Capital MetroBlog

We've Moved!

2009-07-28T10:36:00.003-05:00

Capital MetroBlog has moved! Visit our new site at www.capmetroblog.com. Don't forget to update your feeds, too.

We welcome your feedback, but we've disable comments on this blog. Visit the new site to join the conversation: www.capmetroblog.com. And, thanks for reading.

Capital MetroBlog moving to a new home

2009-07-22T16:27:00.000-05:00

Capital MetroBlog is just a wee bit over a year old. It's been a fun year on Blogger, getting our feet wet with a new blog and getting to know a few of you. We're looking forward to bigger and better things on Capital MetroBlog for our second year, and effective Tuesday, July 28, Capital MetroBlog will be moving to a new site.
We're switching to a new host site to improve accessibility and to gain the use of some additional/better tools on the backend. We hope you will make the move with us. We'll post the new link on Monday.

In the meantime, please let me know your suggestions for Capital MetroBlog's second year, and thanks for reading.

A Tale of Two Cities (cont'd)

2009-07-22T14:57:00.000-05:00

I am bilingual by matter of birthright. When I started in kindergarden I only spoke Spanish. Knowing two languages has its advantages. I'm sure you, dear reader, agree. But what does one do when someone needs help and doesn't speak your language? This happened to me while driving the bus in Los Angeles and then also here in Austin.

It was Saturday morning in the spring time and I was driving the 480 route in L.A. I was at the layover point on the west side of downtown, just pass the financial district. An elderly couple, who, as it turned out, were visiting from another country. They became lost and came up to my bus for help. The man started talking to me and all I could think was, "Oh, no. They only speak Italian. The man continued talking to me, friendly, but I could not understand. And then the lady started talking to me. I remember thinking how beautiful their language sounded. Like music, it had melody and rhythm. Suddenly I realized I knew what they were asking me. I also realized I had put up a wall as soon as I heard the foreign language. A lot of the words were so close to Spanish that I could make out what they were saying. I thought to myself, "I bet if I speak Spanish they will understand me." I said something in Spanish and sure enough it worked. They started talking faster and I paid close attention. I spoke Spanish to them and they spoke Italian to me and we were able to have a conversation. I was able to help them find the place they were looking for.

Believe it or don't, three years later that exact event happened again, like a rerun on t.v. Again it was Saturday morning in spring time. Only this time I'm driving the number 1 route in Austin. I stop to pick-up passengers on the drag in front of the co-op. Again an elderly couple come up to me for directions. And they only speak Italian. But this time I just go right into it. I talk to them in Spanish and I see their worried look disappear like magic. "It's a small world after all."

Texas! Bringing Healthy Back

2009-07-20T13:35:00.000-05:00

Capital Metro's healthy cafeteria is featured in a new video campaign from the Texas Department of State Health Services about preventing obesity. Here's the excerpt that highlights Capital Metro.

Capital Metro was selected for the video because of our award-winning workplace wellness program that is fostering healthy lifestyles among our employees. Fox 7 News aired a story about our wellness program in June.

The Texas! Bringing Healthy Back video is part of a new obesity prevention campaign sponsored by the Texas Department of State Health Services. According to the Texas! Bringing Healthy Back Web site, one in three Texans is obese.

Incidentally, riding public transportation can be a part of a healthy routine, since it generally goes hand in hand with walking and bicycling (and makes you feel good about saving money and the environment).

First Public MetroRail Ride

2009-07-18T16:17:00.000-05:00

Today about 200 people got to ride Capital MetroRail as part of our testing. It was the first ride offered to people outside of Capital Metro, except for the news media, and so it was an especially happy event for us.

Today was the second of two days of passenger simulation testing. The engineers got a feel for how the train handles when it's full, as well as practice boarding and deboarding passengers at the stations.

Yesterday, Capital Metro employees played the part of passengers and got on and off the train at each station along the line. The staff were testing the timings of the stops in relation to the full schedule.

Capital MetroRail Progress Report

2009-07-17T10:02:00.000-05:00

Capital Metro is releasing its July progress report today. It's an anticlimactic report--we're not announcing a date just yet. Still, things are moving along. The full report is behind the jump.

