Wilfrid Posted June 18 Author Share Posted June 18 Also saw today that the MTA will install more cameras in bus lanes to catch and fine naughty drivers. Well it does need an alternative to charging fares or congestion pricing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilfrid Posted June 18 Author Share Posted June 18 Wouldn’t it be cool to have legal cannabis stores run by people who had a bad experience with the laws in the past and now pay for a license and keep up with taxes and have a good but more expensive product? People: We’ll continue going to the 9,000 stores that are cheaper and the product is fine. Wouldn’t it be cool to have buses on the major routes where you can get on and off through any door having already bought a ticket at a little, sometimes working kiosk? People: Oh, we can ride free? Isn’t it great that every platform on the subway system has an emergency door that can be held open by anyone leaving the station? People: Oh, we can ride free? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bloviatrix Posted June 18 Share Posted June 18 9 hours ago, Wilfrid said: Wouldn’t it be cool to have buses on the major routes where you can get on and off through any door having already bought a ticket at a little, sometimes working kiosk? People: Oh, we can ride free? People were sneaking onto busses through the back door long before pre-boarding payment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
small h Posted June 18 Share Posted June 18 10 minutes ago, bloviatrix said: People were sneaking onto busses through the back door long before pre-boarding payment. It's A LOT WORSE now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
small h Posted June 18 Share Posted June 18 As is the turnstile-jumping and other fare-beating methods on the subway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilfrid Posted June 18 Author Share Posted June 18 1 hour ago, bloviatrix said: People were sneaking onto busses through the back door long before pre-boarding payment. 47%? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve R. Posted June 18 Share Posted June 18 (edited) After years of being in Supervisory or Administrative positions, there were 2 things that I knew as fact: one, data collection is only as good as your data retrieval system and two, laws/rules are only as good as your ability to meaningfully enforce them. It seems that our society's rules no longer have any meaning. Some of that is/was good, as society's norms weren't/aren't equitable & need major change, but some of it has just broken down any sense of order & leaves folks scrambling. Edited June 18 by Steve R. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilfrid Posted June 18 Author Share Posted June 18 Anecdote to underline the social norms point. Many years ago, on my first visit to Germany, I acquired a rail pass good for something like six trips. It had a blank line for each trip and you were expected to write in each trip you took. I did so, but I did it in pencil. Carrying an eraser meant I had, in effect, unlimited travel. I think very, very few Germans would have done what I was doing because the society (back then, at least) operated on the honor system and people complied with that. I recall the horrified looks when I jaywalked in the Black Forest mountains when it was clear there was no traffic for a mile or more in either direction. And there was no chance of Germans walking illicitly on the grass. The MTA is now operating on the honor system and the problem is that compliance with the system is pretty limited. I try to be a good citizen, but I confess I have entered the subway system through the exit door with the rest of the crowd if the train is just pulling in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephanieL Posted June 18 Share Posted June 18 Yeah, the honor system isn't working too well in SF. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
small h Posted June 18 Share Posted June 18 Whoo! Good thing I paid for the bus! Quite a sweep at 14th & 2nd. I had a moment of terror because my “wallet” wasn’t updated - the last transaction it shows is yesterday - but the transit cop was somehow able to ascertain that I paid. The woman next to me both did not pay and had no ID, so uh oh for her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Bonner Posted June 18 Share Posted June 18 when I lived in Peter Cooper and took the sbs uptown in the mornings I got checked once a week. but that was pre-covid. there is an argument that worrying too much about fare evasion is a waste of time and resources. That the impact isn't very positive on a transit system bottom line. There is obviously some break point where it is an economic issue but I'd be skeptical that the mta has done that analysis. they are just reacting to the people who pay the fare getting upset about seeing other people not pay the fare, which well fair enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilfrid Posted June 19 Author Share Posted June 19 The provocation for my post was the MTA reportedly paying a fortune to analysts to have the fare evasion analyzed (link below) I agree with you about it; the bigger question is about the huge shortfall from canceled congestion pricing revenue. https://www.crainsnewyork.com/transportation/mta-seeks-behavioral-expert-combat-record-fare-evasion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilfrid Posted July 23 Author Share Posted July 23 Oh dear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilfrid Posted July 23 Author Share Posted July 23 Mind you, although Mediterranean Fare would be better, I think that beats Mediterranean Fayre. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
small h Posted July 23 Share Posted July 23 Maybe there's a Ferris wheel in there or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilfrid Posted July 24 Author Share Posted July 24 And people dancing a tarantella. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilfrid Posted July 28 Author Share Posted July 28 And they’re at it again. A weapon detector to be installed at subway stations. This is AI-powered unlike all those useless ones in public buildings, conference centers, courts etc. Wait, every subway station? What I hear is that so far there is just one of these, at Fulton Street, that will be moved around to different stations without warning. What if someone goes through the detector carrying a gun? Not clear, but one assumes several police will be in attendance to deal with the situation. No wonder they are not going to be in every station. But here’s the punchline. Like the bag checks, if someone is carrying a weapon and sees the detector, aren’t they just going to turn around and head to a different stop? I guess it might trap people who have forgotten they’re carrying a weapon. It’s also going to be interesting to see how many innocent metal objects will be detected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilfrid Posted July 28 Author Share Posted July 28 Picking up an earlier theme, the subway is covered with ads for reduced fare programs. The funny thing is that they open with the question, “What do you do if you can’t afford the fare?” which is just begging for answers the MTA doesn’t want to hear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve R. Posted July 28 Share Posted July 28 When I was first starting my career with the Office of Mental Health (early '80s) I was part of a team assigned to go into the mens and women's shelters in NYC and try to re-connect those in need with drug, alcohol and/or psychiatric services. One of the shelters had a malfunctioning metal detector in the front vestibule, designed to catch those coming in with weapons. The staff had disconnected it because it wouldn't stop going off. My teammates and I did an in depth evaluation of the situation and came up with a diagnosis. The problem was that they nailed the detector up. I cant wait to see where they place this hi-tec tool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilfrid Posted July 29 Author Share Posted July 29 Yeah and how and when they move it. I look forward to it setting off my hip implant; I can’t go through metal detectors at airports, only the imaging thing. This is pure performance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voyager Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 20 minutes ago, Wilfrid said: Yeah and how and when they move it. I look forward to it setting off my hip implant; I can’t go through metal detectors at airports... An advantage is that they often wave you through with a cursory wave of the magic wand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephanieL Posted September 11 Share Posted September 11 They're repaving the streets everywhere, and of course there are signs stating the no parking dates and times. As I started my walk from home to BART, I saw one of those signs on my block laying on the ground and I foolishly thought to open it and prop it back up. Well, those things are METAL, and when I got it open it immediately closed right on my finger, and I couldn't pry it off for several seconds. My fingertip still feels funny, so I have a date with urgent care (out of network, natch) in an hour. Oh, and in a separate incident about 20 minutes later I took a hard fall near the station and scraped up my hands and knee. Sheesh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilfrid Posted September 26 Author Share Posted September 26 “Tell me what you eat and I will tell you who you are,” wrote Brillat-Savarin. If you tell me you are a vegan but have been long known to eat fish every night at an expensive and kind of mob-ish restaurant, then I will tell you that you are an asshole. The only remaining question is how big of an asshole you are. (Mods feel free to remove if I have not been subtle enough.) 1 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
small h Posted September 26 Share Posted September 26 It's always the one you suspect the most. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilfrid Posted September 26 Author Share Posted September 26 12 hours ago, Wilfrid said: The only remaining question is how big of an asshole you are. (Mods feel free to remove if I have not been subtle enough.) Oh, quite big, apparently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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