...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!
OPTINSTL
OCCUPY! PUBLIC TRANSIT Image by Eric Drooker for Occupy Wall Street, click on image for Drooker's website
Showing posts with label metrolink. Show all posts
Showing posts with label metrolink. Show all posts
Sunday, April 17, 2016
Friday, March 18, 2016
NEXTSTL POST NAILS IT ON NORTH COUNTY TRANSIT CENTER
Great article on North County Transit Center.
https://nextstl.com/2016/03/north-county-transit-reconfiguration-symptom-not-treatment/
EDIT/PS: Optinstl doesn't always agree with Nextstl but they are always a good source of info. Metro DOES need to focus on the areas like North County that are mostly transit dependent. But Nextstl also seems to support Cortex, which is the biggest waste of money and a giant boondoggle that really only benefits Cortex itself. The CWE metrolink serves this area just fine. (Regardless of Cortex being non-profit entity, nothing they are proposing there is going to fundamentally change the area. Like Ballpark Village, it will just pull business away from previously existing local businesses, and it is unlikely that it will flourish- if it does indeed flourish at all- for more than a decade.)
Was just reading this post on Cortex. https://nextstl.com/2016/03/202424/
We heard Field Foods was going to be the economic saviour with a grocery store two years ago. Fields is a Boston investor's high end boutique grocery store that got a $12 million dollar grant for the food desert in Peabody Clinton area, NOT the Lafayette Square area. And while the cashiers and other low paying staff come from the area, the management and executives are all from Boston- or were when the store first opened in January 2014. The store has hardly lived up to any of its' promises in terms of sales tax revenues, and mostly seems to compete with locally owned Culinaria downtown.
And remember when Lofts were going to revitalize downtown? A lot of DINK'S (double income no kids) moved down there, and shocker, the area is declining again as they have kids and move back to the suburbs or more kid-friendly areas of the city.
The only thing that is going to revitalize St. Louis is a living wage and development in areas that need jobs and public transportation. Anything North of Delmar, for starters.
https://nextstl.com/2016/03/north-county-transit-reconfiguration-symptom-not-treatment/
EDIT/PS: Optinstl doesn't always agree with Nextstl but they are always a good source of info. Metro DOES need to focus on the areas like North County that are mostly transit dependent. But Nextstl also seems to support Cortex, which is the biggest waste of money and a giant boondoggle that really only benefits Cortex itself. The CWE metrolink serves this area just fine. (Regardless of Cortex being non-profit entity, nothing they are proposing there is going to fundamentally change the area. Like Ballpark Village, it will just pull business away from previously existing local businesses, and it is unlikely that it will flourish- if it does indeed flourish at all- for more than a decade.)
Was just reading this post on Cortex. https://nextstl.com/2016/03/202424/
We heard Field Foods was going to be the economic saviour with a grocery store two years ago. Fields is a Boston investor's high end boutique grocery store that got a $12 million dollar grant for the food desert in Peabody Clinton area, NOT the Lafayette Square area. And while the cashiers and other low paying staff come from the area, the management and executives are all from Boston- or were when the store first opened in January 2014. The store has hardly lived up to any of its' promises in terms of sales tax revenues, and mostly seems to compete with locally owned Culinaria downtown.
And remember when Lofts were going to revitalize downtown? A lot of DINK'S (double income no kids) moved down there, and shocker, the area is declining again as they have kids and move back to the suburbs or more kid-friendly areas of the city.
The only thing that is going to revitalize St. Louis is a living wage and development in areas that need jobs and public transportation. Anything North of Delmar, for starters.
KIRKWOOD DEATH; LOOP TROLLEY; NORTH COUNTY TRANSIT CENTER
I assume this fatality was either a cargo train or Amtrak. However, this would be the second time in two weeks that someone has been hit on the tracks. (See last post.)
http://www.kmov.com/story/31501918/emergency-crews-responding-after-pedestrian-hit-by-train-in-kirkwood
For the most part, train tracks are privately owned and leased. If you have ridden on Amtrak you learn this, because they have to stop A LOT for cargo trains, and local Metrolinks. Not all of the tracks are well maintained, and Amtrak often has to stop or has problems due to problems with the tracks. Sometimes these are long waits because they have to wait for the track owning companies to come make the repairs.
No entity that is private and for profit is going to put safety first. No entity that is funded by government money but not publicly owned is going to put safety first. Railroad tracks, like public transit, should be owned by the public and maintained at the highest standard. Amtrak is completely subsidized by the government.
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-industry-standard-should-be-safety.html
The Loop Trolley has encountered another error. Shocking (*sarcasm*). The main focus is on the fact that cars might be hit. With that narrow a margin, this screams "pedestrian injury/fatality." PLEASE REMEMBER that the Trolley got a big chunk of money for "urban revitalization" (http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-loop-trolley-sucking-up-more.html). Originally the Trolley was to run down Forest Park Parkway. But to keep the Urban Circulator funds, they had to re-route the trolley through an "urban area"- in this case, the part of the Loop in the city. (Let's not forget that this Trolley is about making sure no local "park and ride" and rural tourists have to set foot on a Metro bus to go drink beer and eat cheeseburgers at Blueberry Hill. That is ALL this trolley is really about.)
http://www.riverfronttimes.com/newsblog/2016/03/18/trolley-tracks-east-of-skinker-may-be-too-tight-for-comfort
I find the city and county planners, street services, and MODOT, do be completely blind to pedestrians and pedestrian safety. The lights at the corner of Skinker and Delmar are a perfect example. (I haven't actually been at that corner in awhile, completely avoiding it even if I had to go to the Loop by turning on Olive or Vernon, since I am always coming from the north. So maybe they fixed it. I doubt it. I pointed it out to them a few times when I first moved back here.)
