Comments on: Last Month’s Headlines http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/10/16/last-months-headlines/ Covering Los Angeles's livable streets movement Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:06:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: M http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/10/16/last-months-headlines/comment-page-1/#comment-40561 M Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:08:12 +0000 http://la.streetsblog.org/?p=15601#comment-40561 David my point isn't that equipment malfunctions happen with technology - I work in Quality Assurance so I am well aware of this. The point is that maybe it's not a good idea to keep on adding MORE technologies such that you end up with an endless cycle of things that can be broken and not maintained, especially if you are then going to punish your customers when the aforementioned items break down! If they are going to add the TAP system, they should be pretty confident it will work something like 95% or more of the time, especially if they are then going to ticket the customers when the system fails. If you are going to install TV with train departure times, don't let them fall into a state of disrepair after a relatively short period of time and meanwhile install new tvs at other stations. If you are going to announce train departure times on the mentioned tvs, make sure they actually correspond to the times the trains will arrive and depart. Making people miss trains is a sure way to annoy people and lose customers as they spend hours of their life standing on platforms (where you can't even drink water even if you ran to the platform and it's 100 degrees outside) over the years. David my point isn’t that equipment malfunctions happen with technology – I work in Quality Assurance so I am well aware of this. The point is that maybe it’s not a good idea to keep on adding MORE technologies such that you end up with an endless cycle of things that can be broken and not maintained, especially if you are then going to punish your customers when the aforementioned items break down! If they are going to add the TAP system, they should be pretty confident it will work something like 95% or more of the time, especially if they are then going to ticket the customers when the system fails. If you are going to install TV with train departure times, don’t let them fall into a state of disrepair after a relatively short period of time and meanwhile install new tvs at other stations. If you are going to announce train departure times on the mentioned tvs, make sure they actually correspond to the times the trains will arrive and depart. Making people miss trains is a sure way to annoy people and lose customers as they spend hours of their life standing on platforms (where you can’t even drink water even if you ran to the platform and it’s 100 degrees outside) over the years.

]]> By: David Galvan http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/10/16/last-months-headlines/comment-page-1/#comment-40551 David Galvan Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:10:26 +0000 http://la.streetsblog.org/?p=15601#comment-40551 Re: TAP issues: The equipment malfunctions suck, but honestly no technology is going to be 100% reliable. If I need to get a TAP pass, I will stick the paper receipt in my wallet and forget about it until I have an issue. I do think there is a major problem if the system does not allow you to TAP your card twice within a 5 minute period or something. Can anyone tell me what the actual rule is here? I realize it is to prevent tapping through multiple people with a single pass. . . but the only thing that can really prevent that is stationing an MTA or sheriff near the turnstyles to look for misbehavior. Re: TAP issues:
The equipment malfunctions suck, but honestly no technology is going to be 100% reliable. If I need to get a TAP pass, I will stick the paper receipt in my wallet and forget about it until I have an issue.

I do think there is a major problem if the system does not allow you to TAP your card twice within a 5 minute period or something. Can anyone tell me what the actual rule is here? I realize it is to prevent tapping through multiple people with a single pass. . . but the only thing that can really prevent that is stationing an MTA or sheriff near the turnstyles to look for misbehavior.

]]> By: Erik G. http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/10/16/last-months-headlines/comment-page-1/#comment-40061 Erik G. Fri, 16 Oct 2009 23:38:48 +0000 http://la.streetsblog.org/?p=15601#comment-40061 If the offer of a factory in Los Angeles cannot be legally considered when voting for a contract with AnsaldoBreda, can one report the Mayor and his lackies to the FTA for prosecution? And here is the only response I got from TAP who are really just Cubic: <i>Dear Customer, We are not aware how Metro is instructing their sheriffs to check for passes on the TAP card. If you have a valid pass and you obtain a citation, you may use a receipt to verify that you bought a pass. However, if you do not have that available, make sure you TAP card is registered and we will verify with the court that the card was loaded with a valid pass, should this occur to you. We thank you for your concerns and hope to provide you with assistance with any of your future TAP needs. Thank you, Regional TAP Service Center 866-TAPTOGO (866-827-8646) http://www.taptogo.net/ </i) So effectively, Cubic/TAP has no problem using valuable Los Angeles Superior Court time to fix their ticketing system, when it is THEIR OWN EQUIPMENT THAT IS CREATING THE PROBLEM!!! I really hope Cubic/TAP gets a contempt of court charge and someone spends a weekend in jail. If the offer of a factory in Los Angeles cannot be legally considered when voting for a contract with AnsaldoBreda, can one report the Mayor and his lackies to the FTA for prosecution?

And here is the only response I got from TAP who are really just Cubic:

Dear Customer,

We are not aware how Metro is instructing their sheriffs to check for passes on the TAP card. If you have a valid pass and you obtain a citation, you may use a receipt to verify that you bought a pass. However, if you do not have that available, make sure you TAP card is registered and we will verify with the court that the card was loaded with a valid pass, should this occur to you. We thank you for your concerns and hope to provide you with assistance with any of your future TAP needs.

Thank you,

Regional TAP Service Center
866-TAPTOGO (866-827-8646)
http://www.taptogo.net/ </i)

So effectively, Cubic/TAP has no problem using valuable Los Angeles Superior Court time to fix their ticketing system, when it is THEIR OWN EQUIPMENT THAT IS CREATING THE PROBLEM!!!

I really hope Cubic/TAP gets a contempt of court charge and someone spends a weekend in jail.

