<![CDATA[Jeremy C. Fox · Storify]]>http://storify.com/jeremycfoxNodeJS RSS ModuleSat, 25 May 2013 11:27:46 GMT<![CDATA[Celebrate your holiday waiting on the MBTA]]>

Storified by Jeremy C. Fox · Fri, May 24 2013 09:32:13

Memorial Day is significant in several ways. It is a time to honor the men and women who gave their lives in service to their country, but it's also the unofficial beginning of summer, and in New England it can be the first long weekend of the year with good weather.

Across Greater Boston, people will mark the occasion with patriotic events, with visits to the graves of lost loved ones, with trips to the seaside or the mountains.

How did the MBTA mark the eve of the long weekend on Friday morning? These riders will explain:
When locals talk about the T, the phrase "rose to the occasion" rarely comes up. Alyssa had this observation last weekend:
She wasn't the only person who spent part of the past week waiting, waiting, waiting for the T. Jennifer, Kathleen, Natalie, and other riders had these examples:
In several instances, situations started off bad and only got worse:
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]]>http://storify.com/jeremycfox/celebrate-your-holiday-waiting-on-the-mbtahttp://storify.com/jeremycfox/celebrate-your-holiday-waiting-on-the-mbtaFri, 24 May 2013 16:32:13 GMT<![CDATA[The MBTA: ruining weekends since 1897]]>

Storified by Jeremy C. Fox · Fri, May 17 2013 16:45:33

The first portion of the subway line that would become the MBTA opened more than 115 years ago, and by the standards of that time, it's doing pretty well.

In 2013, it can get you from Newton, Malden, Revere, or Braintree to downtown Boston in less than a day, which must have been pretty impressive when its biggest competition required a steady diet of oats, with the occasional apple as a treat.

But when riders judge it by contemporary standards, they often find it wanting, particularly if they're young and in the mood for a good time. Simply put, the MBTA is ruining people's Friday nights:
Sure, one might say, that's no fun, but it's just one night. Sadly, as the weekend wears on, it doesn't necessarily get better. Certain Green Line policies are not helping a lot with Saturday afternoons:
And have you ever tried to take the Commuter Rail home on a Sunday night?
That's a lot of televised violence going to waste, but at least Mike can, presumably, fall back on his DVR. No electronic device will change the fact that you're late to work on a weekday:
It's time to face it: the T can be running late any time of day or night:
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]]>http://storify.com/jeremycfox/the-mbta-ruining-weekends-since-1897http://storify.com/jeremycfox/the-mbta-ruining-weekends-since-1897Fri, 17 May 2013 23:45:33 GMT<![CDATA[MBTA riders ask why must commutes be so unpleasant]]>

Storified by Jeremy C. Fox · Fri, May 10 2013 13:19:46

As another week draws to a close, many local commuters breathe a sigh of relief. They will pass two days without stepping onto an MBTA bus or train.

This week, Melinda, an Orange Line rider who regularly uses the #MBTAannoy hashtag to express her frustrations, asked a question many before her have pondered:
Her commute had no comment.

This time of year, students and others are preparing to move out of Boston, for the summer or for a lifetime, and some are counting down the days:
Why do they dread public transportation so much? Maybe Bryan can explain:
It's true. Today, yesterday, every day there are people on the T behaving in ways that drive their fellow passengers nuts:
Several people intentionally ignoring the standing pregnant lady. Their parents would be proud. #MBTAannoy twitpic.com/cp4vbf · Kyle W. Kerr
Yes, those are empty sunflower seed shells. Disgusting on SO MANY levels. #MBTAannoy #peoplearenasty twitpic.com/cpghpz · Kyle W. Kerr
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]]>http://storify.com/jeremycfox/oh-subway-commute-mbta-passengers-cryhttp://storify.com/jeremycfox/oh-subway-commute-mbta-passengers-cryFri, 10 May 2013 20:19:46 GMT<![CDATA[Spring is in the muggy, fetid air on the MBTA]]>

Storified by Jeremy C. Fox · Fri, May 03 2013 12:32:56

As April turned into May this week, the weather finally turned warm and sunny, which can only mean one thing: five months of overheated buses, subways, and stations on the MBTA.