Stand at any of the corners and watch the light sequence. In each cycle there is a 30 second or so period where traffic is only moving from two directions- meaning no left or right turns. The car traffic has usually slowed at this point. During this time there is the inevitable crossing of pedestrians against the light, because of the lag. There is also a turn light that comes up during this time, which adds to the confusion. I can't recall which direction now, even though I used to encounter it daily a few years ago. Day and night I've seen near misses as someone comes speeding to catch the light before they think it is going to change, and pedestrian confusion- that is, stepping out into the walkway because the instinctual, intuitive understanding of how traffic lights are normally sequenced, and not expecting that out of sequence turn light.
(There is one turn light that looks like it was added much later than the rest. At one point I made a little diagram of where the light needed to be sequenced. I'm pretty sure it was the right turn onto Delmar from northbound Skinker, and the lag was the north-south flow of traffic on Skinker. But I can't recall exactly and have no idea where those notes are. This is all from memory.)
Even with all the focus on Washington University students- many of whom walk and bike in the area, and live in the Loop- the people that make all the decisions do not walk or use public transit. You need nothing more than a heavy snowfall to prove this. The ploughs come out immediately, and the streets are clear. But all the snow is piled up on the sidewalks. Even in the Loop and other areas with heavy foot-traffic, shoveling sidewalks is the responsibility of the property owners and businesses.
North County though, has to be the worst in terms of street planning and pedestrian safety. To get to the new North county transit center on foot- and a lot of times it is faster to walk from your last connection than wait for a bus- you have to walk on a shoulder. The bus stops in front of Centene have no shelter and trash cans. The bus stop across from Centene-- west/south side- is on the shoulder and then there is a slope into a little ditch before the fence separating the 270 freeway. Super fun to stand there at night. (Again, *sarcasm*.)
(http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/04/metro-does-not-take-responsibility-for.html)
It's always strange to me, when people talk about our "infrastructure". Only in the last two hundred years have roads been mostly for something other than pedestrians. Their were pedestrian fatalities from carriage accidents, but certainly not as many. Horses in a wooden carriage versus horsepower and 2000 pounds of metal are a very different situation for the person on foot.
I heard President Obama say, when one of the highway bonds was up for the voters, "This is what we do- we build roads and bridges." (Or something like that.) True. But no one in the world has more than 65 years of experience building and maintaining roads solely for use of the internal combustion engine. In this country the population of people and the amount of cars on the road doubled since the 1970's and we are only now seeing what a mistake it was to ditch the railroads for trucks and public transit for private automobiles.
All one has to do to see how blind to pedestrians the planners are is go look North County Transit Center. (Or Maplewood. The worst, in my opinion, as detailed in the optinstl link above, and here again: http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-industry-standard-should-be-safety.html)
These planners and city leaders, and most of the Metro executives, have never ridden the bus except on rare occasions, and seem to walk only for exercise or because they have dogs, and usually then, only in their own neighbourhoods. (And sidewalks are often missing in areas that were "developed" after the 1950's. Who needed them right? We will all just drive a block to the store or park, etc.)
If St. Louis monitored pedestrian traffic as much as car traffic, there would be sidewalks and lighting in most parts of North County (and south and west county, too, actually).
There is nothing more troubling than seeing people with small children standing out on that shoulder in front of Centene, or the many other bus stops just like it.
And this last schedule change seemed to bring a higher than usual amount of bus stop closings. I'm all for efficiency, but I don't trust the way Metro does things. For example, on Chambers they are eliminating two bus stops. On paper it makes sense. But these two bus stops sit at the bottom of two hills, right where an apartment complex is. That means that the people in wheelchairs or with health issues will have to go up the hill to catch the 61.
Route changes should not be made by asking the advice of random people motivated enough to go to one of the meetings, or briefly surveyed at Open Houses, even if they are held at transit centers. Metro should have neighborhood liaisons that are employed or compensated by Metro to determine and tailor public transit to the community's needs.
Please, call Metro today and tell them what you need for a better, faster, safer transit experience: http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/04/what-metros-new-survey-should-be.html
Call Metro every time you ride!
http://www.kmov.com/story/31501918/emergency-crews-responding-after-pedestrian-hit-by-train-in-kirkwood
For the most part, train tracks are privately owned and leased. If you have ridden on Amtrak you learn this, because they have to stop A LOT for cargo trains, and local Metrolinks. Not all of the tracks are well maintained, and Amtrak often has to stop or has problems due to problems with the tracks. Sometimes these are long waits because they have to wait for the track owning companies to come make the repairs.
No entity that is private and for profit is going to put safety first. No entity that is funded by government money but not publicly owned is going to put safety first. Railroad tracks, like public transit, should be owned by the public and maintained at the highest standard. Amtrak is completely subsidized by the government.
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-industry-standard-should-be-safety.html
The Loop Trolley has encountered another error. Shocking (*sarcasm*). The main focus is on the fact that cars might be hit. With that narrow a margin, this screams "pedestrian injury/fatality." PLEASE REMEMBER that the Trolley got a big chunk of money for "urban revitalization" (http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-loop-trolley-sucking-up-more.html). Originally the Trolley was to run down Forest Park Parkway. But to keep the Urban Circulator funds, they had to re-route the trolley through an "urban area"- in this case, the part of the Loop in the city. (Let's not forget that this Trolley is about making sure no local "park and ride" and rural tourists have to set foot on a Metro bus to go drink beer and eat cheeseburgers at Blueberry Hill. That is ALL this trolley is really about.)
http://www.riverfronttimes.com/newsblog/2016/03/18/trolley-tracks-east-of-skinker-may-be-too-tight-for-comfort
I find the city and county planners, street services, and MODOT, do be completely blind to pedestrians and pedestrian safety. The lights at the corner of Skinker and Delmar are a perfect example. (I haven't actually been at that corner in awhile, completely avoiding it even if I had to go to the Loop by turning on Olive or Vernon, since I am always coming from the north. So maybe they fixed it. I doubt it. I pointed it out to them a few times when I first moved back here.)
