No sooner than I had posted my previous post on the horrors of riding COTA on Game Day or during any other large public event occurring in Columbus, they did it again!
This time, I'm waiting for the Eastbound No. 2 to go grocery shopping at the East Main St. Kroger store, just on the border of the East Side and Bexley. It's scheduled to arrive at about 12:11 P.M., and I leave the apartment at 12:07. I notice someone else waiting at the stop--a pretty good sign the bus hasn't rolled by yet.
I like to go grocery shopping on Sunday because I pack my lunch everyday, and it doesn't make sense to shop earlier in the week so that things can have an extra day or two to sit in the refrigerator and spoil. I hate throwing out food. If I know what I'm going to get at the store, I can hustle through and actually make the return bus headed downtown, and the whole she-bang can be done in about 40 minutes. Of course, if I had a car, the time spent doing this chore would be cut by at least half.
I strike up a conversation with the other rider waiting at the stop, a pleasant woman in her 30s who was on her way to the WalMart in Whitehall. 12:15, 12:16, 12:17, no bus. We start to get worried; I suspect that the bus came early. "It didn't because I started walking down here from 17th and Main and I would have seen it if it had gone by," the woman assured me.
To pass the time, we trade war stories about riding COTA. We're getting pretty nervous now, so she calls COTA Customer Service (!) and inquires about the tardy bus.
Just then, it appears--way off schedule and 15 minutes late--at 12:25 P.M.!
We board, and I ask the driver, a blubber-faced, stringy-haired dude who wears nerd glasses and has never been particularly friendly to me or anyone else as far as I've noticed, why the bus was so late.
Instead of being kind and perhaps even offering an apology for the inconvenience his tardiness caused, he instead spat, "Call COTA and ask them!"
"We already did!" I retorted.
Maybe that total eclipse that is supposed to occur tonight is the problem. It's a "blood moon," a predictor of all kinds of calamity and chaos. And Mercury is in retrograde, too, which means missed appointments, meetings, miscommunication, and possibly MISSED BUSES....
That's it! Guess I'll blame it on the moon and the stars!
Sunday, September 27, 2015
I Heard It on COTA (an occasional post on snatches of conversations heard on the bus)
Time: Thursday night, a week or so ago
Place: Downtown-bound No. 2
Set-Up: Haggard-looking young dude, early 20s, sleeveless t-shirt exposing numerous tattoos on his biceps, saggy pants, and with that menacing demeanor that seems typical of today's youth, gets on bus with equally haggard-looking girlfriend sporting a bad dye job. He's carrying what appears to be a cage; I recognize it as a raccoon trap. He places it on the floor, and stands just behind the driver. She goes further into the bus, and takes a seat about halfway back. Is she embarrassed that she's with a guy carrying around a raccoon trap?
Everyone on the bus strains their necks to see what's in the "cage."
A group of women who, from their jovial conversation and laughter, sound glad to be off their office-cleaning jobs, board the bus. One of them looks down at the cage, and asks, "What's in the cage?"
"Nuthin'," replies the dude. "It's a raccoon trap. It's empty."
One of other women, looking him up and down, walks up aisle and quips: "I see why that raccoon ran away!"
* * * *
Time: Friday, Sept. 25, about 5:50 P.M.
Place: Northbound No. 81
Set-Up: A portly woman, mid-30s, sitting up front, is having an animated discussion with the driver, talking about her no-good boyfriend. I pick up the monologue from there, as I'm just boarding the bus.
"My momma taught me how to shoot, and I got a few guns.
"One night I'm cleanin' my guns, got 'em laid out on a sheet on the table, and I'm just cleanin', and he walks in, and he asks me what I'm doing, and I ask him to choose one, and he's askin' me why, and I tell him, ''cause that's the one I'm goin' to shoot your ass with!'"
