bacongood: Endive Wombat: Prank Call of Cthulhu: I bet that stupid tourist motherfarker was standing on the left-hand side too. Fark him.

A few weeks ago I decided to metro into DC rather than drive, I saw a guy FREAK THE FARK OUT at this family of 4 that did not grasp escalator etiquette. Amused the hell out of me.

F those people.

DC is so proud that they figured out how escalators work, while they ignore the facts that they don't know you have to let people off a train before you can board it or that you should have your transit card out (with money on it) before you reach the exit gate.

This is happens on Boston's T as well. People regularly stand right in front of the door blocking people from exiting the train. Often these people seem to be regular T riders who live in the area. Occasionally the conductor will yell at them to stand back and let people exit. Maybe a big yellow and red sign on the door reading "STAND BACK AND LET RIDERS EXIT THE TRAIN" would help these fools.

KatjaMouse: Endive Wombat: A few weeks ago I decided to metro into DC rather than drive, I saw a guy FREAK THE FARK OUT at this family of 4 that did not grasp escalator etiquette. Amused the hell out of me.

I actually had a few people on Fark say that I was an unreasonable person for yelling ahead at a woman who was blocking the left side of an escalator (another Metro related thread of course). Woman wouldn't move, just gave me the stink eye. I hit the platform and try to hurry but the door slid closed and rolled out just as I reached it. Oh, and this was a Sunday. I had to wait over half an hour for the next train.

/she was wearing a Cherry Blossom tee shirt
//definitely an out of towner ass

"Push her down, son."

Blame Hofmann: bacongood: Endive Wombat: Prank Call of Cthulhu: I bet that stupid tourist motherfarker was standing on the left-hand side too. Fark him.

A few weeks ago I decided to metro into DC rather than drive, I saw a guy FREAK THE FARK OUT at this family of 4 that did not grasp escalator etiquette. Amused the hell out of me.

F those people.

DC is so proud that they figured out how escalators work, while they ignore the facts that they don't know you have to let people off a train before you can board it or that you should have your transit card out (with money on it) before you reach the exit gate.

This is happens on Boston's T as well. People regularly stand right in front of the door blocking people from exiting the train. Often these people seem to be regular T riders who live in the area. Occasionally the conductor will yell at them to stand back and let people exit. Maybe a big yellow and red sign on the door reading "STAND BACK AND LET RIDERS EXIT THE TRAIN" would help these fools.

No, a farking huge knife that you slash around would. It would help everybody.

Philimus: KatjaMouse: "... a few people on Fark say that I was an unreasonable person for yelling ahead at a woman who was blocking the left side of an escalator (another Metro related thread of course). Woman wouldn't move, just gave me the stink eye. I hit the platform and try to hurry but the door slid closed and rolled out just as I reached it. ... I had to wait over half an hour for the next train."

See, this is what a lot of folks just don't understand (including many non-DC area farkers). An escalefter isn't only a momentary annoyance; s/he is evil devil spawn from the black pit of hell, and their blocking everybody else's way adds up to much more than a minor delay of a few seconds. I've used Metro on and off for 30 years, and to commute to work and back for the past 7+ years. In that time, I have never seen the system more broken and dysfunctional than it is now. You miss a train, even on a weekday, it may take 20-30 minutes for the next one you need to come. That means you miss your bus transfer. The next thing you know, a trip that should be an hour or hour and 15 minutes is taking you twice that time to get to your destination, with at least a half-hour at the Pentagon, sweltering in the 100-degree humid heat that Washington is known for in the summer. The ridiculous fare increases are bad enough, but factor in the Metro employees who apparently delight in farking over their customers, and the infrastructure that's falling apart in front of your eyes, and you've got a recipe for real violence.

Death is too good for touristas and others who block the escalators. They need to have their fingernails and toenails pulled out with a pair of rusty pliars, one at a time.

\normally very easygoing; even went to a pacifist, Quaker high school.

If missing one train makes your commute double to over 2 hrs, your transit system sucks goats, and tourists are not the reason.

bacongood:
Airportmatt:
I've lived in DC for two years (that's a long time resident for this city...) and the only people I've ever seen who did not understand the phrase "Step back to allow customers to exit" were tourists.

(Moving to the center of the car is another matter though...people just don't want to do that...)

The morning commute is just a line of people trying to get in the door as soon as it opens. This is before the tourists are awake.

I get on the metro at Eastern Market, change trains at L'Enfant Plaza, and exit at College Park almost daily. The majority of commuters I see let others off before trying to get on.

Also, your profile says you live in Chicago.

stewbert: If missing one train makes your commute double to over 2 hrs, your transit system sucks goats, and tourists are not the reason.

Imagine being at a busy international airport and you have a tight connection to make. You can make it to the last call of the gate by a few seconds but there's an entire family clogging up the moving sidewalk that you didn't notice before. Then you get to the gate just as they locked up and now you're on stand by for the 8:30 flight 6 hours from now. You wouldn't hold a grudge against the airline or pilot or that ticket agent who's just trying to get everything in order. Your fuming hatred is towards that oversized double stroller that a lazy land beast decided to park on the moving sidewalk.

