OPTINSTL IS RED-FACED

...with embarrassment AND rage!

Okay, so OPTINSTL IS SO WRONG!  Allow me to explain- the new North County transit center was planned originally for the Metrolink.  While the bathrooms are great, the bus center is essentially worthless without a train. Why did OPTINSTL not notice there is no train right away?  Because it is such a no-brainer!  WHY WASTE 10 MILLION DOLLARS ON THAT "TRANSIT CENTER" WITHOUT A METROLINK???

Like the other bus transit centers, the overdevelopment of the CWE with Cortex, the extra-long Grand buses, North County transit center is just another big fat joke at the expense of the transit-dependent public.  The self-congratulations and PR will just keep coming from $80-350K-a-year executives that drive cars from their county homes.   They will keep spending money on stupid sh*t that makes it appear they are doing something, and leave the riders to stand around out in the sun and rain and snow, waiting for their slow buses on stupid routes.

Please, transit rider, CALL METRO AND COMPLAIN.  ASK THEM QUESTIONS! TELL THEM WHAT YOU NEED!

They will not change until we make them change!

EVERY DIME THEY SPEND IS PUBLIC MONEY!

METRO NEEDS BIG CHANGES

"Big Changes to Buses" comes the headlines today.

http://www.kmov.com/Clip/12282774/big-changes-coming-to-metrobus-routes-monday

http://www.nextstopstl.org/17968/metro-releases-new-north-county-service-plan/

They change the buses all the time, but it never makes anything better.  This is because Metro does not do enough research on what transit riders need, and when they do, it's the wrong way.

Their blog congratulates holding FOUR "open house" transit meetings.  Four.  To change the entire bus system.

At least they came to the transit centres.  But it is still not enough.  They really need to have someone out every day, soliciting information from passengers, and they need to have surveys.  (You can always volunteer the OPTINSTL survey information when you call them. http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/04/what-metros-new-survey-should-be.html)

I also find it amusing that they always congratulate themselves for figuring out that North County is the most transit dependent area.  The focus is always on "reducing traffic congestion".  Very few people with cars are going to give up driving to ride the sloooooow buses.  The train, maybe. But only to and from work and ball games.   Of course, most of the money for the North County Transit Center came from funding to reduce traffic congestion and emissions. 

Well, at least they are trying to appear like they are trying, and who knows? Maybe they really are. But four open house meetings? How many people decided these changes? It can't be more than 200.  Hardly representative or comprehensive.

I still don't see how they can live down the shame of buying those used Grand buses.  Love seeing them break down (*sarcasm*), and other than peak times, and between Mid-Town and Arsenal, they never seem very full. Remember how that was going to reduce congestion on Grand? Right.

It's up to the transit rider to call them, email, and generally communicate EXACTLY what we need to make public transit serve us, instead of the other way around.

Oh, and those sidewalks on Pershall, make sure there is plenty of lighting, too.  That whole area along 270 is a nightmare for pedestrians, on the Pershall and over on the other side, on Dunn.  If you live in North County you know how many accidents go unreported.  This one wasn't.  A transit friendly city is a pedestrian friendly city.  That would mean that the planners and designers and engineers and executives would need to ride transit and do some walking.

More people are going to be walking over to Clocktower Aldi's and the Wal-mart, and down to the Home Depot on Halls Ferry.  Don't just build the transit center and leave it, like you did in Maplewood for 7 years.  Put in the sidewalks NOW.

http://www.kmov.com/story/31467896/pedestrian-suffers-serious-injuries-after-being-by-car-in-north-county

JOHN NATIONS NEEDS TO BE FIRED, NOT GIVEN A $75,000 A YEAR RAISE!

On what planet does CEO John Nations think he deserves a $75,000 pay raise?  Now he makes $325,000 dollars a year.

http://www.kmov.com/news/local/Metro-CEO-gets-pay-rise-despite-contract-impasse-rate-hikes-272799461.html

And whether you ride public transportation or not, YOU ARE PAYING FOR IT.

If you are one of the many public transit riders that is already calling Governor Nixon (who appointed Nations) about Michael Brown's murder, why not take another minute to demand he fire Nations?  Call Illinois Governor Quinn, too!

If this outrageous pay raise weren't enough, have a look at how racist Nations treats his mostly African-American drivers at the bargaining table. He is the modern day equivalent of a slave master. 

St. Louis, MO – The Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) has called on Missouri Governor Jay Nixon and Illinois Governor Pat Quinn to remove Metro CEO John Nations for his failure to “correct the outrageous conduct of his staff at the bargaining table” in a letter to the Governors.
In the letter, ATU points to evidence of race baiting by members of Metro’s negotiating committee who offered members of ATU Local 788 a recipe for OREO Cookies at the end of a very heated bargaining session. There have been no contract talks since. Metro workers have gone three years without a new contract and six years without a wage increase.
“While the majority of the bus operators at ATU Local 788 are African-American, most mechanics are White, as is the President,” ATU International President wrote in the letter. “The obvious message to us with the recipe was that our union is white on the inside and black on the outside, like the cookie. This transparent race baiting went well beyond the bounds of human decency.”
The incident occurred as Nations engaged in illegal activity by encouraging mechanics to leave the ATU and form their own union. He has publically dismissed the “OREO” incident as a Metro employee sharing his baking hobby.

What a load of crap.  Nations is so firmly entrenched in the St. Louis "Good Ole Boy" Network he think that he answers to no one and can act with impunity!  I hope transit riders will join Metro drivers in challenging this, and in getting him fired!

http://www.stltoday.com/news/multimedia/videos/metro-workers-picket-outside-offices/html_2a08c1df-30ce-56b5-9bbb-3f4733fa665a.html

Read the whole report from the Union here:
http://www.atu.org/media/releases/atu-calls-on-govs-nixon-and-quinn-to-remove-metro-ceo-nations

Other posts about Nations:
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/04/what-metro-is-doing-with-your-money-and.html
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/03/do-metro-executives-ride-public-transit.html

PUBLIC TRANSIT RIDERS AREN'T EVEN IN THE ST. LOUIS EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN

During the protests concerning Michael Brown's murder, the people that really got left behind in the dust were public transit riders.  And I don't just mean the ridiculous re-routing of the #74 West Florissant bus. There was no reason for re-routing that the bus.  Even with the illegal road blocks and checkpoints that the Police instituted, public transit is carrying pedestrians.  Making anyone that lived along West Florissant walk a mile or more was WRONG WRONG WRONG.

