"Ask not what your country can do for you... ask what you can do for your country."
While I could give you a history lecture, most of you who read this blog don't do so for that reason. You want to hear what we, as transit operators, do on a daily basis. This quote will be altered here to illuminate a very dark problem.
Whoever came up with Daylight Savings Time? It's a royal pain in the ass, especially in our northern locale. It's dark... a lot. What do our fellow citizens, many who ride transit daily, choose to wear for Portland's most fashionable winter color? Well, it's not a color. It's dark. Dark clothing absorbs light. The opposite end of the spectrum reflects it. When it is dark a good deal of the time, and raining, we cannot see you very well. You're standing near the stop, or huddled in a shelter that steams up and becomes impossible to see into. Most people today are staring at their phone, completely unaware of a bus lumbering toward their stop. We're expected to see you, even though you're nearly invisible until we're right up on your location. Contrary to public belief, it is not our responsibility to stare at a bus stop until we see you. We're constantly scanning around and to the side of our vehicle, even more so when it's dark outside. The stop ahead gets a cursory second or two glance at the most. Unless you're obvious in your intent to board our ride, it's very possible you could be passed up.
I've seen in countless occasions, the last-second reach-for-the-sky middle-finger salute when people get passed by that bus they want to ride. We're not going to slam on our brakes and throw our passengers to the floor because of your virtual invisibility. Not gonna happen, unless it's a near-side stop and we have to stop for a red light. Then, we're usually surprised when we see you run up to the bus and bang on the door with a furious look of indignation.
"Why didn't you see me?" you might ask as I open the door.
"Indeed," I'll reply.
We're not all blessed with an overflowing fashion budget. Sometimes we don't get new jackets for years. It's understandable. The working class barely gets by, so who is this bus driver to tell you what you should be wearing? We're common-sensical. We have a wide windshield, but when you're not trying to be seen, it's on you. We have 20/20 vision... we're not bionic. Our job is to safely operate our vehicle. Yours is to make your intent to ride obvious. Hold up a light, like that cell phone you're so intent upon. Wave. Buy some reflective tape and throw a piece or two on your outerwear. Make sure we can see you, or you're possibly going to wait a lot longer for a ride than you bargained for.
Our transit agency puts out cute (and highly ineffectual) little ad campaigns which don't really get the word out. So here's my twist on JFK's quote:
"Ask not what your bus operator can do for you, ask what you can do for your bus operator."
Lighten up, folks. Otherwise, that umbrella will be working unnecessary overtime. Be seen, get a ride. It's that simple.
A damn shame the District doesn't make an annual campaign of using your most easily accessible source of light, the cell phone you have to hand -- it doesn't need to be 'smart', it doesn't need to be sanctioned by the powers that be -- even a cigarette lighter will produce enough light for us to see you waiting in the dark, blustery distance.
ReplyDeleteWhat neither I , Deke, nor the District can do is get you to make BEING SEEN your top priority as you're waiting for your ride to arrive.
Dress as you will (fashionable black from head to toe), but if you need to "catch the bus" you need to make an effort to be seen. This game is NOT "let the bus catch me", it's let me catch the bus!
1. Know the schedule! Use the TriMet Transit Tracker to see when your bus is about to arrive.
2. Don't be distracted! Remember, it's your game to "catch the bus". Put down the cell phone for a minute, and look where you expect the bus driver to see you from.
3. Make yourself seen well in advance. When you know you're bus is due, step out from under the shadows, step out from inside the bus shelter, step up to the curb, get your cell phone ready to light it up as soon as you see the bus in the distance.
3. Then LIGHT IT UP!!! As soon as you see the bus in the distance, use your most easily accessible source of light, usually your cell phone, but could also be your backlit wristwatch, your cigarette lighter, or even the District's lame little flasher. LIGHT IT UP, wave it up and down as the bus approaches, and keep it lit until the bus comes to a full stops in front of you.
Remember, we're trained to keep our eyes moving, So, we will not be fixing our gaze on your bus stop for more than a moment or two. You have got to make yourself seen within that moment when we might be looking for you, otherwise our focus has long since moved on past you, and you're going to get left behind -- even if we do finally see you in the two o'clock position of our peripheral vision -- that's way too late for you to decide you want to "catch the bus".
Let me reiterate, this interaction is called "catch the bus" for a reason. You don't get to sit idly by, in the bus shelter, surfing your web-connected smart phone, or listening to your favorite beats on your Ipod while you sit, motionless, expecting us to see you. If you do, you're going to lose the game.
Again, this game is NOT called, "Let the bus catch me."
Rather, "Catch the bus," implies that you will make some clear indication that you are waiting for the next bus to arrive. It implies that you, if you want to score a ride, will take some distinct and clear actions to make yourself seen in the dark and inclement weather.
Hello!?? Get a clue?
Make yourself seen.
RL
Exactly, brother. These days are awash with the absence of personal responsibility. It's always somebody else's fault when you don't get what you want, even when other people don't know what that is. They blame US as if mind-reading is in our job description... it's not. We do have a good sense of reading body language and guessing if someone needs a ride. But then there are also shared stops, where people are waiting for a bus other than ours, but they're transfixed by the screen of their phone and don't often give us any indication that they're waiting for a different bus line.
DeleteWISE UP, PORTLAND! Safety, and common sense, are two-way streets. Exercise some responsibility and be part of the equation. Do NOT call into Customer Service and whine about "that mean old bus driver" passing you by especially if your actions (or inaction) caused it. It would also be nice for you to call in more compliments, especially when we see you in a mad sprint for our approaching bus and we DO pull over for you. You expect that from us, but you'd rather complain instead of realizing we do more good than what is perceived.
BE SEEN, BE SAFE.
Peace,
Deke