InTheStandsTheHomeCrowd
ScatteredVille
Do you remember all those turnstiles that will soon clog up our train stations like molasses in nanotubes?
And do you remember how much they cost?
And do you remember how the fine PR folks had to invent a bogeyman to justify said turnstiles that will likely never pay for themselves in terms of monies 'saved'?
Well...
Have a look at this, just in, from Mike Lindblom of the Seattle Times:
Just because there aren’t any fare gates, that doesn’t mean Seattle light-rail passengers are sneaking a free ride.
Based on some 727,396 checks last year by Sound Transit’s fare-enforcement officers, only 2.9 percent of passengers failed to pay the full amount to board the Link trains through downtown, Rainier Valley, Tukwila and SeaTac.
To call even that amount “evasion” is a stretch. Thousands of travelers provide an innocent excuse, such as misunderstanding the intricate instructions on the ticket machines.
Though some people think gateless transit is too trusting, these “proof of payment” systems that rely on inspectors are widespread around North America. A 2010 survey of 33 transit agenciesfound 30 were using it. Only Vancouver, B.C., after years of struggling with evasion, is planning to switch to fare gates...
Good grief.
Oh, ya and....Hats!
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Funny stuff and animal crackers
14 minutes ago
3 comments:
SH
An untrustworthy government doesn't trust its citizens.
It's going to be a very expensive, but very effective data collection system. Combined with the readers in the busses, TransLink will be able to characterize every trip taken in terms of start- and end-point. Probably they'll be the envy of transit agencies around the world, and they may be able to squeeze some efficiencies out of the system using the data. They'll never make back the cost though, through efficiency or stopping evaders.
Getting all Orwellian, now or in the very immediate future they could measure all start- and end- points of skytrain trips just by sticking video cameras in the station stairwells and doing facial recognition. No turnstiles required. Similarly, by putting RFID chips in monthly passes they could clock passes going in and out of stations, without expensive changes in station layouts or erecting barriers.
Why is it that it appears on the face of it, every project the Liberals are involved with cost so much? The convention center, hundreds of millions over budget, The roof on BC Place ends up costing almost as twice as much as A new whole stadium in Regina?
The computer system for the ministry of children, Millions and Millions of cost overruns, which in this day and age of communications seems absolutely absurd! Translink , Port Mann, Golden Ears,Canada Line, ect.. But when its time to sell stuff it's given away at firesell prices?
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