IF ONLY Metro were about public transit, and they had someone "on board" in the executive offices that could have gone to bat for their customers.  And not just Metro, but the smaller transit agencies, too.  Thank you, KMOV, for picking up the slack and responding to the needs of the transit dependent public:

http://www.kmov.com/news/local/Man-with-disability-says-public-transportation-refused-to-pick-him-up-272654621.html

In smaller towns it is often the Parks And Recreation department that runs excursion and para-transit service.  Since these relatively small fleets, and either only for recreational purposes, the people that really need them-- as in the KMOV story linked to above-- are often completely overlooked.  And there is generally no one to hold accountable for failure of service. 

I wonder how many people in the St. Louis region know what it is like to be sick or disabled, and unable to afford a taxi, and to have no recourse when public transit fails?  How I wish we had more broad-minded, empathetic, caring leaders and representatives, that truly wanted to change St. Louis for everyone-- and NOT just the people that vote for them or contribute campaign funds.

As I said in my previous posts about the police and Ferguson City Council** --and their violation of Constitutional Law, and response to the protestors which was solely dictated by making their own jobs easier-- they all need to be fired and replaced.  Along with all the people whose salaries are paid for by public transit funding. 

Public Transit isn't even mentioned in the St. Louis County Emergency Plan. 

www.bknp.com/St.LouisCountyEmergencyPlan.pdf

Because OPTINSTL chose to align with Occupy, some people think I mean "occupy the bus and ride it for free, or direct the routes".  I don't.  But maybe during the next set of protests we SHOULD Occupy the buses and trains for real.  Maybe it is time to hijack public transit. 

I'd trust any of the protestors (and no, not the same as the very few people looting, protesting and looting are not the same) to do a better job of directing public transit than any of the people currently in charge.  Ridiculous. 

REMEMBER THE FIFTH OF NOVEMBER, 2014- THE DAY EVERYTHING CHANGED!!!

**http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/08/occupy-gang-police-end-police-state.html
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/08/dear-ferguson-police-department-mo.html

METRO NEEDS TO STOP CUTTING CORNERS ON SAFETY

Someone else got hit by a Metrolink train.  When are they going to start making safety a priority?

http://www.ksdk.com/story/news/local/2014/08/14/pedestrian-struck-metrolink-track/14095037/

I've said it before but I'll say it again (and again, and again, and again): Metro and Bi-State Development Agency need to be separated.  Metro should be about public transportation, NOT business "development".  People that actually understand the needs of Public Transit riders needs to be in charge.  Not men like John Nations who are simply grooming their bid for State Senate and padding their campaign funds. 

METRO'S SECURITY CONTRACT WITH THE ST. LOUIS P.D.

Metro's honor system is a sweet deal for St. Louis police and sheriffs.  Police have their fingers in Metro's pie, too. Not just for writing tickets, but for getting more shifts, and the bosses get to skim the contract for their private slush funds.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/st-louis-county-cop-charged-with-assaulting-man-with-baton/article_267e68a7-8496-5663-8c81-a951172a904f.html

Note in the article, Gore was "assigned to the Metrolink detail."

METRO'S NEW GATEWAY CARD: HOW METRO COULD ATTRACT MORE RIDERS AND REALLY SERVE THE PUBLIC

Metro has a new Transit Debit card they are bringing out in 2015.  As usual, it is just enough to produce reams of self-congratulating marketing propaganda, but not really anything new, useful or revolutionary.

http://www.mygatewaycard.com/

It's the third story down on this article:
http://www.stltoday.com/news/traffic/along-for-the-ride/03700176-1c14-50c0-aab3-7a74ebddf147.html

That's great that it the card will "tap out" at $7.50 but to really do something useful, they need to have it tap out at $78 every month (the price of the monthly pass).

Moreover, as OPTINSTL keeps reminding people, WHETHER YOU RIDE METRO OR NOT, YOU PAY FOR IT!  Metro needs to be separated from Bi-State Development Agency and it needs to be community or communally owned by the cities and municipalities and counties it serves. 

EVERYONE should get a Gateway card, and it wouldn't be a bad idea to have people's names on it.  EVERYONE should get two free rides (two hour passes) a year on the card.

And EVERY ELECTION DAY and the FOURTH OF JULY should be FREE FARE DAYS.

If Metro was run by people whose only purpose was to make public transit serve the needs of the public, instead of being a funnel for massive government funds for Bi-State to use in leveraging "business development" and making private contractors rich, and thereby padding the CEO's future political ambitions, these changes would have already been made.

We would already have a North-South Metrolink (instead of those worn-out reconditioned 64 foot buses at $1.5 million each).  And that $5 million a year fare increase would have been paid for with the funds currently going to "Contributions to Outside Entities" (that's political campaign donations).

CALL METRO, CALL THE GOVERNOR, CALL MAYOR SLAY AND YOUR LOCAL REPRESENTATIVES AND DEMAND A BETTER GATEWAY CARD, FREE FARE DAYS, AND AN END TO THE PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP OF METRO AND BI-STATE DEVELOPMENT AGENCY!

ST LOUIS SPIKES

There was a Metro bus crash yesterday because a passenger attacked the driver. 

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/metro-bus-crashes-downtown-after-passenger-assaults-driver/article_b7f39fe2-f03a-5bce-ab54-5a84646ac304.html

http://www.kmov.com/news/crime/Metro-Bus-driver-hospitalized-after-being-assaulted-while-driving-266954791.html

If I had to guess which bus line I'd say the #41.  And as the union comments, this type of thing is far too common on buses. 

Bus driver's take all the anger for everything that is wrong with Metro, and the heat for a lot of what is wrong in the city.

These spikes in violence and crime seem to be so bewildering to our "leaders".  It's as if they live in a completely different city, in fact, a different WORLD, than the rest of us.

