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Monday, July 28, 2003
A load of rubbish
I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but the DC Metro never let a graffiti ridden train leave the depot. This excellent, brave policy meant that you never saw a vandalised train on the Metro. The incentive to spray paint was removed.
Now, I'm not sure this would work in London. We'd have a Monday morning with no trains whatsoever. But, this Monday morning my train had not been cleaned on the inside. So, there were newspapers, food wrappers and other junk strewn all over the seats with the trashcan overflowing. Work on the graffiti problem: in the meantime, South Central Trains (whoever you are) don't let a train into service without a thorough inside clean.
Oh, and ban food on the trains (another DC initiative) and recycle bins for the f@cking Metro paper.
Wednesday, July 23, 2003
A Nation of Car Drivers
A survey by the RAC Foundation shows that Britons have a longer average commute than those in other European countries - 45 minutes each way, compared with an average of 38 minutes in the EU, 44 minutes in Germany and 23 minutes in Italy.
Edmund King, the RAC Foundation's director, said the survey showed Britons remained a nation of car commuters. "We have the longest commute in Europe and even if our commuting time doubled most of us would just shrug and leave more time for the journey." More from the Independent.
I found this quote interesting: "Our research into "Motors and Modems" shows that teleworking would cut commuter traffic by 15% by 2015. Currently some 9% of people work from home."
How many times in the last 15 years have I heard that teleworking is the solution? About as many times as I've heard of new initiatives to move civil servants out of London.
Monday, July 21, 2003
CENTRAL LINE CLOSURE REFUNDS
Somebody had signed goingunderground.net's website the other day saying that they were appalled with the small amount of compensation they'd received as a result of the line being closed for months after the Chancery Lance accident. However today in the London by London weekly newsletter some people left the following message implying that others were pleasantly surprised by how much compensation they had received:
REFUND
I've also got the Central Line refund. Just like the other person, it was more than expected (approximately £190), and I too travel from Leytonstone.
It seems as though either the tube people like us Leytonstonians quite a lot, or it's because we endured the most fucked up 1940's buses with suicidal drivers and hideous queues in the cold for two months.
But I feel much better now I've got £190 off them! Hurrah!
Chuffed Bloke
I received a full refund for my two monthly Travelcards (Zones 1+2) that I claimed for. I think this was because my normal journey was from Marble Arch to Mornington Crescent, which became utterly impossible after Chancery Lane (I took to walking up Edware Road and catching a bus). This was a total refund of around £105 (as I am a student so get 30% discount).
Paul M
Sunday, July 20, 2003
Template Update: Spent most of the weekend updating the template. Hope it looks better.
...and we should have comments up and running...
DC Commute, Part 1
In case you didn't know, I worked in Washington DC, USA for four years (1997-2001). My home was in Bethesda, suburban Maryland, about two miles inside the Beltway (Washington's infamous by-pass).
Compared with the hour and a bit train and tube journey into central London I endured before, my commute to work in Northwest Washington was a 20 minute drive. My options for commuting were a limited. Although there was a bus stop not 200 yards from my house, that route took me in the wrong direction for my office terminating at Friendship Heights Metro station, on the Bethesda/DC border: Not convenient for work.
Washington's subway system was designed in the 60s and mostly built in the 70s and 80s. The story goes that the designers examined all the other big suburban rail systems around the world so they would get it right. On the whole, they did. The trains are clean, fast and reliable. The stations are clean and well air conditioned. On the debit side, the rather brown colour scheme is very 70s and has dated badly.
Also, the system doesn't cover the whole of the metropolitan region. Local folklore has it that snobby residents and storekeepers in up-market Georgetown vetoed a station in their neighbourhood. That skewed the coverage within the District and especially parts of Northwest close to the Potomac River. My part of town was two miles or more from the nearest station. Trains on that line - the Red Line - followed the path of Wisconsin Avenue into Bethesda, but then ducked down to Connecticut at Cleveland Park. I needed a line that followed Massachussets Avenue.
