Prior to the grand opening of the Phoenix Valley Metro Rail system last December, I had been able to take two test train rides. During one of those rides, I shot video from the "railfan" window in the front. During the shuffle of a very busy video shop working on various roller derby related projects, I thought I had lost this video footage.
While starting another project, I discovered which computer I offloaded the video on. Therefore, this video was safe and sound. I have put together a very quick and dirty video of the footage shot going westbound from Van Buren & Central (VBCN) and Osborn and Central (OSCN) stations.
I have video all the way up to Montebello (MO19) and some video coming back east to Van Buren & 1st Avenue (VB1). I will release that later.
This video does not have any sound as there was a lot of in-car conversations taking place and is not necessarily relevant to the video at hand. So sit back and enjoy the ride.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
SEPTA: Pull down your pants and show me your bus pass...
One of my biggest pet peeves is bad policy. Bad policy is one that while the intention may be good, the overall policy is just downright the wrong way to address a situation. A recent story in the Philadelphia Weekly made aware of a great example of such bad policy.
Apparently, the South East Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA) has a huge problem on their hands. The problem, people sharing their monthly passes with other people. Now, we are not talking about a situation where a 35 year old person who does not have disabilities is trying to ride the bus with a reduced fare disabled pass. We are talking about full fare customers sharing a pass.
To combat the problem, SEPTA had a brainstorm idea. Why not print the gender of the customer on the pass? That way, it reduces the chances that the pass would be shared because now 50% of the population can not use that pass. Great policy, right? Well, there is a problem...
What if you don't look like what some would stereotype as what is proper for your gender? In other words, you are a thin build man with some feminine traits who happens to wear brighter clothes? Perhaps you are a lesbian who looks more "butch"? I can definitely tackle about a dozen possibilities for those who are transgender (TS, TG, TV, CD, DQ, whatever...).
The problem with this policy is that it is discriminatory, exclusionary and turns every bus driver and train conductor in Philly into a health professional who now not just responsible for the safe operation of their vehicle but now has to analyze every boarding passenger to make a determination what their gender is.
What makes it worse that according to the information that I have read, that since 9/11 it is next to impossible for a pre-op to get their license changed to show their identified gender in PA. Therefore, let's say a pre-op MTF boards a bus with a female pass, the driver may have some doubts (in other words, the MTF may not be far enough along or is otherwise readable) and the driver asks for ID. The only ID the MTF is able to get has a "male" gender marker on it. Therefore, a scene could be caused putting the passenger in a very uncomfortable situation. In the case of an MTF, a "male" pass (that would match the driver's license) would again raise questions, especially if she is very passable and would pretty much "out" the passenger. Let's also not forget an overall prejudice by the SEPTA employee, especially those who may have intolerance or lack of education of the GLBT community.
With my involvement in both the public transportation and the transgender communities, a story like this hits me from two directions. So let's look at this from the public transit perspective. Other than specialty and entitlement passes (such as reduced fare, employer program, agency employee, etc.), do transit properties across the country experience this type of "pass sharing" problem that SEPTA seems to be facing? I personally don't see an issue with letting a friend borrow my bus pass. The pass only allows one person to board at one time. Who cares if it's me or someone else? I can see if it's an issue if we do the old trick of the passenger boards the bus, they sit down and then give their pass to a friend outside the window. Well, most buses don't have windows you can open (that a pass can be easily passed through) and many agency fareboxes can detect this (yes, even Phoenix).
Apparently, this is also a problem in Brighton, England where their multi-day passes have a gender marker.
Also as a side note, SEPTA's own Equal Empolyment Opportunity Policy states that they will not discriminate on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity for their own employees. Why can't they extend these same protections to their passengers?
Myself, I think that both Brighton and SEPTA should abandon this concept. I don't think that pass sharing is such a huge problem that it has to be done at the expense of the civil rights of a considerable group of individuals who brush the gender lines in some way or another.
Apparently, the South East Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA) has a huge problem on their hands. The problem, people sharing their monthly passes with other people. Now, we are not talking about a situation where a 35 year old person who does not have disabilities is trying to ride the bus with a reduced fare disabled pass. We are talking about full fare customers sharing a pass.
To combat the problem, SEPTA had a brainstorm idea. Why not print the gender of the customer on the pass? That way, it reduces the chances that the pass would be shared because now 50% of the population can not use that pass. Great policy, right? Well, there is a problem...
What if you don't look like what some would stereotype as what is proper for your gender? In other words, you are a thin build man with some feminine traits who happens to wear brighter clothes? Perhaps you are a lesbian who looks more "butch"? I can definitely tackle about a dozen possibilities for those who are transgender (TS, TG, TV, CD, DQ, whatever...).
The problem with this policy is that it is discriminatory, exclusionary and turns every bus driver and train conductor in Philly into a health professional who now not just responsible for the safe operation of their vehicle but now has to analyze every boarding passenger to make a determination what their gender is.
What makes it worse that according to the information that I have read, that since 9/11 it is next to impossible for a pre-op to get their license changed to show their identified gender in PA. Therefore, let's say a pre-op MTF boards a bus with a female pass, the driver may have some doubts (in other words, the MTF may not be far enough along or is otherwise readable) and the driver asks for ID. The only ID the MTF is able to get has a "male" gender marker on it. Therefore, a scene could be caused putting the passenger in a very uncomfortable situation. In the case of an MTF, a "male" pass (that would match the driver's license) would again raise questions, especially if she is very passable and would pretty much "out" the passenger. Let's also not forget an overall prejudice by the SEPTA employee, especially those who may have intolerance or lack of education of the GLBT community.
With my involvement in both the public transportation and the transgender communities, a story like this hits me from two directions. So let's look at this from the public transit perspective. Other than specialty and entitlement passes (such as reduced fare, employer program, agency employee, etc.), do transit properties across the country experience this type of "pass sharing" problem that SEPTA seems to be facing? I personally don't see an issue with letting a friend borrow my bus pass. The pass only allows one person to board at one time. Who cares if it's me or someone else? I can see if it's an issue if we do the old trick of the passenger boards the bus, they sit down and then give their pass to a friend outside the window. Well, most buses don't have windows you can open (that a pass can be easily passed through) and many agency fareboxes can detect this (yes, even Phoenix).
Apparently, this is also a problem in Brighton, England where their multi-day passes have a gender marker.
Also as a side note, SEPTA's own Equal Empolyment Opportunity Policy states that they will not discriminate on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity for their own employees. Why can't they extend these same protections to their passengers?
Myself, I think that both Brighton and SEPTA should abandon this concept. I don't think that pass sharing is such a huge problem that it has to be done at the expense of the civil rights of a considerable group of individuals who brush the gender lines in some way or another.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Michi's first LACMTA GTFS application: Where's the bus??
I have designed a very simple application that is intended to show the next "timepoint" for every bus on a particular route.
It uses a pretty simple SQL statement:
SELECT gtfs_stops.stop_name, gtfs_stops.stop_lat, gtfs_stops.stop_lon,
gtfs_stop_times.departure_time, gtfs_stop_times.trip_id, gtfs_stop_times.stop_headsign,
gtfs_trips.route_id, gtfs_trips.block_id FROM gtfs_trips
LEFT JOIN gtfs_stop_times ON gtfs_trips.trip_id = gtfs_stop_times.trip_id
LEFT JOIN gtfs_stops on gtfs_stops.stop_id = gtfs_stop_times.stop_id
LEFT JOIN gtfs_calendar ON gtfs_trips.service_id = gtfs_calendar.service_id
WHERE route_id = '(route number)'
AND departure_time >= CURTIME()
AND departure_time <= ADDTIME(CURTIME(),'0:05:00') AND gtfs_calendar.(day of the week) = 1 AND start_date <= CURDATE() AND end_date >= CURDATE()
GROUP BY block_id;
This SQL statement will show the next timepoints for (route number) on the the specified (day of the week). Yes, I know it's pretty crude, but it works.
You can play with this toy at:
http://st.recnet.com/metro_next_bus.php
There is a pull down that shows all of the SFV sector routes (the descriptions were manually entered), an issue that I have with the routes.txt file. But you can send a value of rte and a valid route_id using a GET statement and it will return routes outside the SFV. It does not work for rail (801-805) because the Metro Rail trips are showin without a block_id. Rail will return just a single trip on the route.
I could use an SQL sort to rearrange the headsigns in order so you have an idea what direction the buses are going. I would have preferred if Metro was to include the direction_id in trips.txt which is a simple 0 or 1 value that would indicate a direction. In this case, I could just make two SQL calls and get each direction listed separately. Using direction_id would also make the data compatible with other tools including TriMet's Time Table Maker.
Without the direction_id data, I would have to manually build a table based on headsign readings what direction a bus is going and even with that, there may be a few possibilities that buses going in two different directions can have the same headsign (such as a mid-route terminal).
This little app does take into consideration that some trips only operate certain days of the week (school trippers) but I do not believe that the calendar.txt gives the ranges of the school year. Therefore, there's a possibility that it will display a trip that may not actually be running since it's a school holiday. MTA also has school holiday trips "H", which may be the school trip with some deviation on the schedule. These are very complex, but on some routes with infrequent service and school trippers (645 comes to mind) could cause confusion. Right now, I am not calling to the calendar_dates file to get the exceptions (holiday service). Therefore, transit holidays right now will show just like regular weekdays.
With that said, my wish list for Metro GTFS data improvements include:
It uses a pretty simple SQL statement:
SELECT gtfs_stops.stop_name, gtfs_stops.stop_lat, gtfs_stops.stop_lon,
gtfs_stop_times.departure_time, gtfs_stop_times.trip_id, gtfs_stop_times.stop_headsign,
gtfs_trips.route_id, gtfs_trips.block_id FROM gtfs_trips
LEFT JOIN gtfs_stop_times ON gtfs_trips.trip_id = gtfs_stop_times.trip_id
LEFT JOIN gtfs_stops on gtfs_stops.stop_id = gtfs_stop_times.stop_id
LEFT JOIN gtfs_calendar ON gtfs_trips.service_id = gtfs_calendar.service_id
WHERE route_id = '(route number)'
AND departure_time >= CURTIME()
AND departure_time <= ADDTIME(CURTIME(),'0:05:00') AND gtfs_calendar.(day of the week) = 1 AND start_date <= CURDATE() AND end_date >= CURDATE()
GROUP BY block_id;
This SQL statement will show the next timepoints for (route number) on the the specified (day of the week). Yes, I know it's pretty crude, but it works.
You can play with this toy at:
http://st.recnet.com/metro_next_bus.php
There is a pull down that shows all of the SFV sector routes (the descriptions were manually entered), an issue that I have with the routes.txt file. But you can send a value of rte and a valid route_id using a GET statement and it will return routes outside the SFV. It does not work for rail (801-805) because the Metro Rail trips are showin without a block_id. Rail will return just a single trip on the route.
I could use an SQL sort to rearrange the headsigns in order so you have an idea what direction the buses are going. I would have preferred if Metro was to include the direction_id in trips.txt which is a simple 0 or 1 value that would indicate a direction. In this case, I could just make two SQL calls and get each direction listed separately. Using direction_id would also make the data compatible with other tools including TriMet's Time Table Maker.
Without the direction_id data, I would have to manually build a table based on headsign readings what direction a bus is going and even with that, there may be a few possibilities that buses going in two different directions can have the same headsign (such as a mid-route terminal).
This little app does take into consideration that some trips only operate certain days of the week (school trippers) but I do not believe that the calendar.txt gives the ranges of the school year. Therefore, there's a possibility that it will display a trip that may not actually be running since it's a school holiday. MTA also has school holiday trips "H", which may be the school trip with some deviation on the schedule. These are very complex, but on some routes with infrequent service and school trippers (645 comes to mind) could cause confusion. Right now, I am not calling to the calendar_dates file to get the exceptions (holiday service). Therefore, transit holidays right now will show just like regular weekdays.
With that said, my wish list for Metro GTFS data improvements include:
- Having the block_id be the known line-run numbers instead of a distinct number.
- Include run numbers for the trains in block_id.
- Use the direction_id field in trips.txt.
- Move headsign data to trips.txt and only use stop_times.txt when there is a mid-line sign change. (such as the 242/243)
- At the end of a trip at the last timepoint in stop_times.txt, set drop_off_type to 1. This will indicate the end of the route. It will also prevent apps from identifying that timepoint as a pick-up and showing two times at a particular stop (one for when the bus arrives from the previous trip and the time it departs for the next trip, hence, recovery time).
- Better descriptions of the routes in routes.txt
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Los Angeles MTA Google Transit: Some first thoughts about the GTFS feed
Just for a means of background, I have never worked for Metro but I have a great knowledge of how they schedule.