Look at the crime maps of St. Louis, and it is obvious that these spikes are happening in the poorest and most downtrodden parts of the city.

The financial crisis of 2008, which we supposedly are "recovering" from, is not over.  In fact, it hasn't even begun.  The bank bailouts did NOTHING to fix the economy.  The bailouts simply shifted the problem.

And all of this screaming you hear about our roads and infrastructure, the insolvency of our state and government bodies, where do you think this money crunch is being felt the most?

At the bottom. 

Yes, you can keep taking a few dollars a week from SNAP recipients, make unemployment benefits harder to obtain, raise sales taxes, ignore our failing school systems, and keep adding more police to already overly-policed neighborhoods (more cops make bad neighborhoods worse), and all of us will pay the price.

This city treats North St. Louis like a concentration camp.  Half of this city doesn't exist, except for the crime reports (and the poor of this city making our legal system and lawyers and private prison owners wealthier).

And the more desperate the people become, the harder the state cracks down, the more explosive it is going to get.  The less they will be able to "contain" the spikes to the areas where no "decent" person will go.

I wish that not only were Metro officials required to ride the buses, I wish all the local politicians were required to actually walk the streets and ride transit and talk to people. 

And police should be required to "walk the beat" and get to know the people in the communities they police.

And, yes, Metro needs more security.  And they need to pay their drivers more.  Bus drivers take a lot of crap, and while some of them are jerks-- or jerks sometimes, they are people, after all, like the rest of us-- they deserve to be treated with more respect, not just from riders, but from the company that employs them.

METRO TO SENIORS: TAKE WHAT YOU CAN GET

It's not much, but you can at least get a little discount. 

It's a hike to Affton.

http://fox2now.com/2014/07/10/metro-reduces-fares-for-seniors/

Metro has a page on it, but I can't get their site to load. 

http://www.nextstopstl.org/12247/senior-sign-up-events-at-schnucks/

You can go their site and it is the first story featured:
http://www.metrostlouis.org/Default.aspx

I really wish it were required the executives use public transit at least one week a month for all their
 travel needs.  They need to be out with us, experiencing what it is like, and engaging us in surveys and discussion. 

NEW YORK TRANSIT WORKERS ARE ABOUT TO STRIKE

Metro likes to brag that it is the best transit agency of its size, and that it is just doing "what all the other agencies are doing."

http://news.yahoo.com/congress-asked-help-derail-threatened-york-transit-strike-163542997.html

Long Island Rail transit workers are set to strike.  Like Metro, their agency has refused to negotiate a new contract (but for only four years, instead of six years), and eroding pensions and benefits.

(Also Philly and San Francisco:
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/06/philadelphia-transit-workers-strike.html
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/06/san-franciscos-transit-workers-blue-flu.html)

Public transit needs to change nationwide.  And it's not going to be the people in charge that change it, it is going to have to be those of us that actually rely on transit-- both riders and workers.

TIME FOR CHANGE!

RED WHITE AND BLUE FLU

The news media really downplayed the Metrolink Blue Flu today.  That's usually a good sign.  It means the union is getting visible public support and the Ole Boy Network has made the proper phone calls to media station managers and senior editors.

http://fox2now.com/2014/07/04/possible-blue-flu-halts-metrolink-fair-st-louis-parking-rates-drop-to-20/

Of course, it appeared that not nearly as many people attended Fare St. Louis in Forest Park than had been anticipated, and also that fewer Fare-goers used Metrolink than expected.

This did force them to lower that $30 parking price tag to $20.  Maybe that kept a lot of people away.  The local government, in keeping with the state and federal government, has been doing a fine job of making plain that constituents are just cash cows to be milked at every opportunity.  Land of the free indeed.

You know, they could have made public transit free today.  Even if you don't ride it, you pay for it.  That would have been a true gesture of celebration and thanks.  And probably attracted a lot of new riders.

The city leaders are walking on eggshells right now.  The spike in violence and crime in the poorest areas of the city are always harbingers of larger problems, about to boil over.  The government is broke, but they won't raise taxes on corporations, or any of the other necessary changes.

One thing I found myself musing on, as I watched the parade on television, is how lackluster the parade seemed going through the park.  Not just the sparse attendance.  It just didn't strike the same response as seeing the same marching bands and floats glide down the streets of downtown.

Part of what makes a parade so exciting is the way it takes over and transforms the ordinary streets.  I wonder if Saint Louisans won't feel a emptiness, a need to fill the streets?

I think the city leaders, for their own sake, should have kept the parade downtown.  Parades, in times of strife, are "demonstrations by proxy".

The Metrolink operators deserve our support.  They are fighting for their union, their pensions, and their pay.  We should all join them in securing those things for ourselves.  We can start by calling Metro and telling them we support the drivers, and demanding they negotiate a new contract.

And we need to demand a few "Fare Free" days a year for the city.

BUS STOPS: CHESTERFIELD STEPS IN WHERE METRO HAS FAILED

So Chesterfield is going to pitch in on getting some bus stops with shelters.  I am glad that Chesterfield is stepping up to the plate.  Metro's deplorable CEO John Nations is the former Mayor of Chesterfield.  It is good to know that Nations attitude towards public transit riders is not shared by all of his neighbors.

From:
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/71253dd7-dd14-5589-ab69-cf56542ff0a6.html

Chesterfield’s City Council on Monday night gave initial approval an cooperation agreement between the city, Metro, and the Chesterfield Valley Transportation Development District for of bus stop shelters in Chesterfield valley and in other areas of the city in which there are Metro bus routes. A final vote on the legislation is set for June 16. 

The article states that the shelters will be installed in Chesterfield and also in other areas of the city.  In Chesterfield the bus stop trashcans will be maintained by the Chesterfield's waste management provider.  The trash around bus stops is an issue for everyone.

 http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/04/metro-does-not-take-responsibility-for.html

Too bad Metro gave away $5 million in "contributions to outside entities" (political campaign contributions) in 2013.  That would surely pay for some new shelters and maintenance. ($5 million is also the exact amount that Metro is demanding riders pay for in the next two years through the fare hikes.)