JT_Goalie: Maybe he should've used a scooter instead

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KV9fHgncc0

KatjaMouse: stewbert: If missing one train makes your commute double to over 2 hrs, your transit system sucks goats, and tourists are not the reason.

Imagine being at a busy international airport and you have a tight connection to make. You can make it to the last call of the gate by a few seconds but there's an entire family clogging up the moving sidewalk that you didn't notice before. Then you get to the gate just as they locked up and now you're on stand by for the 8:30 flight 6 hours from now. You wouldn't hold a grudge against the airline or pilot or that ticket agent who's just trying to get everything in order. Your fuming hatred is towards that oversized double stroller that a lazy land beast decided to park on the moving sidewalk.

I ride public transit everyday to work. Missing one train makes me 6 minutes late. When I had to transfer between bus/rail, missing one would cost 20-25 minutes at the most. Not over an hour.

We don't have escalators for the trains here. But, my point is that if having to ride an escalator makes you late, then the fault was yours for poor planning. Yes, I know that DC has huge escalators that take forever if you don't walk. But realistically, it only takes a few minutes. If that makes you miss some absurd bus/train connection that results in over an hour delay, then perhaps you should plan your commute better.

I'm not excusing the fat asshole that clogs the walking escalator, just pointing out that it isn't the huge crisis that DC riders like to make it out to be.

Stupid Canadians. I just hate Canadians. They are terrible tippers too.

stewbert: KatjaMouse: stewbert: If missing one train makes your commute double to over 2 hrs, your transit system sucks goats, and tourists are not the reason.

Imagine being at a busy international airport and you have a tight connection to make. You can make it to the last call of the gate by a few seconds but there's an entire family clogging up the moving sidewalk that you didn't notice before. Then you get to the gate just as they locked up and now you're on stand by for the 8:30 flight 6 hours from now. You wouldn't hold a grudge against the airline or pilot or that ticket agent who's just trying to get everything in order. Your fuming hatred is towards that oversized double stroller that a lazy land beast decided to park on the moving sidewalk.

I ride public transit everyday to work. Missing one train makes me 6 minutes late. When I had to transfer between bus/rail, missing one would cost 20-25 minutes at the most. Not over an hour.

We don't have escalators for the trains here. But, my point is that if having to ride an escalator makes you late, then the fault was yours for poor planning. Yes, I know that DC has huge escalators that take forever if you don't walk. But realistically, it only takes a few minutes. If that makes you miss some absurd bus/train connection that results in over an hour delay, then perhaps you should plan your commute better.

I'm not excusing the fat asshole that clogs the walking escalator, just pointing out that it isn't the huge crisis that DC riders like to make it out to be.

you live in oregon. you know not of what you speak, so kindly STFU about DC commuting patterns and what does or does not constitute a crisis.
let's examine some schedules shall we?

here's the VRE. http://www.vre.org/service/schedule.htm
look at the manassas line going south. If you miss the 4:37 out of crystal city then you're waiting for 40 minutes until the next train comes. it's a 2 minute RUN from the metro stop at Crystal City to the VRE platform.
Crystal City is on the Blue and Yellow lines for Metro
Rosslyn is also a Blue line station, and has the third longest single-span escalator in the WORLD. It's 3 minutes from top to bottom standing still, but you can save almost 2 minutes if you walk it. even if you walk it, the train is in the station for LESS time than it takes to get from the entrance to the platform.

so, some cow tourist blocking 1 escalator can easily make you miss a train out of rosslyn, which can easily make you miss a train out of crystal city, which can easily add 40 minutes to your commute.

I guess we should all just drive though.

bboy: So you're a tourist in D.C. Presumably you're going to do a lot of walking. Why flip-flops?

This dude doesn't know how to tie a pair of shoes. We're raising a whole generation of people confounded by shoelaces.



Personally, I think it started when velcro was first used to replace shoelaces ......

bboy: So you're a tourist in D.C. Presumably you're going to do a lot of walking. Why flip-flops?

This dude doesn't know how to tie a pair of shoes. We're raising a whole generation of people confounded by shoelaces.

how's that onion belt working out for you?

The_Original_Roxtar: stewbert: KatjaMouse: stewbert: If missing one train makes your commute double to over 2 hrs, your transit system sucks goats, and tourists are not the reason.

Imagine being at a busy international airport and you have a tight connection to make. You can make it to the last call of the gate by a few seconds but there's an entire family clogging up the moving sidewalk that you didn't notice before. Then you get to the gate just as they locked up and now you're on stand by for the 8:30 flight 6 hours from now. You wouldn't hold a grudge against the airline or pilot or that ticket agent who's just trying to get everything in order. Your fuming hatred is towards that oversized double stroller that a lazy land beast decided to park on the moving sidewalk.

