Another Sunday, another exciting walk to church.
I’ve been taking the stroller to church because we usually walk the whole way (no bus-related folding or unfolding necessary), and I rarely wear Ergo-friendly clothes (or shoes) on Sundays.
I think I’ll have to start.
The obstacle course that is our weekly walk to Good Shepherd:
Past offenses (at least those I documented) have involved cars, but it doesn’t take much to block a sidewalk this narrow. Even the light pole is an obstacle. And could someone (please!) trim those bushes back?
From the NYT’s Year in Ideas (via Dave):
You arrive at the bus stop to catch the ride to work, but the bus isn’t there. Your destination isn’t very far, so you think, Hmm, maybe I should just walk. But then you might find yourself halfway between stops when the bus whips past, which would be deeply annoying. What to do? Should you walk or should you wait?
Apparently, a few bus nerds from Harvard and Cal Tech were determined to find an answer to this question.
[They] drew up the problem as a classic game-theory dilemma, began crunching the numbers [or they could have just texted MyBus] and, three pages later, had their answer:
You should probably wait — and whatever you do, don’t second-guess yourself.
Buses [other than the 48], after all, are usually punctual and move much faster than you.
That figures. When presented with this dilemma, I almost always choose to walk.
Reroutes and delays I can work with, but I do have two busing-in-bad-weather pet peeves. Both are captured in this photo.
BiBW peeve #1: Bus haters-turned-(temporary)-bus-lovers
There were 15 people waiting for the (almost-on-time) 14 with us, and I’m willing to bet that half of them hadn’t been on a bus in a decade. (How do I know, you ask? I have my ways.)
I’m hardly one to complain when folks try transit (no matter the reason), but I do think all these bus-chicks-come-lately (who won’t be back on a bus until it snows again) should be the ones who stand on the routes they’re crowding up. I say, those of us who’ve been down with Metro since day one should be able to reap the benefits of our loyalty.
Priority seating for frequent riders? Why, yes! After all, ridership has its privileges. Maybe we OG bus types should start getting “Rider since” dates printed on our passes.
BiBW peeve #2: Slippery sidewalks
The dirt truck made it to my street a day and a half after Thursday’s big snow, but the sidewalks still look like an ice rink right before the Zamboni does its thing. And I don’t live off the beaten path; I live at a major intersection (which is also a major bus hub). Even some downtown streets are completely covered in ice. I’ve heard tell that property owners are responsible for clearing their section of the sidewalk, but I don’t think they got the memo (I’ve yet to see any communication from the city on the subject), and it seems like a less-than-efficient way of handling the issue. In the meantime, walking anywhere (not just to bus stops) is extremely treacherous.
I realize that the city has its hands full right now (and is probably up to here with haters criticizing its handling of weather issues), but what’s up with that?
DC Metro refuses to share data with Google
Three years after the launch of Google Transit, which gives directions using transit on Google Maps, and after constant requests by riders and bloggers, WMATA’s Director of Customer Service, Brett Tyler, announced their decision that participating in Google Transit is “not in our best interest from a business perspective.”
(Source: Greater Greater Washington, via Streetsblog)
Link found between “active transportation” and lean population
New research illustrates the health benefits of regular biking, walking or taking public transportation to work, school or shopping. Researchers found a link between “active transportation” and less obesity in 17 industrialized countries across Europe, North America and Australia.
[…]
Americans, with the highest rate of obesity, were the least likely to walk, cycle or take mass transit … The authors say it’s more than lifestyle choices that lead Americans to use their cars more. [Can you say “carism”?] Europe’s compact, dense layout and infrastructure are more conducive to getting around without a car.
(Source: MSNBC)
More people in NYC, but not more traffic
As the city’s economy soared and its population grew from 2003 through 2007, something unusual was happening on the streets and in the subway tunnels.
All those tens of thousands of new jobs and residents meant that more people were moving around the city, going to work, going shopping, visiting friends. And yet, according to a new city study, the volume of traffic on the streets and highways remained largely unchanged, in fact declining slightly. Instead, virtually the entire increase in New Yorkers’ means of transportation during those robust years occurred in mass transit, with a surge in subway, bus and commuter rail riders.
(Source: NYT)
Earlier today, our bus fam headed over to Volunteer Park to raise our voices in support of other families’ rights. (We were not down with the three-bus trip–48 + 43 + 10–to a park two miles from our house and so took the 48 north and made the rest of the trip on foot.) At the rally, we saw many folks who had been on the 48 with us and recognized many of our favorite bus regulars. (You know you’re a bus chick if…, item #21: “When you’re at a big gathering [sporting event, festival, concert, fair] you see several people you remember from the bus.”)
I have to say, all the clever, 8-themed signs had me wishing (yet again) that my third-favorite route, which would have gotten us within spitting distance of the park, ran on weekends. But I digress.
For Chicklet-related reasons, we left the festivities early. We weren’t the only ones.
A coffee, et cetera (actually, more like et cetera and coffee) shop on Admiral Way, west of California:
How could I not stop? It had a door–actually, window–bell–and a very friendly owner. That figures. Anyone who designs his business for pedestrians has got to be good people.
I do OK with cute and comfortable footwear (though not as well as my girl Miranda) until it’s time to really dress. I’m not big on “wear a pair, carry a pair,” so on occasions that call for high heels, I usually just choose the pair that goes best with the outfit and resign myself to a few hours of suffering.* Fortunately for me, those occasions only occur a few times a month. For those of you who must wear dressy shoes on a regular basis, some hopeful news:
Over the weekend, my friend Char (not coincidentally, a newly minted bus chick) hipped me to these (and other) height-adjustable heels:
I ain’t one to hawk products, and believe me, I’m not trying to sell you these. (I’m not really feeling the styles or the Salon Shoes prices.) I do appreciate the concept, though. Check the video.
* I have also been known to call a cab.
I encountered this particular parking foul on MLK, somewhere between Judkins and Jackson:
Note to drivers: The only wheels that belong on sidewalks are those attached to wheelchairs, strollers, shopping carts, and the occasional skateboard or bicycle.