OPTINSTL thinks it might be a bad idea to leave the planning and construction up to Metro.  Mismanagement of funds is systemic at Metro.  After the Shrewsbury debacle, and their continued insolvency and inability to complete  Metrolink expansion to north Saint Louis and Florissant, they need to be audited and overhauled before they are entrusted with any new projects or public money.

At the very least, I hope that someone from Chesterfield will be appointed to audit the planning and construction very closely.

OPTINSTL would like to suggest that Chesterfield add bus schedules and route information, and perhaps install recycling bins that issue public transit credits for plastic bottles.  Also, I hope they will work closely with street services to make sure the new shelters have sufficient lighting and sidewalks in good condition.  Not just in Chesterfield, but all over the city.

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

Recycling: http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/06/metro-could-save-on-trash-cans-with.html 

It is a shame that Metro has not placed a greater priority on surveying its' bus riders.  (They do a once a year survey, a very incomplete survey, on the Metrolink.  But the bus is the biggest portion of their service, and north St. Louis City and county constitute the greatest share of riders.  Metro executives and planners know almost nothing about their best customers.)

If Metro did thorough surveys, they could tell the city of Chesterfield the bus routes that were used the most.  The #91 and #258 easy guesses, but what about the many riders that make one or more transfers?

http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/04/what-metros-new-survey-should-be.html

OPTINSTL spoke with a rider on the #90 bus that lives in Baden and works in Chesterfield.  It is a two hour ride each way.  He takes the #90 to the Metrolink, and then the Blue Line to the #258.  There are no shelters at either of his bus stops.  (And no public bathrooms at all along the way.  When will this most basic of human needs be addressed?)

Improved bus stop shelters will help a lot, but Metro still has a long way to go in becoming a truly viable public transit agency. 

TIME TO SEND METRO A MESSAGE:

JULY 1ST! BOYCOTT METRO!  STRIKE CITYWIDE! DON'T RIDE!

SAN FRANCISCO'S TRANSIT WORKER'S BLUE FLU

http://news.yahoo.com/bay-area-commuters-face-delays-transit-workers-call-204813890.html

Way to go, San Francisco!

It sounds like their situation is similar to Metro drivers.  Of course, union-busting Metro CEO John Nations** has let his drivers go for six years without a new bargaining contract, raise, and also eroding the pension plan, especially for new hires.

Nations himself, however, has been receiving his $250,000 a year salary, and his bonuses.  As are the other executives.

Politicians, and civic leaders, and "powerful" businessmen keep telling us what a great job they are doing, and how we can't live without them.  It would be chaos and anarchy, nothing would get done without them.

But the truth is, they need us much more than we need them.

BOYCOTT METRO JULY 1ST!

Time to show our strength!

**Nations is fond of telling his drivers that the first thing he will do when he gets out of Metro and becomes governor or senator is to pass "Right To Work".  Legislation that makes it possible to hire non-union employees to do the same work for lower pay. We need more unions, not fewer.

STRIKE CITYWIDE JULY 1ST!

Metro is raising Metrolink fares and transit pass prices on July 1st.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/traffic/along-for-the-ride/208cc625-9915-521c-be77-2323ae485680.html

Strike citywide, don't ride the bus or train on July 1st!

We need national media attention.  The public is not a cash cow for a transit agency that spends $5 million dollars on "contributions to outside entities" (CEO John Nations grooming is political career, once his $250,000 a year "sentence" at Metro is over.)

Public transit should not be about "business development."  It should be about serving the public.

Keep the phone campaign going! Call everytime you ride!  Demand they not raise fares, and demand accountability!

Print and share the Jam The Phone Lines leaflet:
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/03/jam-phone-lines-leaflet-for-use-and-to.html

Keep checking back!  I've been "occupied" with other matters, but will be back in blogging action next week!

OCCUPY METRO!!!!!!!!!!

ON JULY 1ST- STRIKE CITYWIDE! DON'T RIDE!!!!

THE INDUSTRY STANDARD SHOULD BE SAFETY FIRST

 http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/investigation-continues-into-fatal-accident-at-umsl-metrolink-crossing/article_9743980d-0a35-5e2b-93ea-afa672301c66.html

From the above article, a Metro spokesperson commenting on the crosswalk where the woman died:

There is no signal or gate at the crossing, or at any of Metro’s other pedestrian crossings.

“Per the industry standard, we only have signals at street grade crossings,” Beck said. “If we had gates at pedestrian access crossings, people would just walk around them.”

I especially love the editorial on "people would just walk around them."  Really? Are you sure?  Maybe SOME people would.  Maybe the girl that died would have waited for the signal or gate.  But you don't know, do you?  That's just your low opinion of your rider's, right out there in the open.

There is a pretty serious lack of commitment to safety on the part of Metro.  The lack of coordination with street services on sidewalk and street maintenance near bus stops is obvious.  But the Metrolink has a lot of problems, not just at the crossings.

The Maplewood Metrolink is one of the most badly designed and unsafe stations I have ever seen.  There is no crosswalk at the street, to the bus stop.  The eastbound buses have to make a right turn out of the station and go down a Manchester a quarter mile, turn around, and come back up, because there were too many problems with oncoming traffic.

There is a naturally occurring blindspot for eastbound traffic at the curve in Manchester just before the Metrolink station.

That's just one of the most obvious examples.  You see, the people that do the planning and development and construction don't ride the train and buses.  They don't build the stations with an organic understanding of the flow of rider foot traffic.

It looks okay, and it follows the "industry standard".  They collect their paychecks and go home in their cars.  If there is a problem, it is never found until everything is built.  Like the traffic accidents that plagued the Maplewood station before Metro re-routed the buses to make right turns out of the bus depot.

Their should be more safety at rail crossings.  And there should be more safety from the rider's point of view built in to new structures.

Two people have died at this crossing.  What is it going to take Metro?

EDIT: There is no story or news link posted about the fatality on Metro's website.

METRO DOES NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR TRASH CANS, OR MAYBE IT IS AN EXCUSE TO REMOVE BUS STOPS

Oh Metro is in the news again: 
http://www.kmov.com/news/local/Metro-might-eliminate-bus-stops-where-there-is-too-much-littering-257268111.html


There is a good chance that the trash issue is an excuse.  There are a lot of trashy bus stops.  Clayton does provide a decent amount of trash cans.  Shrewsbury not so much, but still moreso than the other places these signs are posted.

