I have no idea what this guy is talking about.
Donald Younger read last Monday’s article about the challenges faced by MetroRail operators. “I would like to say a little about the passengers and pedestrians,” he writes.
“First of all, you have to wait at the rail stops in a cloud of smoke most of the time. When the train arrives all the smokers flip their butts on the platform or the rail.”
“Then there is a barrage of announcements from the P.A. system which is usually turned up to maximum volume. There is the ‘suspicious package’ announcement, then the ‘be sure you have a fare item’ announcement, which everyone ignores.
“Of course these are in both English and Spanish so they can be doubly annoying. Then there are four announcements to let you know about the arrival of the next train.”
And the train doors screech when they close. You get the picture. Younger said he has gone back to riding the bus.
Frankly, anyone who rides a train every day and does not learn to tune this sort of thing out is beyond my help. That said, having ridden the light rail back to my office from a downtown meeting today, the only announcements I can recall are the ones about the train arriving (which I for one am always glad to hear, because it means I’ll be boarding my train soon) and the ones about what the next station is. These are short messages, and neither of them qualify as a “barrage”. We did get the “fare item” announcement – once, as we approached the TMC Transit Center stop. We also got the suspicious package announcement once, as we departed TMC Transit Center. Again, not my idea of a barrage.
If the doors screeched, I didn’t notice. (Like I said – tune it out.) Maybe the poor guy just needs a change of scenery. Here’s hoping he can find whatever it is he’s looking for on the bus.
1 word: iPod.
Can you say “full of it”?
My office is on Main, facing Preston Station Southbound. Every day, two or three times a day, I go downstairs to smoke (I throw my butts in the ashtray). I rarely even SEE anyone at the platform smoking, much less making a cloud of smoke. I never hear the doors screech, and I’m only mildly cognizant of the warning bell. I’ve tuned out the messages so well that I do not recall even hearing them today.
I remember when Main had the 1400 busses rumbling up and down the street. Noise, diesel fumes, smoke, the whole 9 yards. If this guy thinks the LRT is annoying compared to that, he’s on crack!
Maybe the PWIEA can commiserate with the Person Who Is Easily Confused from Rad’s column a while back, who couldn’t figure out that maps aren’t always pointed the same way as the real world:
Move It! December 18, 2005
I havne’t had the chance to ride MetroRail often, but having taken the bus here a LOT, it’s easy for me to say I’d much rather be on the light rail than a bus. The ride is so much nicer on light rail.
To survive in a world with so much visual and aural stiumulation, you have to learn to tune a lot of it out. You don’t read every single sign you see along the road because you’ve learned to tune out unimportant stuff. Just the same, you have to learn to tune out noises that aren’t important.
That said, yeah, I can understand how certain noises can be bothersome. But really, the stuff related to MetroRail is pretty inoffensive. Plus, the bilingual aspect helps me practice listening to Spanish.