The way MTA schedules is very different than other transit properties that I have encountered.
I have been going through the GTFS data and I have noticed what some may consider bugs or disparities in the data but it's a part of the way MTA has been doing scheduling for decades. This is something, as transit developers, we need to get used to.
MTA (and the former SCRTD) uses what they call LINES. A "LINE" is a single schedule that may contain multiple "ROUTES". For example, Line 152 (Fallbrook/Roscoe) contains the schedule information for routes 152 (the main route), 153 (the alternate route via Sun Valley Station) and the 353 (the limited version of the 152). As mentioned already in the documentation, the limiteds (with the exception of 305) are not shown in the routes.txt because they mirror their parent local routes. But also, when a route has an alternate route under a different route number, it will appear under this line. For example, the 153 will appear with the 152. The route_id in the trips.txt will be 152 and the only way you will distinguish this trip as a 153 is by using the stop_headsign in stop_times.txt.
Another scheduling method that MTA uses is to create two different routes that are not branch or alternate routes but are "interlined" where most buses from one route continue via another route. A couple of good examples of this arrangement includes Line 230, which includes Route 230 (Laurel Canyon) and Route 239 (White Oak/Rinaldi) and Line 243 which includes routes 242 (Tampa) and 243 (Winnetka). In these cases, the trips for both streets show under one route_id. Like with the branch route example shown above, the only way you can distinguish the trips is through the use of the stop_headsign in stop_times.txt. Even worse, there is currently text in the stop_headsign field that says "change route to..." for these types of routes. This will drive confusion from both a developer and from a end-user point of view.
Now while this scheduling junkie does not mind the line level of scheduling, I think that for public facing applications, it would be better to put the route data in at the route level.
This is a new project for Metro. I am always available for consultation.
The way MTA schedules is very different than other transit properties that I have encountered.
I have been going through the GTFS data and I have noticed what some may consider bugs or disparities in the data but it's a part of the way MTA has been doing scheduling for decades. This is something, as transit developers, we need to get used to.
MTA (and the former SCRTD) uses what they call LINES. A "LINE" is a single schedule that may contain multiple "ROUTES". For example, Line 152 (Fallbrook/Roscoe) contains the schedule information for routes 152 (the main route), 153 (the alternate route via Sun Valley Station) and the 353 (the limited version of the 152). As mentioned already in the documentation, the limiteds (with the exception of 305) are not shown in the routes.txt because they mirror their parent local routes. But also, when a route has an alternate route under a different route number, it will appear under this line. For example, the 153 will appear with the 152. The route_id in the trips.txt will be 152 and the only way you will distinguish this trip as a 153 is by using the stop_headsign in stop_times.txt.
Another scheduling method that MTA uses is to create two different routes that are not branch or alternate routes but are "interlined" where most buses from one route continue via another route. A couple of good examples of this arrangement includes Line 230, which includes Route 230 (Laurel Canyon) and Route 239 (White Oak/Rinaldi) and Line 243 which includes routes 242 (Tampa) and 243 (Winnetka). In these cases, the trips for both streets show under one route_id. Like with the branch route example shown above, the only way you can distinguish the trips is through the use of the stop_headsign in stop_times.txt. Even worse, there is currently text in the stop_headsign field that says "change route to..." for these types of routes. This will drive confusion from both a developer and from a end-user point of view.
Now while this scheduling junkie does not mind the line level of scheduling, I think that for public facing applications, it would be better to put the route data in at the route level.
This is a new project for Metro. I am always available for consultation.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
KRXQ: Rob, Arnie and Dawn broadcast on in response to trans youth comments
or download MP3 directly: krxq-20090611.mp3 (17MB, 16/22, mono)
This is an aircheck from KRXQ Sacramento on June 11, 2009. On this 2 hour 30 minute show, the personalities reflect on the events of the past week after a broadcast where those in the GLBT community stated that condoned child abuse and intolerance to the plight of transgender youth.
While the beginning of the show gave the appearance of backpeddling on the show host's part, I feel that overall, the show was very informative and included many guests who have experience with transgender youth.
For me personally, this show brought to closure some recent memories that I had of being abused myself as a child for expressing my femininity.
Just know this, organizations like GLAAD are not out to "change" people but they are out there to educate. Not just the general public but also the corporations who also proudly serve the GLBT community.
Normally, I do not use recnet.com for making positions on GLBT issues, but since this one directly involved using the mass media to express intolerance towards a minority group, I felt it was appropriate to take action.
I am personally doing OK. I thank you for your thoughts.
=m
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Growing up transgender... my perspective on the KRXQ incident
First of all, let me qualify myself to discuss this topic. I am the founder of REC Networks, a 25 year old entity who, for the past 15 or so years has been advocating for the establishment of the Low Power FM (LPFM) radio service, assisted many LPFM applicants through free on-line tools, advocated for the citizen in access to the airwaves issues at the FCC, has come up to bat in situations where questionable applications were filed as well as the operator of one of the leading broadcast database reference tools for the United States and Candada used by broadcasters and hobbyists around the world. Our Canada broadcast suite is the default reference source on Wikipedia. With all of that, I could say that I am definitely a player in the broadcast community.
I am also transgender. You don't need to look any further than some of my old FCC filings to see that. I legally changed my name to Michelle Andrea Eyre in 2006. As a child, I was physically and psychologically abused by my parents for being transgender.
So with that out of the way, I feel highly qualified to speak on the KRXQ broadcast.
As a human being, as a transgender woman, as a godmother and as a fellow broadcaster, I am very appaled by the radio show on KRXQ which advocated abuse such as the throwing of shoes at male children who come out to say that they may be transgender.
I want to say up front that this is not a bash towards men in general, but unfortunately, we continue to live in a day where for some, the male pride of being a father to a boy is a desire by the father of the son to make sure his son grows up to be a man. This would include trying to get his son involved in typical "male" activities (sports, boy's toys, etc.).
Some men have a level of pride where they be embarrased if their son explores their feminine side and acts on that aspect that exists in all humans regardless of the gender. The father may fear that certain types of feminine traits will lead the son to grow up and be homosexual. Many experts have proven time and time again that there is no connection between homosexuality and gender identity. Some fathers may be afraid that they will be humiliated by their other male friends for having a "sissy for a son".
Right now, there are many young boys across this country who are being abused by their fathers (or sometimes even their mothers) for getting caught trying on their sister's clothes, playing with stereotypical female toys, having hobbies that are normally associated with girls or just outright coming out to their parents that they want to be a girl. The abuse could take place on grounds of embarrassment to the family and/or for religious reasons.
In my case, I was physically abused by my father for trying on female clothes as early as 8 years old and I have been verbally abused and intimidated by my mother my entire life. To this day, my parents do not accept my new identity and they deny the abuse that took place early in my life. I had to delay my transition for a long time as a result of this parental intimidation and I had to come to realize that they no longer controlled me. I finally went full time in 2006, 17 years later than I really wanted to.
When it comes to transgendered people, both adults and children, there is always this feel of disgust when the transition is from male to female (MTF), but there is hardly a problem when the transition is the other way. It is socially acceptable for a girl to be a "tomboy" when they are young and many are intrigued by the FTM, the female to male transsexual. FTMs are seen as revolutionaries while MTFs are seen as freaks. Why is that?
I guess what I am trying to say here is that I experienced the type of abuse that was being advocated by Rob and Arnie on the air. What they did is in my opinion, socially unacceptable in this day and age. I can more understand this type of abuse in the 1980's when I was going through my share but in this modern age of tolerance and diversity, it's a shame there are some who still don't get it and even worse, they are allowed to broadcast on a 50,000 watt FM radio station.
I have noticed that there are some who are encouraging members of the community to write the FCC to protest this action. Filing such complaints will not do much as hate speech such as that is technically protected under the First Amendment. Normally, the FCC will not act unless the speech results in a criminal action actually taking place (and we are talking within the Sacramento market here).
I encourage people to continue to contact KRXQ's advertisers as well as the advertisers of Entercom co-owned stations KSSJ, KSEG, KWOD, KDND and KCTC(AM). KRXQ will continue to benefit by revenues brought in by the sister stations in the Entercom Sacramento cluster. These advertisers should be encouraged to withold any advertising on the Entercom stations until significant disciplinary action are placed against Rob Williams and Arnie States for the statements made.
My headband is off to the gutsy national and statewide advertisers such as Snapple, Sonic, AT&T, CKE, and the others who stepped up to suspend their advertising contracts as a result of this broadcast.
If Rob and Arnie was encouraging violence to any specific racial group, I would think that stronger discipline would have taken place. Entercom I must remind you, in California, sexual orientation and gender identity is just as much as a protected group as any other minority group.
Apparently, there will be a show on Thursday morning on KRXQ to discuss this issue. I will be around and I know that I will be listening.
The memories of my years of physical and psychological abuse over my transsexuality will haunt me for the rest of my life. If we can save just one transgender child from this lifelong trauma of parental intolerance, then we are one step ahead.
My message to radio is simple, the plight of transgender children is a real issue and not a "Jerry Springer" freak-show topic. Please address this topic in a professional manner and not make it the butt-end joke of the Morning Zoo.
ABOUT MICHELLE EYRE:
Michelle is the founder of REC Networks, an entity established in 1984 to "entertain, inform and support". Michelle is also known in amateur flat track roller derby as "Michi-chan" and has been producing video programs and writing articles on the sport as it is played in Arizona. Michelle operates Hardcore J, a 24 hour streaming radio station on Live365.com which airs Japanese popular music.
WEB LINKS:
http://www.recnet.com ~ REC Networks
http://www.michichan.com ~ REAL Derby-The Arizona Derby Report
http://www.hardcorej.com ~ Hardcore J
http://www.twitter.com/michichan
MEDIA CONTACT: Michelle A. Eyre - michelle.eyre@recnet.com
###
I am also transgender. You don't need to look any further than some of my old FCC filings to see that. I legally changed my name to Michelle Andrea Eyre in 2006. As a child, I was physically and psychologically abused by my parents for being transgender.
So with that out of the way, I feel highly qualified to speak on the KRXQ broadcast.
As a human being, as a transgender woman, as a godmother and as a fellow broadcaster, I am very appaled by the radio show on KRXQ which advocated abuse such as the throwing of shoes at male children who come out to say that they may be transgender.
I want to say up front that this is not a bash towards men in general, but unfortunately, we continue to live in a day where for some, the male pride of being a father to a boy is a desire by the father of the son to make sure his son grows up to be a man. This would include trying to get his son involved in typical "male" activities (sports, boy's toys, etc.).
Some men have a level of pride where they be embarrased if their son explores their feminine side and acts on that aspect that exists in all humans regardless of the gender. The father may fear that certain types of feminine traits will lead the son to grow up and be homosexual. Many experts have proven time and time again that there is no connection between homosexuality and gender identity. Some fathers may be afraid that they will be humiliated by their other male friends for having a "sissy for a son".
Right now, there are many young boys across this country who are being abused by their fathers (or sometimes even their mothers) for getting caught trying on their sister's clothes, playing with stereotypical female toys, having hobbies that are normally associated with girls or just outright coming out to their parents that they want to be a girl. The abuse could take place on grounds of embarrassment to the family and/or for religious reasons.
In my case, I was physically abused by my father for trying on female clothes as early as 8 years old and I have been verbally abused and intimidated by my mother my entire life. To this day, my parents do not accept my new identity and they deny the abuse that took place early in my life. I had to delay my transition for a long time as a result of this parental intimidation and I had to come to realize that they no longer controlled me. I finally went full time in 2006, 17 years later than I really wanted to.
When it comes to transgendered people, both adults and children, there is always this feel of disgust when the transition is from male to female (MTF), but there is hardly a problem when the transition is the other way. It is socially acceptable for a girl to be a "tomboy" when they are young and many are intrigued by the FTM, the female to male transsexual. FTMs are seen as revolutionaries while MTFs are seen as freaks. Why is that?
I guess what I am trying to say here is that I experienced the type of abuse that was being advocated by Rob and Arnie on the air. What they did is in my opinion, socially unacceptable in this day and age. I can more understand this type of abuse in the 1980's when I was going through my share but in this modern age of tolerance and diversity, it's a shame there are some who still don't get it and even worse, they are allowed to broadcast on a 50,000 watt FM radio station.
I have noticed that there are some who are encouraging members of the community to write the FCC to protest this action. Filing such complaints will not do much as hate speech such as that is technically protected under the First Amendment. Normally, the FCC will not act unless the speech results in a criminal action actually taking place (and we are talking within the Sacramento market here).