Place: Downtown-bound No. 2
Set-Up: Haggard-looking young dude, early 20s, sleeveless t-shirt exposing numerous tattoos on his biceps, saggy pants, and with that menacing demeanor that seems typical of today's youth, gets on bus with equally haggard-looking girlfriend sporting a bad dye job. He's carrying what appears to be a cage; I recognize it as a raccoon trap. He places it on the floor, and stands just behind the driver. She goes further into the bus, and takes a seat about halfway back. Is she embarrassed that she's with a guy carrying around a raccoon trap?
Everyone on the bus strains their necks to see what's in the "cage."
A group of women who, from their jovial conversation and laughter, sound glad to be off their office-cleaning jobs, board the bus. One of them looks down at the cage, and asks, "What's in the cage?"
"Nuthin'," replies the dude. "It's a raccoon trap. It's empty."
One of other women, looking him up and down, walks up aisle and quips: "I see why that raccoon ran away!"
* * * *
Time: Friday, Sept. 25, about 5:50 P.M.
Place: Northbound No. 81
Set-Up: A portly woman, mid-30s, sitting up front, is having an animated discussion with the driver, talking about her no-good boyfriend. I pick up the monologue from there, as I'm just boarding the bus.
"My momma taught me how to shoot, and I got a few guns.
"One night I'm cleanin' my guns, got 'em laid out on a sheet on the table, and I'm just cleanin', and he walks in, and he asks me what I'm doing, and I ask him to choose one, and he's askin' me why, and I tell him, ''cause that's the one I'm goin' to shoot your ass with!'"
Game Day Horror
Service on the buses yesterday, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015, was absolutely abominable. Why? Beyond the fact that it was Saturday, and COTA tends to adopt a somewhat lackadaisical attitude toward service on the weekends, it was also GAME DAY--that day when Ohio State has a home football game and everything in Columbus (including seemingly time itself) comes to an utter and complete standstill.
I've bitched about how events like marathons and festivals downtown tend to have a paralyzing effect on what passes as Capitol City's public transportation system. While it doesn't seem to do any good to do as far as getting the suits running COTA from their downtown atelier to listen, it does help me vent--and perhaps prevent an unwanted coronary.
Yesterday, I attempted to go from East Main Street (Carpenter Street stop) to the Short North (Fourth Avenue stop). I just about gave up trying to go. The bus was supposed to be at Ohio Avenue, right up the street within easy view, at 7:16 P.M.. Finally, about 10 minutes later, it arrived, just as I was just about to call it a day. I was late for my 7:30 appointment.
Trying to get back was even more of a nightmare: I ended up walking part of the way home. At 9:30, with the after-game party still in full swing and traffic in the usual Saturday night swirl, I was standing at the downtown-bound North High Street stop at Fifth Avenue, looking forward to escaping post-game Ground Zero. A downtown East Main Street bus was due to arrive at 9:41. I waited, and waited. Nothing showed. At least two No. 2s whose terminus was Broad and High streets came by, and a couple of No. 21s, the Night Owls that run through downtown on to the German Village and the Brewery District. One of the drivers told me and a friend, also trying to get out east, that the eastbound bus was "running late, but behind me aways." We continued to wait, the vitriol starting to build. (While still standing and waiting, we saw the same bus and driver rolling up North High Street about half-an-hour later.)
No eastbound bus ever came. My friend said earlier in the day, he was on a northbound No. 2 when an unscheduled detour around High Street occurred. The bus ran up North Fourth Avenue, returned to High Street at Fifth Avenue, then went back to N. Fourth for a detour that was to run all the way through to Hudson Street. I suppose the strategy helped the driver avoid traffic bottlenecks from the game at Ohio Stadium letting out. But it sure didn't help the passengers any.
Finally, at around 10:20 P.M., after standing on the corner for nearly an hour, we decided reluctantly to board a downtown-bound No. 5. The logic was that if COTA were doing impromptu reroutes to avoid High Street--and by that time all post-football game traffic had thinned out--then we might have a shot at catching an eastbound bus once we got downtown. We arrived downtown at about 10:30, and I decided I was not going to stand around downtown for another half-an-hour to wait for the 11:00 lineup to roll out. The kind driver (a Syrian immigrant from New Jersey--I do complement when it's deserved) told us his route ended at Mound Street and Grant Avenue and we stayed on his bus to go as far east as we could. Never saw an eastbound No. 2 the entire time.
