C-Train Rant Thread

[MatsNaslund]

OK. That makes sense. I can understand the downtown thing, but mine was with Anderson Station.

That's up to the individual driver. Time of Day (rush hour v.s. night time) might have something to do with it. At night time if no one else is on the platform I have no problem opening a single door. The driver has the option to open the door next to them and allow you in and then close it immediately. The question is where were you when the train pulled in? Were you on a bus? on the other side of the tracks? inside the sation? Validating your ticket? For all those reasons we don't have to wait. We just pull in and the hit the open button and then close button and its 18 seconds thats allowed. The golden rule on LRT is once you have your doors they do not open again. 18 seconds is enough for anyone that was on the Station Platform (which is how the system is designed). The schedule does not allow for us to wait for people who aren't even on the platform.

If they open all the doors then its a full 18 seconds. From Somerset to Stampede is 23 minutes and in most trips you are there within 30 seconds of that time. If you are late at stampede, you are late entering downtown and it means that you'll be picking up more people going to Dalhousie that otherwise would take the train behind you and this also can make you a little late.

[Barnes]

Originally Posted by Dion

Explain what? I think Mats cleared up a misunderstanding on my part.

No. EXPLAIN YOURSELF!!!

j/k

4 car trains. Just do it.

[Madman]

Originally Posted by MatsNaslund

From Somerset to Stampede is 23 minutes

Great insight.

And I'm holding you guys to 23 minutes from now on.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by MatsNaslund

That's up to the individual driver. Time of Day (rush hour v.s. night time) might have something to do with it. At night time if no one else is on the platform I have no problem opening a single door. The driver has the option to open the door next to them and allow you in and then close it immediately. The question is where were you when the train pulled in? Were you on a bus? on the other side of the tracks? inside the sation? Validating your ticket? For all those reasons we don't have to wait. We just pull in and the hit the open button and then close button and its 18 seconds thats allowed. The golden rule on LRT is once you have your doors they do not open again. 18 seconds is enough for anyone that was on the Station Platform (which is how the system is designed). The schedule does not allow for us to wait for people who aren't even on the platform.

If they open all the doors then its a full 18 seconds. From Somerset to Stampede is 23 minutes and in most trips you are there within 30 seconds of that time. If you are late at stampede, you are late entering downtown and it means that you'll be picking up more people going to Dalhousie that otherwise would take the train behind you and this also can make you a little late.

My apologies. I used Anderson as an example of where my original complaint came from. Did not mean for it to come across as a means to challenge your original statement. Your last post explained quite well why you couldn't stop.

[MatsNaslund]

My wife has been using Access Calgary for the past year or so and she's had so many horror stories about cabs and busses being late and their rediculous schedualing. You can't complain to anybody though, because they'll blacklist you and mark on your file that you're some kind of troublemaker so they'll make your life hell by always giving you crappy drivers or never getting you stand-by rides.

She once called in to book her trips to work for the week and was on hold for over an hour, finally they answer her call at 1:05pm and then tell her that she can't book trips for the next day because it's after 1pm. Or the time that her ride was 45 minutes late because he stopped for lunch. Then there's the idiot cabbies who show up in the big minivans and don't have stepping stools, yet wont do anything to help her try and climb up into the van, then stand and grumble and complain that she's making them late. My favorite was the day she got picked up from physio by the wrong driver because he was asking for "Stella" but she couldn't understand his accent and thought he was saying her name, "Starla." He gets about 5 minutes from our house, finds out he's got the wrong passenger, so he turns around and drives 15 minutes back to the physio place rather than just drop her off at home and have my wifes driver take the passenger he was supposed to have.

Handi-busses and Access Calgary are way worse than Calgary transit.

You're talking about a few different things here.

Handi Bus and Access Calgary are both run by the City and Taxis are licenced and regulated by the City. Access Calgary is sort of tied into Taxis. Handi Bus kind of runs themselves now.

As someone who has driven bus for the city I can tell you that buses being on schedule or not is mostly due to the scheduling department. They do count cards of every route every few months. They get complaints from the public all the time and the City has firsthand knowledge of all construction related detours. If they want to fix the problem with buses they can do it.

Beleive it or not they do purposely schedule some buses to be running late because they are only AM or PM extras and are not considered all day buses. The buses that they use for this are mostly the older GMC buses (1970s models).

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Barnes

My biggest pet peave is when people try to get on the train as soon as the door opens. LET ME OUT.

I Gordie Howe elbow people like 3 times a week.

lol I remember one guy putting his head down and bowling over 4 people as he exited the train.

[MatsNaslund]

And I'm holding you guys to 23 minutes from now on

Time it on your watch next time you're at somerset going to downtown.

[MatsNaslund]

4 car trains. Just do it.

