follow up to "thank you stranger"

This morning I woke a gentleman in a similar fashion in a similar situation...asleep at Government Center, 9am...

Thank you stranger

For waking me up at Park Street.

9 am at Park Street station; The first work morning of daylight savings; and I actually got a seat...it was bound to happen.

In my slumber I heard the announcement "This is the last stop" but it didn't connect.

So thank you to the nice blond girl that nudged my arm and woke me up.

Science has figured it out...

The cause of Traffic

I know traffic heading out of Boston can be bad but to be #2 on the most congested is real bad. Also, how is LA not on that list?

This is one of the few situations that makes me happy to be a T rider. At least I can zone-out and listen to music or read a book on the train and not be stuck on the highway annoyed at everyone in front of me.

Maybe that should be the T's new slogan: "At Least You aren't In a Traffic Jam on the Pike"

The Little Things

It is really annoying when you walk up to the T station and see your train arriving only to have the doors close before you can cross the tracks and get on board.

I used to run and try and beat the driver at his little game of who can I annoy today, but with the recent slippery weather events I decided to relax and just wait it out for the next train. It worked out though because I got a seat on that next train, which also arrived relatively quickly. I was a few minutes late for work but I am dry and got to do a little reading this morning so I will count it as a positive start to the day.

Thanks for not really ruining the start of my day today MBTA.

Hey Drivers, Surprise....the Sun Rises in the East!

There are many steps that have to happen each morning in order for me to get to work on time and be fully prepared for the day. I will be the first to admit I am in no way a morning person, which makes this process considerably more difficult. Unlike the gentleman from the preceding posts, I drive my commute each day, as my work and my home are separated by about 1.5 hours of public transportation commute, and yet only 15 miles.

On the stretch of highway I see each morning, there are two things that repeatedly drive me crazy:

1.) The sun rises in the east. This should not be a shocking fact for anyone who has passed primary grade science. Yet, day after day, I head east and then south, and multiple times on the drive the solar glare on the highway causes people to slam on their brakes in alarm, often creating accidents and at least creating traffic to back-up. Either stick to the right lane and go slow expecting the sun or get some sunglasses and maybe slow slightly if your vision is still impaired.

2.) Every weekday morning (and I mean every weekday morning), on the I-93S stretch, the far left lane is closed. The vast majority of the people on 93S on a weekday morning at 7:00 are commuters like me, who do this every day. However, that doesn’t stop a handful of people from riding all the way down the left lane to bypass the traffic and then to cut someone off and cause accidents and further backups for another couple of miles. People please have some patience and get in line. you may feel like you are moving faster and pulling one over on everyone waiting patiently in line but really you are just a douche and causing more of an issue.

Needless to say, if I make it to work on time, accident-free, and without too much traffic, I am slightly more willing to be awake and face the day. Then, there are days like this where I am running behind even though I should have had plenty of time, I get to work, and realize I have left my USB key (which I need today in particular) sitting on my desk at home….Happy Hump Day.

MBTA trying to make money selling merch.

This is great. Is there any service business that can be terrible at their main service and yet attempt to sell representative goods in hopes of making a profit?

Only the MBTA

My personal favorite is "Punctuality is Overrated"

The MBCR Company Reacts to some of the Negative Press as of Late

In the Boston Globe today the Mass Bay Commuter Rail Company spoke with reports to assure riders that they are aware of their short-comings.

Its a kind gesture, but it means a whole lot of nothings if no changes are made. I guess we will just have to wait and see.

Also, this article only speaks to the issues on the commuter rail. How about the MBTA take a look at ways they can improve...it would be nice to hear finite ways the management intends to improve the system across the board.