Stand at any of the corners and watch the light sequence. In each cycle there is a 30 second or so period where traffic is only moving from two directions- meaning no left or right turns. The car traffic has usually slowed at this point. During this time there is the inevitable crossing of pedestrians against the light, because of the lag. There is also a turn light that comes up during this time, which adds to the confusion. I can't recall which direction now, even though I used to encounter it daily a few years ago. Day and night I've seen near misses as someone comes speeding to catch the light before they think it is going to change, and pedestrian confusion- that is, stepping out into the walkway because the instinctual, intuitive understanding of how traffic lights are normally sequenced, and not expecting that out of sequence turn light.
(There is one turn light that looks like it was added much later than the rest. At one point I made a little diagram of where the light needed to be sequenced. I'm pretty sure it was the right turn onto Delmar from northbound Skinker, and the lag was the north-south flow of traffic on Skinker. But I can't recall exactly and have no idea where those notes are. This is all from memory.)
Even with all the focus on Washington University students- many of whom walk and bike in the area, and live in the Loop- the people that make all the decisions do not walk or use public transit. You need nothing more than a heavy snowfall to prove this. The ploughs come out immediately, and the streets are clear. But all the snow is piled up on the sidewalks. Even in the Loop and other areas with heavy foot-traffic, shoveling sidewalks is the responsibility of the property owners and businesses.
North County though, has to be the worst in terms of street planning and pedestrian safety. To get to the new North county transit center on foot- and a lot of times it is faster to walk from your last connection than wait for a bus- you have to walk on a shoulder. The bus stops in front of Centene have no shelter and trash cans. The bus stop across from Centene-- west/south side- is on the shoulder and then there is a slope into a little ditch before the fence separating the 270 freeway. Super fun to stand there at night. (Again, *sarcasm*.)
(http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/04/metro-does-not-take-responsibility-for.html)
It's always strange to me, when people talk about our "infrastructure". Only in the last two hundred years have roads been mostly for something other than pedestrians. Their were pedestrian fatalities from carriage accidents, but certainly not as many. Horses in a wooden carriage versus horsepower and 2000 pounds of metal are a very different situation for the person on foot.
I heard President Obama say, when one of the highway bonds was up for the voters, "This is what we do- we build roads and bridges." (Or something like that.) True. But no one in the world has more than 65 years of experience building and maintaining roads solely for use of the internal combustion engine. In this country the population of people and the amount of cars on the road doubled since the 1970's and we are only now seeing what a mistake it was to ditch the railroads for trucks and public transit for private automobiles.
All one has to do to see how blind to pedestrians the planners are is go look North County Transit Center. (Or Maplewood. The worst, in my opinion, as detailed in the optinstl link above, and here again: http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-industry-standard-should-be-safety.html)
These planners and city leaders, and most of the Metro executives, have never ridden the bus except on rare occasions, and seem to walk only for exercise or because they have dogs, and usually then, only in their own neighbourhoods. (And sidewalks are often missing in areas that were "developed" after the 1950's. Who needed them right? We will all just drive a block to the store or park, etc.)
If St. Louis monitored pedestrian traffic as much as car traffic, there would be sidewalks and lighting in most parts of North County (and south and west county, too, actually).
There is nothing more troubling than seeing people with small children standing out on that shoulder in front of Centene, or the many other bus stops just like it.
And this last schedule change seemed to bring a higher than usual amount of bus stop closings. I'm all for efficiency, but I don't trust the way Metro does things. For example, on Chambers they are eliminating two bus stops. On paper it makes sense. But these two bus stops sit at the bottom of two hills, right where an apartment complex is. That means that the people in wheelchairs or with health issues will have to go up the hill to catch the 61.
Route changes should not be made by asking the advice of random people motivated enough to go to one of the meetings, or briefly surveyed at Open Houses, even if they are held at transit centers. Metro should have neighborhood liaisons that are employed or compensated by Metro to determine and tailor public transit to the community's needs.
Please, call Metro today and tell them what you need for a better, faster, safer transit experience: http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/04/what-metros-new-survey-should-be.html
Call Metro every time you ride!
Monday, March 14, 2016
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
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
ACCIDENT AT SWANSEA METROLINK
EDIT 17 April 2016: This accident is now a fatality. http://www.bnd.com/news/local/article71885612.html
I missed this in the news on March 6 and it does not appear to be widely reported. A man was struck by a train and his foot was severed and neck broken after a train ran over him at Swansea.
I keep checking the dates on these stories. It's not on any other news stations that I could find, and it isn't on Metro's Blog. In the old days, every news story contained the details of what happened- when, where, etc. Is this some new development in an old accident case? Or did this just happen on March 6th? These are the only two stories I could find:
http://www.kmov.com/story/31399856/family-members-of-man-hit-by-metrolink-train-speak-out
http://www.kmov.com/story/31467300/witness-failure-in-alert-system-allowed-man-to-be-run-over-by-metrolink-train
KMOV video is freezing my computer, so I will try to watch later and see if the video segments have more details.