I encourage people to continue to contact KRXQ's advertisers as well as the advertisers of Entercom co-owned stations KSSJ, KSEG, KWOD, KDND and KCTC(AM). KRXQ will continue to benefit by revenues brought in by the sister stations in the Entercom Sacramento cluster. These advertisers should be encouraged to withold any advertising on the Entercom stations until significant disciplinary action are placed against Rob Williams and Arnie States for the statements made.
My headband is off to the gutsy national and statewide advertisers such as Snapple, Sonic, AT&T, CKE, and the others who stepped up to suspend their advertising contracts as a result of this broadcast.
If Rob and Arnie was encouraging violence to any specific racial group, I would think that stronger discipline would have taken place. Entercom I must remind you, in California, sexual orientation and gender identity is just as much as a protected group as any other minority group.
Apparently, there will be a show on Thursday morning on KRXQ to discuss this issue. I will be around and I know that I will be listening.
The memories of my years of physical and psychological abuse over my transsexuality will haunt me for the rest of my life. If we can save just one transgender child from this lifelong trauma of parental intolerance, then we are one step ahead.
My message to radio is simple, the plight of transgender children is a real issue and not a "Jerry Springer" freak-show topic. Please address this topic in a professional manner and not make it the butt-end joke of the Morning Zoo.
ABOUT MICHELLE EYRE:
Michelle is the founder of REC Networks, an entity established in 1984 to "entertain, inform and support". Michelle is also known in amateur flat track roller derby as "Michi-chan" and has been producing video programs and writing articles on the sport as it is played in Arizona. Michelle operates Hardcore J, a 24 hour streaming radio station on Live365.com which airs Japanese popular music.
WEB LINKS:
http://www.recnet.com ~ REC Networks
http://www.michichan.com ~ REAL Derby-The Arizona Derby Report
http://www.hardcorej.com ~ Hardcore J
http://www.twitter.com/michichan
MEDIA CONTACT: Michelle A. Eyre - michelle.eyre@recnet.com
###
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Transit: The Scottsdale Way
Last Thursday, I was the witness to the ultimate dog and pony show in the public sector. It was item #5 on the agenda of the Scottsdale Transportation Commission.
With issues looming across the country with our economy, transit agencies nationwide are being forced to look at ways of cutting expenses. This includes canceling capital projects, raising fares and cutting the number of revenue hours of transit service.
Scottsdale, Arizona is no different and is not immune from these budget shortfalls. As a result of a $1.5 million budget shortfall in the transit budget for fiscal year 2009-2010 (which begins July 1, 2009), the city is forced to take measures that will result in cuts made to fixed route transit service.
Proposed changes included:
In public comments, citizens mentioned the value of the 114 to their neighborhood and that alternate services (106 & 512) that were suggested by Scottsdale (transit) staff were not adequate since the 106/512 does not have granular bus stops and in many cases, trips will involve crossing Shea Blvd., an 8-lane divided arterial roadway.
Transit staff introduced some numbers for the 114 in a Powerpoint presentation. In my public comments, I had stated that the ridership data that they are using fails to show any breakdown of the ridership trends on the different week-parts (Monday-Friday, Saturday and Sunday). I told Scottsdale, I oppose a complete cut-off of this service and feel that instead, "slow burn" measures should be implemented that continues to keep a "lifeline" service in the area while cutting revenue miles where they are extremely low and can be cut without being overly impactive. I had suggested that at first, weekend service should be cut. Local residents even went one step further suggesting that the 114 be cut to peak hour service only.
In response to questioning by the Commission about why cutting just weekend service was not considered as an option, the transit manager gave the biggest cop-out of an answer. He said that quality should prevail over quantity and "like our roads, transit should always be available" (in other words, Scottsdale does not only run their roads Monday through Friday, why should they only run their buses Monday through Friday?) and then suggesting that service should be seven days a week like our roads. They also suggested that transit routes that have less of a demand that does not warrant 30 minute headway should be eliminated. Could this be the same attitude why Scottsdale still does not have any fixed route bus service north of the Loop 101?
The Commission, unpleased by staff's explanation told staff to go back and look at other options including the ones that were discussed by citizens at the hearing. The Commission took the testimony as information only and did not take action. Staff has until early June to get a budget to the City Council.
Where Scottsdale fails is that they do not acknowledge that for some, transit is a lifeline, not a choice. By maintaining a fixed route, even with just 60 minute headway on weedays, you are still providing a community lifeline that does not tax the demand response paratransit system. Scottsdale staff is doing a practice which some of us call "economic redlining" by only maintaining routes with significant ridership and lower subsidies while ignoring higher subsidy routes where essentiality precludes most of the subsidy.
In other words, it's OK to operate a route with 60 minute headway and even just on weekdays.
=m
With issues looming across the country with our economy, transit agencies nationwide are being forced to look at ways of cutting expenses. This includes canceling capital projects, raising fares and cutting the number of revenue hours of transit service.
Scottsdale, Arizona is no different and is not immune from these budget shortfalls. As a result of a $1.5 million budget shortfall in the transit budget for fiscal year 2009-2010 (which begins July 1, 2009), the city is forced to take measures that will result in cuts made to fixed route transit service.
Proposed changes included:
- Scottsdale Downtown Trolley: Reduce headway (frequency of service) from 10 to 20 minutes, reduce service span (hours of operation) to end in the 6PM hour with the exception of Thursday night for the Art Walk.
- 66 Mill/68th St: Reduce service span on Saturday to match Sunday schedule.
- 76 Miller: Reduce Saturday headway from 30 to 60 minutes and adjust span to match Sunday service.
- 81 Hayden/McClintock: Reduce Saturday service span to match Sunday.
- 84 Granite Reef: Eliminate route.
- 114 Via Linda: Eliminate route.
- Loloma Station: Reduce operating hours of the pass outlet to split shift peak hours.
In public comments, citizens mentioned the value of the 114 to their neighborhood and that alternate services (106 & 512) that were suggested by Scottsdale (transit) staff were not adequate since the 106/512 does not have granular bus stops and in many cases, trips will involve crossing Shea Blvd., an 8-lane divided arterial roadway.
Transit staff introduced some numbers for the 114 in a Powerpoint presentation. In my public comments, I had stated that the ridership data that they are using fails to show any breakdown of the ridership trends on the different week-parts (Monday-Friday, Saturday and Sunday). I told Scottsdale, I oppose a complete cut-off of this service and feel that instead, "slow burn" measures should be implemented that continues to keep a "lifeline" service in the area while cutting revenue miles where they are extremely low and can be cut without being overly impactive. I had suggested that at first, weekend service should be cut. Local residents even went one step further suggesting that the 114 be cut to peak hour service only.
In response to questioning by the Commission about why cutting just weekend service was not considered as an option, the transit manager gave the biggest cop-out of an answer. He said that quality should prevail over quantity and "like our roads, transit should always be available" (in other words, Scottsdale does not only run their roads Monday through Friday, why should they only run their buses Monday through Friday?) and then suggesting that service should be seven days a week like our roads. They also suggested that transit routes that have less of a demand that does not warrant 30 minute headway should be eliminated. Could this be the same attitude why Scottsdale still does not have any fixed route bus service north of the Loop 101?
The Commission, unpleased by staff's explanation told staff to go back and look at other options including the ones that were discussed by citizens at the hearing. The Commission took the testimony as information only and did not take action. Staff has until early June to get a budget to the City Council.
Where Scottsdale fails is that they do not acknowledge that for some, transit is a lifeline, not a choice. By maintaining a fixed route, even with just 60 minute headway on weedays, you are still providing a community lifeline that does not tax the demand response paratransit system. Scottsdale staff is doing a practice which some of us call "economic redlining" by only maintaining routes with significant ridership and lower subsidies while ignoring higher subsidy routes where essentiality precludes most of the subsidy.
In other words, it's OK to operate a route with 60 minute headway and even just on weekdays.
=m
Sunday, February 01, 2009
My recommendations for some Phoenix service cuts
Here's a brief route by route recommendation for the City of Phoenix for route specific service cuts as a result of the sales tax shortage. Specifically, we need to assure that pre-2000 service levels remain in the core system. I am going mainly after Sunday services, especially those on the half mile streets like Roosevelt, Roeser, 28th Street and even 15th Avenue. Again, these are recommendations only.
0. Shorten peak-hour "shuttle" trips to only operate betwen Central Station and Baseline Rd with a branch and turnaround at Jesse Owens Medical Center. This will reduce equipment requirements and address ongoing neighborhood issues south of Dobbins.
1. No changes recommended.
3. On Sundays, run all eastbound trips on the 48th Street branch. Service west of 48th Street including the zoo discontinued on Sundays. On Sundays, passengers can transfer to Route 1 at 44th Street & Washington to reach the zoo.
3A. Renumber to 4.
7. Discontinue route 7 Limited service. Limited stop services are more needed in other areas of Phoenix.
8. No changes recommended.
10. On Sundays, discontinue service east of Central Station due to 30 minute service duplication a half-mile away on routes 3 & 70. On Sundays, continue to operate hourly service west of Central Station as an interline with Route 27.
12. Discontinue Sunday service. 30 minute half mile duplication on routes 7 and 16.
13. Operate two way service between 67th Avenue and Buckeye and 67th Avenue and Lower Buckeye via 75th Avenue. At 67th Avenue & Lower Buckeye, interline with Route 13. This is intended to improve the service experience and eliminate a 1/3 mile walk from Buckeye and Grant to transfer between 13 and 67 to continue via 67th Avenue.
15. Operate route between Montebello Station and 19th Avenue and Dunlap as limited stop service that emulates light rail service in this area. All stops will be made between 19th & Dunlap and Metrocenter as well as all points south of Montebello Station. Sunday service discontinued south of Montebello due to half mile duplication. Sunday service to Sky Harbor should be examined. If a bus is still warranted, extend hourly Sunday trips on Route 40 to Central Station. On Saturdays and Sundays, improve headway to every 30 minutes north of Montebello Station.
16. Combine with Route 80 to form a single route. Passengers needing to travel north of Northern (to Sunnyslope) can transfer to routes 0, 8 and 12.
17. No changes recommended.
17A. Renumber to 18.
19. No changes recommended.
23. New route number for an Encanto & Thomas (Avondale) service. Replaces route 29A and portions of MARY.
29. Take several peak hour trips and convert them to limited stop service assuring that 20 minute headway is kept on the trunk for local trips.
29A. Extended to Encanto & 51st Avenue replacing portions of MARY. Renumbered 23.
30. No changes recommended.
32. No changes recommended.
35. No changes recommended.
39. On Saturday and Sunday, discontinue service south of Paradise Valley Mall. Connection replaced by Route 44. Weekend short Route 39 trips interlined with Route 186 at Mayo Hospital.
40. On Sundays, extend hourly trips to Central Station replacing portions of Route 15.
41. No changes recommended.
41A. Extend to Campbell & 51st Avenue replacing portions of MARY. Renumber to 46.
43. No changes recommended.
44. No changes recommended.
45. No changes recommended.
50. Extend to Desert Sky Mall via 75th Avenue replacing portions of MARY.
51. No changes recommended.
52. Discontinue service on Sundays, half mile duplication.
56. No changes recommended.
60. On Sundays, shorten east terminal to 24th St. & Camelback. (Old route 60 layover)
61. No changes recommended.
67. Extend south to Lower Buckeye. Interline with Route 13.
70. No changes recommended.
80. Combine with Route 16 to form a single service. Discontinue service to Sunnyslope (see route 16)
90. No changes recommended.
106. No changes recommended.
122. On Sundays, discontinue service south of Metrocenter due to half mile duplication. Interline Sunday service with 15.
138. No changes recommended.
154. No changes recommended.
170. No changes recommended.
186. Interlined with Route 39 on weekends.
400. (SR-51) No changes recommended.
450. (I-10-E) No changes recommended.
460. (I-10-W) Add reverse commute trips timed approximately every 30 to 60 minutes using deadheading resoruces. Reverse commute trips would originate and terminate at Central Station in Downtown.
480. (I-17) Add reverse commute trips between Central Station and Metrocenter approximately every 30 to 60 minutes using deadheading resources of 400 and 480.
581. No changes recommended.
582. No changes recommended.
590. No changes recommended.
ALEX. Eliminate Sunday service.
DASH. No changes recommended.
DART. Reduce weekday and Saturday service to a single direction loop. Eliminate Sunday service.
DEER RUN. Reduce Saturday and Sunday service to every 60 minutes. Review Sunday ridership for eventual elimination.
MARY. Eliminate service. Replaced by portons of routes 23 (29A), 46 (41A) and 50.
