frustration

[spatch]

Today I left home at the exact same time I did yesterday. Yesterday, I arrived at work 10 minutes early. Today, I arrived ten minutes late.

It's gotten to the point where the MBTA's horrible management and completely unpredictable service is no longer funny to me, especially in a job where you can get canned for too many late arrivals, regardless of your excuse.

(T) is for Terminal Unreliabili(T).

Comments

[eclecticavatar.livejournal.com]

The redline was all kinds of fouled up, today. Some problem at Alewife or between Alewife and Davis, it seemed.

[reveritas.livejournal.com]

i had that problem here with muni. i even talked to my boss (at the newspaper; same policy re: late arrivals) about it. i said "if i leave the house at the same time, every day, and it's a matter of muni fate whether i get here on time, why not allow a grace period of ten or fifteen minutes on the arrival times?" what she said to me was to just plan to get here early, every day. that way if muni goes tits-up, i'll still be ON TIME.

were they going to PAY me for the extra 15 minutes i spent at work? goodness, no.

[fancycwabs.livejournal.com]

And here you are with a job that seems ideally suited to telecommuting.

Without sounding paranoid..

[ralpheman.livejournal.com]

There does seem to be a large number of economically deprived people on the Red line for which the T does not invest in infrastructure improvements, it might be time to consider bussing to the Orange line which is highly more reliable. Walking from Dwtn Crossing or Chinatown is not too far, or maybe just catching Red at Dwtn Crossing.

Re: Without sounding paranoid..

[antikythera.livejournal.com]

Finding alternate routes is definitely a good idea. Give yourself plenty of cushion-time, try them out, and check the clock to see if they're any more reliable.

I'm not sure how the size of the Boston T area compares to the Toronto TTC, but I was very surprised here to find out how fast and reliable a bus-only route could be. The holdups on the subway, and the transfers from one train to another, negate the extra time gained by the actual speed of the vehicle.

[mybadhairlife.livejournal.com]

Y'know - if I only had the time I would have a new version of "The Ballad of the MTA" by the Kingston Trio updated with Spatch references already.

Unfortunately, all I got for you today is:

Well, did he ever get to work? No, he never did and
his fate is still unknown.
(What a pity! Poor ole Spatch-el. Shame and scandal.
He may ride forever. Just like Paul Revere.)
He may ride forever 'neath the streets of Boston.
He's the man who never got there.

I dunno...it's just not scanning.

[alphacygni]

For a practical suggestion, I'll mention how I deal with PVTA woes - I take the woefully earlier bus, and then whatever "extra time" I end up with near my destination, I just walk around in a circle (up and down the block, around the building, etc) until I need to go in. That's my exercise time. Addition of a walkman-type device with Fun Tunes helps, too.

[hyperina.livejournal.com]

Because of the same sort of reasons you outline here, I eventually threw in the public transportation towel after a solid 5 year effort, and that sucks, because I believe in it, but not enough that I could tolerate that kind of irregularity. And if there's a bus or transfer of any kind involved, even if you do put in a 30 minute cushion, that likely translates into a pointless 20 minute wait at the bus stop on some days, which can be downright hellish in inclement weather. And stressful. Then you start your day in a rotten mood.

I think that public transport systems ought to have time clocks so that you can show your employer that you made the effort. That'd put economic pressure on the city to upgrade or improve the routes or whatever else is causing the delays. One can dream, spatch. One can dream.