Maybe I Should Buy a Bike

It took me an hour and a half to get home from work tonight.

Police activity at Somerset station caused delays. Then a fire at Girard caused major delays. I got to 15th Street and saw this. Commuters packed on the platform, waiting for the 69th Street El. On my side, a train sitting quietly on the tracks.

Once on the train, we crawled from station to station. Not a word from the conductor as to why things were moving so slowly. After leaving 2nd Street, we arrived at Spring Garden. From the conductor, we finally hear, "Listen up, listen up, listen up passengers! Due to a situation at Girard, Spring Garden will be our last stop. There will be shuttle buses waiting for you when we get to Spring Garden." He never mentioned where the shuttle buses would be taking us. He also didn't take into consideration that the 5 bus, which departs from 2nd Street, is also headed towards the Frankford Transportation Center.

Once at Spring Garden, I found myself in the middle of this:

Septa commuters.

Everyone attempting to exit Spring Garden, meanwhile this station only has one turnstile. It was then that I decided to get back on the West bound train, in hopes of catching the 6:38pm 5 bus. We arrived back at 2nd Street at 6:33pm. This gave me enough time to make it up the stairs to catch my bus. I stood at 2nd Street until 7:05pm. This is when I gave up on SEPTA and called a friend for a ride home.

I understand that things happen. All I'm asking for it better communication between SEPTA and it's commuters. Have announcements at each station, letting passengers know about the delay and the shuttle buses. Don't wait until we're pulling into the last stop to tell us that it's going to be the last stop. Give us time to prepare, time to figure out another way home. Please.

SEPTA

It took me an hour to get home from work tonight.

It usually takes about 15-20 minutes. I sat patiently on the train at 2nd street from 6:19 to 6:34pm. I watched two trains pass on the opposite tracks. I heard the conductor, zero times. Finally, I got off the train and took the 6:38pm bus home.

I pay $20.75 every week so that I can get to and from a job that makes me miserable. Handing over that money, knowing that delays will make me late to work, is infuriating. I don't want to give you my money. I could get a bike, but I'm fat and lazy and frankly I'm scared that I'm going to get hit by a cab that would rather leave me for dead than help peel me off the ground. So, I ride Septa. It always seemed like the better choice, now I'm not so sure.

This 'operating on a single track' bullshit is getting old. Take my $20.75 along with the money from the other commuters and fix it already. I see the men in the neon jackets walking around with their hardhats and walkie-talkies. But, I also see people standing on platforms shoulder to shoulder because they've been waiting for a half hour to board a train.

I'm not going to complain about the smell, the cleanliness, the deafening volume on most trains, the rats, the human feces, the dangerous bus drivers, the unsalted platforms after a snowstorm, the broken elevators, the filthy escalators or even the poor attitudes from 97% of the employees. I'm just pissed that I've had to see this, several times over the last few weeks:

Septa, not moving. Why? Couldn't tell you.

Conclusion

Thanks to some folks over at SeptaWatch.blogspot.com, I've learned that the incident at the Berks stop was nothing more than a fire.


Click the photo to read the article.

Let's hope that it was a small one and that no one was injured.

I miss the rental.

My good friend Ryan was in town for a few days on business. It's becoming tradition that we take a road trip when he's in Philadelphia. Since he travels so often, the cost of a rental is usually around $2 because he just cashes in all of his... whatevers. I don't remember what he called them. Points? Maybe.

Last night, he rented us a 2008 Jetta. Since we work for the same company, I'm able to drive the car under the insurance. Or something like that. Either way, it makes life a lot easier since I don't have to shout directions and he doesn't have to dodge Center City cabs. For the record, I had to dodge 2 last night and 1 of them came really close to hitting us.

We decided to drive to KB Toys so that he could find some collectible cars that only KB Toy stores carry. Since they're going out of business, the cars are costing him $1.33 each. Since everything in the store was 60% off, I couldn't help but pick through the piles.

I found fart machines. Remote control fart machines for $9.99. Price at the register? $1.99 I wanted to buy the whole box. Ryan tried to discreetly aim the fart machine at a group of teenagers as we walked past them, but since it was still in it's case, it wasn't very loud. It was a hit in the office today though. Farts are funny.

We left and went to the Cheesecake Factory. The luxury of having a vehicle cannot be appreciated until you've had to rely on public transportation for a long period of time. A long period of time being at least one month. It was so lovely to drive up to King of Prussia, go on a hunt for collectible cars and return to my apartment safely.

I really miss the rental.



Even though the drivers seat was one of the most uncomfortable and unpleasant seats I have ever sat in. Even after several adjustments, my ass was just too wide for me.

Tonight, after having a drink with friends, I ventured home. I left Oscar's and walked to 13th & Market to catch the bus. I only had to wait a few minutes before the 48 arrived. I got on the bus at 9:01pm. I didn't have my 5 bus schedule with me, but I guessed that the next bus would be leaving Old City (5 minutes away) at 9:18pm. A few blocks away from where I would catch the 5 bus, I decided to get off the 48 and enjoy the weather by walking the rest of the way.

I was only a block away as I watched the 5 bus pull out and leave at 9:08pm. I guessed wrong.

I waited patiently for the next 5 bus, which didn't arrive until 9:38pm. I got on and at 9:42pm I was finally headed home. Tonight I wore a white coat, which I'm very aware of especially when riding Septa. I held the back of the coat up, scooted into the seat, and smashed my head on the overhead light. I sat down, closed my eyes and sighed.

We passed an accident on 3rd near Spring Garden. A girl crashed into the side of a white 4-door sedan. No one was hurt, they were both standing outside on their cellphones. I hate seeing accidents though. A few blocks later and we were on Girard. Under the El, the bus stopped to pick up some passengers. I thud caught my attention and I looked up in time to see a very intoxicated man lying face down next to the driver. Guess he didn't know you had to step UP onto the bus. He stayed on for 2 blocks.

I'm glad to be home. I really missed the rental.

What Happened?

On my walk to the El, I saw two large orange Septa trucks at my stop. When I turned the corner, I saw that the elevator was closed and the gate was shut, so I assumed the trucks were there for maintenance.

As I walked up the stairs, I got to the second landing and noticed caution tape. I took my phone out of my pocket to call my boss, I was afraid the el was shut down and that I'd be late for work.

Once upstairs, I saw this:



The gate was open, which is usually used for wheelchairs and strollers. I didn't have to pay my fare, though I was nervous that something terrible happened. I twittered a few news sites, but haven't heard anything. Google didn't pull any matches when I searched "Septa Berks El".



Anybody know what's up?

City and Colour

South Eastern Philadelphia Transportation Authority

By Paul Nussbaum
Inquirer Staff Writer

SEPTA has 525 engineers, conductors and assistant conductors to run its railroad.

Not one works a 40-hour week.

Because of a shortage of qualified workers, the complex nature of rush-hour scheduling, and SEPTA's desire to limit costs for employee benefits, all engineers and conductors work overtime every week, and are paid accordingly.

The typical engineer or conductor is paid for 67 hours a week. The typical engineer earned $85,450 in 2007, SEPTA records show. Forty-three made more than $100,000 last year, and the top-earning engineer made $140,917.

The typical conductor earned $70,766 last year, and the highest-paid conductor made $133,179.

Link: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homepage/28383839.html