But they are mostly on the north side.  News crews only venture north of the "Delmar Divide" for violent crimes and fires and theft.

So this being newsworthy is really only that someone at K-MOV (called the "Evening Whirl" of newscasters by a friend of OPTINSTL's) noticed the signs.

Or maybe they want a good excuse to move these bus stops for another reason?  I would have to actually go to that Clayton location to be certain, but Google Earth confirms this is pricey area.  It's a stop for the "Gold Line", the #1, a Washington University subsidized bus line.

It's been awhile since I've been on the #1, but I suspect it is still a "maid and busboy" route.  That particular bus stop might mostly be maids and busboys, students being more likely to use the Metrolink.

It's probably not just the litter they want out of the area.  It is very vulgar to have one's maid standing out on the street for 30 minutes after her shift, waiting for the bus.  And why should Clayton have to provide a maid with a trash can while she waits for her "proletarian limousine"?

That area in Shrewsbury is really just across the highway from Webster Groves' Old Orchard shopping center.  The #46- a bus line I don't recall ever having ridden- looks like a connection for employees of St. Anthony's Medical center from the Shrewsbury Metrolink.

A trash can placed there would serve only the bus stop patrons, and no one cares about us.  It's not really about trash, it's about whose trash it is.  A public transit rider represents only 22% of the revenue of Metro.  We don't pay for cars or car insurance or gas or vehicle property taxes.

We are only considered worthy of cleaning up other people's trash.

Metro doesn't even consider putting up bus schedules on bus stops, I actually left the trash can and light off the idea and design in this post:
 http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/03/what-should-be-metros-new-bus-stop-plan.html

And actually I think trashcans and lighting are the city and towns responsibility.  Street services in every community should be full partners in providing great public transportation.  And the necessary maintenance and facilities required to make riding transit a wonderful--instead of dismal-- experience.

If Metro were truly a public transit agency, gathering meaningful statistics about the transit needs of its' riders, working to develop strong community support with neighborhood liaisons, we would have trash cans at every bus stop.  (They are too busy juggling all their "IOU's".)

Metro doesn't have any control over where bus stops are placed, and they do not think it is important to put trash cans near their bus stops.

Now, if the executives of Metro were required to use public transportation, they would understand why the bus stops in certain areas have a lot of trash around them.  The city and counties are also woefully negligent on the need for more trash cans.  Especially in low income areas.

But no one with any power is ever on the streets in poor neighborhoods.  Or they would see lots of "trashy" bus stops.  I have eaten my daily meals at many bus stops.  If it takes two or three hours to get somewhere, and then work, and then two or three hours home (and sometimes even just a one hour ride), yes you are going to eat and drink at the bus stop.

A lot of people in this city litter.  It would be nice if everyone carried their trash around with them, too. But I don't think the city should expect that, and further, it would be nice if they took the lead on this issue.

A trash can says "it is important to us that you do not litter."  If there are waste cans at these stops and they aren't being used, that is another issue.   But even without travelling to these stops first hand, it seems pretty likely there aren't any provided.

Once again, Public Transit Rider, Metro has left you with their waste.

DEAR FEDERAL TRANSIT AUTHORITY

EDIT: 25 April 2014, I filed a formal complaint with the FTA Inspector General, asking them to investigate and audit Metro and Prop A and Dooley, and asked them to refuse to give Metro anymore funds for the Cortex Metrolink station proposed between the CWE and Grand.

The Region 7 FTA office in Kansas City has promised that someone from the Federal office will be returning my call about Metro.

I started Occupy Public Transportation In St. Louis on March 24th, exactly one month ago.  At the beginning I only wanted to stop the fare increase and to get Metro to listen to their riders' needs (better service, bathrooms, improved bus stops and sidewalk conditions, etc).  But in the course of the last few weeks my research has led me to the conclusion that the entire agency needs an overhaul.

• First and foremost, Metro needs to be separated from Bi-State Development Agency. 

• Metro bus drivers deserve a new bargaining agreement.  I don't understand how an Agency that receives so much federal funding can be allowed to treat their employees this way.  6 years without a new contract! Not to mention the slow erosion of pensions and benefits, and the fact that new driver's start at $12 an hour is ridiculous!  And even the top pay of $21 an hour is not enough for that job.  It should be $25, and the starting wage should be at least $15.  http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/04/rider-alert-metro-whines-about-one-day.html

• The entire current executive leadership needs to be removed.  And it should be mandatory that ALL Metro executives use public transportation frequently.    http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/03/do-metro-executives-ride-public-transit.html

• John Nations needs to resign as CEO or be fired.  (And no CEO of Metro should be making five times what a bus driver makes!  No more $250,000 a year executive salaries!)

• There needs to be public toilets at all Metrolink and major bus transfer centers.  http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/04/bi-state-development-agency-is.html

• Metro has mismanaged funds: received large federal grants for Metrolink extensions without producing trains to those areas (because they did not do the work to build community support, and apparently did not anticipate how hard those communities would fight), and generally done nothing more than acquire real estate and line the pockets of a few corrupt developers and local politicians.   They do not currently have any new rail lines in construction, just vague "plans" that seem to keep hitting snafus (and excuses).   http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/04/again-metro-has-long-history-of.html  AND  http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-apalling-racist-fiasco-of-2005-and.html

• County Executive Charlie Dooley needs to be investigated and audited by the public.  The same "Public Transportation" bond issue that failed before voters in 2008 was repackaged as a "Public Transit" bond in 2010.  Far too many sources either hint or say outright that Metro-- having lost too many lawsuits regarding mismanagement of funds on the Shrewsbury Metrolink, and the barring of minority contractors- had to be given a 39.5 million dollar bailout (when their yearly operating expense was $42 million) for legal fees and settlements.  Dooley did this only because Metro agreed to help "pull the wool" over voter's eyes in regards to Proposition "A".(I don't have court-worthy documentation on all of this yet, but it is coming.) http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/04/again-metro-has-long-history-of.html      AND  http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/04/what-metro-is-doing-with-your-money-and.html  AND http://occupyurlife.blogspot.com/2014/04/occupy-saint-louis-county-executive.html

