C-Tran

Sorry for the lull in posts, I went on vacation.  To Vermont, where apparently they still live in the dark ages and Verizon doesn't work. 

However, on the ride to the airport, I notcied that MARTA still announces the airport as your connection point to C-Tran, which, in case you live under a rock, ended service over a month ago.  Furthermore, I took these pictures on the train today:

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

MARTA is still advertising C-Tran service on the train!  I feel like this is misleading to people who never watch the news or folks from out of town.  And MARTA, I know you like stickers, cause you put them all over the signs to change them to the Gold line, so how about y'all make some new signs stating that C-Tran is no longer in operation and send out some interns to put them on the trains and buses.  Or I'll do it, whatever.

Streetcars and Light Rail?!?!

The Marietta Daily Journal is reporting that Cobb County could have light rail as early as 2019 along Cobb Parkway, from Cumberland to Town Center.  How suburban, they're going to connect the malls.

This project is estimated to come in at $2 billion, and they *hope* to connect to MARTA at some point.  Really?  Y'all need to vote to join MARTA and this would actually have a point.  You could have a line from downtown to KSU, which makes better sense.

And in other news, there's another round of TIGER grants coming up that MARTA and the city intend to apply for to get some funding for the street car.  Maybe, in light of the new legislation, we'll have a better shot.  O, but the bill only provides funds for 10 years, which is a tad bit shy of the 20 year minimum.

I hope Cobb County isn't intending to apply for those funds as well.  We need a unified region, not a hodge podge of lines that go nowhere, except to malls.

MARTA Monsters!

Yesterday, That's MARTA! and I filmed a couple of etiquette videos, and man, did we have a blast.  I personally think they're both adorable and hilarious.  Other opinions, however, seemed to be mixed.  The Bus Nerd loved them, so did Two, DT seemed a little underwhelmed, and One, well, he wanted to make sure we weren't getting paid for this because he didn't want MARTA to have to explain to MARTOC why they spent money during a tight budget on two girls playing with stuffed animals. 

I'm pretty sure I don't like One.

I feel like this is the kind of crazy stuff that has what it takes to go viral.  It'll spread all over the interwebs like only the best crazy stuff will.  But until I get the edited one back (yea, edited, we're professional!) I made some stills that I'm pretty sure MARTA should use as posters. 

As you can see, we're going with a monster theme.  The monsters are doing the bad things, and then there's a MARTA bear and Marty the MARTA worm to tell us how to behave correctly. 

Yup.  We're gonna be FAMOUS.  MARTA should snatch us up before the Cartoon Network does. 

San Fran - Part One

So I just got back from San Francisco a week ago, and, as the author of this awesome blog (why yes, I do like to toot my own horn), I had to experience all the transit I could.  What kind of budding transit geek would I be if I didn't?  I had some great experiences, so I'm breaking them down into multiple segments, so keep an eye for them.

The system in San Francisco consists of multiple parts, BART and MUNI, cable cars, street cars, rail, and trolleys.  It's the 8th largest system in the nation, just ahead of Atlanta at 9th.  However, they serve 800,000 a day while Atlanta serves nearly half a million, so that's a huge gap.  However, I'm guessing half of that's tourists who ride the cable cars, well, maybe a third.

My first experience with the system was BART (holy crap, it took me three tries to type that out right, cause I kept typing BARTA)  I took BART (two more) from the airport to my hotel downtown, on Powell Street.  I have to say, it wasn't the most awesome transit experience I've ever had.  I've taken rides on MTA, CTA, WMATA, the Tube, etc, but BART (one more) pales in comparison to them all.

For starters, that's the most confusing ticketing machine I've ever used.  It told me to insert a card, I use cash.  There was a $1 option, so I put in a dollar, and it spit quarters out at me.  Apparently that's a change option.  Why do I need change for?  My guess, all the bums.  So I threw the quarters in my purse and tried again.  I was finally able to purchase a round trip ticket for the astounding price of $16.20.  It's only like five stops.  Of course, I had put in $21 (one dollar to activate the machine and a twenty to buy the ticket) so I get another hand full of quarters back.  It gave me plenty of change to give to all the beggars around San Francisco.

MARTA Breeze cards 1, BART (AGAIN!!!!  Ah!) 0.
And MARTA Breeze machines give out dollar coins, so MARTA 2, BART (score! didn't screw up!) 0.

So the train finally arrives and I'm on my way.  Yes!  And EW!

BART (FAIL) has cushioned seats.  You may be thinking, 'O how nice, I bet they're comfortable!' and you might be right.  But I also know what happens on transit.  People spill things, throw up, and pee.  So I'm not a fan of cushioned seats.

MARTA 3, BART (yay!) 0.  (Yay cause I typed it right in one try, not cause they're losing).

After a 30 minute ride, I made it to my stop.  Grabbed my bags and out I go.  My directions were to go to the Hyde Plaza.  Where there signs or station agents to direct me?  Nope.  I never saw one station agent any time I was on BART, so MARTA 4, BART 0.

