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Blue Line wire woes; commuter ire grows
By adamg on Fri, 12/05/2014 - 8:56am
It's shuttle buses all the way down to Wonderland this morning as the Blue Line's unique wire issues short out Blue Line service between there and Orient Heights. Michael Kass adds:
Wonderland garage is a complete disaster, cars trying to get in and out.
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Comments
More and more problems with the MBTA:
The present mechanical problems on the MBTA, not to mention expensive service hikes, will only get worse, when Charlie Baker takes over after the first of the New Year.
Citations please!
Citations please!
Do you really think a pro business governor is going to allow the engine which gets millions of people to work each month fall apart?
Bustitution Blues - Ⓣ ≠ Think
As annoying as bustitution is, the Ⓣ's practice of making every bus stop at every single station along the route adds further insult to injury. When multiple busses are dispatched to shuttle passengers, why not have some of the busses go directly to the other side of the disruption?
Today for example, since most people boarding at Wonderland were headed all the way into town, at least some of the busses should have gone directly to Orient Heights. Having some shuttle buses running express would not only save time for passengers, it would allow the Ⓣ to handle service interruptions more efficiently, using fewer busses and drivers.
A couple of months ago, they were bustituting between Suffolk Downs and Maverick on a Friday night. The friendly train operator was kind enough to warn me before I got on at Wonderland, but he also assured me that Late-Night service would get me home again, even if they were still bustituting at 3:00 am (which they were). Anyway, a few minutes after he let us out at Suffolk Downs, two shuttle buses arrived, absolutely packed with very tired and unhappy looking passengers coming out from Maverick.
There were only a dozen or so of us headed inbound, and the dispatcher directed us onto the first bus. After several minutes of just sitting there with no explanation, I stepped off to ask. He said we're waiting until the next train from Wonderland arrives. Although disappointed, I wasn't really shocked until I turned around and saw that the second bus was gone! When I asked the dispatcher what happened to it, he said "Oh, it went directly back to Maverick".
Naturally, I asked the dispatcher why he didn't offer the bus to passengers who were headed there. The dispatcher said he'd never thought of doing that, but he agreed it was a good idea. Bustitution is an unfortunate reality on the Ⓣ; it's certain to be implemented even more often as the overall system and its fleets of trains continue to decay. I wish the Ⓣ would give at least some thought to making the experience less unpleasant for passengers.
The traffic-clogged bustitute loop through Airport Station is infuriating for anyone not going there.
When multiple busses are deployed for bustitution service, they shouldn't all go to the same places. They have the advantage of not being all hooked together like train cars! An offering of local, partial express, and/or full express busses would cost nothing to implement. All the Ⓣ needs to do is think.
Good idea but.. issues.
The issues are.
1. Understand where passengers are going and having enough buses.
2. Making sure passengers know which one is the correct bus
3. and sometimes these shuttles are a cluster fuck, and I can see it now, passengers getting on the wrong bus.
4. (and I'll be flamed for this but I see it alot), lack of English skills on the passengers part to understand and comprehend what is going on and which bus to ride. (sorry folks, I see this A LOT in my hood) (and its rare I hear/see a driver speak something else besides English)
But I agree, good idea. Because city streets don't often mirror transit lines, its asinine on many of the routes these shuttles take to hit every station.
You forgot
5. Having anyone at the T give a flying fuck.
If The Ⓣ Can't Solve These Problems ...
#1 - As it is now, someone already has to determine how many busses to use (or else, they use all they have available). The Ⓣ certainly ought to know the typical patterns of passenger traffic to and from stations throughout the system on any given day and time; surely those numbers are in a computer somewhere. For example, on a morning such as today, I would imagine the Ⓣ knows that at least 50% of passengers boarding at Wonderland will be going at least as far as Maverick. Therefore, if the dispatcher has at least two busses to dispatch, it's only logical that at least one of them should run express. How hard can it be to write a little software that uses known traffic patterns to make an intelligent and dynamic bustitution schedule that maximizes passenger movement with whatever equipment happens to be available at the time?
#2 - Believe it or not, busses already have big signs that light up in front, on the sides, and even inside the bus. These electronic signs can be easily reprogrammed to display anything. In addition, most busses have an automated announcement system that can be programmed to say things like "This is an express bus to Maverick - It will not stop anywhere else - etc.". Not considering, there's also usually a Ⓣ dispatcher directing passengers to the busses, and last but not least, the bus driver to communicate where the bus is going.
#3 - Much like the Ⓣ itself, I don't think you're giving enough credit to the intelligence and resourcefulness of the passengers who use the service. The vast majority of people will have no problem boarding the proper bus. There'll always be a few people who get lost, but they'll still get to their destination with a little help from others, eventually.
(This still happens all the time at Bowdin Station; people who don't get the message that Scollay Under is closed!)
#4 - See #3.
Darling
Sorry darling, I don't agree. I see lack of english skills all the time cause problems on the T. Drivers telling passengers to move in to the bus, or not to board, or buses going out of service. Non-English speakers look at you like you have six heads. It really does happen more than you think.
Come ride the 116/117 or the 111 a few days, you'll see very quickly what I mean. I've been riding the T bus network for 15 years, and I've never encountered the issues I have on those three routes as I have anywhere else in the system.
Because it's the T. Remember this is the same organization that was still using a 1950s-era token system in 2006. Technology + T = not happening. It never has.They just aren't that bright in that department. And also, the T has far bigger technological needs than this, so thats where the money goes.
Not trying to argue with you Elmer, I think its a wonderful idea, but lots of great ideas such as yours quickly go away when you have to dumb it down for the average person. Unfortunately the average person just isn't very bright.
Bussing
Agree with you Elmer, it is a pain in the neck to stop at every T station when the bussing occurs on the Orange Line a couple of nights a week, and it would make more sense to shuttle directly to different stops.
Sometime, when I have time to waste, I will go back and find out when bussing started on the Orange Line on certain nights after 8:30. I thought when Assembly opened that would be the end, but evidently the T is still working on that station. It is at least 6 or 7 years. There was the signal replacement, then work on Assembly before it opened, now after it has opened.
It is only a couple of nights, and I think they try to avoid nights when there are games at the Garden, but it seems like it will never end.
Officially, Assembly Station
is only "substantially complete." Although I fully agree with you - looking at the station (I pass by it twice a day on the commuter rail), I can't see any work remaining that requires a full shutdown of the Orange Line.
And I've always found it interesting that the bustitution notices for the Assembly work always say "beginning at approximately 8:45."
The Ⓣ Indifference Is Inexcusable If It's A Planned Bustitution!
one thing I noticed
The entire second headhouse, that connects to the parcel south of the station, is still under construction.
As is the parcel itself.
With the possible exception of
construction of the overhead piece connecting the headhouse with the platform, neither of these activities require that service be shut down.