• The way that Metro does its survey and planning needs to change.  Their data is general population and employment statistics.  They admit that the buses are the bulk of their operation, and that north St. Louis city and county comprise their busiest transit hubs, yet they fail to survey the buses, or involve the communities in planning. When they do survey, almost always only once a year, and on the Metrolink, they do not gather the necessary information, or compute it accurately. Their starting point needs to be collecting the proper data on their riders-- who they are, where they travel and why, etc.  (In other words, they should serve their customers, and not the other way around.)   http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/04/what-metros-new-survey-should-be.html

• Metro needs to focus all of its Metrolink expansion in north St. Louis city and county.  This is the area they admit has the most need and most transit riders.  This is the area that is "incarcerated by lack of decent public transportation." There is plenty of existing rail, and plenty of room to develop more light rail.  That they have not seriously addressed this, and continue to make other arrangements-- like the big buses for the Lucas Hunt and Natural Bridge bus routes-- demonstrates that they have no long term plans for this area.  http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/03/brand-new-big-buses-for-4-64-and-70-but.html  AND   .http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/03/east-west-gateway-council-of.html

• More outreach needs to be done with street services in regards to bus stop placement and bus stop maintenance and needs (lighting, sidewalk maintenance). And Metro needs to improve all of its' bus stops generally (route and schedule information at every bus stop, trash cans, more benches and covered stops).  People should be able to navigate their way from any bus stop, even if they have never ridden the bus before!   http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/03/what-should-be-metros-new-bus-stop-plan.html

The person I spoke to said that they (the FTA) were "aware of some of the problems" with Bi-State dba Metro. (It is pretty  obvious that they have not been able to add more than 9 miles of light rail track since 1999, although they received a lot of federal money for the failed proposed St. Charles, and also Illinois extensions to Madison County-- which was rejected due to the same racism as in St. Charles.)

When they call me, I am going to ask them what I would need to know if I were to take over Metro operations tomorrow.  To be clear, I know that this will not happen (I actually would never want the Metro job, and wish I wasn't even spending my time on OPTINSTL-- oh to live in a fair and honest world!), but in order to change anything I always start from the ideal and work my way back from there.

So, if I took over Metro tomorrow, what would I need to know and do to make the necessary changes outlined above?
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/04/how-anyone-can-change-world-outlined-in.html 
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/04/i-want-to-live-in-city-with-great.html 

Feel free to call the FTA and ask them these questions yourself.  The more people that call, the more power we have, and the more likely we are to see changes.  You can file a complaint with the FTA Inspector General anonymously, and receive a PIN to track the progress of the investigation on your complaint.

FTA Region 7 Office, 901 Locust Street, Suite 404, Kansas City, Missouri 64106. Telephone (816) 329-3920, Fax (816) 329-3921 (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska.)

CITIZENS FOR MODERN TRANSIT: MORE RICH PEOPLE THAT DON'T RIDE THE BUS

I found out about these people today, from this post: http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/04/metro-optinstl-is-driven-by-you.html 

The Citizens for Modern Transit.  That this organization even exists is an insult to public transit riders.

They don't seem to do ANY outreach to areas that rely on public transit the most.  Looking at their "About" section they seem like the suburban "park and ride the Metrolink to Cardinals game" crowd.

The fact that they are behind the ridiculous proposal of adding another $9 million stop between the CWE and Grand for a new "business development" (for the corporation Cortex), pretty much makes them useless to those of us that have to ride the bus.

However, OPTINSTL recommends taking their "surveys".  The people that designed their surveys are huffing glue! They ask you a question about how many bikes and scooters and cars you own, with no choice for NONE, AFTER they have already asked you this, and you have to choose 1,2, or 3 cars or scooters, or something, to move to the next page of the survey.  Clearly they do not have the non-car household in mind at all!

Feel free to abuse them by checking "Other" and writing "you idiots I told you I don't have a car".  Later, when the survey won't let you move on without answering what options your employer offers, remind them of how you checked "unemployed" two answers back (also by checking "other".)

THIS IS THEIR SURVEY: http://cmt-stl.org/programs/cmt-surveys/

Add them to JAM THE PHONES LINES when you are tired of calling Metro and Mayor Slay and Metro East West Gateway Council of Governments and the County Executive's office!

Citizens For Modern Transit:
Making Transit a Priority for the Region

911 Washington, Ste. 200
St. Louis, MO 63101
314.231.7272

(Making Transit a priority????? FOR WHOM???)

Call them and ask them what they are doing to get a train to the parts of the city that use public transit the most.

Ask them why their survey is only designed for people that drive?  Ask them what they are doing to really "move transit forward"?

Ask them how often THEY ride public transit, and how long their trip is?  Then suggest they adopt the OPTINSTL survey to REALLY gather MEANINGFUL STATISTICS instead of crap about the park and ride crowd that owns cars.

http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/04/what-metros-new-survey-should-be.html

Look at this junk statistic they throw around on their website:

Every $10 million in capital investment in public transportation yields $30 million in increased business sales, and every $10 million in operating investment in public transportation yields $32 million in increased business sales.

Translation: Your money becomes profit for businessmen and developers.

Please, Public Transit rider, FLOOD THEM WITH FEEDBACK!

PUBLIC TRANSIT SHOULD BE DECIDED BY THE PEOPLE THAT RELY ON IT THE MOST!!!

OCCUPY PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IN ST. LOUIS!

METRO, OPTINSTL IS DRIVEN BY YOU

Metro, you not only drive me (verrrryyyy slowwlllly) where I am going, you also drove me to activism.

Just when I think you can't be anymore ridiculous, you prove me wrong.

Today, on my transfer from the #16 at the Delmar Metrolink, as I ran around for twenty minutes trying to find a bathroom before I peed my pants (the hot dog place is gone, and the library doesn't have bathrooms, and the restaurants only have them for customers) I picked up a West End Word.