0. Shorten peak-hour "shuttle" trips to only operate betwen Central Station and Baseline Rd with a branch and turnaround at Jesse Owens Medical Center. This will reduce equipment requirements and address ongoing neighborhood issues south of Dobbins.
1. No changes recommended.
3. On Sundays, run all eastbound trips on the 48th Street branch. Service west of 48th Street including the zoo discontinued on Sundays. On Sundays, passengers can transfer to Route 1 at 44th Street & Washington to reach the zoo.
3A. Renumber to 4.
7. Discontinue route 7 Limited service. Limited stop services are more needed in other areas of Phoenix.
8. No changes recommended.
10. On Sundays, discontinue service east of Central Station due to 30 minute service duplication a half-mile away on routes 3 & 70. On Sundays, continue to operate hourly service west of Central Station as an interline with Route 27.
12. Discontinue Sunday service. 30 minute half mile duplication on routes 7 and 16.
13. Operate two way service between 67th Avenue and Buckeye and 67th Avenue and Lower Buckeye via 75th Avenue. At 67th Avenue & Lower Buckeye, interline with Route 13. This is intended to improve the service experience and eliminate a 1/3 mile walk from Buckeye and Grant to transfer between 13 and 67 to continue via 67th Avenue.
15. Operate route between Montebello Station and 19th Avenue and Dunlap as limited stop service that emulates light rail service in this area. All stops will be made between 19th & Dunlap and Metrocenter as well as all points south of Montebello Station. Sunday service discontinued south of Montebello due to half mile duplication. Sunday service to Sky Harbor should be examined. If a bus is still warranted, extend hourly Sunday trips on Route 40 to Central Station. On Saturdays and Sundays, improve headway to every 30 minutes north of Montebello Station.
16. Combine with Route 80 to form a single route. Passengers needing to travel north of Northern (to Sunnyslope) can transfer to routes 0, 8 and 12.
17. No changes recommended.
17A. Renumber to 18.
19. No changes recommended.
23. New route number for an Encanto & Thomas (Avondale) service. Replaces route 29A and portions of MARY.
29. Take several peak hour trips and convert them to limited stop service assuring that 20 minute headway is kept on the trunk for local trips.
29A. Extended to Encanto & 51st Avenue replacing portions of MARY. Renumbered 23.
30. No changes recommended.
32. No changes recommended.
35. No changes recommended.
39. On Saturday and Sunday, discontinue service south of Paradise Valley Mall. Connection replaced by Route 44. Weekend short Route 39 trips interlined with Route 186 at Mayo Hospital.
40. On Sundays, extend hourly trips to Central Station replacing portions of Route 15.
41. No changes recommended.
41A. Extend to Campbell & 51st Avenue replacing portions of MARY. Renumber to 46.
43. No changes recommended.
44. No changes recommended.
45. No changes recommended.
50. Extend to Desert Sky Mall via 75th Avenue replacing portions of MARY.
51. No changes recommended.
52. Discontinue service on Sundays, half mile duplication.
56. No changes recommended.
60. On Sundays, shorten east terminal to 24th St. & Camelback. (Old route 60 layover)
61. No changes recommended.
67. Extend south to Lower Buckeye. Interline with Route 13.
70. No changes recommended.
80. Combine with Route 16 to form a single service. Discontinue service to Sunnyslope (see route 16)
90. No changes recommended.
106. No changes recommended.
122. On Sundays, discontinue service south of Metrocenter due to half mile duplication. Interline Sunday service with 15.
138. No changes recommended.
154. No changes recommended.
170. No changes recommended.
186. Interlined with Route 39 on weekends.
400. (SR-51) No changes recommended.
450. (I-10-E) No changes recommended.
460. (I-10-W) Add reverse commute trips timed approximately every 30 to 60 minutes using deadheading resoruces. Reverse commute trips would originate and terminate at Central Station in Downtown.
480. (I-17) Add reverse commute trips between Central Station and Metrocenter approximately every 30 to 60 minutes using deadheading resources of 400 and 480.
581. No changes recommended.
582. No changes recommended.
590. No changes recommended.
ALEX. Eliminate Sunday service.
DASH. No changes recommended.
DART. Reduce weekday and Saturday service to a single direction loop. Eliminate Sunday service.
DEER RUN. Reduce Saturday and Sunday service to every 60 minutes. Review Sunday ridership for eventual elimination.
MARY. Eliminate service. Replaced by portons of routes 23 (29A), 46 (41A) and 50.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
A different idea for the fare increase.
I sent my official comments today to Valley Metro regarding the fare increase. I filed comments in support of a fare increase however, I do not support how they are proposing to do the changes.
Specifically, I feel that we should be looking at first targeting the peak hour riders as well as the express riders while lightening the impact on the off-peak transit dependent riders.
Specifically, I am asking that Valley Metro consider the following fare structure:
Local buses and light rail
I support a peak hour fare structure where specific bus trips (those that have 80% of the running time of the trip between 6AM-8:30AM or between 3:30PM-6:00PM) are being ridden. Peak hour fares would also apply to single ride light rail tickets purchased between those hours. In addition, day passes purchased on those trips (or during those times at the light rail fare vending machines (FVM)) would be applied at the peak hour rates. Peak fares would not applied to pre-purchased day passes (from a transit center or retailer), multi-day media, platinum, juror and courtesy passes as well as rural connector service.
Fares would be:
One ride - full fare: 2.00 on peak/1.50 off peak
One ride - reduced fare: 2.00 on peak/0.75 off peak
Day pass purchased on bus/FVM - full fare: 4.00 on peak/3.00 off peak
Day pass purchased on bus/FVM - reduced fare: 4.00 on peak/1.50 off peak
Day pass advance purchase: $3.00 full fare/$1.50 reduced fare
5 day pass: $15.00 full fare/$7.50 reduced fare
31 day pass: $59.00 full fare/$28.00 reduced fare
I would propose to eliminate the 3 and 7 day passes and replace them with a 5 day pass.
Express fares
I would propose that express fares become distance separate using a specific process for measuring mileage. I propose to create 4 express fare zones.
Express fares would be...
Zone 1 (0-8 miles) 2.50 cash/5.00 day/24.00 5-day/96.00 monthly
Zone 2 (8-16 miles) 3.00 cash/6.00 day/28.50 5-day/116.00 monthly
Zone 3 (16-24 miles) 3.50 cash/7.00 day/33.00 5-day/136.00 monthly
Zone 4 (24+ miles) 4.00 cash/8.00 day/37.50 5-day/156.00 monthly
Express zones...
Zone 1: Routes 510, 512, 570 and 582.
Zone 2: All RAPID routes, Routes 520/521, 531, 532, 536, 540, 541, 562, 572, 573, 575, 581 and 590.
Zone 3: 533, 535, 542 & 571
Zone 4: none right now but the regional transportation plan (RTP) calls for routes coming in from Buckeye, Anthem, ASU Polytechnic and near Apache Junction. Once implemented, those services would be in Zone 4.
No matter what they increase the fares to, it is needed to maintain a level of service. Hopefully as the economy recovers, we may see more services come back.
It's a sad day in Arizona.
=m
Ro
Specifically, I feel that we should be looking at first targeting the peak hour riders as well as the express riders while lightening the impact on the off-peak transit dependent riders.
Specifically, I am asking that Valley Metro consider the following fare structure:
Local buses and light rail
I support a peak hour fare structure where specific bus trips (those that have 80% of the running time of the trip between 6AM-8:30AM or between 3:30PM-6:00PM) are being ridden. Peak hour fares would also apply to single ride light rail tickets purchased between those hours. In addition, day passes purchased on those trips (or during those times at the light rail fare vending machines (FVM)) would be applied at the peak hour rates. Peak fares would not applied to pre-purchased day passes (from a transit center or retailer), multi-day media, platinum, juror and courtesy passes as well as rural connector service.
Fares would be:
One ride - full fare: 2.00 on peak/1.50 off peak
One ride - reduced fare: 2.00 on peak/0.75 off peak
Day pass purchased on bus/FVM - full fare: 4.00 on peak/3.00 off peak
Day pass purchased on bus/FVM - reduced fare: 4.00 on peak/1.50 off peak
Day pass advance purchase: $3.00 full fare/$1.50 reduced fare
5 day pass: $15.00 full fare/$7.50 reduced fare
31 day pass: $59.00 full fare/$28.00 reduced fare
I would propose to eliminate the 3 and 7 day passes and replace them with a 5 day pass.
Express fares
I would propose that express fares become distance separate using a specific process for measuring mileage. I propose to create 4 express fare zones.
Express fares would be...
Zone 1 (0-8 miles) 2.50 cash/5.00 day/24.00 5-day/96.00 monthly
Zone 2 (8-16 miles) 3.00 cash/6.00 day/28.50 5-day/116.00 monthly
Zone 3 (16-24 miles) 3.50 cash/7.00 day/33.00 5-day/136.00 monthly
Zone 4 (24+ miles) 4.00 cash/8.00 day/37.50 5-day/156.00 monthly
Express zones...
Zone 1: Routes 510, 512, 570 and 582.
Zone 2: All RAPID routes, Routes 520/521, 531, 532, 536, 540, 541, 562, 572, 573, 575, 581 and 590.
Zone 3: 533, 535, 542 & 571
Zone 4: none right now but the regional transportation plan (RTP) calls for routes coming in from Buckeye, Anthem, ASU Polytechnic and near Apache Junction. Once implemented, those services would be in Zone 4.
No matter what they increase the fares to, it is needed to maintain a level of service. Hopefully as the economy recovers, we may see more services come back.
It's a sad day in Arizona.
=m
Ro
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
The top 5 mistakes in the introduction of Phoenix light rail
Light rail is new to us here in Phoenix. This is not the first light rail implementation that I have experienced. I have also experienced many of the service changes that took place as a result of the implementation of light rail in Los Angeles. Some implementations such as the Blue Line and especially the Gold Line had some significant bus interface changes.
Several years ago, I had proposed several light rail interface fixed-route bus service changes some were somewhat implemented because they made sense, others were not used at all.
But now, here are the Top-5 issues that I have with the service changes:
5. Route 72 routing around the Tempe Transportation Center.
Tempe did something really nice at the University-Rural station, they placed a mini-transit center at the station for the 72 and two Orbit routes. But, they also kept the 72 going into the Downtown Tempe Transportation Center. I ask why? Downtown Tempe is already loaded up with service and with traffic. The 72 already interfaces at University-Rural and between the light rail and two Orbit routes, there's plenty of capacity between Downtown Tempe Transportation Center and University-Rural. This is also consistent with the changes made to the 81 to take that out of Downtown Tempe (Which I supported). The 72 is already a very very long route and has been very prone to delays. Cutting a little bit of running time will help the route's on-time performance.
4. No changes made to Route 16.
Most of the routes that cross the streets that make up the light rail alignment do so naturally and many of these routes cross the alignment at stations. Some routes, such as the 30, 45, 60, 96 and 104 were modified to serve stations. One of those routes, 104 resulted in a 1.5 mile deviation to the route. While many of these changes were made by Mesa and Phoenix made sense, I still do not understand why no changes were made to the 16. The 16 crosses the alignment at Jefferson/Washington but with the stations at 12th and 24th Streets, the 16 is a half mile from one station and a full mile to another. A simple deviation of the 16 over to the 12th St. Station could have been done to bring this route to the LRT.
3. What Mesa did with the 104.
Now Mesa did several things here. First of all, they put the 104 into the Sycamore Station but they also took the route out of the Senior Center and put it into Mesa Riverview. WHY? Mesa could have prevented the launching of the BUZZ shuttle if they just have kept the 104 on it's current routing. With the 104 going into the Sycamore Station, they did not have to re-route the north terminal to the Riverview. A transfer could have been made at the Station to reach the Riverview on the 96. With the BUZZ not interfacing the light rail, there is no true link between Center Street in the heart of Downtown Mesa and the light rail.
2. Frequency of service north of Montebello on Route 15
The 15 replaced a section of the old Red Line. This is a very very very highly ridden segment, especially since it's a direct link to Metrocenter. When the Red Line was around, it had 15 minute headway (frequency of service) and 30 on the weekends. With extending the 15 along this section, the 15's headway came with it (30 weekdays and 60 weekends). With the 15 being the primary link between the light rail and the city's second largest transit center, why are we causing such a substantial bottleneck (1:3 ratio on weekdays and 1:4 ratio on weekends). I feel that the City of Phoenix could have lightened that load by putting additional service on the 15 north of Montebello only. I feel that north of Montebello, route 15 should provide service every 15 minutes on weekday peak hours, 30 minutes on weekday base and evening hours and every 30 minutes on weekends. South of Montebello, service should continue to be every 30 minutes weekdays and every 60 minutes weekends. There is no need to change the south end of the 15 since a viable method for accessing the airport (44th Street Station to the Airport Shuttle) is available.
and now for what I feel was the biggest mistake....
