02.18.08
MTA, All the way?
I remember when I was a senior in high school and my friends would dream of their ideal car. I, on the other hand, would always say that I would be riding the Metropolitan Transit Authority to my destinations.
At the time, a fare was $1.50 compared to the cost of a car, insurance, license renewal fees, maintenance, and gas. I thought since I lived in New York City, there would not be much of a need for a car. Who would have thought that I would be singing a different tune three years later?
The fare has gone up $.50. There was a 3-day transit strike. Buses can’t seem to run on time and yet the average commuter like myself has no other choice but to put up with it.
If you spent your summer here in the city and relied on mass transit to get around, you caught a tan like I did. Standing outside in the hot sun, just waiting for the bus that never wanted to come was draining. When the bus finally pulled up, five or ten minutes after the schedule said it was supposed to arrive, there is no air conditioning.
I seem to be missing a piece of the puzzle. Is there something that the MTA sees that I have not? Obviously, with high prices all around, more people will park their cars and hop on a bus or train. More riders equals more money! It is no surprise that they are once again considering another fare hike.
So here’s another thing that bugs me. There are designated buses that only make limited stops in order to cut one’s trip in half and yet they run in packs. If three limited buses passed you by, expect to wait an estimated 15 minutes for the next one. That is not very effective in my view and eliminates the need for the printed and regularly updated schedules.
You have to love these truck drivers. I totally understand that deliveries are essential to area businesses, but city buses do not have much room to move around if your truck, aside from the parked cars on both sides is blocking 95 percent of the road.
Common sense says we should exercise a bit of road courtesy.
I would love to drive myself around, but I can’t. When you rely on people, you end up suffering the most. Frankly, I’m tired of it! With gas prices the way they are, drivers in the city as crazy as ever, and car expenses through the roof; MTA is the only way to go for me and the other seven million daily riders.
So what are our options? We can either walk, bike, or catch a cab. However, the easiest, fastest, and cheapest way to get around is the MTA. My prediction is that as the fare rises, good service will decline and I will have no other choice but to drive around in my little hooptie. Traffic in the city will become unbearable as it becomes overly congested. The car exhausts will pollute the small amount of clean air we have left in the city. I guess we will all have to get used to this in the coming years.
04.13.07
Raining Outside And In?
Rain, rain go away come again some other day. Okay, so I’m not totally against the rain because we do need the downpour for the flowers to bloom. The reservoir, our water source, depends on it. However, I don’t appreciate the constant monsoons. Yes, I said monsoons. No I am not crazy. I know monsoons happen in Asia, but lately you have to admit that it seems that New York has caught on to that trend during the last few storms.
The heavy pitter patter of the rain intimidated me. I mean it was a battle just forcing myself out of my warm, cozy home to enter the wet, windy, dry, and cold outdoors. I even considered taking a personal day as I am sure many of you did the same. But when it comes to the green, we have to make sacrifices. So I made the trek outdoors.
I braved the nasty weather and was drenched from head to toe after my sisters took the umbrella that I myself had been using for a while. Oh well, what can I say? Maybe I should have bought my own umbrella.
As I sat on the bus assessing the damage to my clothes, I felt a cold drop of water land on my knee. Could it be? Was it raining on me inside of the bus? I was in utter disbelief. Here I was at ease after seeking shelter in the bus as it drove me to work and I was being showered on by rain falling through a crack in the bus’s roof? or an open window?
It’s bad enough that we are being drenched outdoors, but inside too. No way! I quickly relocated to another open seat and shook my head in disappointment. I did laugh at the guy who sat next to me and put up with his personal waterfall. He eventually relocated a few minutes after I did.
In all honesty, I would much rather the buses than the trains. If you’ve ever ridden on the 2 and 5 subway lines and got off on Church Avenue or worse Flatbush Avenue then you already know.
Those puddles are no joke. I have seen people leap over these puddles like deer in an effort to keep their stylish and expensive shoes dry but to no avail. The puddles are just too large and they keep growing. I can only hope that you are not unlucky enough to have traffic drive right into the puddles that collect at the street corners spilling onto your new suit.