I missed this in the news on March 6 and it does not appear to be widely reported. A man was struck by a train and his foot was severed and neck broken after a train ran over him at Swansea.
I keep checking the dates on these stories. It's not on any other news stations that I could find, and it isn't on Metro's Blog. In the old days, every news story contained the details of what happened- when, where, etc. Is this some new development in an old accident case? Or did this just happen on March 6th? These are the only two stories I could find:
http://www.kmov.com/story/31399856/family-members-of-man-hit-by-metrolink-train-speak-out
http://www.kmov.com/story/31467300/witness-failure-in-alert-system-allowed-man-to-be-run-over-by-metrolink-train
KMOV video is freezing my computer, so I will try to watch later and see if the video segments have more details.
Sunday, March 13, 2016
NEW METRO STATION IN FERGUSON
Couldn't find any local reporting on this. It was "Drumpfed", I guess. The orange-faced Amerikkkan Hitler got all the news this weekend.
I haven't been there yet, but will check it out tomorrow. I hope those restrooms are really "public". At Riverview the toilets are operated by the privately owned snack shop. (Which means it is only open when they are open and you have to get a key- or at least you did last time I used it, which was actually about 2 years ago. Will check that out this week, too.)
Also, they need to put in sidewalks all the way along Pershall. The construction has made the already dangerous walk on Pershall between West Florissant and New Halls Ferry a nightmare. Especially at night.
At least we have a train up here now. EDIT: Please see this post: http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2016/04/optinstl-is-red-faced.html
http://www.masstransitmag.com/press_release/12180965/st-louis-metro-celebrates-completion-of-north-county-transit-center
As for John Nations comments that "five years ago we identified" etc... Stop patting yourself on the back. North City and County are the most transit dependent areas you service and you don't deserve congratulations for figuring that out. Your own data proves that. And that new Cortex Metrolink stop is a big waste of money, rivalled only by the St. Charles turned to Shrewsbury extension that bankrupted the Agency in 2010.
I haven't been there yet, but will check it out tomorrow. I hope those restrooms are really "public". At Riverview the toilets are operated by the privately owned snack shop. (Which means it is only open when they are open and you have to get a key- or at least you did last time I used it, which was actually about 2 years ago. Will check that out this week, too.)
Also, they need to put in sidewalks all the way along Pershall. The construction has made the already dangerous walk on Pershall between West Florissant and New Halls Ferry a nightmare. Especially at night.
http://www.masstransitmag.com/press_release/12180965/st-louis-metro-celebrates-completion-of-north-county-transit-center
As for John Nations comments that "five years ago we identified" etc... Stop patting yourself on the back. North City and County are the most transit dependent areas you service and you don't deserve congratulations for figuring that out. Your own data proves that. And that new Cortex Metrolink stop is a big waste of money, rivalled only by the St. Charles turned to Shrewsbury extension that bankrupted the Agency in 2010.
Thursday, March 10, 2016
SOLUTIONS NOT COP OUTS
EDIT: Please see this post, too:
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2016/03/questions-for-saint-louis-teens.html
Instead of more cops, the same tired, ineffective response, over and over again, how about real solutions?
There are the obvious- put money into jobs and schools, etc.
But also GO ASK THESE KIDS WHAT THEY NEED.
http://www.kmov.com/story/31428741/group-of-juveniles-assault-rob-2-men-in-central-west-end
http://www.kmov.com/story/31431838/police-teens-responsible-for-recent-crimes-in-u-city-are-from-east-st-louis
And then ask all the other kids, too.
Don't just stop with kids, ask every single person that ends up in trouble with the law.
Is there anything you would like to be doing with your time? Is there any activities that you would want to do with your free time? (Sing, Dance, Make movies, fly a kite, run a marathon?)
What would you need to be able to do that? (A ride, lessons, a video camera?)
Do you feel you have a meaningful life and a future ahead of you?
What would you need to feel that way?
Instead of more cops, ask every kid in every junior high and high school these questions. There are actual solutions to these problems.
(The job of everyone in prison should be to answer these questions, too. Just asking these questions would bring about results, even if the person did not answer out loud.)
Also, Metro can barely pay the interest on its' bond debt with payments they get from St Louis County Prop A. Steve Stenger says more cops on Metrolink will be covered with Prop A. Please ask him how that is possible? Please ask how much of that money goes to Metro already and what do they spend it on? St. Louis really can't afford anymore bonds.
http://www.kmov.com/story/31424328/county-executive-pushes-to-double-number-of-officers-on-metrolink-lines
Or cops. More cops almost never reduce crime. In fact, more cops usually means more crime.
Solve the real issues. Make real changes.
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2016/03/questions-for-saint-louis-teens.html
Instead of more cops, the same tired, ineffective response, over and over again, how about real solutions?
There are the obvious- put money into jobs and schools, etc.
But also GO ASK THESE KIDS WHAT THEY NEED.
http://www.kmov.com/story/31428741/group-of-juveniles-assault-rob-2-men-in-central-west-end
http://www.kmov.com/story/31431838/police-teens-responsible-for-recent-crimes-in-u-city-are-from-east-st-louis
And then ask all the other kids, too.
Don't just stop with kids, ask every single person that ends up in trouble with the law.
Is there anything you would like to be doing with your time? Is there any activities that you would want to do with your free time? (Sing, Dance, Make movies, fly a kite, run a marathon?)
What would you need to be able to do that? (A ride, lessons, a video camera?)
Do you feel you have a meaningful life and a future ahead of you?
What would you need to feel that way?