CAPITAL METRORAIL PROGRESS REPORT – JULY 17, 2009

Capital Metro continues readying the MetroRail Red Line for a safe launch into full-service operations. The project is still in the final comprehensive operational testing phase, during which every component is tested in conjunction with the whole to validate the safety and consistent operation of the system. As Capital Metro staff discovers and resolves issues within this phase, we have also completed the detailed documentation work that will ensure smooth operations when MetroRail is in full-service.

Capital Metro staff and partners are also using the additional time to redouble their rail safety education efforts. While Capital Metro is not ready to announce a new opening date yet, the community will appreciate the extra efforts being taken now to ensure their safety both on and off the tracks.

Milestones Completed Since June 19

Made adjustments to all crossings as needed to function as designed and improve reliability.

Identified resolution to gate timing issue at the following crossings near the Kramer, Crestview and Highland Stations: Kramer, Braker, Lamar, Guadalupe, Denson. Resolution will adjust the amount of time gates are down when trains stop at nearby stations.

Traffic signal preemption is complete and operational at these crossings, pending final optimization adjustments as needed:
o 4th Street & Red River
o IH-35 SBFR (near 4th Street)
o IH-35 NBFR (near 4th Street)
o IH-35 SBFR (near IH-35 lower deck)
o 45th Street
o 51st Street
o 53rd Street
o Denson Drive
o Guadalupe Street
o North Lamar Boulevard
o Anderson Lane
o Crystal Falls Parkway
o FM 2243
Signal preemption technology provides enhanced safety at crossings adjacent to intersections by turning traffic lights green and allowing traffic to clear before gates are lowered.

Completed train engineers’ preliminary comprehensive contingency training.

Completed comprehensive software inventory and documentation process for the entire system which will result in easier identification and resolution of any issues that may arise.

Remaining Milestones

Complete full-service test runs to adjust and finalize rail service schedules.

Complete train engineers’ final comprehensive contingency training, including passenger simulation tests (scheduled for July 17 & 18).

Complete final signal technology adjustments and enhancements.

Conduct final system validation. This process ensures consistent and reliable operation of all components working together.

When will service begin?

Capital Metro will announce an opening date when the entire rail system is demonstrated to be operating in a consistent, reliable and safe manner. We will report back to the community in mid-August. We will continue rail safety outreach efforts during this time to increase awareness about trains and prepare the community for MetroRail.

Shorten your (single occupancy) commute; catch a bus at Tech Ridge Park & Ride

2009-07-14T22:22:00.012-05:00

Northeast Travis County residents will have improved access to Tech Ridge Park & Ride when newly constructed segments of Heatherwilde and Wells Branch open this week. Both Travis County roadways will include sidewalks and bike lanes.

Tech Ridge Park & Ride serves as the northern terminus for routes serving the busy North Lamar/South Congress corridor (#1L/1M and #101), East Austin (#135), and UT/Downtown (#935). It also facilitates many transfers as the endpoint for Routes #243 Wells Branch and #392 Braker.

Tech Ridge P&R route map
Community Impact article

Ride Capital Metro for 4th of July fun

2009-07-02T14:03:00.000-05:00

In just two days, Austinites can enjoy yet another free 4th of July concert by the Austin Symphony, capped off with fireworks. It's happening at Auditorium Shores and the Long Center, beginning at 8:30 p.m. (fireworks at 9:30 p.m.).

Traffic and parking are messy for this event, so think about jumping on Capital Metro--we have a bunch of routes that serve Auditorium Shores.

Routes that serve Auditorium Shores include 1L/1M, 3, 7, 10, 20, 30, 328, 338, and the Night Owls. Most routes operate until around midnight, and the Night Owls run from 12 - 3 a.m.

See ya there!

APD on Board

2009-07-01T10:30:00.004-05:00

The next time you're in a hurry to pass a Capital Metro bus, remember there may be an unexpected passenger on board: a police officer. The Austin Police Department is using one of our buses for its Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Trucks (TACT) enforcement program. The goal of TACT is to reduce traffic accidents caused by unsafe driving behavior around large vehicles. KTBC profiled the program this week:

Capital Metro has an ongoing partnership with APD to prepare officers to operate buses in the event of an emergency.

No buses on shoulders for you

2009-06-23T17:33:00.007-05:00

So my last blog post related to the legislative session prematurely said, “Overall, we achieved much of what was in our legislative agenda: bus-only shoulders,” blah, blah, blah among other things. Yippee! Well, so foolish I am. I spoke too soon for I forgot about that last, not-so-little step called consideration by the governor. And unfortunately, one of our bills was vetoed. Yep, V-E-T-O. No buses on shoulders for you!

