METRO: HAVE YOU EXPLORED CUTTING UNNECESSARY COSTS INSTEAD OF RAISING FARES?

Dear Metro:

Did you read about the kid that found a way for the U.S. Government to save $400 million a year simply by switching to the Garamond font?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2591875/Key-stroke-genius-student-14-simple-way-save-government-300m-year.html  (I think in the link address there, where it says 300 million, that is pounds or Euros, this is a Daily Mail link)

Well, Metro, you print a lot of stuff with red and blue ink.  And you print a lot of bus schedules, and you wouldn't need as many if you posted them on every stop.

As I said here: http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/03/what-should-be-metros-new-bus-stop-plan.html

Those red and blue inks could be done in Black and White, with a little note saying "Metro is saving you money and becoming more environmentally friendly by using only black ink."

LOOP TROLLEY POLICE STATE

More musings on

http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-loop-trolley-is-about-getting.html

and

http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-loop-trolley-sucking-up-more.html

It occurred to me this afternoon that a transportation district can have it's own security, and the police are heavily involved in Metro's honor system.  Instead of having turnstiles and tokens, they let the police write tickets when the honor system is checked. (In my experience, the more black men on the Metrolink, the more likely it is to get inspected for ticket dodgers.)

It seems pretty likely that the Loop Transportation District Security and local police will be used to eject anyone "undesirable" from the Loop.

It's not about a trolley, it's about control for profit.  Profit for the "Local 1%"

WHAT SHOULD BE METRO'S NEW BUS STOP PLAN

Metro doesn't get to decide where bus stops should go, the city and counties do, which is why the bus stop at Page and Lindbergh for the #94 let's you off in the middle of a cloverleaf, or why there is bus stop in front of the crosswalk in the Delmar Loop.

But there is a lot more that Metro could do.  In large parts of the county there are no sidewalks, and in the city the sidewalks are often in really bad repair.  And in any part of the city, in the winter when it snows, the snowplows push everything on to the sidewalks.

There are a lot of bus stops that are downright dangerous.  Especially for handicapped people and families with small children.  There is a stop in the College Hill area where people have to walk under an overpass, with no sidewalks and just a dirt patch.  The ground is littered with broken glass.  There are almost no businesses nearby (just big industrial patches). 

And all over the city and county, there are no schedules or routes posted.  No fare information.  I was told that this was "too expensive" (although it appears no feasibility studies have been done to determine just what the cost would be) and that people would "steal the bus schedules".

Well, if there were a schedule at every stop, why would you need to steal one?

Here is my plan (and please feel free to laugh hysterically at my child-like drawing done in MS Paint-- I tried to get that pencil tool to go straight, to no avail, LOL!):

Two sheets of heavy acrylic, with the appropriate sized holes to bolt the acrylic to the metal post, just as the bus stop sign is attached.  Across the top would be a heavy plastic seam that fits across the sheets to keep moisture out.  In between the sheets the bus schedule and route --just the same ones that are already printed and available, with a note on what the closest stop on the schedule was to the stop the person was at.

How hard would this be? Please let me know, Metro.  If you worked to make this part of your "Planning and System Development" you would could use those funds, instead of monies to "improve existing services", which you have already admitted you don't have.

Come on, Metro.  Do something for your people that will matter! 

DEAR METRO: SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU

Dear Metro (in particular, Chief of Planning and System Development):

1) What funds are going into developing sanitation facilities (toilets) at Metro bus transfer centers and Metrolink stations?  What consideration is being given to this most basic of human needs?

http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/03/metro-bus-and-train-stations-need-more.html

2) You say that one million people ride public transit every year.  How do you count the number of individual people that ride?  I can see where it would be easy to count your 55 million boardings, but how are you counting individuals?  Do you do surveys? Do you know what neighborhoods use your services the most? What are your busiest buses?  What are your busiest transfer centers?  What are your least-used bus and train lines?

http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/03/how-much-does-metro-know-about-its-most.html

3) You say that you are connecting people with jobs, yet your own maps (actually the East West Gateway Council of Governments' maps) of areas with the lowest ownership of cars are underserved, as are many of the areas with the most jobs.  The connectivity between the areas is also badly served in all but a few places (Central West End, Downtown).  Shouldn't that be your highest priority? What are you doing to change that?

4) When will more Metrolink service be available in north Saint Louis, and south city areas such as South Grand and Dutchtown?  Can you provide the public and OPTINSTL with maps of existing tracks, development plans, and feasibility studies?  If so, how do we access them?