Instead of more cops, ask every kid in every junior high and high school these questions. There are actual solutions to these problems.
(The job of everyone in prison should be to answer these questions, too. Just asking these questions would bring about results, even if the person did not answer out loud.)
Also, Metro can barely pay the interest on its' bond debt with payments they get from St Louis County Prop A. Steve Stenger says more cops on Metrolink will be covered with Prop A. Please ask him how that is possible? Please ask how much of that money goes to Metro already and what do they spend it on? St. Louis really can't afford anymore bonds.
http://www.kmov.com/story/31424328/county-executive-pushes-to-double-number-of-officers-on-metrolink-lines
Or cops. More cops almost never reduce crime. In fact, more cops usually means more crime.
Solve the real issues. Make real changes.
Friday, September 12, 2014
UNION PROTESTS METRO CEO: OPTINSTL SAYS "FIRE JOHN NATIONS, GET METRO SEPARATED FROM BI-STATE"
In this news story, Nations actually says Bi-State has 50% African Americans. He's wrong. METRO has 50% African Americans. Bi-state is DBA Metro, but there is a division between the business development of Bi-State-- the Arch trams and parking lot, the St Louis airport in Cahokia, Illinois.
http://fox2now.com/2014/09/12/racial-elements-fuel-dispute-between-metro-and-transit-union/
Without Metro and the $350 million a year in public funding (local, state, and federal funds and rider fares) Bi-State would be nothing. The only part of their enterprise that makes a profit is the parking garage.
Without Metro, Nations would not be able to give $5 million a year in "contributions to outside entities" or groom his own run for senator or governor (depending on who you talk to).
And he makes racist remarks all the time. I hope people start recording him. I hope Anonymous hacks his home computer and finds all his racist memes (and his porn stash).
Nations is a good example of everything that is wrong with St. Louis. I hope he gets fired.
http://fox2now.com/2014/09/12/racial-elements-fuel-dispute-between-metro-and-transit-union/
Without Metro and the $350 million a year in public funding (local, state, and federal funds and rider fares) Bi-State would be nothing. The only part of their enterprise that makes a profit is the parking garage.
Without Metro, Nations would not be able to give $5 million a year in "contributions to outside entities" or groom his own run for senator or governor (depending on who you talk to).
And he makes racist remarks all the time. I hope people start recording him. I hope Anonymous hacks his home computer and finds all his racist memes (and his porn stash).
Nations is a good example of everything that is wrong with St. Louis. I hope he gets fired.
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
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
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
Monday, September 1, 2014
IDOT HAS THE RIGHT IDEA, BUT TRANSIT RIDERS NEED TO OCCUPY THE RAILWAYS
The Illinois Department of Transportation has the right idea. We definitely need a high-speed rail line from St. Louis to Chicago.
http://www.kmov.com/news/talkers/100-million-being-invested-in-St-LouisChicago-rail-project-273409391.html
But WE, THE PEOPLE need to take over the railroads in the same way we need to take over public transit. Trains-- local commuter, state, and national-- are the future, not more buses, and not more cars and highways!
http://www.eia.gov/countries/index.cfm?view=consumption
http://www.citylab.com/commute/2014/07/how-parking-spaces-are-eating-our-cities-alive/374413/
http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/does-uber-mean-the-end-of-cars--134641160.html
http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/19/opinion/iraq-war-oil-juhasz/
As with public transit, railroads should be communally owned and operated by the public-- Amtrak is government owned-- and only leased to private, for-profit, companies, freight or otherwise.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_transportation_in_the_United_States
And safety of the public should be the first priority, not down the list after profits and corporate convenience.
http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/who-is-shaping-the-nation-s-railroad-safety-rules/article_87cfc631-3db4-595f-b0f1-a3e02058820f.html
The first step is to learn more about current railways in your region, and to begin questioning elected and transportation officials on what is being done to develop them.
Railway is not "other transportation", it is our first priority as a forward thinking nation.
http://www.modot.org/othertransportation/rail/documents/MAPrail_passenger_dated11_15_07.pdf
http://www.kmov.com/news/talkers/100-million-being-invested-in-St-LouisChicago-rail-project-273409391.html
But WE, THE PEOPLE need to take over the railroads in the same way we need to take over public transit. Trains-- local commuter, state, and national-- are the future, not more buses, and not more cars and highways!
http://www.eia.gov/countries/index.cfm?view=consumption
http://www.citylab.com/commute/2014/07/how-parking-spaces-are-eating-our-cities-alive/374413/
http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/does-uber-mean-the-end-of-cars--134641160.html
http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/19/opinion/iraq-war-oil-juhasz/
As with public transit, railroads should be communally owned and operated by the public-- Amtrak is government owned-- and only leased to private, for-profit, companies, freight or otherwise.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_transportation_in_the_United_States
And safety of the public should be the first priority, not down the list after profits and corporate convenience.
http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/who-is-shaping-the-nation-s-railroad-safety-rules/article_87cfc631-3db4-595f-b0f1-a3e02058820f.html
The first step is to learn more about current railways in your region, and to begin questioning elected and transportation officials on what is being done to develop them.
Railway is not "other transportation", it is our first priority as a forward thinking nation.
http://www.modot.org/othertransportation/rail/documents/MAPrail_passenger_dated11_15_07.pdf
Monday, August 25, 2014
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.
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
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.
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
Saturday, August 16, 2014
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.
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.
Saturday, July 26, 2014
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."
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."
Saturday, July 19, 2014
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!
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!