At a push, I could get the Metro from Friendship Heights to Dupont Circle with a 15 minute walk uphill at the end. Not ideal in inclement or hot weather (i.e. 9 months of the year). My other public transport route involved a 10-15 minute walk to a bus stop on Mass. Unfortunately that bus ran maybe 3 times a day in both directions. As I worked late most days, it was not a good option.
So I drove to work.
Friday, July 18, 2003
No steam trains today...
I met up with an (not so) old friend at lunchtime. I was a lazy lard arse and got the bus back. It was a bendy-bus - one of the new single decker, articulated bus that have appeared on the 507 and other routes.
At one stop, a guy in a wheelchair entered the bus using the ramp at one of the middle doors. Pretty cool. He was with another man with a microphone and a tape recorder, so I guess it was a radio interview about how disabled people can use public transport.
Unfortunately, the wheelchair ramp got stuck and it took the driver 5 minutes to fix it. So my long lunch became a very long lunch.
Thursday, July 17, 2003
My train was just pulling out of Clapham Junction this morning. The platforms at Clapham Junction have signs on them now that unless you have business with South West Trains you may be removed from the station. Well, half the trains belong to South Central Trains, not South West Trains.
The sign is post 11 September security overreaction, which hit the news a few months ago when it emerged that trainspotters are a security risk. Well, they are dodgy, but perhaps not terrorists.
Anyway. I noticed a trainspotter and thought to myself that maybe he was on the lookout for something special. Lo and behold we move 500 yards up the track and puffing down the line in the opposite direction was a steam locomotive pulling a train of dark green carriages.
Cool Tube
Further to Annie's piece on cooling the Tube. The BBC website is on the case. I quite like the frozen peas idea! My idea was fill a train with ice and drive it up and down the tube lines.
Wednesday, July 16, 2003
Looks like The New Scientist (19th July issue) have only just discovered the joys of the drivers announcements recorded on my main site.
FEEDBACK recently came across the Going Underground website - the "fun London Underground guide" at www.going-underground.com. As we regularly travel on the tube, we particularly enjoyed the page of quotes from tube drivers and station announcers.
They then go on to quote their favourites, one of which is the one that started the whole thing off that I heard at Earl's Court and I really don't think is that funny anymore:
"there are times when passengers must wonder if they are in entirely in safe hands. At Earl's Court, the station PA declared: " The train at platform three is not going to Parsons Green but to Richmond. The train approaching platform two is also not going to Parsons Green but to Ealing Broadway. These trains are not going to Parsons Green despite what the signalmen think."
Anyway there are hundreds for people to choose from, so enjoy.
Tuesday, July 15, 2003
Ken Livingstone's got the answer to all the heat on the tubes. He's offering a £100,000 reward to anyone who can invent an air conditioning system from deep level tunnels.
Kenny says:
" If someone can come up with a scheme that is workable that we can use to introduce some form of air conditioning on the deep level lines, we at Transport for London will give them £100,000. But so far it has stumped everyone."
Commuting update
UK readers will know that we are experiencing record breaking heat - 32-33 deg C. A normal summer's day in my old DC haunt, but unprecedented in these parts.
Tonight's commute promises to be hot and frustrating. It's so hot [sic] that rails are buckling and trains have to go slow. Is this the 21st Century?
Tie removed, sleeves rolled up, sunglasses on, bottle of water in hand.
Sunday, July 13, 2003
Random Thoughts on a Train Ride.
It's amazing how the mind occupies itself during a period of time where most of its cognitive functions are not required. Some people read the papers/ books while others listen to music on their headphones. Some others chatter endlessly into their mobiles, while more others simply stare into thin air. It's interesting when you realise that these "starers" have somehow mastered the art of staring while avoiding direct eye contact with everyone else on the train. Should one party accidentally make this contact, you can actually notice the eyes glaze over and then fade away. I've conducted an experiement : I will try and make eye contact with as many people as possible, regardless of sex, race, age etc.. I discover that more often than not, the other party will look away first, even though it is I who make the first contact. Some look away immediately (these are probably the younger ones, students etc) while others try to look as if looking into a stranger's (me) eyes is part of their grand survey of the train and its passengers. They look nonchalant but they usually will not engage in any kind of staring contests. They are perhaps too tired for this kind of stuff; these are usually the working crowd.
