The five biggest lies about highway tolls

Written by Jim Cameron
Wednesday, 01 February 2012 00:00

Like it or not, get ready to pay tolls on our interstates and parkways. Transportation officials in Hartford say there’s just no other way to raise badly needed money for over-due infrastructure repairs. Tolls may not be popular, but neither are collapsing bridges.

In the last decade’s debate on highway tolling, here are the five biggest lies that opponents have used to stall the return of highway tolls:

• The federal government won’t let us: Also known as “We’ll have to return millions in federal funding.” Not true, as US DOT officials told us at a SWRPA-sponsored meeting in Westport years ago. The federal government regularly allows tolls to be used as traffic mitigation and revenue raising tools.

Congress Tells Commuters ... ‘Drop Dead’

Written by Jim Cameron
Wednesday, 18 January 2012 00:00

Back in 1975, when New York City was teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, then- President Ford declined to offer help, and the NY Daily News headline screamed “Ford to City: Drop Dead.”

Last month, the U.S. Congress said about the same thing to us users of mass transit.

In their quagmire of inaction, bickering and partisanship, they let expire an important tax benefit to commuters: whether you drove or took mass transit, you used to be able to spend up to $230 a month in pre-tax dollars to fund your commute.

But by not acting to extend the law, that benefit dropped to $125 a month for riders of mass transit, but increased to $240 a month for drivers’ parking expenses.

‘The Passenger Pledge’

Written by Jim Cameron
Tuesday, 03 January 2012 17:23

Never let a crisis go to waste. With that philosophy, the CT Rail Commuter Council has turned last July’s stranding of a train full of desperate passengers into something which will benefit every rider of Metro-North: “The Passenger Pledge.”

That incident, on the hottest day of the year, showed several failures on the part of the railroad — poor communications, lack of coordination with first responders, and the need for better training of conductors. While the railroad has taken the first tentative steps to remedy those problems, The Commuter Council wanted to go further.

At the suggestion of State Sen. Toni Boucher, in August the Council drafted a “Passenger Bill of Rights,” enumerating what passengers should expect in exchange for a ticket. Some of those “rights” seemed pretty obvious — heat in the winter, AC in the summer, lighting and clean rest rooms.

We even dared to suggest that every passenger should get a seat, a concept quickly rejected by the railroad.

Quiet Cars arrive on Metro-North in Connecticut

Written by Jim Cameron
Wednesday, 21 December 2011 00:00

More than 10 years ago the CT Rail Commuter Council first proposed the idea of Quiet Cars on Metro-North. They seemed to work just fine on Amtrak, first introduced in 2001 at the request of passengers. Other commuter lines across the U.S. had also adopted the idea, usually to great acclaim.

For the most part, the rules are self-enforced by passengers. Those whose phones start ringing are quickly reminded they are in the wrong car, and they usually move. There have been exceptions, including a celebrated case last spring on Amtrak when a woman was arrested for yacking for 16 hours on her cell phone and refusing to move from the Quiet Car.

Winter on Metro-North

Written by Jim Cameron
Wednesday, 07 December 2011 00:00

It may not officially start until Dec. 21, but winter is already on the minds of Metro-North and its 125,000 daily commuters.

We all remember what happened last year with bad storms, train breakdowns and a month of reduced service (fewer trains and fewer cars).

Well, though I can’t forecast the weather, I can safely predict another tough winter for the railroad and its passengers.

I honestly believe that Metro-North wants to run an all-weather railroad and does all it can to prep our aging fleet of 40-year-old cars. But the old cars’ poor design probably means that more break-downs are inevitable.

Saving money going to NYC

Written by Jim Cameron
Wednesday, 30 November 2011 00:00

With a fare hike coming Jan. 1, and with holiday visits to Manhattan, this is a good time to revisit some money-saving strategies for riding Metro-North:

Buy tickets before fare hike

If you’re sure you’ll use them before they expire, buy 10-trips before Dec. 31, 2011 and you’ll lock in lower fares, avoiding the 5+% fare hike New Year’s Day.

Transitchek

For commuters, see if your employer subscribes to this fabulous service, which allows workers to buy up to $230 per month in mass transit by using pre-tax dollars. If you’re in the upper tax brackets, that’s a huge savings. A recent survey shows that 45% of all New York City companies offer TransitChek, which can be used on trains, subways and even ferries.

Travel: There are apps for that

Written by Jim Cameron
Wednesday, 16 November 2011 00:00

Perhaps no industry has done a better job of adapting to consumer tech platforms than the travel biz. Given the complexity of travel choices and the powerful new handheld devices we all carry, it seems a perfect match. So, here are a few of my favorite apps and sites to make travel a breeze.

Clever commute

This free E-mail and Twitter-based service allows commuters to text each other in real time and describe problems in their train rides on Metro-North. Though some contributors tend to cry “fire,” Clever Commute has on most occasions been faster and more accurate than Metro-North in describing problems on the trains. More info at clevercommute.com

Train time

This Web site and mobile app are Metro-North’s attempt to give riders real-time info on individual trains and their delays. But I’ve found it unreliable, reporting “good service” when trains were obviously delayed. Still, I’ll give the railroad points for trying.

What Metro-North can learn from the Swiss

Written by Jim Cameron
Tuesday, 01 November 2011 23:00

Just back from 12 glorious (and outrageously expensive) days in Europe, I have some train tales to tell, and some advice for America’s railroads.

Despite its small size, Switzerland boasts some of the best trains in the world. Not the fastest (that would be France), but certainly the most dependable. Here are a few things Metro-North could learn from the Swiss railroads.

On time means on time

Metro-North defines “on time” as being within five minutes and 59 seconds of schedule, an industry standard in the U.S. When I explained this to a conductor in Switzerland, he laughed and asked “How can a train be late and still be on time?” Exactly. In this tiny country, you can set your watch by the trains coming and going.

What’s in a name?

Written by Jim Cameron
Wednesday, 19 October 2011 09:33

Don’t be too jealous, but as you read this I’m enjoying a rail adventure in Europe … ,almost two weeks of riding some of the fastest and best trains in the world, my idea of a real holiday.

As I prepare my itinerary, I’m struck by how well the Europeans “brand” their service. There is, of course, “Eurostar”, the popular train between London and Paris via “the Chunnel”. There’s also “Thalys” from Paris to Brussels and Amsterdam, and “Lyria,” a super-fast service from Paris to Switzerland using French TGVs.

All of these trains sound a lot more exciting than “Acela,” Amtrak’s best effort at high speed rail. As one-time Amtrak President David Gunn once said, “Everyone knows what Acela is; it’s your basement.”

Amtrak still has some named trains, though they are pale shadows of their historic namesakes: the Silver Meteor and Silver Star to Florida, The Lakeshore Limited to Chicago, The Adirondack to Montreal.

‘Quiet Cars’ arrive on Metro-North

Written by Jim Cameron
Tuesday, 20 September 2011 23:00

It’s been more than five years since I first wrote about the idea of “Quiet Cars” on Metro-North. It looks like my persistence has paid off, as the railroad is about to start an experiment with such cars this fall.

The idea originated at riders’ suggestions on Amtrak way back in 2001 on the early morning express from Philly to N.YC. Passengers wanted a place to enjoy a peaceful ride (and maybe a nap) without obnoxious cell phone chatter or loud conversations. The idea was so successful that it was quickly rolled out on other routes.

Conductors remind boarding passengers that the Quiet Cars maintain a “library-like” atmosphere. Cell phones, computers, radios and CD players should be muted. If you need to take or make a call, step out to another car.