Saturday, July 12, 2014
DEAR METRO: RIDERS NEED DRINKING FOUNTAINS AS WELL AS TOILETS
Sitting at the Delmar Metrolink the other day, in the hot sun, was a woman waiting for a bus that runs every 40 minutes. She was 60ish, African-American, in somewhat fragile health, and on that day, dry as dust.
"Why don't they have a drinking fountain?" she asked. "All this money we pay, and we can't get a drinking fountain." She didn't have even a quarter to buy water from one of the local restaurants.
"We need bathrooms, too," I commented.
"Yes, but right now, I am so dry, I couldn't even go to the bathroom," she said. "I need a drink of water!"
The need for bathrooms has already been well documented on this blog.
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/03/metro-bus-and-train-stations-need-more.html
But we need drinking fountains, too. Riding your buses is thirsty work. There is rarely enough shade at bus stops and terminals, and often there is no shade. Too often there are no places nearby where a person can get a drink of water for free. If you want water you will need to pay at least a quarter to get a cup from a fountain machine, or buy a plastic bottle of water. Of course, that is the same as needing the toilet. You have to buy something at most places.
If I were driving a car for an hour and a half on the highways, there would be ample rest stops where I could get water and go to the bathroom. But during my daily three hour trip on the buses (90 minutes one way, on three bus lines each way, with at least a 20 minute wait between one of those transfers) there is no consideration for my most basic needs.
It's the 21st Century and we can send a man to outer space, but we don't have public facilities in our earthbound cities. Legislators, lawmakers, and the media argue endlessly over when life begins in a woman's uterus. Corporations are ruled to be "persons".
But the one thing that all people have in common (except for corporate "persons") is a bladder and bowels. One thing we all need to survive is water.
Our city and nation, our entire planet, is ruled by shareholders and executives seeking profits for themselves. They don't care about us, and they never have. We are cash cows to be milked for labor and then again for taxes.
We, the people, pay for everything but get very little in return.
Maybe when we are all thirsty and incontinent enough, we will begin to demand our fair share.
Let's start with public toilets and drinking fountains at St. Louis Metro transfer centers, and go from there.
"Why don't they have a drinking fountain?" she asked. "All this money we pay, and we can't get a drinking fountain." She didn't have even a quarter to buy water from one of the local restaurants.
"We need bathrooms, too," I commented.
"Yes, but right now, I am so dry, I couldn't even go to the bathroom," she said. "I need a drink of water!"
The need for bathrooms has already been well documented on this blog.
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/03/metro-bus-and-train-stations-need-more.html
But we need drinking fountains, too. Riding your buses is thirsty work. There is rarely enough shade at bus stops and terminals, and often there is no shade. Too often there are no places nearby where a person can get a drink of water for free. If you want water you will need to pay at least a quarter to get a cup from a fountain machine, or buy a plastic bottle of water. Of course, that is the same as needing the toilet. You have to buy something at most places.
If I were driving a car for an hour and a half on the highways, there would be ample rest stops where I could get water and go to the bathroom. But during my daily three hour trip on the buses (90 minutes one way, on three bus lines each way, with at least a 20 minute wait between one of those transfers) there is no consideration for my most basic needs.
It's the 21st Century and we can send a man to outer space, but we don't have public facilities in our earthbound cities. Legislators, lawmakers, and the media argue endlessly over when life begins in a woman's uterus. Corporations are ruled to be "persons".
But the one thing that all people have in common (except for corporate "persons") is a bladder and bowels. One thing we all need to survive is water.
Our city and nation, our entire planet, is ruled by shareholders and executives seeking profits for themselves. They don't care about us, and they never have. We are cash cows to be milked for labor and then again for taxes.
We, the people, pay for everything but get very little in return.
Maybe when we are all thirsty and incontinent enough, we will begin to demand our fair share.
Let's start with public toilets and drinking fountains at St. Louis Metro transfer centers, and go from there.
Thursday, July 10, 2014
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.
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.
MORE ON AMENDMENT 7: HIGHWAY ROBBERY BENEFITS ONLY THE CONCRETE AND CONSTRUCTION "CARTELS"
OPTINSTL'S previous post about Amendment 7:
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/06/vote-no-on-amendment-7-proposed.html
The St. Louis Post Dispatch and their St. Louis Today website have been running some really good opinion pieces and articles on the proposed increased sales tax.
http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/columns/the-platform/editorial-modot-s-list-of-shiny-objects-can-t-obscure/article_20186cfd-9edc-5782-bb59-8b4d54dd2f9b.html
Both terms in this post's title, "Highway Robbery" and "Concrete Cartels", come from this brilliant and well-written Op-Ed:
http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/stop-missouri-s-highway-robbery/article_68a94d5c-22e8-5af5-b854-a1e0ea14d1b7.html
And this one is great on who is paying for the "pro" Amendment 7 campaign:
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/kevin-mcdermott/transportation-interests-donated-k-to-key-sales-tax-proponent/article_f41d8c5e-cdbc-584d-820f-ea9e7ec2ffce.html
Many people have written in that what we need to do is increase gasoline tax-- ours is the lowest in the nation! Let the trucking companies that use the highways the most pay for the roads!
http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-to-the-editor/no-to-raising-missouri-s-transportation-sales-tax/article_ce043f0d-546f-54f9-a27c-d2a3aeb318bc.html
This is great opinion letter, from a transit rider:
http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-to-the-editor/public-transit-rider-can-t-support-higher-sales-tax/article_87bf77c3-6966-51dc-ab2f-acdd03f577f1.html
And this great piece really spells out the ridiculousness of the few transit related items on the City's wishlist.
http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-to-the-editor/slay-gives-city-residents-reason-to-oppose-transportation-tax/article_b4674df1-ea0f-5eaa-b18a-ee691fc711ef.html
On the project list biking and pedestrian paths are considered "public transit". So you might see a lot of X marks in the transit column but read the descriptions carefully. The few that actually deal with bus, trains and streetcars are nothing more than government subsidies to private developers, such as the Loop Trolley, McKee's Northside "Redevelopment" and a Lindell street car that runs parallel to the Metrolink!
https://stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/mayor/documents/loader.cfm?csModule=security/getfile&pageid=402539
MO DOT has released their final "wishlist" draft, but it isn't readily available to the public, which is just OUTRAGEOUS. We are being asked to pay for something, but don't get to see the details? A reporter from Associated Press had to file a Sunshine Act request to get the project, and even then, he only reports on what is in it, we do not get to see the actual list.
