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Is there a single metro in America that hasn't regressed post-covid and became a haven for crime, homeless, and other degeneracy? Hearing the same problems in SF, NY, Chi, DC, LA, Philly, ATL...Haven't heard anything about Boston tho, is the T the last decent metro left in the country?
America should be ashamed of how it treats public transit in this country.
Most road taxes come from gasoline taxes so the people using the roads are the ones that are paying to maintain them.
Los Angeles has been looking to make buses and trains completely free even before the pandemic. I'm generally opposed although it does make sense for it to be free or reduced for people that can't afford it. It's already very cheap as it is at only $1.75 with free transfers for up to 2 hours.
My opposition to "free" is based on experience. Things that are free are usually the first things to be cut whenever there are budget issues. There's also a psychological aspect to things that are free. Rarely are expectations for free services set at a high level by either those that deliver them or by those that receive them. As bad as transit is already in the US, it will absolutely be worse when it's free.
In LA we also have problems with homeless drug addicts on our public transportation. Maybe that issue gets resolved, but it has only be getting worse. If transportation is free, there's no longer a mechanism to remove people that decide to live in stations. People will setup tents and whatever rules are made to prevent it will be opposed by a very vocal group that will insist that allowing drug addicts to live in stations is the humane response.
I don't see why people that can afford it wouldn't pay for transit. Why not?
I suspect that the City Council's decision to do this was influenced by the city's experience with the modern streetcar line along Main Street downtown. It's been free to ride from the start, and it's been wildly popular (its operating costs are paid for by a sales tax surcharge in a district that extends about a half-mile on either side of its route; the line and the taxing district are being extended southward to the Country Club Plaza and UMKC).
I haven't been keeping close track of how the city is implementing this policy. And since it applies only to the city of Kansas City, Mo., routes operated by the local area transit authority that extend beyond the city limits will still charge fares outside them.
The streetcar operates at a decent frequency and the riders treat it with respect. Local rapper Kemet the Phantom recorded this video on board the streetcar in 2016; listeners to the Strong Towns podcast "Upzoned" will recognize it:
Is there a single metro in America that hasn't regressed post-covid and became a haven for crime, homeless, and other degeneracy? Hearing the same problems in SF, NY, Chi, DC, LA, Philly, ATL...Haven't heard anything about Boston tho, is the T the last decent metro left in the country?
America should be ashamed of how it treats public transit in this country.
DC metro hasn’t turned into a haven for crime, homeless and “degeneracy” anymore than pre-Covid. I mean not that I’ve noticed and I ride it frequently daily.
You cannot add it in a edit after a initial posting a video or fix. It then will not work.
Thanks. I also see there's a [youtube.../youtube] BBcode tag pair in there. Looks like that's what embeds the actual video, and from what I see in the editor, that has to be entered manually, unless your tip causes it to auto-generate.
BTW, for those who viewed the video, if you scoped the T-shirt Kemet was wearing under his jacket, it had a streetcar on it and the legend "It's about to get rail."
Location: That star on your map in the middle of the East Coast, DMV
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 908Boi
DC metro has regressed so much and looks like it’s issues will continue for the foreseeable future.
It hasn't really regressed to that point IMO. Prior to the pandemic it had actually seen minimal ridership increases. There's the current issue going on with the 7000's series trains, and the wheels being inspected. But the slow down in service for inspecting those has been more precautionary than having some chronic issue. If that issue is cleared or considered resolved this spring, I see things slowly going back on the upswing. There's 7 new stations opening up this year. Now it's just the uphill battle of adding ridership bit by bit. Just like in most cities this will take time. Metro is still the biggest "clean" "modern" system in the country.
Is there a single metro in America that hasn't regressed post-covid and became a haven for crime, homeless, and other degeneracy? Hearing the same problems in SF, NY, Chi, DC, LA, Philly, ATL...Haven't heard anything about Boston tho, is the T the last decent metro left in the country?
America should be ashamed of how it treats public transit in this country.
Is there a single metro in America that hasn't regressed post-covid and became a haven for crime, homeless, and other degeneracy? Hearing the same problems in SF, NY, Chi, DC, LA, Philly, ATL...Haven't heard anything about Boston tho, is the T the last decent metro left in the country?
America should be ashamed of how it treats public transit in this country.
The T sucks. It gets the job done but its a bad experience. Real dirty and dysfunctional and IMO crime is rising ON THE T- and down elsewhere in Boston
"Transit Police report arresting a Malden man they say stabbed another man in the hand in an altercation over bowl hygiene in the men's room at Back Bay station Sunday morning."
Michael couldn't help but notice the firefighters flooding into Boylston on the Green Line around 5 p.m. The MBTA reported "a power problem" at Boylston that caused delays of up to 20 minutes on the Green Line. That's MBTAspeak for "the top of a trolley was on fire."
T trains derailed eight times last year: Green Line trolleys six times, maintenance cars twice. That’s the most in the nation. The seven derailments the Green Line saw in 2015 helped it earn the top spot nationwide when it came to the country’s light rail that year. System-wide in 2015, the T had the country’s third-most derailments, behind SEPTA in Philadelphia and BART in San Francisco.
'It's Just Not Acceptable': MBTA Derailments Frustrate Riders
The Boston Globe previously reported that the MBTA's 43 derailments between 2014 and 2018 were the second-most by a major transit authority in that span. Only the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority, with 72, had more
“Trains are ancient, little to no security patrolling stations.” – Jim, 29, Boston
“The whole environment of the MBTA is very dirty and dangerous feeling to me. There’s no cameras on the trains, MBTA staff rarely check in on passengers past the door / turnstiles, and most of the tracks and equipment are older than I am.” – Nate, 34
Most MBTA riders feel at risk on the T
Last edited by BostonBornMassMade; 02-25-2022 at 07:39 AM..
I am sure this has been mentioned before in the thread but DC, SF, and ATL have the benefit of their systems being mostly built in the 70s. Had it not been for NIMBYs, BART/MARTA probably would have looked more like DC's metro than what is currently built. This is a pretty interesting article/interview touching on the subject: DC: Lessons from Washington Metro, America's Last Great Subway System
My best experiences post covid:
-PATCO
-Boston’s MBTA
-MARTA ATL
-Chicago L
Neutral
-SEPTA
-MTA NYC
-NJTransit
Awful Exp.
-LIRR
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