Half the people ride for free and are impossible to account for.

P.s yes I realize this is an incredibly minor annoyance compared to the other issues debated on this board LOL

Sitting right now at 1:30 PM on a blue line train, six people total on this car and similar on other cars, Orange/blue/silver line trains running every 2-4 minutes at midday, I’m sure at rush hour this will be jam packed and trains will be running every ten minutes

Anonymous wrote:Just like road diets improve traffic flows, track diets are likely to have the same effect. Wait for them to start building bike lanes next to the rail lines.

This is very close to what they are trying to accomplish with the scheduling. Instead of accommodating peoples needs so that they can get to where they want to go when they need to get there, e.g. increasing service during rush hour. They theorize that if they reduce peak service but increase off-peak service they will “induce” people to change their schedules. How insane is that? I sincerely hope that at some point these people who keep having bad ideas get ostracized. These are literally the same people who wanted the RCCA. The same people who think allowing homeless people to die of overdoses in encampments is good. And yes, the same people who think that increasing congestion makes traffic disappear. The. Same. People.

Just like road diets improve traffic flows, track diets are likely to have the same effect. Wait for them to start building bike lanes next to the rail lines.

Anonymous wrote:The reason they run service like this is because transit nerds convinced them to do it. Ostensibly it is supposed to save operating costs and induce more daytime ridership. However, I suspect the real reason is that most of these transit nerds don’t have regular jobs and it’s really about making it more convenient for them to go around during the day. Like most transportation policy nowadays, things are moving away from promoting and maximizing use for the greater number/good and towards rewarding niche groups. In this case it might just be urban planning grad students whose first class on campus starts at 11 AM.

This is such a good explanation. I bet you’re right. These are the same geniuses who made my Ave., a major commuting thoroughfare, into a narrower roadway with protected bike lanes. Now it’s just congested beyond belief at rush hour and a noisy speedway at night. The only interest groups this seems to serve are the nerds with the wheelbarrow bikes for their little kids, women who wear sundresses and straw hats on upright vintage bicycles with baskets, and AtV and loud motorcycle lowriders. Huzzah!

How much data do you need to know that ridership will be heaviest 4:30-6? IDK man

The transit nerd theory can’t be true but it’s funny

Since half the riders don’t pay, it’s difficult for the system to track when ridership is heaviest.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am so glad that my employer now provides free parking. Metro was actually quicker for me when it was operating smoothly, but it became too unreliable. Don't miss it at all.

Did your employer pay for your Metro fare?

Yes, still would if I wanted to take metro. I abandoned the metro benefit (as did most of my coworkers). Also, I don't mind paying for gas, and my car is a beater so the extra miles on it really don't affect its value anymore. Traffic definitely sucks, but my commute time is more predictable than it was while I was riding metro.

Anonymous wrote:I am so glad that my employer now provides free parking. Metro was actually quicker for me when it was operating smoothly, but it became too unreliable. Don't miss it at all.

Did your employer pay for your Metro fare?

I am so glad that my employer now provides free parking. Metro was actually quicker for me when it was operating smoothly, but it became too unreliable. Don't miss it at all.

The reason they run service like this is because transit nerds convinced them to do it. Ostensibly it is supposed to save operating costs and induce more daytime ridership. However, I suspect the real reason is that most of these transit nerds don’t have regular jobs and it’s really about making it more convenient for them to go around during the day. Like most transportation policy nowadays, things are moving away from promoting and maximizing use for the greater number/good and towards rewarding niche groups. In this case it might just be urban planning grad students whose first class on campus starts at 11 AM.

OP I totally agree. Every morning there seem to be metro delays adding an extra 20 minutes to my commute. I might as well drive.

Because ridership patterns have changed from before the pandemic. More people riding during previously "off peak" times, fewer people riding during previously "peak" times.

In the middle of the day when few people are riding there are trains every 2-3 minutes and they are three quarters empty. Then at rush hour trains are every ten minutes and jam packed. This seems so simple to solve, it doesn’t even feel like there’s an incompetence based explanation. I feel like Metro is trolling or taunting me as a commuter.