Like the first songbirds of spring, already a few commuters have begun to complain about the moving saunas ferrying them home from work:
But don't people always say that it's not just the heat that gets you? With warmer weather come many changes, including a wider array of aromas:
As the city heats up, everything seems to move just a little bit more slowly, even things you thought couldn't get any slower:
You weren't in any hurry were you? Let's hope not, because there's no room for you:
At least a few riders lucked out:
But many weren't so fortunate, and some are too jaded to believe the MBTA's reassurances:
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]]>http://storify.com/jeremycfox/spring-is-in-the-muggy-fetid-air-on-the-mbtahttp://storify.com/jeremycfox/spring-is-in-the-muggy-fetid-air-on-the-mbtaFri, 03 May 2013 19:32:56 GMT<![CDATA[A Twitter tribute to MBTA Officer Richard Donohue]]>

Storified by Jeremy C. Fox · Fri, Apr 26 2013 13:26:34

Each week in this space, Twitter users respond to the joys -- and, more often, the frustrations -- of riding the T.

But the events of the past 11 days have shifted many perspectives, and it seems in bad taste to mock the MBTA for running a few minutes late while a Transit Police officer lies in Mount Auburn Hospital, struggling to recover from a bullet wound incurred as he pursued two men suspected of murdering a colleague and friend. 

This week's column will feature no complaints, only messages of thanks, support, and of the joy of being alive and safe in a great city. 

It is dedicated to Officer Richard "Dic" Donohue Jr. and his fellow Transit Police and MBTA staff, who work harder than they get credit for. It is also dedicated to the other law enforcement officers who risk their lives to make all residents of Greater Boston safer, and to Donohue's police academy classmate and friend, MIT police Officer Sean Collier, killed in the line of duty.

To begin, here is just a sampling of many messages of appreciation and support for Officer Donohue, who graduated from the Virginia Military Institute and served in the Navy before joining the Transit Police:
picture of cadets at VMI signing a flag for MBTA officer Richard Donohue, '02 VMI grad, injured in Boston shootout. pic.twitter.com/YA3oI5gDZK · Anne McNamara
Send prayers toward #MBTA Officer Richard Donohue who was shot and seriously injured last night. Get well, brother pic.twitter.com/OKgBgFxpj8 · Brian Austin
Officer Donohue and Officer Collier... Graduation day at the MBTA Police Academy. Please keep both in your prayers pic.twitter.com/Aii90KrJZO · Braintree Police
Here is me with MBTA Officer Richard Donohue who is in critical, but stable condition. Hopes he makes a full recovery pic.twitter.com/LrLndc0mGU · Adolfo Gonzalez
@NHLBruins thank you, shirt to be presented to #MBTA TPD Officer Donohue & his family. #bostonstrong pic.twitter.com/gr4sFL0U3q · MBTA Transit Police
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]]>http://storify.com/jeremycfox/a-twitter-tribute-to-mbta-officer-richard-donohuehttp://storify.com/jeremycfox/a-twitter-tribute-to-mbta-officer-richard-donohueFri, 26 Apr 2013 20:26:34 GMT<![CDATA[Take me out of the MBTA, out of game-day crowds]]>

Storified by Jeremy C. Fox · Tue, Apr 23 2013 13:35:57

The Boston Red Sox officially began a new season with opening day at Fenway Park on Monday, a season fraught with memories of a dismal 2012. 

While countless fans had their eyes on the three-game series against the Orioles, a smaller but no less fervent group of Green Line commuters were thinking not so much about the team's fortunes as the inevitable crowds on the trolleys. 

Arthur and KNR were tweeting about it:
The people that swarm the Green Line on game days -- many of them suburbanites unaccustomed to public transit, more than a few of them having had more than a few beers -- can tax the patience of those just trying to get home or to work or school, but at least they're predictable. 

If you look at the Red Sox schedule, you know when to yourself for your trolley become a party bus. 

Other people problems on the T are less predictable. You don't know exactly when they will happen, but you can be sure they will sooner or later. Tim, Harrison, Teesh, and this other guy provide examples: 
On #GreenLine, a perfect example of male tendency to sit like testing how far apart their knees will go. #MBTAannoy pic.twitter.com/rv8T8dxhmM · Jeremy C. Fox
But some things, to use a baseball metaphor, come right out of left field:
Honestly, you could see the steam rising from it. Did he bring a hot plate to the platform so his egg would be fresh?