As soon as all substations for power are rebuilt or upgraded and all platforms are upgraded to handle it. Additionally there is an issue with the 'short block' at 3rd and 4st where it can't even fit a 3 car train right now so hopefully they redo the lights there to hold green until the 4 car trains make it all the way through.

[Pagal4321]

I pretty much agree with most of the rants in here but
A few that seem to affect me everyday are as follows:
1. Smelly people: Seriously it's called TAKING A SHOWER, how hard is it?
2. People who walk slowly: Listen I get that some people like a leisurely walk, but don't take up the entire sidewalk/bridge, so that I'm stuck behind you while I watch my train/bus drive away.
3. This is just a general rant, but don't get on a train and already see an elderly person/pregnant woman and glare at me while I sit down. I ALREADY OFFERED MY SEAT to them, they declined.

Other than that, I have no complaints about the c-train, don't get me started on the busses though. I generally just get on the train, drift off to sleep and wake up at my stop.

[Madman]

Originally Posted by MatsNaslund

Time it on your watch next time you're at somerset going to downtown.

The challenge shall commence tomorrow!

[GrrlGoalie33]

OT a bit, but Mats, my sympathies to you about the accident last week. My uncle drives a bus for Calgary Transit and says that when there's an accident involving CT, it effects all of the drivers - not just the one in the accident.

p.s. in no way am I trying to allude to the fact that Mats was the driver of that train.

[Bobblehead]

Originally Posted by Frankster

OT a bit, but Mats, my sympathies to you about the accident last week. My uncle drives a bus for Calgary Transit and says that when there's an accident involving CT, it effects all of the drivers - not just the one in the accident.

p.s. in no way am I trying to allude to the fact that Mats was the driver of that train.

Mats made his feelings pretty clear in the thread on the subject.

[corporatejay]

Please pay your fare, if you don't you are taking money out of the pocket of calgary transit. People who use the system but decide that they have some right to not pay for it, are such a big part of the problem....do you think extra cars more frequent trains and more stations are going to pay for themselves??? no! so pony up the 4 bucks a day you cheapo.

[Madman]

Originally Posted by corporatejay

Please pay your fare, if you don't you are taking money out of the pocket of calgary transit. People who use the system but decide that they have some right to not pay for it, are such a big part of the problem....do you think extra cars more frequent trains and more stations are going to pay for themselves??? no! so pony up the 4 bucks a day you cheapo.

Amen.

[Barnes]

Originally Posted by MatsNaslund

As soon as all substations for power are rebuilt or upgraded and all platforms are upgraded to handle it. Additionally there is an issue with the 'short block' at 3rd and 4st where it can't even fit a 3 car train right now so hopefully they redo the lights there to hold green until the 4 car trains make it all the way through.

I know all the requirements. They aren't doing any of them though.

That's why I said just do it.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by corporatejay

Please pay your fare, if you don't you are taking money out of the pocket of calgary transit. People who use the system but decide that they have some right to not pay for it, are such a big part of the problem....do you think extra cars more frequent trains and more stations are going to pay for themselves??? no! so pony up the 4 bucks a day you cheapo.

Well stated!

Not only is it taking money out of Calgary Transit but also the tax payers of Calgary. Fares keep going up and the city has to employee people to make sure dishonest riders pay their fare. Personaly the fines they give out should be a lot higher.

[Reaper]

Originally Posted by Barnes

I know all the requirements. They aren't doing any of them though.

That's why I said just do it.

It takes time and money to take delivery of train cars and to re build C Train stations.

Everyone complains like a man having a four penny nail being pounded through a testicle with a ball peen hammer whenever the city mentions raising property taxes.

The provincial government has been less than stellar when it comes to committing money to Calgary's infrastructure - Don't let the signs on Deerfoot Trail where the Conservatives give themselves a political handjob because they are covering the cost of repaving a provincial highway.

The only real way for the city to absorb the changeover costs is to either raise taxes or make changes to systems or conventions when they real their normal lifespan.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Reaper

Everyone complains like a man having a four penny nail being pounded through a testicle with a ball peen hammer whenever the city mentions raising property taxes.

Beverage on the monitor moment!

[ZDogg]

Originally Posted by Reaper

The provincial government has been less than stellar when it comes to committing money to Calgary's infrastructure - Don't let the signs on Deerfoot Trail where the Conservatives give themselves a political handjob because they are covering the cost of repaving a provincial highway.

2007 Grant Funding for Calgary:
Provincial Government $272 Million
Federal Governement $70.5 Million

Also, the Province pays for the construction on Provincially controlled Infrastructure (Ring Roads, Deerfoot, Jails, Hospitals, etc). I would point the finger at the Federal Government before the Provincial Government. I suppose Stelmach could bring in the PST and then give you back a portion of it...

[TheCommodoreAfro]

My favourite part of the C-Train is the part where it stops for lights to let cars pass. That's the mark of a glorified streetcar, not a mass transit system...