I ride public transit everyday to work. Missing one train makes me 6 minutes late. When I had to transfer between bus/rail, missing one would cost 20-25 minutes at the most. Not over an hour.

We don't have escalators for the trains here. But, my point is that if having to ride an escalator makes you late, then the fault was yours for poor planning. Yes, I know that DC has huge escalators that take forever if you don't walk. But realistically, it only takes a few minutes. If that makes you miss some absurd bus/train connection that results in over an hour delay, then perhaps you should plan your commute better.

I'm not excusing the fat asshole that clogs the walking escalator, just pointing out that it isn't the huge crisis that DC riders like to make it out to be.

you live in oregon. you know not of what you speak, so kindly STFU about DC commuting patterns and what does or does not constitute a crisis.
let's examine some schedules shall we?

here's the VRE. http://www.vre.org/service/schedule.htm
look at the manassas line going south. If you miss the 4:37 out of crystal city then you're waiting for 40 minutes until the next train comes. it's a 2 minute RUN from the metro stop at Crystal City to the VRE plat ...

You're missing my point. If there's a 40 min wait for the next train, the system sucks.

Airportmatt: bacongood:
Airportmatt:
I've lived in DC for two years (that's a long time resident for this city...) and the only people I've ever seen who did not understand the phrase "Step back to allow customers to exit" were tourists.

(Moving to the center of the car is another matter though...people just don't want to do that...)

The morning commute is just a line of people trying to get in the door as soon as it opens. This is before the tourists are awake.

I get on the metro at Eastern Market, change trains at L'Enfant Plaza, and exit at College Park almost daily. The majority of commuters I see let others off before trying to get on.

Also, your profile says you live in Chicago.

and I ride it every day from Columbia Heights to VA and I see this at most the stops in DC (chinatown looks the worse). They may not actively try to get on, but they really don't let people off.

Yes, I used to live in Chicago. People were much better at using trains there. Though when I hear people complain about a Nats game causing congustion on the Green, I think back to the Red Line when the Cubs played and laugh.

stewbert: The_Original_Roxtar: stewbert: KatjaMouse: stewbert: If missing one train makes your commute double to over 2 hrs, your transit system sucks goats, and tourists are not the reason.

Imagine being at a busy international airport and you have a tight connection to make. You can make it to the last call of the gate by a few seconds but there's an entire family clogging up the moving sidewalk that you didn't notice before. Then you get to the gate just as they locked up and now you're on stand by for the 8:30 flight 6 hours from now. You wouldn't hold a grudge against the airline or pilot or that ticket agent who's just trying to get everything in order. Your fuming hatred is towards that oversized double stroller that a lazy land beast decided to park on the moving sidewalk.

I ride public transit everyday to work. Missing one train makes me 6 minutes late. When I had to transfer between bus/rail, missing one would cost 20-25 minutes at the most. Not over an hour.

We don't have escalators for the trains here. But, my point is that if having to ride an escalator makes you late, then the fault was yours for poor planning. Yes, I know that DC has huge escalators that take forever if you don't walk. But realistically, it only takes a few minutes. If that makes you miss some absurd bus/train connection that results in over an hour delay, then perhaps you should plan your commute better.

I'm not excusing the fat asshole that clogs the walking escalator, just pointing out that it isn't the huge crisis that DC riders like to make it out to be.

you live in oregon. you know not of what you speak, so kindly STFU about DC commuting patterns and what does or does not constitute a crisis.
let's examine some schedules shall we?

here's the VRE. http://www.vre.org/service/schedule.htm
look at the manassas line going south. If you miss the 4:37 out of crystal city then you're waiting for 40 minutes until the next train comes. it's a 2 minute RUN from the metro stop at Crystal ...

The VRE is a real train, runs on CSX's lines and all that, shares track with cargo loads. It is meant to get you into the city in the morning and out in the evening, it goes long distances unlike the metro and has a schedule to maintain. It doesn't suck, the metro sucks.

I found the VRE to be much more reliable and cleaner than the Metro, they even have bathrooms and allow you to eat and drink on them. I think the difference is the clientele.

Dr Dreidel: bboy: So you're a tourist in D.C. Presumably you're going to do a lot of walking. Why flip-flops?

This dude doesn't know how to tie a pair of shoes. We're raising a whole generation of people confounded by shoelaces.

I just spent a day in Amsterdam followed by a week in Israel. 6 miles walking in AMS, and a farkton more in Jerusalem - all in flip flops, and I had no complaints. You need to be heartier.

// and I'm not in any sort of shape
// maybe don't walk so fast?

FTFY. Go ask any foot doctor about you're walking around like that and they will tell you off. Do you know how bad it is for your whole body (legs & feet especially) to walk around in crappy flip-flops with no support?

//go ahead, your choice but I will have zero sympathy for you in later years when the reprocussions of your stupidity catches up with you.