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/missouri-updates-project-list-for-transportation-tax/article_a5dfaf8f-496c-5e1e-9959-a05bd4466c6a.html
And even if we did see the wishlist, that is all it is. Once they get the money they will do whatever they want with it. Let's not forget April 2010's Prop A. It was going to "save" Metro. And look what they have done with it. Nothing. They get the 11 million a year from the city for the Metrolink, but County Executive Charlie Dooley controls the purse strings on the $78 million the county collects. And even if he is does allot some to Metro, they are still insolvent!
SAY NO TO HIGHWAY ROBBERY!!!!
MORE ON AMENDMENT 7:
http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-to-the-editor/transportation-tax-is-the-wrong-means-to-the-wrong-ends/article_8013b86e-ced2-5e7a-980b-520559989dec.html
http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-to-the-editor/increase-the-gasoline-tax-to-pay-for-publicly-maintained-roads/article_05cce727-f345-53d6-8481-84c8f87d6dcb.html
http://www.stltoday.com/news/national/nixon-opposes-missouri-transportation-sales-tax/article_c1ced8f4-3ee6-55db-b05f-269c0ac54195.html
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/06/vote-no-on-amendment-7-proposed.html
The St. Louis Post Dispatch and their St. Louis Today website have been running some really good opinion pieces and articles on the proposed increased sales tax.
http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/columns/the-platform/editorial-modot-s-list-of-shiny-objects-can-t-obscure/article_20186cfd-9edc-5782-bb59-8b4d54dd2f9b.html
Both terms in this post's title, "Highway Robbery" and "Concrete Cartels", come from this brilliant and well-written Op-Ed:
http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/stop-missouri-s-highway-robbery/article_68a94d5c-22e8-5af5-b854-a1e0ea14d1b7.html
And this one is great on who is paying for the "pro" Amendment 7 campaign:
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/kevin-mcdermott/transportation-interests-donated-k-to-key-sales-tax-proponent/article_f41d8c5e-cdbc-584d-820f-ea9e7ec2ffce.html
Many people have written in that what we need to do is increase gasoline tax-- ours is the lowest in the nation! Let the trucking companies that use the highways the most pay for the roads!
http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-to-the-editor/no-to-raising-missouri-s-transportation-sales-tax/article_ce043f0d-546f-54f9-a27c-d2a3aeb318bc.html
This is great opinion letter, from a transit rider:
http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-to-the-editor/public-transit-rider-can-t-support-higher-sales-tax/article_87bf77c3-6966-51dc-ab2f-acdd03f577f1.html
And this great piece really spells out the ridiculousness of the few transit related items on the City's wishlist.
http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-to-the-editor/slay-gives-city-residents-reason-to-oppose-transportation-tax/article_b4674df1-ea0f-5eaa-b18a-ee691fc711ef.html
On the project list biking and pedestrian paths are considered "public transit". So you might see a lot of X marks in the transit column but read the descriptions carefully. The few that actually deal with bus, trains and streetcars are nothing more than government subsidies to private developers, such as the Loop Trolley, McKee's Northside "Redevelopment" and a Lindell street car that runs parallel to the Metrolink!
https://stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/mayor/documents/loader.cfm?csModule=security/getfile&pageid=402539
MO DOT has released their final "wishlist" draft, but it isn't readily available to the public, which is just OUTRAGEOUS. We are being asked to pay for something, but don't get to see the details? A reporter from Associated Press had to file a Sunshine Act request to get the project, and even then, he only reports on what is in it, we do not get to see the actual list.
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/missouri-updates-project-list-for-transportation-tax/article_a5dfaf8f-496c-5e1e-9959-a05bd4466c6a.html
And even if we did see the wishlist, that is all it is. Once they get the money they will do whatever they want with it. Let's not forget April 2010's Prop A. It was going to "save" Metro. And look what they have done with it. Nothing. They get the 11 million a year from the city for the Metrolink, but County Executive Charlie Dooley controls the purse strings on the $78 million the county collects. And even if he is does allot some to Metro, they are still insolvent!
SAY NO TO HIGHWAY ROBBERY!!!!
MORE ON AMENDMENT 7:
http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-to-the-editor/transportation-tax-is-the-wrong-means-to-the-wrong-ends/article_8013b86e-ced2-5e7a-980b-520559989dec.html
http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-to-the-editor/increase-the-gasoline-tax-to-pay-for-publicly-maintained-roads/article_05cce727-f345-53d6-8481-84c8f87d6dcb.html
http://www.stltoday.com/news/national/nixon-opposes-missouri-transportation-sales-tax/article_c1ced8f4-3ee6-55db-b05f-269c0ac54195.html
Friday, June 27, 2014
WHAT THE METRO JOB FAIR ON JUNE 28TH IS REALLY ABOUT
Someone commented to me the other day that Metro must be worried about OPTINSTL's call for a boycott of Metro on July 1st.