If you recall, Senate Bill 434, carried by two of our own: Senator Jeff Wentworth and Representative Valinda Bolton, would have created a pilot program under which Capital Metro (and only three other Texas transit agencies) would have been allowed to operate buses on pre-approved sections of highway shoulders in order to bypass traffic congestion.

The bill was very cautious in setting up the program. It would have been established by TxDOT and in conjunction with DPS and the involved transit agencies. The bill required TxDOT to consider safety, travel time reliability, driver and passenger perceptions, level of service and maintenance, and capital improvements.

Additionally, other specific parameters were also spelled out. Buses would only be allowed to travel on sections of highway shoulders that TxDOT approved in advance and the sections would be clearly marked for bus-only use. Speed limits were set based on the experience of several other communities in America, which have already implemented bus-only shoulders safely and effectively for over a decade. Buses would only be allowed to use the designated sections of highway shoulders when overall traffic slowed to 35 miles per hour or less, and the bus could only travel at 15 miles per hour greater than the prevailing traffic, with the maximum bus speed still limited to 35 mph. The bus operator would not be required to use the bus-only shoulder if he/she did not feel it was safe.

Despite a number of independent safety studies attesting to the positive experience in the rest of the country (the State of Minnesota has over 300 miles of bus-only shoulders), Governor Perry was not willing to sign the bill. In his veto statement, he cited a concern that use of the highway shoulders by transit buses “would leave no emergency lane, creating a danger to motorists, emergency personnel and passengers aboard transit buses,” though we assured him that we would work with the City of Austin to ensure that the use of highway shoulders by our buses would not impede emergency vehicle passage. (Many thanks to the City, specifically Karla Villalon and Rob Spillar, for having included this in their legislative agenda and for having written a last-minute letter to the governor asking for his support.)

Though we are very disappointed with the veto—it’s the second time we’ve tried to get this passed—we’ll work with the governor’s office over the next few years to see if we can get it through next session. Perhaps then, the third time will actually be the charm for Capital Metro.

******************

While the legislative order of things escaped me regarding the bus-only shoulder legislation, the other items I had written about previously actually panned out as I described. Senate Bill 1263, the bill carried by Senator Kirk Watson and Representative Eddie Rodriguez that prescribed a number of changes for Capital Metro, was signed by the governor. That bill, which goes into effect September 1, makes changes to our board composition and our abilities to set our own fares and operate passenger rail, and provides us with some new tools that we’ll need to operate passenger rail. Governor Perry was also willing to sign the bill that lets Capital Metro (and all Texas transit agencies) use the State’s travel discounts when our employees or board members travel for Capital Metro-related duties. (Thank you Senator Duell and Representative Todd Smith!)

If you want more details on the Watson and Rodriguez bill, or any other legislation that I might have written about before, read my previous gobbledygook online at http://capmetroblog.blogspot.com/search/label/legislative%20agenda. (Check out the gobbledygook hotlink! A fun story, which goodness knows we all need more of.)

Customers Picture Themselves on Capital Metro

2009-06-23T14:21:00.009-05:00

Last week Capital Metro celebrated National Dump the Pump Day with a couple of fun events to encourage ridership and engage our customers.

Thursday morning (June 18th) Capital Metro staff arrived at both the North Lamar and South Congress Transit Centers by 6am for a Dump the Pump bag exchange, which encouraged people to bring us 5 plastic bags that we would exchange for a reusable cloth one. This morning I dropped off the more than 500 plastic bags we received at Ecology Action for recycling.

Then all throughout Dump the Pump Day we encouraged our customers to “Picture Yourself on Capital Metro” by sending us a photograph of themselves riding on Capital Metro. We received dozens of great pictures of people on the bus ranging from thoughtfully composed to hasty self-portraits.

A complete set of the winning shots -- chosen at random from the entries received -- can be found here. Our Grand Prize winner (a shot of 2-year-old boy named Jake with crackers covering his eyes) received a $200 gift certificate to the EcoShoppe. Runners-up received an i-Ride jacket made from recycled materials. Congratulations to all and thanks to everyone who submitted a photo.

Capital MetroRail Update

2009-06-19T12:26:00.003-05:00

Capital Metro has just released its June progress report on MetroRail.

While there's no date to announce, progress moves along, and there are just a few more milestones to reach before the Red Line can open.