Imagine my delight at finding an article about a new $9 million station at Sarah street, that includes a bike rack and other "amenities".  (What amenities??? Despite the fact the most humans possess bladders, the news also does not consider toilets worthy of reporting.  Metro claims they have "amenities" at every station- but since they don't have toilets at most Metrolink and Metro bus centers, we have to assume they mean something else.  Like ticket machines, and security, and signs, and bike racks, or something.)

Of course, Metro, me and all the other real public transit riders know what this proposed new station is really about.  This is about Cortex getting to put its name on a piece of real estate under the guise of "job creation" because it is "key to achieving the company's goals." 

This is about Cortex, not YOU public transit rider!

Dennis Lower, president and CEO of Cortex, said the proposed station is key to achieving the company's goals of being an international standard for innovation communities."

Cortex has its sights set on the creation of a sustainable, walkable twenty-four/seven community and becoming a center for job creation," he said. "Our redevelopment plan includes work spaces, residential development, retail establishments and evening destinations. The development will attract international businesses with expectations of reliable and convenient public transportation. The MetroLink stop will serve the Cortex workforce and will be viewed as a regional connector."

http://www.westendword.com/Articles-Area-News-c-2014-04-08-192011.114137-9-Million-Price-Tag-On-Proposed-MetroLink-Station-For-Midtown.html

Metro, Mr. Lower, and the rest of you lot, we need a metrolink or two in north city and county.  We need toilets at every facility.  We need real jobs and real community development, not something that taxpayers fund for private companies to put their name on and claim credit for.  We do not want our $1 of funds to make Cortex $4 richer.

(Metro claims that every a dollar a "community" puts towards public transit "the community" gets $4 in return from Metro's government funding.  Pretty vague statistics meant to disguise what is really going on.)

Yes, Mr. Lower, we know that Metro CEO John Nations can expect a nice fat campaign contribution to his political career when he dumps Metro (he likes to tell his employees that he is only doing this for a few years to get his political career lined up-- of course, the private car and $250,000 a year salary don't hurt him either).

Mr. Lower, your company is named for part of the human brain, but you aren't very smart.  There is nowhere "greener" than a community without cars.  And you know there are a lot of places that need housing and retail and work spaces in this city.  But you aren't really planning on doing anything new or innovative, are you?

And seriously-- 800 boardings a day-- and almost 20 years to add 1000 more?  Pathetic.

And when you say "job creation" I wonder if you really mean minimum wage jobs in retail and restaurants, that workers will ride the bus two or three hours to get to?  With a big huge corporate Cortex logo on the building.  And "international businesses" setting up shop.  (Nice doublespeak for "multinational corporation".)

Yeah. We get it.

Mr. Lower, you seem like another crap human being.  Sorry. Your big cortex and you can't do anything more than figure out a way to spend $9 million dollars ripping out the current CWE station, moving it a few blocks, rebranding it with the Cortex logo, and building up another "development" that may or may not catch on, and may or may not include local companies, and may or may not have anything to offer anyone but yourselves and few already rich developers and politicians?

Just so that it is easy for your white collar workers to park and ride the Metrolink and bring their bicycles? Wow.

I mean that is JUST what St. Louis needs right now-- ANOTHER METRO STATION in between Grand and CWE.  You know, if the parts of the city that relied on public transit the most had a train, and there were bathrooms, and programs for low income to get discount passes, and "feasibility studies" weren't based on 80 participants, a big bioscience center, and greedy businessmen, but instead on transit riders needs-- yeah, great go forth with your little plan!

But there are lots of other very obvious CEREBRAL INNOVATIONS this city needs, and I guess you geniuses won't be the ones to provide them!

Hey Metro executives, I forgot to charge my phone last night, or you would have heard from me A LOT today, but I am gonna call you EXTRA tomorrow!  We have a lot to talk about.

Like how you say you don't have the $9 million, and you are going to the Federal Transit Authority.  You don't deserve one dime of federal money (income taxes), state money (property and income taxes), or city money (sales taxes).   You don't deserve our fares!

Tomorrow I am calling the FTA, too.   I bet they know just what I can do to stop you.

HOW ANYONE CAN CHANGE THE WORLD, OUTLINED IN STEPS

1. PICK SOMETHING YOU WANT TO CHANGE
2. ENVISION THE END RESULT
3. RESEARCH THE HISTORY AND STRUCTURE OF THE THING YOU WANT TO CHANGE
4. IDENTIFY WHAT ACTIONS COULD POTENTIALLY CREATE THE CHANGES YOU SEEK
5. FIGURE OUT EVERYTHING YOU CAN DO ON YOUR OWN AND DO IT
6. STAY PASSIONATE, BUT DON'T LET IT MESS WITH YOUR HEAD 
7. YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY MAY NOT BE INTERESTED
8. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF

 
PICK SOMETHING YOU WANT TO CHANGE: METRO

ENVISION THE END RESULT: METRO provides services based on ridership and riders needs.  Facilities that are deemed important and necessary to riders are integrated into the overall development plans.  Executives have the public's interests at heart, and the agency is not run by or dictated to by businessmen.  The agency is totally transparent to the public, and the information about the agency's operations is made accessible and easily disseminated by the public.

RESEARCH THE HISTORY AND STRUCTURE OF THE THING YOU WANT TO CHANGE:  METRO has a lot of reasons why it can't provide better services, and why the current structure is the best.  First and foremost in your mind whenever you encounter a "problem" or "obstacle" to your vision is to realize that within every problem is the solution to that problem. 

Metro says it is not in the business of providing toilets:  Not true.  Metro is about "business development" and doing whatever is deemed necessary to make the city more attractive to "business development." Metro is run Bi-State Development Agency.  Initially Bi-State started out in 1950 as the Metropolitan Sewer District.  They didn't get into public transit until they bought some private bus lines in the late 1960's.   

The addition of Public Transit to Bi-State is what began to bring in the large government monies to subsidize the bus lines (business developers need cheap labor, and cheap labor doesn't generally own cars).

Bi-State dba Metro is actually about any business it chooses to be in.  Bi-State dba Metro also owns and operates the Arch trams and Riverboat attractions, and the St. Louis Downtown Airport in Cahokia Illinois.  The trams are the only part of their endeavors that makes a profit.  Metro bus and metrolink, the airport, and the riverboat attractions all operate at a loss.

