‘Transit’ Archives
Transit Transit: Accessibility – a personal perspective
By JOHN CHARLES WILSON There really isn”™t any transit news to speak of in the Phillips neighbourhood this month, so I am going to write on a more personal, but transit-related, topic. If Sheldon Cooper from Big Bang Theory rode the bus, he could be me. Since the age of 17, I have been considered by society to be mentally ill. Since my fanaticism about public transit is a part of my mental state, for years I lived in the irony of having a disability that, rather than impairing my ability to use transit on an equal basis with the general public, gave me an advantage over the average user because I know all the arcane details about how the system worked. Unfortunately, for the last few years, I have had back pain which has limited my ability to stand or walk for long periods of time without sitting down. My tolerable standing/walking time has gradually shrunk to where travel by bus is now a serious pain (pun intended). Whereas I used to think in terms of [...]
Transit: Wish the 53 ran all day?
By JOHN CHARLES WILSON Route 53 is one of the nicest bus routes in the Phillips neighborhood. While the 27 and 39 also deserve honorable mention, they are barely known by most people.However, almost everyone loves the 53.What”'s not to love? It runs down Lake Street like the 21, but only stops at intersections with other bus routes, rather than at every stop. In Phillips, the stops are: Hiawatha, Cedar, Bloomington, Chicago, 4th Avenue South, and I-35W. Unfortunately, the 53 runs only at rush hour, eastbound in the morning and westbound in the afternoon. There was a time about 10 years ago, when it ran more often and in both directions in both the morning and afternoon. Do you ever wish Route 53 ran all day? Are you tired of being stuck on a slow 21 for most of your forays onto Lake Street? Well, there”'s good news. In a few years, Route 53 will be replaced by the B Line, a Bus Rapid Transit line similar to the A Line on Snelling Avenue in Saint Paul. The B Line will [...]
Transit: Route changes and the luck of the Irish
By JOHN CHARLES WILSON Here we are, coming up on the Spring “pick.” For those of you not familiar with the term, that is when Metro Transit drivers get to pick their piece of work for the next three months, in order of seniority. That is also when route and schedule changes are made, unless a state of emergency trumps waiting for the next pick. The schedules based on this pick go into effect March 9, 2019. Fortunately, changes affecting the Phillips neighborhood are fairly minor. They are: ”¢ Extra buses eastbound on Route 2 on weekday and Saturday nights. ”¢ Minor schedule adjustments on Routes 2, 5, 9, 14, 19, and 22. ”¢ Routes which currently run on 8th Street downtown are changing over to 6th Street due to construction. These include Routes 5, 9, 19, 22,and 39. This also means the Ramp A/7th Street Transit Center will not be in use. Route 39 will start and end at the Ramp B/5th Street Transit Center instead. Route 14 already goes [...]