1. Creation of the Valley Metro Link
I really think this was a really bad idea. The idea of trying to use a limited stop bus on a street that has not been tried or tested with a local route first. Because this alignment has not had service before and there is not a major demand for service in this area yet, the Link only has about a 5-7 minute improvement over the local route 40 along the route between Superstition Springs Mall and the Sycamore Station. Instead of the Main St. Link, express trips from Superstition Springs Park & Ride to Sycamore Station during peak hours should have been established. I feel that there are better candidates for limited stop service, such as reassigning some of the resources that are doing Pima-bound local trips on the 29 and making those Pima-bound limited stop between 67th Avenue and 44th Street with full stops outside that area. Now, they are looking at doing one for Country Club/Arizona Avenue, a street that right now does not have weekday service after 7PM or any weekend service.
If they worried less about marketing and bringing the service to where it is needed, we would have the services where the people need it instead of creating a second class of service.
Opinions are those of my own as a private citizen only. They do not reflect the opinions of the RPTA or any member agency or contractor.
Several years ago, I had proposed several light rail interface fixed-route bus service changes some were somewhat implemented because they made sense, others were not used at all.
But now, here are the Top-5 issues that I have with the service changes:
5. Route 72 routing around the Tempe Transportation Center.
Tempe did something really nice at the University-Rural station, they placed a mini-transit center at the station for the 72 and two Orbit routes. But, they also kept the 72 going into the Downtown Tempe Transportation Center. I ask why? Downtown Tempe is already loaded up with service and with traffic. The 72 already interfaces at University-Rural and between the light rail and two Orbit routes, there's plenty of capacity between Downtown Tempe Transportation Center and University-Rural. This is also consistent with the changes made to the 81 to take that out of Downtown Tempe (Which I supported). The 72 is already a very very long route and has been very prone to delays. Cutting a little bit of running time will help the route's on-time performance.
4. No changes made to Route 16.
Most of the routes that cross the streets that make up the light rail alignment do so naturally and many of these routes cross the alignment at stations. Some routes, such as the 30, 45, 60, 96 and 104 were modified to serve stations. One of those routes, 104 resulted in a 1.5 mile deviation to the route. While many of these changes were made by Mesa and Phoenix made sense, I still do not understand why no changes were made to the 16. The 16 crosses the alignment at Jefferson/Washington but with the stations at 12th and 24th Streets, the 16 is a half mile from one station and a full mile to another. A simple deviation of the 16 over to the 12th St. Station could have been done to bring this route to the LRT.
3. What Mesa did with the 104.
Now Mesa did several things here. First of all, they put the 104 into the Sycamore Station but they also took the route out of the Senior Center and put it into Mesa Riverview. WHY? Mesa could have prevented the launching of the BUZZ shuttle if they just have kept the 104 on it's current routing. With the 104 going into the Sycamore Station, they did not have to re-route the north terminal to the Riverview. A transfer could have been made at the Station to reach the Riverview on the 96. With the BUZZ not interfacing the light rail, there is no true link between Center Street in the heart of Downtown Mesa and the light rail.
2. Frequency of service north of Montebello on Route 15
The 15 replaced a section of the old Red Line. This is a very very very highly ridden segment, especially since it's a direct link to Metrocenter. When the Red Line was around, it had 15 minute headway (frequency of service) and 30 on the weekends. With extending the 15 along this section, the 15's headway came with it (30 weekdays and 60 weekends). With the 15 being the primary link between the light rail and the city's second largest transit center, why are we causing such a substantial bottleneck (1:3 ratio on weekdays and 1:4 ratio on weekends). I feel that the City of Phoenix could have lightened that load by putting additional service on the 15 north of Montebello only. I feel that north of Montebello, route 15 should provide service every 15 minutes on weekday peak hours, 30 minutes on weekday base and evening hours and every 30 minutes on weekends. South of Montebello, service should continue to be every 30 minutes weekdays and every 60 minutes weekends. There is no need to change the south end of the 15 since a viable method for accessing the airport (44th Street Station to the Airport Shuttle) is available.
and now for what I feel was the biggest mistake....
1. Creation of the Valley Metro Link
I really think this was a really bad idea. The idea of trying to use a limited stop bus on a street that has not been tried or tested with a local route first. Because this alignment has not had service before and there is not a major demand for service in this area yet, the Link only has about a 5-7 minute improvement over the local route 40 along the route between Superstition Springs Mall and the Sycamore Station. Instead of the Main St. Link, express trips from Superstition Springs Park & Ride to Sycamore Station during peak hours should have been established. I feel that there are better candidates for limited stop service, such as reassigning some of the resources that are doing Pima-bound local trips on the 29 and making those Pima-bound limited stop between 67th Avenue and 44th Street with full stops outside that area. Now, they are looking at doing one for Country Club/Arizona Avenue, a street that right now does not have weekday service after 7PM or any weekend service.
If they worried less about marketing and bringing the service to where it is needed, we would have the services where the people need it instead of creating a second class of service.
Opinions are those of my own as a private citizen only. They do not reflect the opinions of the RPTA or any member agency or contractor.
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Phoenix Light Rail - One Week Later
Well... we have now had a light rail system in Phoenix for one week now. I have taken several rides on the train (since I work in Downtown PHX and also, I work for transit.. so it would only make sense). Now, while the system was free, people flocked to the train like people flocking to Six Flags' newest coaster. Many people wanted to try it out and ride it because "it was free".
Now that the "free" part has been removed from the equation, let's see where we are now. Before the light rail, I was a frequent rider of the 1-Washington and the Red Line. The 1 buses have always been pretty empty and the Red Line was filled with every walk of life and in some cases, the odors to go wih them. This is why I preferred riding the 1. (Also, because on weekends, the Red Line was operated by a different contractor and I found myself having to guide them through the route).
The people I have been seeing on the light rail are not the same people who have been riding the buses. I am seeing more older folks, more families and more people who have realized that they can either park their car at a station and get on the train or they live near the alignment.
While there are many riders on the trains who are dependent on transit, I am noticing a lot of riders on here who have the option to drive but are using transit. This is more than just your typical express riders.
When I ride a train here, I feel like I am in a more progressive city riding the trains such as San Francisco, Portland or Denver. I have been able to strike up some good conversations, both with and without the lanyard (identifying me as a Valley Metro employee) on. Most of my experiences since I moved back to Arizona 13 years ago is there's a lot of animosity and a lot of people with a "me" attitude. This can be seen in various aspects of Valley life, especially on the freeways.
But for some reason, the people who have been riding the trains do not meet that criteria of animosity. They are getting out, chatting with total strangers and exploring. The way I see it, it's a support group meeting in Phoenix that meets every 10 minutes.
There have been a couple of minor problems. I have noticed stops that are not being called by the automatic annunciator system (especially this early in the game when blind riders may not know all the stations yet to be able to count stops as a contingency). We are supposed to have next train displays and announcements at the stations, those are not working. Also, it would be nice if Valley Metro publishes a more detailed schedule.
There have been a couple of accidents where people have ran the lights and ran in front of railcars.
I have been hearing complaints about the traffic signal coordination and that the train seems to get stuck at red lights even though the train is supposed to have signal priority. I have not seen much of this in Phoenix. I have been noticing it more in Tempe. Perhaps it's just me.
There are many fun opportunities along the rail. In addition to Chase Field and US Airways Arena, the venue for the Renegade Rollergirls, the 5th & Madison Event Center is within walking distance of the trains.
Now that the Red Line is gone, I am more likely to ride the rails on Saturdays (except derby nights) instead of driving in.
This system has given me a new outlook on this city.
Arizona...
Welcome to my light rail sytem.. I am proud of it.
This is your light rail system too... I hope you are proud of it.
Now that the "free" part has been removed from the equation, let's see where we are now. Before the light rail, I was a frequent rider of the 1-Washington and the Red Line. The 1 buses have always been pretty empty and the Red Line was filled with every walk of life and in some cases, the odors to go wih them. This is why I preferred riding the 1. (Also, because on weekends, the Red Line was operated by a different contractor and I found myself having to guide them through the route).
The people I have been seeing on the light rail are not the same people who have been riding the buses. I am seeing more older folks, more families and more people who have realized that they can either park their car at a station and get on the train or they live near the alignment.
While there are many riders on the trains who are dependent on transit, I am noticing a lot of riders on here who have the option to drive but are using transit. This is more than just your typical express riders.
When I ride a train here, I feel like I am in a more progressive city riding the trains such as San Francisco, Portland or Denver. I have been able to strike up some good conversations, both with and without the lanyard (identifying me as a Valley Metro employee) on. Most of my experiences since I moved back to Arizona 13 years ago is there's a lot of animosity and a lot of people with a "me" attitude. This can be seen in various aspects of Valley life, especially on the freeways.
But for some reason, the people who have been riding the trains do not meet that criteria of animosity. They are getting out, chatting with total strangers and exploring. The way I see it, it's a support group meeting in Phoenix that meets every 10 minutes.
There have been a couple of minor problems. I have noticed stops that are not being called by the automatic annunciator system (especially this early in the game when blind riders may not know all the stations yet to be able to count stops as a contingency). We are supposed to have next train displays and announcements at the stations, those are not working. Also, it would be nice if Valley Metro publishes a more detailed schedule.
There have been a couple of accidents where people have ran the lights and ran in front of railcars.
I have been hearing complaints about the traffic signal coordination and that the train seems to get stuck at red lights even though the train is supposed to have signal priority. I have not seen much of this in Phoenix. I have been noticing it more in Tempe. Perhaps it's just me.
There are many fun opportunities along the rail. In addition to Chase Field and US Airways Arena, the venue for the Renegade Rollergirls, the 5th & Madison Event Center is within walking distance of the trains.
Now that the Red Line is gone, I am more likely to ride the rails on Saturdays (except derby nights) instead of driving in.
This system has given me a new outlook on this city.
Arizona...
Welcome to my light rail sytem.. I am proud of it.
This is your light rail system too... I hope you are proud of it.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Greetings from West Philly!
Greetings from Philadelphia. I am here to visit with the Prometheus Radio Project, an organization that is involved in the establishment of community radio stations in the US and around the world.
For those of you in derby, you may not be familiar with some of the activities that I do outside of derby. Well, long before derby, I have been involved with supporting the establishment of Low Power FM (LPFM) broadcast stations here in the United States. I operate a LPFM information site, lpfm.ws. We (Prometheus folks and myself) are going to be traveling to Washington DC for various activities. This includes me visiting my counterparts at the FCC for the first time.
As someone who has lived in the west most of her life, it has been a bit of a challenge adjusting to winter weather. But it is nice to see snow.
I was going to leave on Saturday morning, but because of the storm that came through Philly, I decided to leave on a Friday night red-eye flight, which looked like a better chance of me getting on (those who are familiar with airline employee non-revenue travel can understand what I mean). Despite what Dan The Plumber says about me sleeping in his truck on rides back from Tucson bouts, I can not sleep on a plane. Therefore, I was up the entire time. My laptop has a shit battery so I could not use it for too long but fortunately, this was one America West operated flight where the in-flight entertainment (music) actually worked so I pretty much had that keep me entertained. I had a center seat, fortunately it was not the last row in the plane.
I arrive in Philly at about 5:30AM. I take a cab from the airport to the home of Pete Tridish (the founder of Prometheus). One thing I like about Philadelphia is the regulated nature of the cabs. It cost me a $26 flat fare from the airport to get to the city. Not bad.
The home where Pete lives in as a turn-of-the-century three story home along Baltimore Avenue in West Philadelphia. This specific home was previously used as a squat house for runaways teens who pretty much took over the once vacant house. A lot of the memories of those days are still in the house. So you will find portions of the house with exposed walls, exposed plumbing, slogans, bumper stickers and news clippings, etc on the wall. In many ways, it's very artsy. But despite that, the house is habitable. They call the house (K)notsquat.
Myself, due to internet connectivity issues, I am staying with one of the other Prometheus staffers that is within walking distance of the Prometheus headquarters and (K)notsquat. It's also a nice 3 story, 6-bedroom home, like most of the homes in this neighborhood. I really like this place.
I forgot to mention on Friday, I injured my right leg on the job. I was moving large boxes on a handtruck and forgot about a table and I hit it pretty hard. So I am right now nursing that injury and the cold weather is not helping that.
Since Friday morning, I had been up straight through Saturday afternoon. I was finally able to get a nap on Saturday afternoon and I was able to get a full night's sleep between Saturday night and this morning.