Gathering the results from the experiments, I realise that the only people who will stare back as long as you are also doing it are kids and the elderly crowd. Or the sleazy ones I think (I'm not sure about this particular demographic group)...
Friday, July 11, 2003
I'm not a great bus person, but at lunchtime today I took one as I'd travelled up to Green Park and saw loads flying back to Piccadilly (my work location's in Soho) and thought why not. Not very exciting, but an old lady leapt on when it was pulling away from a traffic light. I was sitting next to the conductress who was marooned on the side seat like a beached whale. And she gave the old lady a mouthful about how dangerous it was getting on like that.
Big up to the old lady is all I can say. If I'm leaping on buses like that at her age, I'd be a happy woman.
An intersting tidbit from a recent survey of Californians perceptions of environmental issues:
"Most employed residents in the state report that they commute to work by driving alone (73%); many fewer commute by carpool (13%) or public transit (5%)."
Any Californians out there want to share their experiences of commuting on the Angelino Freeways? Or even any Brits telling us about the horrors of the M25?
There is a woman who gets the bus with me most days that spends the entire time that I'm on the bus - 25 minutes - putting on make up. She's always already in full swing when I get on the bus, and she seems to continue even after I've gotten off. It's quite entertaining. I can always see if the bus is running in front of or behind schedule without checking my watch - if she's already on her eyes, then we're all in trouble. If she's still applying foundation, there's time for coffee before turning on the computers.
What interests me the most about her is the fact that she is able to apply it flawlessly, when the rest of us can't even walk down the ailse without flying around all over the place and hitting other passengers in the head with our bags. And how she puts on mascara as we're turning corners without blinding herself is of endless interest to me. She must answer to a different law of gravity.
Tuesday, July 08, 2003
Commuting and Blogging
Searching out other transport or commuting related blogs yesterday, I found a few of note.
... Transport Blog is a Libertarian view of UK transport issues. If you want to vent your spleen you might try this site.
... The London Underground Tube Weblog is all things Tube related. It's an excellent source. A bit similar to Commuterland - in that it is a journal - but I hope this site can take in all modes of commuting and from places other than London.
...Finally, for the moment, there's Beyond Beyond which casts an eye over the good and bad in the transport industry.
Any that you've come across?
Wilco and Coupland
it's become so obvious/ You are so oblivious to yourself
I had Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot for the longest time but it was only recently that I realise what a great album it is. I mean, I liked it when I got it the first time and everything but its multi-layered beauty was not revealed to me until I listened to it on the train again a couple of days ago. I remember that it was raining pretty heavily, and somehow the songs mirrored the pensive (but also pretty tired: imagine going to work squeezing in the train on a rainy morning when ideally, you should be sleeping at home) mood I had.
Train rides are often a drag in the morning, but they afford a chance to think random thoughts. From frivolous thoughts like "what the hell was she thinking when she puts on the polka dot blouse with a striped skirt?!" to more serious stuff like "Do I want to take the same bloody train to a place I hate every single day of my conscious life?" But more often than not, I'm always reading on the train. It makes the train ride pass much faster, and when I'm occupied with a book, I don't usually get annoyed with people on the train. Ironically, as the train transports me to a place I would rather not be going, reading (right now, it's Coupland's Microserfs for the zenith time) transports me to a place where I'd rather be, and this starts the day off on a better note...somehow
Monday, July 07, 2003
Welcome to Sharon and Sharon.