So, we ended up walking the eastbound part of the trip, for me a good quarter-mile, and for my friend, who had to go about six blocks further, even longer. I got home just before 11 P.M., and about 15 minutes later I heard an eastbound bus zoom by. I was pissed but glad I was home-albeit over an hour later than I should have been. My friend called to let me know he got home around the time the bus went by my place.
The exasperating, maddening experience was really unnecessary, and brought a few questions to mind for COTA planners: First of all, why aren't riders notified and provided alternatives when you decide to make an unscheduled detour? Why couldn't have at least one of the four downtown No. 2s and Night Owls we watched go by while we waited been pressed into service to pick up slack left by non-existent eastbound service? And why, oh why, don't you have an effective, cohesive plan to provide reliable, adequate service during the large events that the city is increasingly fond of hosting (in its continuing effort to become a "destination" city)?
I don't know whether the suits at COTA read this blog--the only one of its kind in central Ohio as far as I am aware--or if they do, just chuckle at it with amusement. Most of them probably never have to ride the bus. But if Columbus hopes to be a top-rate city, it needs to be able to handle large events like OSU games. The game was long over when the second incident occurred, and shouldn't have had any effect on nighttime service. As long as Columbus is unable to provide timely and effective bus service, the dreams of ranking with other cities like New York and Chicago will remain just that--elusive dreams.
I've bitched about how events like marathons and festivals downtown tend to have a paralyzing effect on what passes as Capitol City's public transportation system. While it doesn't seem to do any good to do as far as getting the suits running COTA from their downtown atelier to listen, it does help me vent--and perhaps prevent an unwanted coronary.
Yesterday, I attempted to go from East Main Street (Carpenter Street stop) to the Short North (Fourth Avenue stop). I just about gave up trying to go. The bus was supposed to be at Ohio Avenue, right up the street within easy view, at 7:16 P.M.. Finally, about 10 minutes later, it arrived, just as I was just about to call it a day. I was late for my 7:30 appointment.
Trying to get back was even more of a nightmare: I ended up walking part of the way home. At 9:30, with the after-game party still in full swing and traffic in the usual Saturday night swirl, I was standing at the downtown-bound North High Street stop at Fifth Avenue, looking forward to escaping post-game Ground Zero. A downtown East Main Street bus was due to arrive at 9:41. I waited, and waited. Nothing showed. At least two No. 2s whose terminus was Broad and High streets came by, and a couple of No. 21s, the Night Owls that run through downtown on to the German Village and the Brewery District. One of the drivers told me and a friend, also trying to get out east, that the eastbound bus was "running late, but behind me aways." We continued to wait, the vitriol starting to build. (While still standing and waiting, we saw the same bus and driver rolling up North High Street about half-an-hour later.)
No eastbound bus ever came. My friend said earlier in the day, he was on a northbound No. 2 when an unscheduled detour around High Street occurred. The bus ran up North Fourth Avenue, returned to High Street at Fifth Avenue, then went back to N. Fourth for a detour that was to run all the way through to Hudson Street. I suppose the strategy helped the driver avoid traffic bottlenecks from the game at Ohio Stadium letting out. But it sure didn't help the passengers any.
Finally, at around 10:20 P.M., after standing on the corner for nearly an hour, we decided reluctantly to board a downtown-bound No. 5. The logic was that if COTA were doing impromptu reroutes to avoid High Street--and by that time all post-football game traffic had thinned out--then we might have a shot at catching an eastbound bus once we got downtown. We arrived downtown at about 10:30, and I decided I was not going to stand around downtown for another half-an-hour to wait for the 11:00 lineup to roll out. The kind driver (a Syrian immigrant from New Jersey--I do complement when it's deserved) told us his route ended at Mound Street and Grant Avenue and we stayed on his bus to go as far east as we could. Never saw an eastbound No. 2 the entire time.
