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Bloomberg Promises Free Buses, To Be Driven By Magical Elves
Disney's Scariest Ride: The Monorail Crash
New Era Welcomed With DC Chaos


Wesley Autrey, Subway Superman
One More Reason To Hate Those Skinny Bitches On The Train

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sarrible
08/04/09

In reply to Bloomberg Promises Free Buses, To Be Driven By Magical Elves
Remember that one December when the MTA had like a zillion-dollar surplus and they let us all ride free for a week? That was awesome. What was that, three years ago?
I have occasionally wished Mayor Bloomberg was a bit more like Mussolini, but this wasn't what I meant.
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meg9
08/04/09

In reply to Bloomberg Promises Free Buses, To Be Driven By Magical Elves
I was surprised to see that nyc doesn't have a smart card yet. Although you have a monthly transit pass, right? And I'd love to get that in DC.
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DahlELama
08/04/09

@meg9: Yeah, monthly metrocards are pretty awesome--you can abuse the hell out of them by going into subway stations to walk underground for a block or two in the rain. And at the risk of sounding like an imbecile, what's the difference between a smart card and a metrocard? I've always found my metrocard to be sufficiently brainy.
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hfree
08/04/09

@DahlELama: A smart card is a permanent card with a chip in it that you can refill endlessly. They're more heavy duty than a Metrocard, so when you inevitably sit on it it doesn't get all bend-y and stop working.
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Astigmatism
08/04/09

In reply to Bloomberg Promises Free Buses, To Be Driven By Magical Elves
It's a bit rich to accuse him of "not giving a shit about transit" when he (fruitlessly, unfortunately) expended tons of his political capital trying to get congestion pricing past the useless fucks in Albany and use the proceeds to help finance the MTA. But hey, don't let facts stand in your way.
BTW, is it better for him not to call for changes to transit in this city? Is your advice to Bill Thompson "Don't worry about it, it's Albany's problem"?
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allyzay
08/04/09

@Astigmatism: A couple of his calls for changes can't actually be done though, from a very real, physical perspective. Well, wrong, they can be done if you, for example, are proposing a multi-million dollar project in which express tracks are put on the F line outside of where it is already express...If we can't get any control of this from Albany, this plan is going nowhere very quickly because his points are all extremely expensive to institute. It's perfectly understandable to be frustrated by pie-in-the-sky plans coming up out of the blue in an election year.
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badasscat
08/04/09

@allyzay: The biggest joke that I see in the proposals as listed above is actually the countdown signs. The L has them, but do you know why the L can have them? Because the MTA spent billions of dollars and literally *decades* upgrading the entire line from the old block signaling system to communication-based train control. That's a prerequisite for those signs, and it is a huge, huge undertaking. You're talking about completely redoing how the entire system works on a fundamental level.

Not that it shouldn't be done, eventually, but to just come out and say "Why aren't there countdown signs? We need countdown signs! I promise countdown signs!" just demonstrates a total misunderstanding of the issue. This is not a question of laziness or a lack of will. This is a question of the MTA not having a trillion dollars lying around to put an optional convenience feature in some stations. And if it did have that money, it'd probably rather put it towards the Second Avenue line, which is another project that's been put off for something like 60 years and that would actually help riders in real and tangible ways. Especially given that the main reason for installing CBTC on the L line was so the MTA could have automatic running trains and cut the driver out to save on costs, and now that's not happening. So basically, they really did spend all this time and effort on a bunch of countdown signs.
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Edited by badasscat at 08/04/09 1:37 PM badasscat was starred badasscat was unstarred

Cheap Shot
08/04/09

In reply to Bloomberg Promises Free Buses, To Be Driven By Magical Elves
Ok, wtf is that second photo? Seriously, he really needs to wake up. The MTA is CRUMBLING and it's literally taking forever to build the much needed T line.

How about instead of throwing money at crooked contractors, we hire the illegal immigrants that could slap a condo together in a month and just pay them to do it.
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Edited by Cheap Shot at 08/04/09 12:35 PM Cheap Shot was starred Cheap Shot was unstarred

BxgrlJeri
08/04/09

In reply to Bloomberg Promises Free Buses, To Be Driven By Magical Elves
I would vote for Octomom over Bloomberg. He's a rich phony bastard.
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wickershee
08/04/09

@BxgrlJeri: Yesterday's NY Times comment of the day about this story: "I'd vote for a squirrel on crack before I voted for Bloomberg." I second that emotion.
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BxgrlJeri
08/04/09

@wickershee: It's true. I think he mouths words and actions don't match. At least the squirrel wouldn't be spewing bullshit but would be as useless but more fun at parties.
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blix
07/06/09

In reply to Disney's Scariest Ride: The Monorail Crash
In hindsight, letting Gomez Adams be your co-pilot was less than prudent.
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unclevanya
07/05/09

In reply to Disney's Scariest Ride: The Monorail Crash
"Avoid trains."

I am taking your advice, and staying up here in CT at my sister's for a couple more days.

Gawd I love telecommuting. I could work from inside a buddy booth if I wanted.
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Rumpelstilskin
07/05/09

In reply to Disney's Scariest Ride: The Monorail Crash
People here in DC are still edgy riding the Metro, as they should be.
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jasonelias
07/05/09

In reply to Disney's Scariest Ride: The Monorail Crash
I hope no one involved with Tweet, Twiddling/Toodling, during the accident, that would be a shame.
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naugahydeinplainsight
07/05/09

In reply to Disney's Scariest Ride: The Monorail Crash
Wow. Celebration High School Grad means sorta born and bred Disney.

Part of me wants to say RIP, Monorail Pilot, hit that Highway in the Sky!

And a less kind part of me wants to sing, softly,

"It's a small world after all..."
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Rumpelstilskin
07/05/09

@naugahydeinplainsight: Is that him? Handsome dude.
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onebadclam
07/05/09

In reply to Disney's Scariest Ride: The Monorail Crash
The driver tried desperately to swerve. Sadly,...
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Helennellieforsythe
07/05/09

In reply to Disney's Scariest Ride: The Monorail Crash
There was also an explosion in India that killed 8 people and injured 40 [www.usatoday.com]
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Helennellieforsythe
07/05/09

@Helennellieforsythe: And there are rumours that some people died in the riots in Northwest China. And two people died in a plane crash in West virgina, which means I'm never riding a plane again because they can't seem to stop crashing...
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Shelwood
07/05/09

@Helennellieforsythe: Stay away from cars, then, because those things are constantly crashing and killing people. And a lot of people die in their sleep, so don't sleep, ever. That'll keep you safe.
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TedSez
07/05/09

In reply to Disney's Scariest Ride: The Monorail Crash
It sounds as if one family was being given a special after-hours ride, at a time when the whole system ordinarily wouldn't be operating.

This is worse than what happened in Brockway, Ogdenville and North Haverbrook combined.
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The-Simpsons-Rule!!
07/05/09

@TedSez: NIIIIIIICE.
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VoxPopuli
07/05/09

In reply to Disney's Scariest Ride: The Monorail Crash
Why was Disney World open at 2 a.m.?
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Mount_Prion
07/05/09

In reply to Disney's Scariest Ride: The Monorail Crash
In the driver's defense, it's hard to see what you're doing from inside of one of those giant Mickey Mouse costume heads.
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