I forgot to mail you guidelines for posting. Here they are:
"Remember, you can post anything you like about commuting into work, school or whatever. It can be a journal, an interesting anecdote, a rant (but keep the politics to a minimum) or anything else commuter related."
That's it!
London's weather week couldn't have started better: sunshine and 25?C. The drawback to such nice weather is that it can make commuting uncomfortable, if not intolerable. Commuter trains and tubes sitting in sidings all day with their windows shut tend to get a bit hot.
This country still hasn't cottoned on to the idea of air conditioning. "Too complicated and too expensive", says London Underground. (Latest news: The "forced air system" doesn't work very well.) The railways have started, but only a small proportion of trains have a/c. Surely there must be some way to improve ventilation? It's not as though it never gets hot here.
Thank goodness I don't ride the Victoria Line anymore. That tube line carries probably 25% more passenger than ever intended. Ventilation is poor. Result: stifling heat and crowded trains.
There is another side effect of good weather. Absenteeism tends to go up. So, don't be surprised if your train or bus is cancelled because the driver has the "summer flu". I hear you get a good tan with this illness.
Bring on the winter.
Isn’t that typical? You wait for ages for a Sharon, and then two come along at once...(sorry…)
This morning's commute was really relaxed for a change. I got a seat immediately, I even got a copy of the Metro, no one was trying to sit on any part of me, and the traffic wasn't too heavy. This, of course, is due to the fact that I got up very late this morning, and was on the bus 30 minutes later than I usually am. If I thought I could get away with that every day, I would.
Sunday, July 06, 2003
Hi Pete: Thanks for the invite again..
I thought I might suggest the following blogskin that seems fitting for the occasion. It comes with its own archive as well. From Blogskins.
What do you think?
Saturday, July 05, 2003
MEMBER UPDATE
We've got two new Commuterland members - both called Sharon! Welcome!
PS - you'll notice the template is a bog standard Blogger plate. Any suggestions on a new template would be welcome. Don't forget this site can't support graphics at the moment.
Thursday, July 03, 2003
Some of the things you see on trains: the guy sitting next to me this evening (and he could do with a bath) was using a letter from a collection agency as a bookmark. So now I now he owes someone £164.97 and they are taking court action to recover the debt.
UPDATE
My other blog has a new contributor. Welcome Graeme (aka Lazylaces).
There's still time to become a contributor. All you need to do is e-mail Commuterland [at] blogspot [dot] com saying "pretty please". On second thoughts, I'm the one saying "pretty please". I don't expect Pulitzer Prize stuff (but you never know), just the occasional entry - journal like or random commuter inspired thoughts.
Wednesday, July 02, 2003
STOP PRESS!!
Looks like we might have a new member of Commuterland. Stayed tuned for further details.
I'm not sure you should be celebrating if you commute on Connex, the disgraced rail franchisee for Kent. Connex used to run my line, but got turfed out back in 2001. The service has not got appreciably better in the 18 months that I've lived here. In fact, we've had two cancellations of morning trains in the last three days. Believe it or not, that's unusual. In the evening, the 1725 has been reduced from 6 to 4 carriages; overcrowding has ensued.
Tuesday, July 01, 2003
MY OTHER BLOG IS AN AUDI
Yep, I do have another blog*. I keep meaning to give it a plug. It's already on the blogroll.
I want to put together a commuting journal, but not necessarily a daily entry cataloguing delays and cancellations. But, it started like that and it's pretty dull. You'll see I stopped after a few weeks. But, I want to kick start it.
I also want others to join in, contributing stories, anecdotes, whatever they wanted (with a limit on the politics). That's not happened yet.
So now is your chance to sign up (replace [at] and [dot] with @ and .) and contribute to this little experiment. It doesn't have to be fancy and you don't have to do it every day: contribute when you like, whatever you like, so long as it's related to commuting to work, school or whatever (whatever whatever might be - any ideas?.
Oh yes: it was this Steve Bell cartoon about the 2000 job losses at Notwork Fail that reminded me.
* My other, other blog.
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