Encountering other people's food on public transportation is often strange, even disgusting. But it can be a pleasant surprise, as Sara learned Monday: 
A couple of MBTA passengers also provided pleasant surprises:
Those were far outnumbered, though, by the system's reliable but random delays. Check out this exchange between Lisa and Christopher:
Rachel, Erzhik, Kyle, and another Lisa had plenty of time to stand around and think about the Sox starting lineup:
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]]>http://storify.com/jeremycfox/take-me-out-of-the-mbta-out-of-game-day-crowdshttp://storify.com/jeremycfox/take-me-out-of-the-mbta-out-of-game-day-crowdsFri, 12 Apr 2013 20:15:55 GMT<![CDATA[Spread out and relax; it's the MBTA]]>

Storified by Jeremy C. Fox · Fri, Apr 05 2013 10:59:44

The next time you're on the T, stop for a second. Look to your left. Look to your right. Do you see someone being inconsiderate of fellow passengers? If you don't, there's a fair chance it's you who's being rude. 

Judging by the folks who used the #MBTAannoy hashtag on Twitter this week, it seems every third or fourth rider is pretty insufferable. 

Wait. Look to either side again. Is there no one in the seat next to you because you've put a bag there, or a package, or your dinner, or a pile of trash? It's definitely you.

The nature of public transit is that you share it with other members of the public. It's right there in the name. Yet so many riders feel they don't have to share. They treat buses and trains as their own property and sprawl on the seats as they would on their living room sofas after a big meal. 

This week's first tweet is from Maureen, who points out a common problem:
It's true. A lot of men and boys sit on those tiny seats with their shoes three feet apart, thighs at a 90-degree angle, overlapping at least one seat beside them, often both. Rachel captured photographic evidence:
It's a special morning for this man! Not 1, not 2, but THREE train seats! #MBTAannoy pic.twitter.com/5Z5ygWKgoi · Rachel Heaton (Ryan)
With all due respect, Rachel, this may not be a special morning for him at all. He may spread out like that that every day. 

And while what he's doing is annoying, Kyle has found a bus rider who topped it. He's not just overflowing onto the seat next to him, where his right hand is taking up space another rider might use, his right foot also get its own seat: 
Dude sleeping on my bus. He looks comfy... #MBTAannoy twitpic.com/ch5ks1 · Kyle W. Kerr
His left foot is probably pretty comfortable on that window sill, but if his left hand had a mind of its own, it would be really annoyed to have to share a seat with his torso while his other extremities each have their own perches. 

Now, some riders have very long commutes, and you may be on the train or the bus very early or very late, and sometimes you can't help falling asleep. But please remember, your seat is not a bed. Don't stretch out as if it were:
As bad as it is to treat the T like a bedroom, it may be worse to treat it like a bathroom. Kyle W. Kerr, who captured the bus sleeper above, also found a fellow addressing his personal hygiene on a train: 
One step closer to someone full-on bathing on the #MBTA...? #speedstick #MBTAannoy @universalhub twitpic.com/cgwgva · Kyle W. Kerr
At least it wasn't another case of toenail clipping. 

With all this private behavior going public, is it any wonder Liam was happy to step onto a nearly empty bus? 
And Marissa preferred a non-human passenger to the other people on the T? 
Something seems to have gone wrong in a lot of kindergarten classes, because there were many #MBTAannoy tweets this week about people who had trouble sharing space. Julie and Melinda had a couple of other complaints about people making poor seating choices:
Sara and Red Line Commuter both had backpack troubles: 
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]]>http://storify.com/jeremycfox/spread-out-and-relax-it-s-the-mbtahttp://storify.com/jeremycfox/spread-out-and-relax-it-s-the-mbtaFri, 05 Apr 2013 17:59:44 GMT<![CDATA[The MBTA is guilty as charged ]]>

Storified by Jeremy C. Fox · Fri, Mar 29 2013 11:58:24

You can say pretty much anything you want about the MBTA, and it's probably true. 

(If you couldn't say whatever you wanted about the MBTA, this page wouldn't exist.)

Is it a problem-plagued system that strands people underground for hours at a time in cramped quarters with surly fellow passengers? Absolutely -- sometimes. 

Is it a miraculous conveyance that arrives just when you need it and swiftly ferries you to your destination? Without a doubt ... but not nearly as often as most riders would like. 