So, we ended up walking the eastbound part of the trip, for me a good quarter-mile, and for my friend, who had to go about six blocks further, even longer. I got home just before 11 P.M., and about 15 minutes later I heard an eastbound bus zoom by. I was pissed but glad I was home-albeit over an hour later than I should have been. My friend called to let me know he got home around the time the bus went by my place.
The exasperating, maddening experience was really unnecessary, and brought a few questions to mind for COTA planners: First of all, why aren't riders notified and provided alternatives when you decide to make an unscheduled detour? Why couldn't have at least one of the four downtown No. 2s and Night Owls we watched go by while we waited been pressed into service to pick up slack left by non-existent eastbound service? And why, oh why, don't you have an effective, cohesive plan to provide reliable, adequate service during the large events that the city is increasingly fond of hosting (in its continuing effort to become a "destination" city)?
I don't know whether the suits at COTA read this blog--the only one of its kind in central Ohio as far as I am aware--or if they do, just chuckle at it with amusement. Most of them probably never have to ride the bus. But if Columbus hopes to be a top-rate city, it needs to be able to handle large events like OSU games. The game was long over when the second incident occurred, and shouldn't have had any effect on nighttime service. As long as Columbus is unable to provide timely and effective bus service, the dreams of ranking with other cities like New York and Chicago will remain just that--elusive dreams.
Monday, September 14, 2015
Missing the bus--again
To the dude driving the University City-bound No. 81 tonight as I tried to board around 8:15:
Thanks, big guy, for not bothering to stop for me when you saw me running toward the bus as you were waiting for the light at Champion and East Main streets to change. I needed only about 20 more seconds to cross the street and hop on the bus, and you could've have been kind enough to do so, but no, you didn't. Then acted like you didn't see me as I waved and yelled your way. What a jerk....
This is a common, all-too-frequent occurrence for COTA riders. Would a 20-second delay really mess up your timetable that much dude? Gimme a break (and no, I don't aspire to be a bus-bound John Stossel, a "reporter" whom I find repellent and obnoxious).
Thanks, big guy, for not bothering to stop for me when you saw me running toward the bus as you were waiting for the light at Champion and East Main streets to change. I needed only about 20 more seconds to cross the street and hop on the bus, and you could've have been kind enough to do so, but no, you didn't. Then acted like you didn't see me as I waved and yelled your way. What a jerk....
This is a common, all-too-frequent occurrence for COTA riders. Would a 20-second delay really mess up your timetable that much dude? Gimme a break (and no, I don't aspire to be a bus-bound John Stossel, a "reporter" whom I find repellent and obnoxious).
Sunday, September 13, 2015
Loop the Loop
In a previous blog entry, I discussed the god-forsaken Bus Stop to Nowhere on the No. 3 Northwest Boulevard line, and how a couple of minor amenities might help make the stop a safer, less depressing (and wet) experience for passengers.
I use that stop to go to the OSU Medical Center facility at 915 Olentangy Boulevard. It's a good quarter-mile jaunt, starting here:
Across Third Avenue is the first of three heavily used buildings, the Spielman Center, also part of OSU Medical, and the easiest to access by bus:
Making the dangerous move across busy Third Avenue, one begins a seemingly endless stroll through acres of parking lots, scorching in the summer, and icy and slippery in the winter.I use that stop to go to the OSU Medical Center facility at 915 Olentangy Boulevard. It's a good quarter-mile jaunt, starting here:
My proposal to COTA is this: Why not reroute the No. 3, both east- and westbound, so that passengers wanting to access all three buildings can do so without having to walk so far? It would only add a couple of minutes or so to the existing schedule, and might help increase ridership.
Obviously, judging from the sheer number of parking spots, most of the people who work in those buildings drive. They might be more likely to use public transit if they are able to jump off the bus just a few steps from their workplaces. It would also improve access for those who do not have cars, especially those who are unable to walk that far.