I wish I would have taken a picture of that horrible machine, but I wasn't thinking that far ahead.  One said they tried a system similar to MARTA's Breeze, but that it failed.  I feel sorry for them.  I had expected to buy a trip pass, like MARTA's day passes, but BART (one more) doesn't offer them.  I was able to pick up a MUNI one.

But here are a couple of pictures.

Cushioned seats! Ew!

This sign actually made my day, how to evacuate the train.  PS - Leave your bike.  Apparently you can take your luggage with you, just not the bike.  MARTA, we need these.

So that's MARTA 4, BART 1.  MARTA, you're looking pretty good so far.  BART, not so much.

And me?  That was 9 typos of BARTA.

Etiquette

Transit Etiquette is a big deal.  We're all sharing this service, so you do not get a whole row of seats for your crap, stand to the right of the escalators, and this is not your house, so no eating, sleeping, or doing your nails for pete's sake!

There's a new site out there called Violation Report where you can publicly shame people for violating basic social etiquette rules, including transit rules.  In fact, they even post a Transit Rules how to.

This afternoon That's MARTA! And I are going to start filming etiquette videos, so look for that to appear soon.  Once I figure that nonsense out.  But until then, check out this etiquette campaign:

Gawker's Subway Etiquette Campaign

What etiquette rules do you see broken that you want addressed? (this means comment, PLEASE?!?!!?) :)

Another word you need to know

There are lots of crazy terminology out there that if you're not a Foamer, you've probably never heard of and have no idea what that means.  Like the word Foamer.

A Foamer is a train geek, think One, the Bus Nerd (see That's Marta!), and the Train Kid.  It's people who foam/salivate at the mouth seeing a train go by.  The type of people who think boys nights are sleepovers in old rail cars.  The people I hang out with way too much and am slowly becoming.

So how did train geeks get to be associated with rabid raccoons?  I know lots of Foamers, and none seem to be into dipping trash into rivers and eating it.

But actually, the origin of the name has to do with a river.  The term Foamer comes from the train geeks who would wade into the Feather River to take pictures of the trains heading down Western Pacific's Feather River Route through the Sierra Nevadas from California to Utah.  Built in 1906, this route is known for it's impressive engineering and breath-taking scenery. 

There was once a thriving timber industry along this route, and the pollutants from the mills was dumped into the rivers, causing foam to build up in the eddies and along the banks.  Train geeks would venture into the river to capture that perfect picture of a locomotive crossing the trestles and would come back covered in foam, hence the moniker.

For further examples of what a Foamer is, I'd recommend checking this out.

Transit Photo Op - Part Two!

And so we continue with the crazy stuff that catches my eye.....

I'm pretty sure God did not tell you to vandalize the MARTA bus.

A bunch of buses down Peachtree, taken from the window of the Candler Building.  There are MARTA GRTA, CCT, and Gwinnett County buses.

On a new MARTA bus, the sign reads: PROG TEXT.  I'm pretty sure thats not what it's supposed to say.

The sign in a Wal-Greens window in San Fran, a light up version of the transit map.

Poster in the National Sierra Club office, Sprawl Attacks!  The reason why we love MARTA!

Fin.

The Weekly Transit Photo Op - Part One

I have a bunch this week, so we're gonna do this in a two parter.

Transit etiquette folks!  This woman is taking up the two seat by the door, in a crowded train, with her kid on her lap and the stroller out in the aisle.  Fold up your strollers, people!

Now this dude is the exact opposite of a seat hog, he brought his own!

Coming back from the airport.  I don't think I would have ever thought to hang my garment bag up like that.  Then again, I don't travel with a garment bag.

My MARTA watch!  Yay for swag!  And harassing One with it :)

Random sign at Midtown.  Not being used, just propped up against the wall.

HB277: A Pictorial

The other day, when discussing the new transit bill, HB277, I mentioned we had one Win.  Section Five of the bill has to deal with a MARTA expansion, allowing for the region to expand MARTA to the original five-county system that had always been the plan. 

This is how it works (to the best of my I-have-no-idea-what-I'm-talking-about abilities, and in my oversimplified dumbspeak, with pictures):

HB277 includes an amendment to the existing MARTA Rapid Transit Contract and Assistance Agreement (RTCAA) to allow for all counties originally included to vote this November to opt-in to MARTA.

 The first step is for the MARTA board to adopt this amendment.

Once that happens, it goes to the five county commissions plus the city of Atlanta that were to be included in MARTA, this is Dekalb and Fulton counties plus Cobb, Gwinnett, and Clayton.  Two out of the three existing MARTA jurisdictions (the city of Atlanta, Dekalb, and Fulton counties) must approve the amendment first

and the given county commissions must approve as well.

This has to happen within 60 days of the MARTA board approving the amendment, so the counties need to jump on board FAST.  If the two existing jurisdictions plus any of the other three counties approve, it then goes to a vote in that county this November.  It can only happen this November, so this entire process has to happen before October 3rd.  But if it does, then voters in those counties would have the opportunity to pass a one cent sales tax to join MARTA, bring in an influx of cash, help us grow the system and even to begin some commuter rail with the Lovejoy line, finally giving us the system that we're all dreaming of.

Photo Shoots!

We're still waiting on those DVDs from the photographers, but until then, I was able to jack this off of the photographer's website.