Today, I will be working with Prometheus to try to bring some alignment of the REC vision for LPFM with that of Prometheus and I am hoping to get Prometheus to take on some of the positions we have taken on LPFM that they have not really even taken on in the past.
When I get to DC, I am being told that one of the activists who will be there is a rollergirl from San Antonio. I am going to assume she's from Alamo City Rollergirls. This will be an interesting meeting. I did bring my camera. I just did not bring my plaid skirt .. lol.
I will be coming back Wednesday. With this injury and my exhaustion from travelling, I am definitely not going to be skating that night.
Until then, keep warm. I am trying to here. (*^u^*)
With derby loveMichi-chan=m
For those of you in derby, you may not be familiar with some of the activities that I do outside of derby. Well, long before derby, I have been involved with supporting the establishment of Low Power FM (LPFM) broadcast stations here in the United States. I operate a LPFM information site, lpfm.ws. We (Prometheus folks and myself) are going to be traveling to Washington DC for various activities. This includes me visiting my counterparts at the FCC for the first time.
As someone who has lived in the west most of her life, it has been a bit of a challenge adjusting to winter weather. But it is nice to see snow.
I was going to leave on Saturday morning, but because of the storm that came through Philly, I decided to leave on a Friday night red-eye flight, which looked like a better chance of me getting on (those who are familiar with airline employee non-revenue travel can understand what I mean). Despite what Dan The Plumber says about me sleeping in his truck on rides back from Tucson bouts, I can not sleep on a plane. Therefore, I was up the entire time. My laptop has a shit battery so I could not use it for too long but fortunately, this was one America West operated flight where the in-flight entertainment (music) actually worked so I pretty much had that keep me entertained. I had a center seat, fortunately it was not the last row in the plane.
I arrive in Philly at about 5:30AM. I take a cab from the airport to the home of Pete Tridish (the founder of Prometheus). One thing I like about Philadelphia is the regulated nature of the cabs. It cost me a $26 flat fare from the airport to get to the city. Not bad.
The home where Pete lives in as a turn-of-the-century three story home along Baltimore Avenue in West Philadelphia. This specific home was previously used as a squat house for runaways teens who pretty much took over the once vacant house. A lot of the memories of those days are still in the house. So you will find portions of the house with exposed walls, exposed plumbing, slogans, bumper stickers and news clippings, etc on the wall. In many ways, it's very artsy. But despite that, the house is habitable. They call the house (K)notsquat.
Myself, due to internet connectivity issues, I am staying with one of the other Prometheus staffers that is within walking distance of the Prometheus headquarters and (K)notsquat. It's also a nice 3 story, 6-bedroom home, like most of the homes in this neighborhood. I really like this place.
I forgot to mention on Friday, I injured my right leg on the job. I was moving large boxes on a handtruck and forgot about a table and I hit it pretty hard. So I am right now nursing that injury and the cold weather is not helping that.
Since Friday morning, I had been up straight through Saturday afternoon. I was finally able to get a nap on Saturday afternoon and I was able to get a full night's sleep between Saturday night and this morning.
Today, I will be working with Prometheus to try to bring some alignment of the REC vision for LPFM with that of Prometheus and I am hoping to get Prometheus to take on some of the positions we have taken on LPFM that they have not really even taken on in the past.
When I get to DC, I am being told that one of the activists who will be there is a rollergirl from San Antonio. I am going to assume she's from Alamo City Rollergirls. This will be an interesting meeting. I did bring my camera. I just did not bring my plaid skirt .. lol.
I will be coming back Wednesday. With this injury and my exhaustion from travelling, I am definitely not going to be skating that night.
Until then, keep warm. I am trying to here. (*^u^*)
With derby loveMichi-chan=m
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Is Roller Derby Really A Sport?
This is a reply to a blog entry made by Arizona Derby Dames' co-founder Suzy Homewrecker about the legitimacy of today's roller derby as a sport. I thought I would share it here.
Was Roller Derby A Sport? Yes and No.
When I was growing up as a young kid in the mid-1970's, I remember watching the banked track roller derby on TV. When I was about 5 or 6, I thought that all skating was done on a banked track like the roller derby. Imagine the feeling when I visited my first roller rink in Kennesaw GA at the age of 7 to discover that the floor was flat. I figured at the time, OK, this makes it easier. When I was a kid, I remember the girls and guys skating in periods. I did not understand the scoring but I remember the arena announcer yelling "FHHIIIIVE TEEEE-BIIIRRRD POINTS!!". Yes, there was the drama of Georgia Hase, oops. that's MIZZ Georgia Hase but I did not think anything of it. My conclusion was that this is sport, like baseball, football and stock car racing. As I got older, I was introduced to the WWF. This was during the time of personalities like Classy Freddie Blassie, Rowdy Roddy Piper and King Kong Bundy (the latter I eventually met in person at a CES in Las Vegas). When I watched the moves these wrestlers were making and all of the in-between drama (which was significantly less than today's WWE), I came to the conclusion that this was fake and it was not a sport. Then I remembered all of that roller derby I used to watch and still occasionally saw at the time. I made the determination that derby was fake and the moves were choreographed for entertainment. The nail was put in derby's coffin when "Rollergames" aired with commentary by wanna-be conservative blowhard, the late Wally George. (Interesting enough, George used to advertise T-Bird roller derby on his show before Rollergames came around).
Is Today's Roller Derby A Sport? Yes and Yes!
After more years of growing up and rediscovering myself, I had pretty much forgotten about derby and regarded it as something of a bygone era until I saw a report in 2006 on KTLA out of Los Angeles (I get some LA stations on my dish here in PHX) about the L A Derby Dolls. It was the same style banked track but there was some distinct differences. First of all, the clean cut uniforms has been replaced with punk t-shirts, tattoos, fishnets and piercings. Did I also mention that the guys were gone? (I never liked watching the guys anyway, their style of play was not as fun as watching the girls.) My first reaction was "OMG, roller derby still exists? And they have improved on it!".
Not Only Is Derby A Sport, But The People In Derby Are Real.
Again, I did not think anything of it until my next door neighbor came over to borrow my computer, she does on occasion. Anyway, I decide to check out her Myspace site. In the profile, were a bunch of references to AZDD and Coffin Draggers. Turns out my next door neighbor was a former AZDD and Renegades skater. So, I checked out AZDD on my own. Recalling the KTLA report, I thought to myself, "OMG, they actually have that here? (in AZ)" Turns out that one of the places that sells tickets is a place that I have done business with for years and I personally knew the owner. I went down there to inquire about their connection with derby and it turns out that the owner is a popular skater. That was it. I'm hooked. I looked further into the league. I got refamiliarized with the sport's basics, rules, scoring, etc. I then looked further into the league and started participating in the AZDD Fan Forum and showed up at some events. I eventually became known as "Michi-chan Scrapper Fan" (The name Michi-chan has it's origins well outside of derby). The AZDD folks have been nothing but accommodating to me.
Even The Injuries Are Real.
I finally lost my rollervirginity on April 21, 2007 when my favorite team The School Yard Scrappers (why I attached myself to this speicific team is a totally different story) lost to the Bombshells 87-46 and I saw my newly made friend whom I immediately gained a lot of respect for in a short period of time, fall on her back in the second period of the bout and had to be carried out on a stretcher.
Take It From This Insider.
As a non-skater who has had an opprotunity to put her foot slightly on the inside of AZDD, I can tell you that AZDD (and AZRD) are real sport. The skating is real, the moves are real, the take downs are real and most importantly, the injuries are real. Now, there may be a time or two where something is pre-planned (such as Red Rocker giving me my first real taste of derby just before the June bout during the entrances.), but what you see from buzzer to buzzer is the real thing. If you want to experience true real derby, get to the venue early and get trackside (just remember to stay behind the buffer line and don't place kids in the very front) to get the best derby experience. In AZDD, we have signs on the floors that say "Watch for flying skaters." Just watch the highlight videos, you will see what I mean.
We'll see you at the bout!
=m
Was Roller Derby A Sport? Yes and No.
When I was growing up as a young kid in the mid-1970's, I remember watching the banked track roller derby on TV. When I was about 5 or 6, I thought that all skating was done on a banked track like the roller derby. Imagine the feeling when I visited my first roller rink in Kennesaw GA at the age of 7 to discover that the floor was flat. I figured at the time, OK, this makes it easier. When I was a kid, I remember the girls and guys skating in periods. I did not understand the scoring but I remember the arena announcer yelling "FHHIIIIVE TEEEE-BIIIRRRD POINTS!!". Yes, there was the drama of Georgia Hase, oops. that's MIZZ Georgia Hase but I did not think anything of it. My conclusion was that this is sport, like baseball, football and stock car racing. As I got older, I was introduced to the WWF. This was during the time of personalities like Classy Freddie Blassie, Rowdy Roddy Piper and King Kong Bundy (the latter I eventually met in person at a CES in Las Vegas). When I watched the moves these wrestlers were making and all of the in-between drama (which was significantly less than today's WWE), I came to the conclusion that this was fake and it was not a sport. Then I remembered all of that roller derby I used to watch and still occasionally saw at the time. I made the determination that derby was fake and the moves were choreographed for entertainment. The nail was put in derby's coffin when "Rollergames" aired with commentary by wanna-be conservative blowhard, the late Wally George. (Interesting enough, George used to advertise T-Bird roller derby on his show before Rollergames came around).
Is Today's Roller Derby A Sport? Yes and Yes!
After more years of growing up and rediscovering myself, I had pretty much forgotten about derby and regarded it as something of a bygone era until I saw a report in 2006 on KTLA out of Los Angeles (I get some LA stations on my dish here in PHX) about the L A Derby Dolls. It was the same style banked track but there was some distinct differences. First of all, the clean cut uniforms has been replaced with punk t-shirts, tattoos, fishnets and piercings. Did I also mention that the guys were gone? (I never liked watching the guys anyway, their style of play was not as fun as watching the girls.) My first reaction was "OMG, roller derby still exists? And they have improved on it!".
Not Only Is Derby A Sport, But The People In Derby Are Real.
Again, I did not think anything of it until my next door neighbor came over to borrow my computer, she does on occasion. Anyway, I decide to check out her Myspace site. In the profile, were a bunch of references to AZDD and Coffin Draggers. Turns out my next door neighbor was a former AZDD and Renegades skater. So, I checked out AZDD on my own. Recalling the KTLA report, I thought to myself, "OMG, they actually have that here? (in AZ)" Turns out that one of the places that sells tickets is a place that I have done business with for years and I personally knew the owner. I went down there to inquire about their connection with derby and it turns out that the owner is a popular skater. That was it. I'm hooked. I looked further into the league. I got refamiliarized with the sport's basics, rules, scoring, etc. I then looked further into the league and started participating in the AZDD Fan Forum and showed up at some events. I eventually became known as "Michi-chan Scrapper Fan" (The name Michi-chan has it's origins well outside of derby). The AZDD folks have been nothing but accommodating to me.
Even The Injuries Are Real.
I finally lost my rollervirginity on April 21, 2007 when my favorite team The School Yard Scrappers (why I attached myself to this speicific team is a totally different story) lost to the Bombshells 87-46 and I saw my newly made friend whom I immediately gained a lot of respect for in a short period of time, fall on her back in the second period of the bout and had to be carried out on a stretcher.
Take It From This Insider.
As a non-skater who has had an opprotunity to put her foot slightly on the inside of AZDD, I can tell you that AZDD (and AZRD) are real sport. The skating is real, the moves are real, the take downs are real and most importantly, the injuries are real. Now, there may be a time or two where something is pre-planned (such as Red Rocker giving me my first real taste of derby just before the June bout during the entrances.), but what you see from buzzer to buzzer is the real thing. If you want to experience true real derby, get to the venue early and get trackside (just remember to stay behind the buffer line and don't place kids in the very front) to get the best derby experience. In AZDD, we have signs on the floors that say "Watch for flying skaters." Just watch the highlight videos, you will see what I mean.
We'll see you at the bout!
=m
Friday, May 18, 2007
412!!?!?! WHAT'S A 412?
This is a popular expression on the W0KIE Satellite Radio Network. It's a line from a Stan Freeburg comedy release called "Christmas Dragnet", in which the character "Grudge" who does not believe in anything was being read a whole bunch of charges. One of those charges is a "412", in which Grudge replies "Four-twelve! What's a four-twelve?".
On these classic cop shows like Dragnet, Adam 12 and even CHiPs which are based on California law enforcement, you may hear the 3 digit codes for various offenses. Some of the most popular ones you will hear are:
187 - Homicide
211 - Armed Robbery
415 - Civil Disturbance
502 - Driving Under the Influence
These codes come from the California Penal Code.
