Technorati Tags: micro , santiago , transantiago , transport
two days I've been facing the Transantiago . Almost a month after the radical change in urban transport came to the capital Santiago believing me reported, but several surprises waiting for me during my travels. 1 st Round. My first round was launched March 8 on Thursday afternoon. My intention was to move from Irarrázaval to Alameda, at the height of the National Library. Before leaving, I examined and identified street maps and routes. It is assumed that the two buses that go through my source, a micro lead me directly to my destination. However, after 20 minutes when no machine did not get 5 mics together on the other line available ... I took one of them, as to scan the horizon I could see no alternative. Finally I went down to 5 or 6 blocks from where it should go. When I reviewed Transantiago propaganda, which invite you to plan travel and tours exemplify alternatives which involve one, two, three or four different media and combined, I questioned the usefulness of knowing that taking two branches, a trunk and a meter reached at the same place that taking only one. Well, it is necessary, because the frequency with which buses pass can be irritating and do not forget, transshipments are the core of how our movements planners designed the city, so we no longer serves the concept micro that helps us a full stroke.
2 nd round. Once the center had to go home. From Alameda there are only a bus to Irarrázaval and the municipality of La Reina. The long wait is multiplied by two because they do not caught up to the first machine at the bus stop. And when I say that I caught, I mean not even trying to climb coupe rear doors. In the second attempt I managed to climb up in the narrow aisle of a crowded machine. This micro did not stop at some stops for not having more capacity, while at the height of the monitors Irarrázaval Transantiago meters, map in hand, trying to organize a long line of users. On this trip did not go up more than 5 of them. Finally I reached my destination of one trip, but when I got home I looked should not have been that of a passenger micro, but of a survivor of a grand orgy messy hair, rumpled shirt and sweat, smells and other other, and a tired legs to circumvent potholes, high-speed cornering and shoved several.
3 rd round. BIP The damn card works when you want. I've taken 7 micros and 6 my card has failed, having to pass up to 5 times compared to the validator (is that how you call that thing?). Today I charged the two microphones when I made a change of a journey that, in total, must not have lasted more than 40 minutes.
4 th round. course, you plan your trip and to consider the changes (after the difficulties discussed in the 1 st round), but no way to predict where it will and where to take a new micro. In Providence I had to walk several blocks to find a stop that I serve. Had fallen by one that did not stop services serve me, I walked a few blocks to another fate that had the black banner of routes, but did not indicate what routes they stopped there. In fact, no machine is stopped while I was there. I walked a few blocks to a point where many people were crowded, and the confusion was extreme, they began to pass buses whose routes were accompanied by lower case letters (she know that suggested tours Express-e-and short-c-) and did not stop. Finally passed I took of a jaded, or I looked at the number or the streets it would take, but it was a micro subirme which could finally assume further that I still had minutes and transfers available. What is amusing is that I had to go co-pilot, balancing between the driver and a validator (or has another name?), Where I heard a long conversation between two women and the driver. This last item noted that for this system is better because they are less exposed to the attacks, either on the streets or in month-end returns, but was concerned because the situation does not improve soon, considering that even the public is not expected, missing many university-and in winter the discomfort will be higher.
The arrival of the rains and cold is serious business. Do you have provided the planners? If the frequencies do not improve the narrow bus stops, where they exist, will not keep us waiting for a micro mojemos. Failure to report best stops for each route, looking disoriented walk our transfer points. And travel dipped in a micro filled with other people wet, which will generate warmth contrasting with the cold valley once we get down to the other path can create a public health problem ... all by riding a bus.
Moving on, I do not know if it would run with the face of loss, people find me funny or transport is to talk to strangers is normal now. And in these seven districts travels I have heard of no movement, supernatural experiences on board the buses, BIP card theft, the mafia in the neighborhood committees associated with the operators of Transantiago. But the most fun are the names that have put the mind 'star plan': Transguatazo, Transtortuga Trans-Santiago,
Tranchascarro ... Is there anything good to Transantiago? In the streets are clearly less buses than before, decreasing noise, perhaps the contamination. This point may be questioned by arguing that less buses quickly involves a worse service. It may be a matter of time, to better understand this system, become familiar with the changes introduced over the previous system, to capitalize on transfers. As I had yesterday, cross the Alameda at 7 am by bus is faster than the subway, perhaps because many people are using, as a new event, the possible combinations with the subway and has neglected the buses on this stretch.
Finally, after teasing with Transantiago found two very interesting articles. In Why what has not worked Transantiago? review the main outstanding issues in the Transantiago. In Transantiago, or overconfidence in experts argue that the main defect of this project is poor communication strategy, noting that it has given wrong signals to users and has helped to confuse matters even more.
