.  Then mornings like today happen.

I am slightly nuerotic about the whole train thing and watch the train's progress like it's my job.  I stress the whole morning until I get on that precious bus.  So this morning when my normal west bound was a little late, of course I stuck to my phone like a transit geek to a documentary about the London Underground.  But it seemed like I was still going to make my north bound to Arts Center.

And then I watched as the arrival of said 302 north bound train got later, and later.  I got to the platform and joined the ever growing crowd waiting and it got later, and later.  A station agent announced that there was a delay on the train to Doraville and you could hear the crowd start to grumble.  When the train finally arrived, only half of the door opened, the operator then announced that he was having mechanical difficulties.  No?!?!?  Really?

The 302 was 13 minutes late.  Compared to some of the stuff I've been reading about WMATA, that's a cake walk, except I missed my bus.  Didn't even see the tail lights missed the bus.  Thankfully (and this is a horrible thing for me to say), the driver on the 10 was leisurely this morning, so I didn't have to wait too long in the cold at CTC.  Why does the 10b stop running at 8:05?!?!?!  O, cause no one rides it. 

So MARTA was in full glory for the start of the session, but we now have a speaker who may actually be worth a damn.  Let's see how the evening commute/ race to the Sierra Club office for a meeting goes!

Transit themed dinners continued!

I get hosed.  A lot.  The two main men in my life are slightly obsessed and I get drawn into it.  Nearly every Sunday the three of us, One, Two, and myself, go out to dinner.  Do I get quaility one-on-one time?  No.

So this Sunday, I suggested the Brake Pad.  My coworkers had told me about it, but they could have warned me.

The fricking bar is beside the fricking railroad tracks. 

One and Two rode MARTA and then their bikes (it was 18 degrees outside!) to the joint, where I met them.    Then we sat there and waited for trains. 

While I'm being slightly witchy, it was actually pretty cool.  Apparently, a CSX museum train rolled by.  One dubbed it a museum because of all the ancient hoppers (ps I knew that they were called hoppers before meeting One and Two, because of a children's book, but we don't need to discuss that!) that were included, some from rail companies like the B & O and Family that haven't existed in decades.  I was informed that the nickname for CSX is Chicken Sh*t Express because they have such crazy old, never painted cars.

However, the C in CSX has something to do with a railway kitty.  Which I think is a perfectly good argument as to why One needs to foster my kitty.  I mean, if kitties like railways, then One has to like kitties, due to his obsessive nature with all things rail.

:)

I can act like I know what I'm talking about when I pay attention

I drove today.  I know, I am such a bad person!  But I overslept, and by overslept, I mean my cell died in the middle of the night so it didn't go off this morning.  So I drove, because there was no way of me making that 10b.  And it is way too cold to wait the 15 minutes or so for the 50 if it's even on time.  So there you have it, I am lame.

Back to my soap box.

Yesterday I tried to give you the quick and dirty history of MARTA's problems.  So now here's what to expect from the Gold Dome this session.

1.  FUNDING - For two years now legislation that would create new transit funding has been proposed, hacked to pieces, and left sitting alone to die in some back corner of the Dome.  What started out as a promising bill to fund the "brain train" through a regional sales tax option was distorted into one favoring highway contractors.

2.  MARTA - in 2009 the Senate passed SB120 which would drop the 50/50 restrictions on MARTA's tax revenue, allowing them to use its own money to save its own butt.  The bill was then passed onto the House Transportation Committee, where it still sits today, necessitating the ARC bailout.

Of course, we need SB 120 to be passed so that MARTA can operate without cuts.  But that's not a solution, it's a bandaid, and a cheap bandaid that's half falling off at that.  MARTA will quickly race through those funds and decimate their reserves without additional funding from the state (i.e. a real funding bill for public transportation).

So contact your senate and house reps and ask them to support SB 120 and legislation allowing for a regional sales tax for transit.  Also, mark your calendars for Transit Lobby Day Thursday, Febuary 18th, and the MARTA pub crawl Saturday, Febuary 20th. 

In other news, Atlanta should find out soon whether we got the TIGER grant for the street car, like in the next 10 days or so.  Keep your fingers crossed and I'll let you know as soon as I hear something!

About Blogging

Yesterday a friend who lives in DC asked me why I'm blogging, am I trying to be some sort of www.WTFMetro.com?  (Which, by the way, is a hilarious website that makes me appreciate MARTA that much more.)  And I have to say, No.  I started Transit Misadventures in part to make fun of myself as I try to navigate transit, since I moved to Atlanta from a place where transit involves tractors.  Well, we have school buses.  Don't get me wrong, I've lived in China and England, so I wasn't foreign to the idea by any means, but making a point to ride a bus full time wasn't anything I had done before.  Buses scare me.  There are a bijillion routes and schedules and who knows where you're supposed to get on and off because there aren't always those fancy shelters that are a dead give-away.  But I got involved with the Sierra Club, which led to me adopting into my life two very awesome transit boys, one of whom is car-free.  And, frankly, I hate cars and driving in the city and had considered if I could go car-free before meeting One and Two and didn't think I could do it.  So one week I tried it.  Car-free for a week.  And you know what?  Despite the two hour commute and missing the bus a couple of times and learning the hard way that CCT doesn't run on Sundays, I loved it.  Then Two, who is car-free but constantly gives me props for being so hardcore with my multiple hour, multi-modal commute, encouraged me to start a blog.  And hey, why not?

I never started this whole deal to talk about MARTA being a disaster.  In fact, I have to give it props for operating as well as it does.  MARTA is the ninth largest transit system in the nation and the largest to not get any state funding.  At one point, MARTA was admired as being a pioneer in the field and Reagan came to Atlanta to see it, but then the state let it fall behind.  You hear a lot of reasons for that, like the counties (*ahem* Cobb, Gwinnett) surrounding Atlanta thought that it would bring the "undesirables" up to the suburbs.  So only two counties, Fulton and Dekalb, signed on.  Then former Gov. Lester Maddox tied it down with this 50/50 funding stipulation because he didn't want it to be a free-ride for the poor folk. 

30 years later, MARTA is a battle ground.  To bring this into perspective, the next largest transit system in the nation to not receive state funding is CCT (I believe it's the 54th largest transit system, but don't hold me to that); so Georgia sucks on a couple of levels.  Without some major intervention, MARTA is facing Draconian (PS, I don't understand it, but this is the buzz word to describe the dire nature of the situation) service cuts of up to 25-30% next year.  If you don't think transit is important, imagine if there were 25% more cars on the road.  And before you sign it off to be a Metro thing, CCT and GRTA didn't come about because there wasn't a need, and 18 counties didn't vote to let the ARC help out MARTA last year because they had no use for that $25 million.

So, as much as it's a blog to poke fun at myself, the Accidental Commuter, and CCT, it's also a transit advocacy thing to.  For the next few months, expect my adventures to be peppered with ways to get involved and updates on the Gold Dome.

FulCo Trespassing

The Sunday before Christmas, since I was still in the ATL, E and I went out exploring our new 'hood.  And by exploring, I mean looking for a Home Depot and Publix.  Yea, we're hard core.  So we were driving down Cascade and saw a sign that beckoned for us, calling our names, saying, "Come visit, see me, I'm lonely!"  Of course, we immediately turned and headed for that welcoming land.  What land, you ask?  What wonderous place begged for our attentions?

The Fulton County Railway, a CSX yard.  We are quickly growing into our transit geekery.  It's contagious, you know.

(ps - yea, we totally made fun of them for the awesome parking lot paint job :p)

Baby its cold outside!

And I am huddled up waiting on the bus, hiding behind a sign to keep out of the wind!