With that in mind, what is a 412? Well, interestingly enough, section 412 specifies the legality of exhibitions of amateur boxing. That's right boxing.
Here's a copy of Sec. 412 of the CPC (including the longest sentence I have ever seen...):
Regardless, Byron, you now know what a 412 really is.
On these classic cop shows like Dragnet, Adam 12 and even CHiPs which are based on California law enforcement, you may hear the 3 digit codes for various offenses. Some of the most popular ones you will hear are:
187 - Homicide
211 - Armed Robbery
415 - Civil Disturbance
502 - Driving Under the Influence
These codes come from the California Penal Code.
With that in mind, what is a 412? Well, interestingly enough, section 412 specifies the legality of exhibitions of amateur boxing. That's right boxing.
Here's a copy of Sec. 412 of the CPC (including the longest sentence I have ever seen...):
- 412. Any person, who, within this state, engages in, or instigates, aids, encourages, or does any act to further, a pugilistic contest, or fight, or ring or prize fight, or sparring or boxing exhibition, taking or to take place either within or without this state, between two or more persons, with or without gloves, for any price, reward or compensation, directly or indirectly, or who goes into training preparatory to such pugilistic contest, or fight, or ring or prize fight, or sparring or boxing exhibition, or acts as aider, abettor, backer, umpire, referee, trainer, second, surgeon, or assistant, at such pugilistic contest, or fight, or ring or prize fight, or sparring or boxing exhibition, or who sends or publishes a challenge or acceptance of a challenge, or who knowingly carries or delivers such challenge or acceptance, or who gives or takes or receives any tickets, tokens, prize, money, or thing of value, from any person or persons, for the purpose of seeing or witnessing any such pugilistic contest, or fight, or ring or prize fight, or sparring or boxing exhibition, or who, being the owner, lessee, agent, or occupant of any vessel, building, hotel, room, enclosure or ground, or any part thereof, whether for gain, hire, reward or gratuitously or otherwise,
permits the same to be used or occupied for such a pugilistic contest, or fight, or ring or prize fight, or sparring or boxing exhibition, or who lays, makes, offers or accepts, a bet or bets, or wager or wagers, upon the result or any feature of any pugilistic contest, or fight, or ring or prize fight, or sparring or boxing exhibition, or acts as stakeholder of any such bet or bets, or wager or wagers, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction
thereof, shall be fined not less than one hundred dollars nor more than one thousand dollars and be imprisoned in the county jail not less than thirty days nor exceeding one year; provided, however, that amateur boxing exhibitions may be held within this state, of a limited number of rounds, not exceeding four of the duration of three minutes each; the interval between each round shall be one minute, and the contestants weighing one hundred and forty-five pounds or over shall wear gloves of not less than eight ounces each in weight, and contestants weighing under one hundred and forty-five pounds may wear gloves of not less than six ounces each in weight. - All gloves used by contestants in such amateur boxing exhibitions shall be so constructed, as that the soft padding between the outside coverings shall be evenly distributed over the back of said gloves and cover the knuckles and back of the hands.
- And no bandages of any kind shall be used on the hands or arms of the contestants.
- For the purpose of this statute an amateur boxing exhibition shall be and is hereby defined as one in which no contestant has received or shall receive in any form, directly or indirectly, any money, prize, reward or compensation either for the expenses of training for such contest or for taking part therein, except as herein expressly provided.
- Nor shall any person appear as contestant in such amateur exhibition who prior thereto has received any compensation or reward in any form for displaying, exercising or giving any example of his skill in or knowledge of athletic exercises, or for rendering services of any kind to any athletic organization or to any person or persons as trainer, coach, instructor or otherwise, or who shall have been employed in any manner professionally by reason of his athletic skill or knowledge; provided, however, that a medal or trophy may be
awarded to each contestant in such amateur boxing exhibitions, not to exceed in value the sum of $35.00 each, which such medal or trophy must have engraved thereon the name of the winner and the date of the event; but no portion of any admission fee or fees charged or received for any amateur boxing exhibition shall be paid or given to any contestant in such amateur boxing exhibition, either directly or indirectly, nor shall any gift be given to or received by such contestants for participating in such boxing exhibition, except said
medal or trophy. - At every amateur boxing exhibition held in this state and permitted by this section of the Penal Code, any sheriff, constable, marshal, policeman or other peace officer of the city, county or other political subdivision, where such exhibition is being held, shall have the right to, and it is hereby declared to be his duty to stop such exhibition, whenever it shall appear to him that the contestants are so unevenly matched or for any other reason, the
said contestants have been, or either of them, has been seriously injured or there is danger that said contestants, or either of them, will be seriously injured if such contest continues, and he may call to his assistance in enforcing his order to stop said exhibition, as many peace officers or male citizens of the state as may be necessary for that purpose. - Provided, further, that any contestant who shall continue to participate in such exhibition after an order to stop such exhibition shall have been given by such peace officer, or who shall violate any of the regulations herein prescribed, for governing amateur boxing exhibitions, shall be deemed guilty of violating this section of the Penal Code and subject to the punishment herein provided.
- Nothing in this section contained shall be construed to prevent any county, city and county, or incorporated city or town from prohibiting, by ordinance, the holding or conducting of any boxing exhibition, or any person from engaging in any such boxing exhibition therein.
Regardless, Byron, you now know what a 412 really is.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
This Is Not Your Dad's Roller Derby
Growing up as a kid in Southern California, I grew up watching the Los Angeles T-Birds roller derby matches at the old Grand Olympic Auditorium. A few years ago, I remember stumbling back into the old 1970's-era matches on ESPN Classic. I still cringe at the archiac sports video quality from that era. To this day, I will sometimes yell out when I am excited about something "FI-I-I-I-I-VE T-BIRD POINTS!!!!". I did not care much for the men, but it was fun watching the girls engaging in those moving cat-fights on the banked track. To me, I found this more exciting than professional wrestling (with the exception of the tackyness of GLOW).
While traditional roller derby still exists, I also saw a very interesting story on KTLA awhile back about a resurgence of banked track roller sport that is more on the dark side. This story outlined the Los Angeles Derby Dolls, a group of girls bringing roller derby into the 21st century. Their slogan "skates, skirts, scars" really describes the high-speed action that crosses sport, live music and the tattoo scene.
While checking out the myspace page of one of my neighbors, I discovered that we have a similar league (not sure if they refer to them as "leagues") out here. The Arizona Derby Dames consists of several teams including the Coffin Draggers and the School Yard Scrappers. They are having an event coming up a week from Saturday (3/24/07) here in Phoenix.
Myself, I am not into the dark/tattoo scene (yet a good chunk of my wardrobe is black), I would be more of into the lolita scene, but I can say, this roller derby sounds like a lot of fun! I would love to see it someday! Hope it spreads, but does not go corporate. GALS-- KEEP ON THRASHING!!!!
While traditional roller derby still exists, I also saw a very interesting story on KTLA awhile back about a resurgence of banked track roller sport that is more on the dark side. This story outlined the Los Angeles Derby Dolls, a group of girls bringing roller derby into the 21st century. Their slogan "skates, skirts, scars" really describes the high-speed action that crosses sport, live music and the tattoo scene.
While checking out the myspace page of one of my neighbors, I discovered that we have a similar league (not sure if they refer to them as "leagues") out here. The Arizona Derby Dames consists of several teams including the Coffin Draggers and the School Yard Scrappers. They are having an event coming up a week from Saturday (3/24/07) here in Phoenix.
Myself, I am not into the dark/tattoo scene (yet a good chunk of my wardrobe is black), I would be more of into the lolita scene, but I can say, this roller derby sounds like a lot of fun! I would love to see it someday! Hope it spreads, but does not go corporate. GALS-- KEEP ON THRASHING!!!!
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Where's the Cox repairperson??
We found all of the missing Cox cable repairmen who you were promised would come to fix your internet or cable service weeks ago. They are all at this hotel in Ahwatukee, AZ. It's unknown when they will come out. Better call Qwest.
Monday, February 26, 2007
My first visit to GDB to meet my new friend
Yesterday, I decided to make my second 
"non-rev adventure" since I have been working for US Airways. I decided to make a trip up to San Francisco International Airport and then continued on the Marin Airporter (note: portions of site not blind friendly) to San Rafael, CA. My final destination, the campus of Guide Dogs for the Blind. I was going up there to meet my best friend who is currently going through a 3-week "retrain" course where she will obtain a new guide dog. For the past couple of months, I have been my best friend's "guide" in many situations. All it takes is some skill, patience and a good elbow. But after she gets back from GDB, my elbow will be pretty much retired.
I arrived at GDB just before noon and was greeted by the instructor on duty at the time. I was given the quick 5-cent tour of the dorm area and led to my friend's dorm room. They were under the impression that I may be coming but was not sure. When you work for an airline and you fly space-available, you only travel if there is room on the plane after all paying customers have been handled. The day before I left, it showed my flight being oversold. Fortunately, by the morning, there were some canceled reservations and eventually some "no-shows" at the gate which resulted in more seats being available. For a flight that was supposedly at one time oversold, it left with empty seats.
I was then introduced to my friend's dorm-mate. A local girl from Berkeley who was getting a new dog. Her new dog Alberta is a female golden retriever. We all then closed the doors of the dorm and allowed Erica and Alberta to play. It was fun to watch them playing over a bone. Erica is definitely the dominant one. There were a lot of smiles in that room that day. It is very important that guide dogs have "off-duty" time. Even though us in the sighted world may see them as serious service animals (for which they are), they also recreate like other dogs do. But when the harness comes on, it's time to start working.
"non-rev adventure" since I have been working for US Airways. I decided to make a trip up to San Francisco International Airport and then continued on the Marin Airporter (note: portions of site not blind friendly) to San Rafael, CA. My final destination, the campus of Guide Dogs for the Blind. I was going up there to meet my best friend who is currently going through a 3-week "retrain" course where she will obtain a new guide dog. For the past couple of months, I have been my best friend's "guide" in many situations. All it takes is some skill, patience and a good elbow. But after she gets back from GDB, my elbow will be pretty much retired.There are two training paths at GDB. The full training path for someone who has never had a guide dog before. This is a 4-week class. There is also the retrain course where those who have had a dog in the past can sharpen their skills and receive their new dog. In the case of my friend, she had a dog in the past from Leader Dogs who eventually had to be retired. She is really looking forward to her new dog.
The day that the GDB student looks forward to is "Dog Day" (or sometimes called "D-Day"). This is the day they are introduced to their new guide dog. For a retrain, this is usually later in the day of the first day. This is after some final touch-up work with "Juno", an empty harness that is guided by an instructor to put the students through various situations that could come up. On D-Day, my friend was introduced to her new guide dog Erica. Erica is a female yellow lab who (I believe) was raised in Arizona.
I arrived at GDB just before noon and was greeted by the instructor on duty at the time. I was given the quick 5-cent tour of the dorm area and led to my friend's dorm room. They were under the impression that I may be coming but was not sure. When you work for an airline and you fly space-available, you only travel if there is room on the plane after all paying customers have been handled. The day before I left, it showed my flight being oversold. Fortunately, by the morning, there were some canceled reservations and eventually some "no-shows" at the gate which resulted in more seats being available. For a flight that was supposedly at one time oversold, it left with empty seats.My friend answered the door after apparently a late sleep-in (I tried calling her on the way up to advise that I was in SFO and I was on the way). I gave her a big hug but I was also focused on Erica. She was in a tie-down area next to the bed. The tie-down area consists of a rug (the rest of the dorm room has no carpeting) and about a 4-foot cable attached to the wall. This is where the guide dog is secured at night and at other times since it is very possible that dorm room doors can be opened up and dogs, the creatures they are, are subject to "bolt". The tie-downs are there for the protection of the dog and the person who are working for.
I was then introduced to my friend's dorm-mate. A local girl from Berkeley who was getting a new dog. Her new dog Alberta is a female golden retriever. We all then closed the doors of the dorm and allowed Erica and Alberta to play. It was fun to watch them playing over a bone. Erica is definitely the dominant one. There were a lot of smiles in that room that day. It is very important that guide dogs have "off-duty" time. Even though us in the sighted world may see them as serious service animals (for which they are), they also recreate like other dogs do. But when the harness comes on, it's time to start working.The students of this GDB class are being given a new design of harness (see page 2 of the PDF), which I have been told is the first class to receive this new design harness. The main feature of the new design is a plastic disconnect clamp where you push both plastic pieces together to disconnect the strap. This replaces the old "belt buckle" style of fastener. The new design harness seems to also do a lot better in the reflection department which will make the harness much more visible at night. The handle also detatches from the harness so the user of the dog can keep the dog "in harness" but take the handle off for long periods of sitting (such as working at a desk or airline travel).