5) You allow universities and employers to subsidize transit passes for employees, seemingly at their discretion.  You also sell "semester passes" to college students. Do you have any plans in development to offer passes at a discount to low-income people on welfare, and the unemployed?  Have you reached out to these agencies to look for ways to provide low cost passes to the disadvantaged-- which would seem to be your largest rider base?

6)  Can you point me to the official story of how the proposed St. Charles Metrolink was rejected? What lessons did Metro learn from this? Also, why was a train put into Shrewsbury when north Saint Louis has the greatest need?  Can you offer any assistance to the public and OPTINSTL on how to make sure future trains are not blocked?

http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-apalling-racist-fiasco-of-2005-and.html

7) Many of your bus stops are badly placed and many are not marked with the identifying information for the bus lines that stop there. None of them have schedules, routes, or fares posted.  There seems to be a lack of coordination and planning with the cities (who decide where the bus stops can be placed) on trash cans, lighting, sidewalk repair and so forth.  Especially in low-income areas where families with young children ride the bus, this seems like it should be an obvious priority.  What plans are in place to create better bus stops?

In particular, to post route, schedule and fares?  I have suggested two sheets of acrylic, three sided (the top would be sealed to prevent moisture from precipitation) with holes at the top and bottom, to be bolted to the metal poles that the bus stops signs are mounted on.  I was told it was too expensive.  Can you direct me to the feasibility study that was done that determined this cost was too high?

EDIT: http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/03/what-should-be-metros-new-bus-stop-plan.html

8) Are there any plans to extend the Customer service information?  It is nice that you started the phone and email alerts, but many low-income people do not have data service on their phones.  When people need to reach Metro the most, it is usually late at night and on weekends.

9) You are raising fares by 5%, but offer no explanation of how the three fare options all will equal the same amount of money -- 2.5 million dollars per year.  Can you direct me to the studies that were done, and how each of the three options totals up?

10) You also own Downtown St. Louis Airport, and the Arch and Riverboat Trams.  How much of the revenues generated from those entities are used for public transportation?  Have you investigated selling these entities to private companies?  If so, have you done any discovery of what impact this would have on the public transit system?  Would sale of these entities provided you with needed funds to improve existing services?

11) Can you explain why there is not more outreach work done-- such as rider surveys, and having Metro officials available on buses and Metrolink to make feedback more convenient to the riders?  To come to your hearings, those of us that don't have the money to buy bus passes have to pay to come, in addition to having our day disrupted.  And you would reach a much greater portion of customers by coming to them.

EDIT: http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/03/todays-hearing-on-fare-increase-at.html

12) Why doesn't Metro require employees that are not drivers or train operators to ride public transportation from the closest park and ride location from their homes, at least once a week?

13) In 2009, a year after the economic collapse in the U.S., and after four years- by your own statistics-- of increasing ridership, you had to severely cut services.  Do more riders equal more revenue?  And how so?  Can you direct me to the mathematical algorithms and statistical models (excuse me if my terminology is wrong) that you use to determine how many riders and at what fare structure you need to increase services?

http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/03/why-were-so-many-bus-lines-shut-down-in.html

14) Your website says that for every $1 a community invests in public transit, it receives $4 in federal money via Metro/Bi-State.  Can you explain to me exactly how that works?  Where does the $1 come from, and who gets paid the $4 in return? Also, is this true equally, for all communities?  And if so, does that mean that lower-income areas are lower served, because they have fewer dollars to contribute?

14) The Loop Trolley Transportation District was just awarded $25 million from an Urban Circulator Grant.  The reasons for the Public Transit riders to oppose the proposed Trolley are numerous.  What partnerships are Metro building with local communities to put Urban Circulators in areas that really need them?  How much exploration has been done on Urban Circulators?

 http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-loop-trolley-is-about-getting.html

EDIT: http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-loop-trolley-sucking-up-more.html

That is all for now.  If you can respond to these questions by email, please do.  If I need to come to Metro and pick up the hard copy print outs, please let me know.  If there is another agency or person I need to address, please let me know who they are.

Thank you.

EDIT: This was emailed to the Chief of Planning and System Development.

INTERPRETING METRO'S PROPAGANDA

I can't seem to let go of this bit from the Metro website (from this post).  It contains so much editorial (called "marketing") and vague statements of "fact".

Why is transit important?

Great cities have great transit systems. The St. Louis region is a

wonderful place in which to live, work, and play, but in recent decades

its population and job growth has stagnated. To change this, the

region must move forward and boldly redefine itself as a catalyst for

entrepreneurism, an attractor of talented young professionals, and a

place that considers the needs of all its citizens. Transit alone will not

make this happen, but it does play a vital role in shaping the region’s

quality of life and growing its economy. Here’s how . . .

