Circulator's misleading message blindsides rider
Alexander D. Mitchell IV of Baltimore is a rider of the city's Charm City Circulator, but he wasn't at all charmed by what appeared to him to be a decision too suspend Purple Route service with little notice. Here's what he has to say:
Worked at Baltimore Streetcar Museum yesterday (library work), took Circulator Purple Line downtown to a meeting down on the unit block N.
Charles St. After meeting, stopped off at a place on Pratt Street, wanted to take Circulator back north, have a pint or two at The Brewers Art, then go back to the BSM for a meeting. Then I see the flashing message sign at the Circulator stop:"Closed for WORLD AIDS DAY Dec. 1st----- 5:30 pm - 8 pm."
PHOTO BY ALEXANDER D. MITCHELL IV
They're serious? How come I hadn't heard about this? Why? Are all the drivers attending a rally? Is there going to be a big crowd? Street closures? If so, what about the MTA buses?
So I walk. Heck, I can use the exercise. No sign of any closures around Mt. Vernon save for set-up for tonight's Washington Monument lighting prep work. And I get all the way to Chase Street when a Circulator bus whizzes past me.
Now, I don't know what irritates me more: The fact that they said they were "closed" when they weren't, or that I was able to walk 14 blocks in the time an "every 15 minutes" bus would have made it past me.
After only one quick drink at The Brewer's Art, I manage to spot a Circulator bus stopped at Penn Station. I ask the driver what's up. He says something about possible closures at Mt. Vernon from 7-8 PM.
So what's up with this? If it had still been raining last night, I would have been royally peeved at the Charm City Circulator for these shenanigans.
The irony? I wanted to stop by The Brewer's Art because they were donating a portion of the day's proceeds to AIDS services at Chase Brexton Health Services.
I talked with the city Department of Transportation and here's the deal. Last night the bus stop at Mount Vernon was closed and the route detoured onto Calvert Street for the event. But it is easy to see how a rider could interpret the sign as indicating the entire Purple Route was closed down.
The same conditions are in effect tonight for the holiday lighting ceremony at the Washington Monument. The same Purple Route bus stop will be closed between 5:15 p.m. and 8 p.m., and buses will divert off Charles Street onto Calvert. The Orange Route is not affected.
I know the city is relatively new at the transit business, having launched the Circulator a little more than a year ago, but it is doing a subpar job at communicating with riders about diversions to the routes
When I contact the Department of Transportation's public affairs route about the closings, it turned out the people there had been left entirely out of the loop. Adrienne Barnes, the deparment's spokeswoman, had to sift through several rounds of misinformation before getting what we hope is now the correct story.
"We are looking at doing a better job of advance notification to the public when things are happening," Barnes said.
Good idea,
Comments
Four letter fix... "Stop closed". Definitely a confusing way to communicate that. And if they're scrolling the text, as they appear to be, then there's no excuse that there wasn't enough room, it's just sloppy.
Posted by: MarkT | December 2, 2010 1:17 PM
i am curious what the determining factor on those digital signs is: it would be great for them to add one each at the Poppleton and MLK stops.
Posted by: Tim Patterson | December 2, 2010 10:46 PM
The Circulator is partially funded by tax dollars. Specifically, parking tax increase. I think we would agree the majority of the people that park in the garages in downtown Baltimore City come from outside of the city limits. At one garage, the Lockwood Garage, the fees in the last two years have gone from $160 per month to $180 per month in order to cover the cost of a transit system that offers no easy way for a commuter to take advantage of.
In fact, people from Baltimore County or Anne Arundel County don't even have the ability to vote for the elected officials that imposed this improper tax. Although the idea behind the tax payer entitlement program is a unique one, i'm just waiting for the day that the MTA raises it's rates because of lower rider volume.
The parking taxes imposed by the Baltimore Parking Authority are improper, unjust, and should be revoked. The Circulator should be shut down or tuned into a system that is self reliant by collecting fares from it's riders.
Currently the Baltimore Circulator is a money pit to take money from the middle class that are just trying to make a living and give it to the rich who own the company. Sure a few jobs are provided by this service, but why should I (a non-resident of this city) be required to pay a tax in order to get a resident around in their own city. I already pay taxes that help fund the MTA bus system, why can't they just take the MTA?
As for the argument that it is to help increase tourists, I urge anyone to get on the bus and ask how many tourists are on the bus. I've had several people come from out of town to Baltimore and they had no clue the bus was even free or available.
How about we use that tax money wisely. Let's remove the tax and give it back to the middle class worker that's just trying to make ends meet. After all, I'm sure the individual can find a better use of that $240 a year!
Posted by: Anonymous | December 3, 2010 11:11 AM
@Anonymous, I hate to break it to you, but this is how taxes and government fees work. You don't always directly benefit from the things your taxes pay for. You may not even like all the things your taxes pay for. I don't benefit from road construction in Alaska, but my federal taxes help pay for it. I don't like the Iraq War, but my taxes pay for that too. I don't really care whether the DC government is fully funded, but when I pay sales tax in the district, I guess where that money goes?
And there's a good argument to be made that you do benefit from both the parking tax increase and the circulator service, as both of those serve to reduce vehicular traffic downtown, making your commute easier.
If you really want a say in this issue, you can always move to the city. People thought they could abandon Baltimore for the suburbs and not suffer any consequences. Well, here's a consequence. You lose your voice in the government. As a city resident, I like the circulator, and I'm happy with the way it's funded. So I will vote for those who support it over and over and over again. It's our city, not yours. You're just a visitor who BENEFITS from one of our jobs, or awesome nightlife, or whatever else brings you into town.
Posted by: Youssef | December 3, 2010 12:04 PM
Agree with Youssef 100%.
Posted by: Jed | December 3, 2010 12:33 PM
To add on to Youssef and Jed: while the MTA will indeed have to raise fares at some point, the reduction of in-service coaches at rush hour in recent years due to the state budget has caused crowding on downtown buses. The Circulator has helped alleviate that problem, since some MTA riders can take the Circulator to their next connection.
As much as I've been known to criticize the City on their decisions and operations, I can't lambaste the current model any. It really is a good way to approximate a "commuter tax". Baltimore really can't afford to toll access to downtown (let alone the practical feasibility of it...)
Tolls are collected are among various expressways throughout the country. I don't live in most of those jurisdictions; is it improper or unjust? Everyone should be able to converse on what policies are good ideas or bad ones, but that doesn't necessarily make them unjust or improper.
Posted by: N. Payer | December 3, 2010 5:06 PM