Make any assessment, level any accusation, and the MBTA is probably guilty as charged. Take this tweet from Mabel, for instance: 
Do you ever get the feeling the MBTA is least cooperative when you most need it to be? 

If you use the system regularly, you've probably thought that before, perhaps during a long wait for the bus to arrive, like those described by B Money Babyy and Jess Indeed: 
But then the bus or the train does arrive, you step on, it moves down one stop, or two, or three and then ...
Sometimes a long wait is imposed by an incosiderate driver, as in Julie's case:
Or sometimes, as with Haven and few thousand other people on the far side of East Boston, the T shuts down your stop and you have a seven-month wait: 
But once in a while, the T is exonerated by its good timing, as Marissa and Rachel described: 
Sometimes the train even smells nice:
Those #MBTAbrags provide good character witnesses, but Christopher and Kyle object to point out that they don't tell the whole story, and too often, the MBTA doesn't tell it either: 
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]]>http://storify.com/jeremycfox/the-mbta-is-guilty-as-chargedhttp://storify.com/jeremycfox/the-mbta-is-guilty-as-chargedFri, 29 Mar 2013 18:58:24 GMT<![CDATA[What happens on the MBTA rarely stays on the MBTA]]>

Storified by Jeremy C. Fox · Fri, Mar 22 2013 15:07:44

If you had a lazy Sunday at home last weekend, or spent your time in church or in quiet activities with family and friends, you missed a very special day on the MBTA, one that featured a lot of stumbling, a little bit of vomit, and more green than than the human mind can comprehend. 

Boston takes St. Patrick's Day seriously, and fortunately, a lot of celebrants are thoughtful enough to take the T rather than drinking their green beer and driving. But that means some serious crowds on the Red Line, especially in and around Broadway and Andrew stations on Sunday, when all of South Boston becomes a sea of emerald revelry. 

Predictably, some folks didn't wait until Sunday, as Caitlin's tweet from Saturday afternoon demonstrates: 
Surprisingly, there were few other #MBTAannoy tweets about the oft-inebriated crowds, perhaps because those willing to board the Red Line on Sunday were themselves members of those crowds. Except for Jules and Brandon: 
It's possible, though not necessarily true, that the holiday crowds had something to do with Catherine's frustration Saturday night, and Elise's on Sunday afternoon: 
Of course, it doesn't have to be St. Patrick's Day for the Green Line to be unpleasant, as McKenzie and Ali remind us all: 
And one's fellow passengers don't need a holiday to be inconsiderate, as numerous tweets demonstrated: 
The world’s most pampered tote bag gets its own seat during Monday rush hour. Bless. #MBTAannoy http://t.co/AfWDTDhQ4b · Melinda
Instead of kids I get stuck next to a lady with a smelly #Subway sub! #MBTAannoy #nasty #stinkysubs http://t.co/R9jArPcryq · Red Line Commuter
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]]>http://storify.com/jeremycfox/what-happens-on-the-mbta-rarely-stays-on-the-mbtahttp://storify.com/jeremycfox/what-happens-on-the-mbta-rarely-stays-on-the-mbtaFri, 22 Mar 2013 22:07:44 GMT<![CDATA[Rough days on the MBTA]]>

Storified by Jeremy C. Fox · Fri, Mar 15 2013 15:23:38

People joke a lot about the frustrations and perils of the MBTA -- that's one of the major reasons this page exists.

But sometimes a situation gets serious, and there is real danger to think about. The past few weeks have seen a shooting at a bus stop, a bus driver attacked by a mob of young people, another bus driver spat upon when he asked a woman to leave because she had not paid her fare, and a person trapped under an Orange Line train.

No one expects a commute on public transit to be a limo ride with champagne and caviar, but neither passengers nor drivers should have to worry about their safety when they step onto a bus or train.

This week's first #MBTAannoy tweet had these issues in mind:
While Jules was concerned about safety, many of this week's tweeters were focused on the more common concerns of long waits, often caused by questionable planning:
But even the longest wait and the slowest train are better than being abandoned entirely:
At least one commuter managed not to face any of these issues:
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]]>http://storify.com/jeremycfox/rough-days-on-the-mbtahttp://storify.com/jeremycfox/rough-days-on-the-mbtaFri, 15 Mar 2013 22:23:38 GMT