]]> By: M http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/10/16/last-months-headlines/comment-page-1/#comment-40051 M Fri, 16 Oct 2009 22:53:50 +0000 http://la.streetsblog.org/?p=15601#comment-40051 I suppose if you pay for your monthly TAP pass with a credit/debit card, that might provide sufficient proof of payment, however I don't really trust Metro with that sort of info, so I pay with cash. I get the receipt just in case, but is is somewhat frustrating to carry another piece of paper around and truthfully, I don't carry it all of the time. When trying to pay you are sometimes limited by the equipment. It's not uncommon to try to pay for your pass only to find out the ticket machine isn't accepting coins or won't read any credit/debit cards. Some people still manage to get their hands on paper monthly passes, but I'm not sure how. I know I've said it again and again, but the equipment issues that metro has do not inspire confidence in me when it comes to something critical such as the turnstiles. I've had instances where I was waiting for the train and it was delayed. As a result I had to run up the stairs from the Red Line station (no cell phone service!) to call work and tell them I'd be in late. I'm not sure how I would get back down to the station if the turnstiles were in the "locked" position since I would need to TAP my card again shortly after it was originally tapped. Other times I've abandoned the train for the bus after there were train delays. Some of the TAP stations are flaky at times and won't read your card even after multiple people trying. There are tv monitors at the Red Line station near my home that have been out of service for more than a couple of months now, and I reported them a while ago. Then again, I'm still bitter about the turnstiles as I ended up with smashed fruits in my tote bag, a ruined library book after it was covered with a smashed banana and yogurt and an unusable camera after a critical piece of plastic was broken off before I realized the turnstiles arms that end up behind you as you walk through were smacking my tote bag as I walked through each morning. I suppose if you pay for your monthly TAP pass with a credit/debit card, that might provide sufficient proof of payment, however I don’t really trust Metro with that sort of info, so I pay with cash. I get the receipt just in case, but is is somewhat frustrating to carry another piece of paper around and truthfully, I don’t carry it all of the time. When trying to pay you are sometimes limited by the equipment. It’s not uncommon to try to pay for your pass only to find out the ticket machine isn’t accepting coins or won’t read any credit/debit cards. Some people still manage to get their hands on paper monthly passes, but I’m not sure how.

I know I’ve said it again and again, but the equipment issues that metro has do not inspire confidence in me when it comes to something critical such as the turnstiles. I’ve had instances where I was waiting for the train and it was delayed. As a result I had to run up the stairs from the Red Line station (no cell phone service!) to call work and tell them I’d be in late. I’m not sure how I would get back down to the station if the turnstiles were in the “locked” position since I would need to TAP my card again shortly after it was originally tapped. Other times I’ve abandoned the train for the bus after there were train delays. Some of the TAP stations are flaky at times and won’t read your card even after multiple people trying. There are tv monitors at the Red Line station near my home that have been out of service for more than a couple of months now, and I reported them a while ago. Then again, I’m still bitter about the turnstiles as I ended up with smashed fruits in my tote bag, a ruined library book after it was covered with a smashed banana and yogurt and an unusable camera after a critical piece of plastic was broken off before I realized the turnstiles arms that end up behind you as you walk through were smacking my tote bag as I walked through each morning.

]]> By: Wad http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/10/16/last-months-headlines/comment-page-1/#comment-40031 Wad Fri, 16 Oct 2009 21:55:53 +0000 http://la.streetsblog.org/?p=15601#comment-40031 Browne wrote: <i>some funny business obviously went down for that contract to happen.</i> Funny business that was out in the open. AnsaldoBreda bribed the Metro board with jobs. Metro took the sucker bait. The Transport Politic site has shown that the promises to build a factory is AnsaldoBreda's MO. L.A. is not adding jobs but taking the ones the Bay Area is likely to use when the Pittsburg plant shuts down. We'll keep these jobs until Breda has to promise another area to build a factory, and L.A. officials would be shocked, shocked! that AnsaldoBreda would dare bamboozle them. Browne wrote:

some funny business obviously went down for that contract to happen.

Funny business that was out in the open. AnsaldoBreda bribed the Metro board with jobs.

Metro took the sucker bait.

The Transport Politic site has shown that the promises to build a factory is AnsaldoBreda’s MO.

L.A. is not adding jobs but taking the ones the Bay Area is likely to use when the Pittsburg plant shuts down.

We’ll keep these jobs until Breda has to promise another area to build a factory, and L.A. officials would be shocked, shocked! that AnsaldoBreda would dare bamboozle them.

]]> By: Browne http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/10/16/last-months-headlines/comment-page-1/#comment-39901 Browne Fri, 16 Oct 2009 18:57:55 +0000 http://la.streetsblog.org/?p=15601#comment-39901 AnsaldoBreda in my opinion makes unsafe cars. I hope that the people who get the jobs making this car take into account that their families might be taking trips on these cars and I hope if they see any funny business they alert the press. I don't think Leahy wanted that contract to go through, some funny business obviously went down for that contract to happen. Browne AnsaldoBreda in my opinion makes unsafe cars. I hope that the people who get the jobs making this car take into account that their families might be taking trips on these cars and I hope if they see any funny business they alert the press. I don’t think Leahy wanted that contract to go through, some funny business obviously went down for that contract to happen.

Browne

]]> By: bikinginla http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/10/16/last-months-headlines/comment-page-1/#comment-39841 bikinginla Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:13:43 +0000 http://la.streetsblog.org/?p=15601#comment-39841 Welcome back! You were sadly missed — especially by those of us who learned how hard your job is by trying to fill your shoes for a day. Welcome back! You were sadly missed — especially by those of us who learned how hard your job is by trying to fill your shoes for a day.

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