What exactly is the solution for the incompatibility of mass transit and heavy downpour? I wish I knew. Isn’t it always the case that whenever it rains, MTA workers are either mopping the floors or trying to keep up with the flooding of the subways? I for one am tired of running for cover in the subway or the bus, aren’t you.? Is it really worth our $2?
previously published in the Brooklyn College Kingsman 4/16/07
03.28.07
The Little Bus That Could
It was a bright and sunny day. The birds were singing. Men and women were walking comfortably in their summer clothing. I was heading home after a very eventful day. After grabbing a bite to eat at the Junction, I hopped onto the bus.
As the bus departed, I had quite the funniest feeling but I could not understand why. I ignored it and figured this would just be a normal 30-minute ride or so I thought.
Ten minutes into the ride, the bus stalled. It just pretty much died right there as it was picking up passengers. I’ve been on buses before when that has happened so I thought nothing much of it.
Code Blue: Six stops later the bus stalled again, only this time it coded and wasn’t coming back. The driver turned the key in an effort to restart the engine, but to no avail. The bus stayed put. Next thing we heard was the bus driver yelling, “this bus is out of service.”
I laughed because I originally considered walking home, but decided to take mass transit because I had to study for a midterm and a quiz tomorrow.
The 30 or so passengers, including myself, grumbled as we took our free bus transfers and quickly exited the bus. Many were upset that the bus was out of service. The poor driver tried to continue his route with the stubborn bus, but the bus proved to be noncompliant. Some felt that it was the fault of the driver, because the bus had stalled before and he should’ve warned them not to board.
We quickly hailed the next two buses which were about to pass us by. Although, we were stranded at a local stop and they were limited buses, they picked us up and we continued on our journey.
previously published in the Brooklyn College Kingsman 4/30/07
03.16.07
Where in the world is the Chivalry?
“Where in the world is Carmen San Diego?” I used to love that show. I watched it every day after school, because geography was one of my favorite subjects back in the days. They used to give clues and based on those clues you would have to pinpoint where San Diego was. Now if only I could figure out where chivalry went.
A poor, elderly woman slowly climbs up the stairs with the help of a brown cane. Her gray hair is slightly pulled back and she’s wearing a long winter coat to combat the freezing temperature outside. She digs deep into her pocket to find her bus fare. As she enters the bus, heads turn because no one is willing to give up their seat, forcing her to stand.
The male bus driver turns his head and politely asks the passengers sitting in the “priority seating” section directly behind him, to offer the woman a seat. A woman gave up her seat.
Where has the chivalry gone? Have society’s standards changed? Most men have forgotten how to be polite. They don’t open doors; proudly burp in public, scratch an itch, yell derogatory terms to women who don’t give them any play. It’s disgusting! Plain, old unacceptable.
I could not believe that the young man did not even flinch. He just sat there comfortably as if the bus driver was not addressing him. I sat there and wondered would he have even offered his seat to his own grandmother had she boarded the bus?
Don’t get me wrong. I have accepted and mourned the death of chivalry, but I never realized the severity of its state. If teenage boys refuse to give up their seats, what type of men will they grow up to be?
I can just see a lot of the men who are reading this shaking their hands saying women wanted to be independent so let them. Why should I have to open the door for them when they can do it themselves? Am I right? It’s amazing how our quest for independence and equality has been overused. Let’s say you ask a man for a favor, I can almost guarantee that he will refuse to do it and cite women’s quest for independence and equality as his excuse.
Granted, there are some women who hate chivalry and they are all about me, myself, and I. They don’t want any input or assistance from a man for anything. That is fine, but there is nothing wrong with that. I just hate the fact that men have generalized the female sex. They see us as one body, one person when we are individuals. What works for one, won’t for another. Do not put me in a pool of women!
I love it when men open doors for me. It makes me feel more respected and appreciated. I see nothing wrong with it. I am still independent when it comes to paying for dinner, movies, or my own bills. I don’t depend on men, I depend on myself. It would be nice every now and then to see a man be courteous to a woman despite her age, race, or sex appeal. Yes, I said it.
previously published in the Brooklyn College Kingsman 3/12/07
