T spokeswoman: If you don't want delays, have your employer buy you an SUV
By adamg - Wed, 07/16/2008 - 11:40pm.
OK, what T spokeswoman Lydia Rivera actually told the Globe was:
People that choose to take the system do realize that with public transportation, you are going to encounter delays.
Dan Dunn, who lives up by the Alewife end of the Red Line, is livid:
... What?! She thinks I should expect delays? She thinks it's normal that public transportation is be unpredictable? What a load of crap!
There are plenty of public transportation systems out there that run consistently on time. Munich and Tokyo come to mind, and I wager there are other examples closer to home.
I think that quote speaks volumes about the attitude of MBTA management and employees. They expect to suck. When they do suck, they’re just meeting expectations. ...
Wow
The MBTA really needs a big cleaning from the top down.
Grass is always greener on the....??
You'll notice that Dan Dunn didn’t mention any U.S. systems as being reliable. That’s because the T is not alone in this country. In fact, I’ve been on systems in this country far worse. The trains here can be on time for 10 days in a row, but if one train is late on the 11th day.... people whine about.
Grabauskus, get back to work
Come on, Danny boy, I know the SUV got you to work early enough today to chime in here, but maybe you should be using some of that time to fix the MBTA!
Name 1 system worse than Boston and we'll discuss it.
Not defending Dan here, but
Philadelphia is worse. Other than that, I can't think of a system I've encountered (probably about 10 in N.America) that didn't make me want to go home and slap the T for one reason or another.
Are you kidding?
Flawed the MBTA may be, but it isn't remotely close to the worst system in the country. Very few meet the scope of the 'T's operation level, so comparisons are a bit tricky, but I'd suggest that Boston is one of the top five cities in the country for viable transit access. If you don't believe me, take a look at utilization numbers:
32% of Boston commuters use public transit. This is exceeded only by DC (38%) and New York (54%). Compare that to Los Angeles (11%) and I think it should be clear where the better system is. Even vaunted new transit pioneers like Portland (13%) fail miserably on this metric.
Depends
At 1:30 AM, 0% of Boston's commuters use public transit.
At 8:45 AM on any given weekday, 32% of those 32% are late or, worse, stuck in place.
Anyone defending the T doesn't take the Green B Line.
Yes, indeed!
You use the right verb, but the wrong context. I've lived on the B, C, D, Orange, and Purple lines, so I understand your pain -- and you'll note I said the 'T was flawed in my first sentence. But I've also lived in Los Angeles. Boston has a system that moves more people more miles every single day than does L.A., in spite of being a much smaller city. Does the 'T suck compared to the ideal? Certainly. Does it suck compared to most other systems? Not at all.
Danny boy? Do I know you?
Danny boy? Do I know you? Name one system better than the MBTA. We won't discuss it.
The Real Problem With The T
IMVHO, of course.
The employees are generally rude and non-helpful.
Seriously. If riders were greeted with smiles, and given help with a smile when it's asked for, maybe the occasional delay wouldn't be taken so personally. When employees give you bad attitude, the higher-ups have to expect that the patrons will fire back with it when they're disgruntled.
Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com
rude and non-helpful
It's interesting you brought this up. We have a Smile at The Riders initiative at the MBTA. In the meantime, Maybe you should consider spending more time with your friends.
Thank for the laugh, "Dan"!
"In the meantime, Maybe you should consider spending more time with your friends."
Hee-hee! Best comment in months!
Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com
the Japanese figured it out in 1910...
...so why can't the MBTA? http://www.hitachi-rail.com/rail_now/column/just_in_time/index_2.html
Also: on Japanese railways, the trains are ALWAYS on time. If they're late, you get a ride coupon ON THE SPOT. You even get an "excuse note" for your employer as to why you were late!
Shit, the trains even have beverage vending machines!
Welcome to America. We still
Welcome to America.
We still think we're number #1, but in our hubris others are passing us by.
Now, hows that $600 cold hard cash doing for ya?
vending machines
that offer BEER been there, know that.
I was incensed by that
I was incensed by that quote, too.
The T's message seems to be, "You need to lower your expectations."
Well, how much lower do they need to go?! As it is, I'm surprised when my commute is on time and uneventful.
I work in the Longwood Area, and have had to completely give up on taking the Riverside 'D' trains, which are supposed to run every five minutes from Government Center, but often don't show up for ten or fifteen--sometimes even longer...
And that's after my daily ordeal on the MBCR Fitchburg line to North Station.
The MBTA/MBCR is a travesty, an embarassment to the city. It compares unfavorably to public transportation systems in most developing nations, never mind European ones.
I've stayed in New York, Washington, Philadelphia, Minneapolis and San Francisco and got around by public transit in all of those cities (including during 'peak hours'), and never once experienced a delay attributed to "signal problems", never once was stranded for hours by canceled trains or fires on the tracks. Why are these daily occurrences here?
Shame on the T.
You heard Dan
Safety is their number one priority!
Actually getting people from one part of town to another in a timely manner is just a happy coincidence when it happens.
Remember Japanese and German
Remember Japanese and German railways are heavily government subsidized.
Also
They had a chance to start from scratch in a lot of ways, what with being bombed into rubble in WW2 and all.
Not Barcelona
...a city a thousand years older than Boston, whose metro system--originally built in the 1920s and '30s--features modern, clean, comfortable stations and cars, and message boards which count down, in seconds, the time until the next train.
and in Boston...
I've personally stood waiting for Silver Line buses, watching the countdown timer sit at four minutes for nine minutes.
correction
What she meant to say was: "If you ride the T, you're an idiot", but it came out wrong.
Go back to Slumerville you
Go back to Slumerville you douchebag hippes! Put your fat ass on a bike if you don't like it! Or repeal prop 2.5 to stop stealing tax money from the state!