Loops are not unprecendented, and a few come to mind: the Graceland loop on the No. 2, the Eastland and Kimberly Parkway loops on the No. 89, the Airport loop on the No. 92, and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services loops on both the No. 96 East Fifth Avenue line, and on the No. 95 Morse Road line.
So how 'bout it, COTA? Loop the loop!
Sunday, September 6, 2015
Our Filthy Bus Stops (an occasional series): Rider in the Storm at the Bus Stop to Nowhere
I often go to the OSU Medical Center's Eye and Ear Medicine facility at 931 Olentangy River Rd., which also houses the urology and dermatology practices as well. It's a good quarter-mile walk through hot parking lots from the East Third Street bus stop just west of Olentangy River Road that I call the Bus Stop to Nowhere.
It also gets an honorable mention as one of "Our Filthy Bus Stops." It's not so much a stop really as a dirt trench along the side of the road, with no shelter available, no nearby pedestrian walkway, assorted litter (plastic bottles and cigarette butts), and it's dangerously close to traffic. (I was going to take more detailed pictures of the trash at this stop, however, the monsoon in which I was standing at the time made me afraid that my camera would suffer water damage.)
The photo above is of the Westbound bus stop. As you can see, there is a well-worn path to the patch of ground marked by a sign that is supposed to be a bus stop, so I suspect that means quite a few people use this stop, including patients at the clinic. Nearby is a new strip mall with nouveau cuisine fast food restaurants that probably provide employment for many a No. 3 Northwest Blvd. rider. At the next stop on the line is the ginormous new Grandview Yards Giant Eagle store.
It seems to never fail to rain, snow, hail or sleet by the time I've finished my visit to the clinic, so I trudge through the elements for the Eastbound No. 3 bus stop just right across the street. Today was no different and I was caught in a downpour that lasted the entire time I had to stand and wait (about 13 minutes). I was soaked from head to foot, and the ground underneath me at the stop started to get spongy--good and muddy. I had the choice of two wonderfully welcoming manhole covers--which also double as seats on nice days--to stand on to avoid the encroaching mud.
Meanwhile, that picnic patio at the police station just behind looks like an inviting place to escape the downpour. Trouble is, if you're standing there, the bus won't see you, and will just barrel on by, leaving you to wait for the next one, which should come, oh, in about 30 minutes or so....
My suggestion to COTA (for what little it's worth): Please put a bona fide bus stop WITH a shelter at this and other stops along the No. 3 line. The burgeoning Grandview Yards area, which includes hundreds of units of new (market rate, natch) housing, will ensure that ridership on this line will increase--if you want it to. But you must first make waiting for the bus a pleasant waste of time instead of a chore in which one may be called upon to do battle with the elements. A couple of shelters, equipped benches and timetables, would be wonderful. Especially for those of us who might be needing to go to the doctor and not want to risk our lives and well-beings doing so.
Stay tuned. I'll discuss another aspect of the COTA commuters' dilemna in an upcoming post: Loop the Loop.
It also gets an honorable mention as one of "Our Filthy Bus Stops." It's not so much a stop really as a dirt trench along the side of the road, with no shelter available, no nearby pedestrian walkway, assorted litter (plastic bottles and cigarette butts), and it's dangerously close to traffic. (I was going to take more detailed pictures of the trash at this stop, however, the monsoon in which I was standing at the time made me afraid that my camera would suffer water damage.)
My suggestion to COTA (for what little it's worth): Please put a bona fide bus stop WITH a shelter at this and other stops along the No. 3 line. The burgeoning Grandview Yards area, which includes hundreds of units of new (market rate, natch) housing, will ensure that ridership on this line will increase--if you want it to. But you must first make waiting for the bus a pleasant waste of time instead of a chore in which one may be called upon to do battle with the elements. A couple of shelters, equipped benches and timetables, would be wonderful. Especially for those of us who might be needing to go to the doctor and not want to risk our lives and well-beings doing so.
Stay tuned. I'll discuss another aspect of the COTA commuters' dilemna in an upcoming post: Loop the Loop.
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