However, their other enterprises are in the amount of a 2 million or less a year.  METRO bus and trains are worth 225 million a year.

Moreover, ALL of the money from Metro bus and trains comes from the public: government money (income tax), sales tax (city and country), and state money (property taxes).  And then that 22% that comes from rider revenues.

A businessman like Metro's CEO John Nations is not going to get elected to a senate seat from running Bi-State, or get a $250,000 a year salary from the airport, trams and riverboat attractions.  it is the 225 million a year from Metro that gives him the platform.  In his current position, he gets to hob-knob with the local rich boys and politicians, and begin creating the network he will need if he gets to office.

No one at Metro is looking to make the transit system self-sustaining because that would remove the government monies.  They would have to really work with the public to make transit feasible for people of all income levels, and to make public transit the first choice of people that owned cars.  That is a lot for an agency that is set up exclusively for the manipulation of private interests and does not have to do any "real" work.

It would also create a situation where the transit agency would have to work AGAINST the interests of private business developers and local government officials in many instances.  (For example, challenging the city and county towns to let Metro decide where bus stops were placed and where trains would run, etc.)  It would mean wresting Metro's checkbook away from the County Executive and a separation of "transportation" and "transit" bonds. 

The current situation does not work in the transit riding public's interest.  That is fairly easy to demonstrate.

If the agency were run by someone with urban planning at heart, the buses and train would be the first and foremost priority, instead of  developing personal relationship with future campaign contributors.

The riding public would be consulted first on future train extensions and bus lines, with the thought of attracting passengers with cars by making public transit more convenient than driving.

IDENTIFY WHAT ACTIONS COULD POTENTIALLY CREATE THE CHANGES YOU SEEK:  This is the part that calls for flexibility.  If you don't need the cooperation of anyone else to make the changes, you can do the work yourself, but if you need the public you will have to "try and try again."

Don't be afraid to fail.  For instance, if the "Jam the Phone Lines" doesn't work- either enough people don't call, or the calls don't generate any changes- I will have to devise another strategy.

http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/04/why-flooding-metros-phone-lines-is.html
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/04/flooding-phone-lines-be-polite-but-dont.html
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/03/actions-to-take-to-change-public.html

However, it may be that a lawsuit challenging Bi-State's ability to run Metro, and the contention that Metro transit is owned wholly by the people (all of their income comes from public money, as outlined above), and that public transit is a necessity for approximately 75,000 people in the city and 25,000 people in the surrounding counties.  (Roughly 5% of the entire metro area, and 20% of the city.)

That is a strong enough reason for a lawsuit.  However, I am not a lawyer, so I still need to engage some other people-- that are lawyers.

http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/04/call-for-public-audit-of-metro-bi-state.html 
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/04/again-metro-has-long-history-of.html

FIGURE OUT EVERYTHING YOU CAN DO ON YOUR OWN AND DO IT:  This is fairly obvious.  But the most important thing is-- PACE YOURSELF.  I leaflet when ever I can. I talk to people when I can.

I call everytime I ride, about something-- questions about how they operate, demands for changes, and any problems I see. (A bus stop without a bus line number. problems with routes, etc.  Suggestions for immediate improvement.  The only thing I DON'T call about is the drivers.  They get enough calls about that and the bus drivers take enough crap about Metro's awful service.  I DO call about the fact that Metro has refused to reach a new bargaining agreement with the driver's union for 6 years.)

STAY PASSIONATE, BUT DON'T LET IT MESS WITH YOUR HEAD:  You are in this for the long haul.  Don't let them upset you.  The agency is going to say stupid things to you, insult you, insist that nothing that can be done.  You have to hang in there.  Don't work on it everyday.  Take a break.  Allot a certain amount of time each day or week or month and focus.

Live your life, but incorporate your activism into it.   I find out stuff about Metro all the time now, even when I am not talking to people about it.  I've started to look and listen.

Also, determine how much of troublemaker you want to be.  I don't believe in violence, and I don't want to take on so much that I have to worry about being arrested.  Most changes can be done legally.

There is always a risk, when challenging the current power structure, that draconian measures will be taken if you really become a threat.  The police and the military are controlled and used by private wealth to maintain private wealth and to create "order"--  meaning "business as usual."  However, in those circumstances, your actions will uncover any lurking fascism.  

And in that case, they will have to come right out in the open.  And generally, the public will respond in your favor.  It is worth it to challenge the power structure in any society, because that is what keeps fascism at bay.

This is one of the reasons that "Occupying" needs to become a hobby of every single person in this country.  By "occupying"-- learning about and monitoring-- all levels of government and public structures, we can exert our power and demand accountability.  We can keep fascism and violent upheaval at bay.  The more people that "Occupy" the less work there will be for any one of us.

YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY MAY NOT BE INTERESTED:  The people closest you will be interested because they are interested in you, but they may not have the same passion or vision. After a while they may get bored with your cause.  This is normal.

Seek out the people that do, and form your alliances there.   Even when I am handing out leaflets, I ask people if they are interested in changing Metro to make it better for the people that ride it.  Not everyone is.  Save your leaflets and your energy.  Move on to the next person.  Identify the people most interested first.  The less motivated will become more interested as you continue to get results.

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF:  In our society we are taught to believe that money is the only source of power.  But the wealthy are actually the least powerful among us.  ALL THEY HAVE IS MONEY.

When I was a radical political activist in my teens and early twenties (I am almost 50 now) we used to say "Money is the lowest form of participation."  TIME and IDEAS are the strongest.

Every person has something to offer.  The wealthy are the smallest part of the population.  There are far more of us than of them.  And without us doing the work or consuming to generate their wealth, they would have nothing.

Most social change has been generated by 3.5% of the population.  African-Americans are less than 20% of the population, and during the Civil Rights era, not all African-American's participated in the struggle.  Don't discount what a small but empowered group of people can do.  The powers that be cannot handle any disruption of "business as usual".  They are all about profits.  They count on the majority of the people being too downtrodden, or too unmotivated, or too divided, to work for change.

Prove them wrong.  Believe in yourself, your power, and your vision.

If you pace yourself and seek like-minded others, you will succeed.