The saddest point of the day was 
when I had to leave GDB to return to SFO to get my flight going home. I was looking at an 8PM flight through Las Vegas to come back to Phoenix and was planning to call into the Marlaina show on ACB Radio to talk a little about the day. I decided to take a 6:15PM flight directly to Phoenix and I called into the show during a time which I thought was "open forum" but she still had a guest on (my cellphone was dying and I did not want to spend a lot of time on Dial-A-Stream). I did talk very fast about it but she really wanted to talk about the subject. I was embarrassed. I still somewhat kick myself for that. Oh well.. I just wanted everyone to know what a great day I had. I returned home about 5 hours before I was thinking I would be home.
when I had to leave GDB to return to SFO to get my flight going home. I was looking at an 8PM flight through Las Vegas to come back to Phoenix and was planning to call into the Marlaina show on ACB Radio to talk a little about the day. I decided to take a 6:15PM flight directly to Phoenix and I called into the show during a time which I thought was "open forum" but she still had a guest on (my cellphone was dying and I did not want to spend a lot of time on Dial-A-Stream). I did talk very fast about it but she really wanted to talk about the subject. I was embarrassed. I still somewhat kick myself for that. Oh well.. I just wanted everyone to know what a great day I had. I returned home about 5 hours before I was thinking I would be home.I spend a lot of time here exploring the world of blind-friendly electronic gadgets but I can tell that the best form of adaptive technology is not even technology, it is life. My friend graduates on March 10. I really hope I will be able to get the time off to be there. If I don't make it, I will be there in spirit.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
A new meaning to the term "nose gear"
An interesting thing happened to me today. I have been having car problems. Shawn recently replaced the EGR in our vehicle to eliminate a bucking problem. This was a problem that I thought was with the transmission. Since the EGR installation, the buck stopped here.
Now today, I was driving one of my blind friends and her guide dog around. I discover that suddenly the car stopped moving forward. I literally moved it into 2nd gear to get it going. I call Shawn, he meets me in a parking lot. Before I did that, I did some experiments in an open area of the parking lot. I made a very interesting discovery.
I have concluded her dog nudged the gear shift from Drive to Neutral. Over the years, the labeling of the gear shift had degraded and therefore I have no way to know what gear my car is in. I just count the clicks. I am really surprised how easy it is to change from drive to neutral in a 1997 Kia Sephia. Anyway, puppy spent the rest of the trip in the back seat. I still love these guide dogs. Maybe I should become a puppy raiser.
Have fun all!
Now today, I was driving one of my blind friends and her guide dog around. I discover that suddenly the car stopped moving forward. I literally moved it into 2nd gear to get it going. I call Shawn, he meets me in a parking lot. Before I did that, I did some experiments in an open area of the parking lot. I made a very interesting discovery.
I have concluded her dog nudged the gear shift from Drive to Neutral. Over the years, the labeling of the gear shift had degraded and therefore I have no way to know what gear my car is in. I just count the clicks. I am really surprised how easy it is to change from drive to neutral in a 1997 Kia Sephia. Anyway, puppy spent the rest of the trip in the back seat. I still love these guide dogs. Maybe I should become a puppy raiser.
Have fun all!
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Call Your Stops! It's The Law! but call them clearly.
When I used to live in Southern California, I used to follow the operations of the Southern California Rapid Transit District (RTD), which eventually became the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA). When a bus operator was given their assignment for the day, it was placed on a piece of paper called a "paddle". The term "paddle" goes back to the old days when the bus run assignments and times were printed on wooden boards that looked like paddles.
In the RTD/MTA world, there is a message on all of the paddles that reads "Call Your Stops! It's The Law". A reminder to operators to follow the provisions of the ADA that require transit operators to call stops.
Some transit operators have looked at various ways to call the stops. In cities like Denver and Chicago, there are automated voice announcements on the rail system to announce the next stop. On some other systems, such as here in Phoenix, GPS based automated stop calling systems are used. Unfortunately, the GPS systems are sometimes inaccurate and therefore will not always call the correct stop or not call the stop until the bus passes the stop.
The one thing that these automated systems have in common is that the systems use the same voice throughout the system on each bus/train. This means that a blind user or other patron who is dependent on the stops being called will always hear the familar voice instead of the different voices of different operators.
On a recent trip to the San Francisco Bay Area, I have decided to ride BART from SFO Airport to the city.
The BART station platforms have synthesized speech systems that are used to advise of current trains on the platform as well as the departure times of future trains.
With my recent exploration into issues that affect the blind and visually impaired, I decided to try something. I decided to take my seat and close my eyes (I was tired from the trip already) and I was planning to depend on BART to properly call the stop in order for me to determine which stop to get off at.
The first thing I have noticed was that the quality of the speaker in the train was very bad. It was almost up there as the stereotypical fast-food restaurant drive-thru speaker. Not only that, but the train operator had some lingual difficulty saying the station names. Oh yeah, did I mention that BART still uses their train operators and not an automated system to call the stops on board the trains?
Now, even though I am familiar to the basics of BART, I am not totally familiar with the stations along the route, especially the names and locations of stations along Market St. So, I came on board this BART train, unfamilar with the system and depended on BART to get me to the right station.
I needed to get off at the Powell St. station. I was meeting my sister in Union Square.
As we get closer, I have noticed mumbling that sounds like "Civic Center". I knew that was one of the stations along the route but I did not know how many stations there was between Civic Center and Powell. I do know if I was to hear something like "Embarcadero", I better get off that train or else I will wind up in Oakland. After Civic Center, I have heard something that sounded like "Pawastree". Because I needed to go see my sister, I opened my eyes and noticed, yes, I am at Powell St. I exited the train.
I think that my experiment has proven that a blind, visually impaired or other user who is visiting a particular city (like San Francisco) can not always depend on the names of the stations being clearly called. Seasoned users of the system may be able to count stops to their station but for us visitors, we are at the mercy of the train operators, at least when we are riding BART.
I really hope this changes soon.
p.s. I did the same experiment on the way back to the airport. I was able to hear the stops much clearer on that train and I was able to exit the train to the SFO station.
In the RTD/MTA world, there is a message on all of the paddles that reads "Call Your Stops! It's The Law". A reminder to operators to follow the provisions of the ADA that require transit operators to call stops.
Some transit operators have looked at various ways to call the stops. In cities like Denver and Chicago, there are automated voice announcements on the rail system to announce the next stop. On some other systems, such as here in Phoenix, GPS based automated stop calling systems are used. Unfortunately, the GPS systems are sometimes inaccurate and therefore will not always call the correct stop or not call the stop until the bus passes the stop.
The one thing that these automated systems have in common is that the systems use the same voice throughout the system on each bus/train. This means that a blind user or other patron who is dependent on the stops being called will always hear the familar voice instead of the different voices of different operators.
On a recent trip to the San Francisco Bay Area, I have decided to ride BART from SFO Airport to the city.
The BART station platforms have synthesized speech systems that are used to advise of current trains on the platform as well as the departure times of future trains.
With my recent exploration into issues that affect the blind and visually impaired, I decided to try something. I decided to take my seat and close my eyes (I was tired from the trip already) and I was planning to depend on BART to properly call the stop in order for me to determine which stop to get off at.
The first thing I have noticed was that the quality of the speaker in the train was very bad. It was almost up there as the stereotypical fast-food restaurant drive-thru speaker. Not only that, but the train operator had some lingual difficulty saying the station names. Oh yeah, did I mention that BART still uses their train operators and not an automated system to call the stops on board the trains?
Now, even though I am familiar to the basics of BART, I am not totally familiar with the stations along the route, especially the names and locations of stations along Market St. So, I came on board this BART train, unfamilar with the system and depended on BART to get me to the right station.
I needed to get off at the Powell St. station. I was meeting my sister in Union Square.
As we get closer, I have noticed mumbling that sounds like "Civic Center". I knew that was one of the stations along the route but I did not know how many stations there was between Civic Center and Powell. I do know if I was to hear something like "Embarcadero", I better get off that train or else I will wind up in Oakland. After Civic Center, I have heard something that sounded like "Pawastree". Because I needed to go see my sister, I opened my eyes and noticed, yes, I am at Powell St. I exited the train.
I think that my experiment has proven that a blind, visually impaired or other user who is visiting a particular city (like San Francisco) can not always depend on the names of the stations being clearly called. Seasoned users of the system may be able to count stops to their station but for us visitors, we are at the mercy of the train operators, at least when we are riding BART.
I really hope this changes soon.
p.s. I did the same experiment on the way back to the airport. I was able to hear the stops much clearer on that train and I was able to exit the train to the SFO station.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Learning Braille
Last Thursday, I started taking a class that will hopefully hold out to be interesting. I am starting to learn Braille Transcription. This class is taking place at The Foundation For Blind Children in Phoenix, AZ. This course, which only starts once a year and goes through the entire year prepares students to take the Braille Transcription Certification from the Library of Congress.
Certified Braille transcribers are responsible for the translations of books, texts and even sheet music into Braille. Many of them work on a volunteer basis for many organizations. While there are other options these days for the blind to experience literary works such as through audio books or through "e-books", there will always be a need for paper publications written in Braille.
American Braille is done in two "grades". Grade 1 Braille is simply the alphabet, punctuation and various special punctuation marks specific to Braille. Grade 2 Braille takes what was learned in Grade 1 but then makes commonly used words and syllables into a more contracted format for a more compact document. In some ways, I associate learning Grade 1 Braille as like learning Japanese hiragana and katakana where learning Grade 2 Braille is like learning Japanese kanji. The training I am going through is intended to make me proficient in Grade 2 Braille.
Myself, I want the skills taught in this course to be able to understand Grade 2 Braille and be able to use it for both writing (either using a computer driven embosser, through the use of a manual brailler or the good ol' slate and stylus) and reading (by touch, not viewing the paper). I don't know how deep this course will get into reading by touch, so I have taken the liberty to learn this piece myself. I am hoping that someday, my Braille and adaptive technology skills will allow me to advance in my current job or allow me to find employment elsewhere.
While I have always a fairly close connection to the blind community and an interest in adaptive technology, I think this new found interest is partially motivated by my current employer. I am very happy that they are trying to do their best to make the workplace adaptive to those with visual impairments. Unfortunately, we still have a long way to go. While we may have adaptive technology like JAWS for Windows, we still have ancient ancillary equipment in the office that hinders full accessibility and we also have to educate others in the workplace such as management, the union and other peers on the adaptive technology that we use, why it is important and what else can be done to make the workplace accessible for our current employees as well as future employees with disabilities.
I am currently very involved with this initiative and I am proud to say I have made many new friends as a result of this relationship. I look forward to a very prosperous and productive 2007 for everyone who is involved with this initiative.
Certified Braille transcribers are responsible for the translations of books, texts and even sheet music into Braille. Many of them work on a volunteer basis for many organizations. While there are other options these days for the blind to experience literary works such as through audio books or through "e-books", there will always be a need for paper publications written in Braille.
American Braille is done in two "grades". Grade 1 Braille is simply the alphabet, punctuation and various special punctuation marks specific to Braille. Grade 2 Braille takes what was learned in Grade 1 but then makes commonly used words and syllables into a more contracted format for a more compact document. In some ways, I associate learning Grade 1 Braille as like learning Japanese hiragana and katakana where learning Grade 2 Braille is like learning Japanese kanji. The training I am going through is intended to make me proficient in Grade 2 Braille.
Myself, I want the skills taught in this course to be able to understand Grade 2 Braille and be able to use it for both writing (either using a computer driven embosser, through the use of a manual brailler or the good ol' slate and stylus) and reading (by touch, not viewing the paper). I don't know how deep this course will get into reading by touch, so I have taken the liberty to learn this piece myself. I am hoping that someday, my Braille and adaptive technology skills will allow me to advance in my current job or allow me to find employment elsewhere.
While I have always a fairly close connection to the blind community and an interest in adaptive technology, I think this new found interest is partially motivated by my current employer. I am very happy that they are trying to do their best to make the workplace adaptive to those with visual impairments. Unfortunately, we still have a long way to go. While we may have adaptive technology like JAWS for Windows, we still have ancient ancillary equipment in the office that hinders full accessibility and we also have to educate others in the workplace such as management, the union and other peers on the adaptive technology that we use, why it is important and what else can be done to make the workplace accessible for our current employees as well as future employees with disabilities.
I am currently very involved with this initiative and I am proud to say I have made many new friends as a result of this relationship. I look forward to a very prosperous and productive 2007 for everyone who is involved with this initiative.
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