Transit moves thousands of

people every day to work,

school, and life:

✦

More than 50 million times

each year, someone boards a

MetroBus, MetroLink train or

Metro Call-A-Ride van

✦

Most Metro customers ride to

work or school

✦

Metro customers in Missouri alone

earn more than $2.2 billion in wages

annually

✦

Metro carries nearly 2 million riders a a

year to special events

Let's break this down OPT IN STL style:

"Great cities have great transit systems."

Move to Paris if you want a great transit system.  Or Chicago.

"The St. Louis region is a wonderful place in which to live, work, and play, but in recent decades its population and job growth has stagnated."

We don't have to explain that this is great place.  Like the author of this document, a big chunk of your paycheck must come from promoting the City of St. Louis.  Hell, we don't even have to ride the bus if we want to go to the zoo or out to eat or to City Museum.  We make enough money to buy a car. And eat. And own a house.  In a neighborhood without any bus lines.

If you live in College Hill, have never traveled, and feel lucky that you didn't get shot at walking to the local store, passing block after block of crumbling, neglected, buildings, to try to find something to eat on your $5.00 worth of food stamps, riding the bus with your last $6 and 4 to 6 hours of your time to apply for a job that pays minimum wage, you understand what we mean,right? WONDERFUL PLACE!

Now, for the second half of this sentence: "recent decades means in the last twenty years or more."  So if you are under 20, you don't remember when the region hadn't stagnated in population or job growth.  

In fact, if you are over 20, you may not remember that.  But hey, it's Metro's job to make this place sound great, and also make it clear that the inefficient transit system is not our fault! Jeesh, we're a bunch of Metro executives! We go home at 5 o'clock, and not on the bus!

To change this, the

region must move forward and boldly redefine itself as a catalyst for

entrepreneurism, an attractor of talented young professionals, and a

place that considers the needs of all its citizens.

To change this "the region" must move forward. It's not Metro's responsibility,  It's dependent on "THE REGION".

Region:

1.an extensive, continuous part of a surface, space, or body: a region of the earth.

We also don't know what it means to"boldly redefine" ourselves, here at Metro.  We just follow the same transit plan that every other city is following. We can barely keep the current transit system running, even with the 2.5 million in additional fares we are going to be jacking you for, over the next two years.

But we do know that "the region" need to become the "catalyst" 

Catalyst

1. a substance that causes a chemical reaction to happen more quickly, 2.a person or event that quickly causes change or action)

"For entrepreneurism"

1.a person who organizes and manages any enterprise, especially a business, usually with considerable initiative and risk.

2.an employer of productive labor; contractor.

"An attractor of talented young professionals" :

Okay, transit rider, that does NOT MEAN YOU. In fact, you are the person we are going to sell to those "talented young professionals" for cheap labor (incarceration by lack of public transit) so that they can realize their dreams of riches and fame!

And now, for the last line, my favorite part (sarcasm alert!):

"and a place that considers the needs of all its citizens":

Look, people, we already explained that we only consider the needs of citizens that were born wealthy or have money!  We proved that when put a train line to Shrewsbury for Richard Gephardt's people to ride to Cardinals and Blues games downtown, instead of a train in North St. Louis.

Stop complaining, at least you can get to your minimum wage job.  What else were you going to do with that four to six hours a day you spend on the bus?

When we say "all of its citizens" we only mean the Slays and the Nations and the other wealthy white men in the "Good Ole Boy Network" Gang.

We at Metro spend a lot of time and money writing this crap, we can't be expected to provide good service, too!

More than 50 million times

each year, someone boards a

MetroBus, MetroLink train or

Metro Call-A-Ride van

We can count boardings, so this number is probably pretty accurate.It's really the only thing we at Metro can count accurately, without doing some actual work-- like riding the buses and trains and conducting rider surveys, etc.

Most Metro customers ride to

work or school

This is pretty obvious.  Where do most people go everyday? We at Metro just like to brag and we paid someone in marketing to come up with as many statistical blurbs that make us look good as possible.

Metro customers in Missouri alone

earn more than $2.2 billion in wages

annually

We pulled this number out of our *ss.  We gather almost no information from our customers.  This is based on statistical models.  As Mark Twain famously said "Lies, damned lies, and statistics."

Metro carries nearly 2 million riders a a

year to special events

We mean Mardi Gras and the Muny shuttle and stuff. We don't ever create shuttles for jobs or jobs fairs.  We can't actually count how many individual people ride, just that we have 2 million boardings for those special shuttles.  We also don't bother to tell you if that 2 million is included in the 50 million statistic for overall boardings per year.