"You know that is why they are holding that job fair on the 28th," he said.
http://www.kmov.com/news/local/Metro-hosting-job-fair-on-June-28-264767711.html
I have no idea if my campaign has reached enough people to be producing that kind of results. Are the Metro phone lines flooded? I don't know. I don't work there. I can only do what I can do, and wait to see what happens.
It would be wonderful if Metro was, indeed, trying to make nice with the public to prevent a rider boycott on July 1st. But if they were really worried, they would not have raised fares in the first place.
I think the Metro Job Fair is actually about CEO John Nations, who is publicly opposed to unions and supports the union-busting "right to work" legislation, and a direct threat he is sending his drivers:
"Don't you dare strike the week of the Fourth of July, or we will fire you."
Metro is NOT really hiring. They are barely solvent and have plenty of part-time drivers. They just don't want a repeat of Cardinals Opening Day "Blue Flu".
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/04/rider-alert-metro-whines-about-one-day.html
They don't want St. Louis to get any ideas from San Francisco or Philadelphia (unlike Pennsylvania, we don't have a Republican Governor, although Nixon often seems like a Republican).
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/06/san-franciscos-transit-workers-blue-flu.html
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/06/philadelphia-transit-workers-strike.html
What kind of city do you want to live in, St. Louis? A city where people are paid a livable wage with decent benefits? A city with good jobs and good employers?
A city with a great public transit system?
Or would you prefer a city where officials that receive $250,000 a year salaries (entirely paid for from public funds) rob their employees pensions, refuse to negotiate contracts in good faith, and exchange "business development" for promises of future political campaign contributions? (Nations make no secret of the fact that he is only at Metro to create a platform for his campaign for governor or senator.)
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/06/vote-no-on-amendment-7-proposed.html
St. Louis, you deserve more from Metro! I hope you will demand it! Don't break the Metro Operators Union. If you get a job with Metro, don't cross the picket lines. Metro wants minimum wage drivers that have no benefits. All the executives care about is there own fat-cat salaries. If they could import bus driver jobs to China and hire children and prisoners for a dollar an hour, they would.
They would say "Oh, we were protecting profits." And pat themselves on the back for doing a great job and give themselves big fat bonuses.
Metro isn't hiring, they are firing.
Remember that.
PS- personally, although a driver strike on July 1st would be fantastic, a driver strike on July 4th would be even better.
PPS- Something else at play here, both with the timing of the fare increase and the hiring fair, is that Metro's fiscal year ends on June 30th. Too long to go into here, but think about it. Even though the financial reports won't be ready for at least a few weeks, they do want to make a nice face to the public. "Hey look, we're hiring, regardless of how obviously failing we look on paper, we are hiring." *cough* "...Not."
"You know that is why they are holding that job fair on the 28th," he said.
http://www.kmov.com/news/local/Metro-hosting-job-fair-on-June-28-264767711.html
I have no idea if my campaign has reached enough people to be producing that kind of results. Are the Metro phone lines flooded? I don't know. I don't work there. I can only do what I can do, and wait to see what happens.
It would be wonderful if Metro was, indeed, trying to make nice with the public to prevent a rider boycott on July 1st. But if they were really worried, they would not have raised fares in the first place.
I think the Metro Job Fair is actually about CEO John Nations, who is publicly opposed to unions and supports the union-busting "right to work" legislation, and a direct threat he is sending his drivers:
"Don't you dare strike the week of the Fourth of July, or we will fire you."
Metro is NOT really hiring. They are barely solvent and have plenty of part-time drivers. They just don't want a repeat of Cardinals Opening Day "Blue Flu".
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/04/rider-alert-metro-whines-about-one-day.html
They don't want St. Louis to get any ideas from San Francisco or Philadelphia (unlike Pennsylvania, we don't have a Republican Governor, although Nixon often seems like a Republican).
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/06/san-franciscos-transit-workers-blue-flu.html
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/06/philadelphia-transit-workers-strike.html
What kind of city do you want to live in, St. Louis? A city where people are paid a livable wage with decent benefits? A city with good jobs and good employers?
A city with a great public transit system?
Or would you prefer a city where officials that receive $250,000 a year salaries (entirely paid for from public funds) rob their employees pensions, refuse to negotiate contracts in good faith, and exchange "business development" for promises of future political campaign contributions? (Nations make no secret of the fact that he is only at Metro to create a platform for his campaign for governor or senator.)
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/06/vote-no-on-amendment-7-proposed.html
St. Louis, you deserve more from Metro! I hope you will demand it! Don't break the Metro Operators Union. If you get a job with Metro, don't cross the picket lines. Metro wants minimum wage drivers that have no benefits. All the executives care about is there own fat-cat salaries. If they could import bus driver jobs to China and hire children and prisoners for a dollar an hour, they would.
They would say "Oh, we were protecting profits." And pat themselves on the back for doing a great job and give themselves big fat bonuses.
Metro isn't hiring, they are firing.
Remember that.
PS- personally, although a driver strike on July 1st would be fantastic, a driver strike on July 4th would be even better.
PPS- Something else at play here, both with the timing of the fare increase and the hiring fair, is that Metro's fiscal year ends on June 30th. Too long to go into here, but think about it. Even though the financial reports won't be ready for at least a few weeks, they do want to make a nice face to the public. "Hey look, we're hiring, regardless of how obviously failing we look on paper, we are hiring." *cough* "...Not."
Friday, May 23, 2014
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!!!!
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!!!!
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
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.
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.
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