Fare Gate Money Shot: Beta-testing Union Station

Friday, August 7, 2009—They've got you coming and going, but they still don't know which way to do it. The new fare gates are being forcibly beta-tested in an unsuspecting public—by an incompetent Metro managing staff. (We know it is not the fault of Metro employees; either Metro executives need to monitor the beta-testing—and I understand that there are cameras to do exactly that—or the boobs upstairs need to figure out what should be done and STICK WITH IT.)

During the course of the day, Browne and I went through Union Station twice. The first time was round noon, and we observed that passengers were being directed to exit to the right. (see video 01, below) The second time was round 3 p.m. and people were being directed to exit through the same turnstiles as those entering. The result? A bottleneck as nearly everyone attempted to go through the one widest "turnstile." (see video 02)

Faregates_Union_01

Faregates_Union_02

Of course, it could be that Metro is testing which way is best. What is annoying is that people are being forced to be guinea pigs on a Friday afternoon rush hour at Union Station. You know, the place where the Gold Line trains leave just as straphangers reach the top steps after hurriedly exiting the Red Line down below, going through throngs of people awaiting bag searches by the LASD brown-shirts desperate to retain their contract with the Red Line segments, dodging confused tourists looking for the Greyhound motor coaches amid the Metrolink commuters and honking golf-carts full of Amtrak passengers and then up that third of three considerable sets of stairs that starts this long-winded train-wreck of a sentence. I suppose one should be thankful that the subsequent Gold Line train will not arrive for another ten minutes, so one can rest after that obstacle course—on one of three little benches.

But back to today's Metro Faregate Gate: which way will we go, Metro? The gates are obviously made to accommodate traffic both ways, so why not ask a competent mass transit authority how best to figure out this little problem before it blows up even larger?

Fortunately, The Bus Bench's Browne Molyneux was on hand to show us how to do it.

BrownFaregateEntry_Union

Like the man from Metro says, "Yeah. . .there ya go!"

-BusTard

Comments

[Fred Camino]

lol great stuff

[Spokker]

I saw the following things during my five minutes of observing people encountering the Metro fare gates.

1. An older couple is coming from the Red Line toward the west portal and sees the gates. The woman says, "I think we have to go the other way." They start to head back down to the platforms and to the east portal without gates. I walk toward them and tell them that the fare gates are just in testing mode and that they should just walk through.

2. A man takes his heavy bag, lifts it above his head and walks through the turnstiles. What happens when someone lifts up their bag to get it over the turnstiles, overestimates their strength and drops it on somebody?

3. Not surprisingly, people tapping their paper passes.

4. A small crowd exits the Purple Line and makes their way up to the west portal. There is actually some delay as the fare gates succumb to this small Purple Line crowd. I wonder how it's going to do when Metrolink trains are spurting their loads all over the east portal...

5. This one is hard to explain, but people walking across the area in front of the gates to get to the gate without a turnstile. This causes others to have to stop for the cyclist to pass, delaying things even more. Before this wasn't a problem because the cyclist could just continue on.

These fare gates are a failure so far and I see long term problems rearing their ugly heads when they are fully implemented. How can they handle Metrolink when people are already queuing up to walk through free-spinning gates?

[Erik]

TAP and faregate turnstile implementation is such a Cluster-fuck!

And I love the sloppy attempt at impersonating a fare-inspector which involves:

1) A neon Metro vest
2) No official identification.

Setting a bad precedent? Not only that, some of the "staff" who are demanding to see your form-of-payment are CUBIC employees!

Boy I bet the ATU and the LASD's Deputies union (is there one?) will be happy learning that!

[Erik]

P.S. If anyone is looking for a Greyhound bus at Union Station...um, well...I guess one or two of the Amtrak Thruway runs are operated by Greyhound?

[Crazy Commuter]

I went during rush hour this morning just to see what it was like (I usually get to work via Norwalk/Green Line and go home via Union Station). It seemed like most people just went to the other side to avoid the fare gates...