Capital Metro's Award-Winning Wellness Program

2009-06-18T15:52:00.000-05:00

KTBC Fox 7 News profiled Capital Metro's employee wellness program on Wednesday morning. It's been phenomenally successful: for every $1 that Capital Metro has invested in the program, the agency has enjoyed $2.43 in savings due to decreased health care costs and absenteeism rates.

The Centers for Disease Control recently published a case study on the positive effects of our program.

DUMP THE PUMP!

2009-06-18T14:04:00.002-05:00

Today's National Dump the Pump Day, and we're sponsoring a photo contest. Send us a photo of yourself riding Capital Metro today, and we'll put your name in a drawing to win one of 20 Capital Metro eco-friendly windbreakers, and one grand prize--a $200 gift certificate to EcoShoppe. Full rules/details here.

I thought I'd share some of the cool photos we've received today. Note: these aren't winners of the contest (yet)--we'll do a random drawing of all the photos tomorrow. Send yours in!

See some more behind the cut.

National Dump the Pump Day is tomorrow

2009-06-17T13:59:00.004-05:00

"If you're serious about being green, you should be riding Capital Metro." That was our message today at the North Lamar Transit Center, where we set up a display to demonstrate just how significant the benefits are to the environment when you take public transportation instead of driving. It's the single greatest action you can take to reduce your carbon footprint.

You'd have to use 100 percent post-consumer waste recycled paper for the next 45-48 years (450,000 - 480,000 sheets of paper!) to make the same positive effect on the environment as riding the bus for a single year.

Bus operator and MetroBlogger Leo Guerrero poses with a Capital Metro hybrid bus and the mountain of paper.

Tomorrow would be a perfect day to make the switch to public transit--it's National Dump the Pump Day, and you can score some environmentally-friendly goodies, too.

BAG EXCHANGE
Come to either the North Lamar Transit Center or the South Congress Transit Center tomorrow morning with at least five plastic grocery bags for recycling, and we'll give you a reusable grocery bag and a 20% off coupon from EcoShoppe. We'll be there at 6:30 a.m. until the bags run out.

PHOTO CONTEST
Take a picture of yourself riding Capital Metro and email the photo to dumpthepump@capmetro.org for a chance to win one of 20 i-Ride eco-friendly windbreakers, or the grand-prize, a $200 gift certificate to EcoShoppe. Read the full details and the small print here.

TWEET
Tweet about your Dump the Pump Day experiences! Use the hashtags #DumpThePump and #CapMetro to be part of both the local and the national movements to ride public transportation to save the planet. Have fun with it!

We have to give some props to IKON Office Solutions and Longhorn Office Products who helped us acquire 480,000 sheets of recycled paper for our demo today, as well as EcoShoppe for partnering with us on the promotion.

It's Smarter to Travel in Groups--Take the Bus

2009-06-16T16:15:00.004-05:00

Very clever transit advertising from de Lijn in Belgium.

Here's another from the same campaign, enjoy!

Let's Hear it for Rail Safety!

2009-06-12T15:26:00.000-05:00

For the last two years, Capital Metro has been working on getting a rail safety message out to the community. We use a program called Operation Lifesaver, as well as some cool innovative ways of spreading our message. Capital Metro has presented a rail safety message to over 33,000 (LOTS!) students over the last year. We've shared the message at innumerable events and fairs, and we've even done a couple of contests (you may have seen the earlier blog about our poster competition).

Another of those innovative rail safety strategies is our coordination with the Girl Scouts of Central Texas. They created the first-ever Rail Safety Patch Program (now becoming a national model).

Girl Scouts Troop 2059 decided to earn the patch, so last week I went up to Leander to assist them in completing the final requirements. I gave them our Operation Lifesaver presentation, we watched a rail safety video, and then they showed me the rail safety cheer they wrote. It was TOO CUTE!

Using the acronym ACORN (the message we've been preaching all over Central Texas), they came up with this:

A is for Always look both ways
C is for Cross only at crosswalks
O is for Obey all signals
R is for Railroad tracks are for trains only
N is for Never try to outrun a train

I was SO impressed with their creativity and energy! I know they are going to be great rail safety advocates in their neighborhoods, and am so happy that our message is filtering through the area.

Thanks Troop 2059!

Rails with Trails

2009-06-04T11:42:00.000-05:00

National Bike Month 2009 has officially ended, but for some Austinites it’s a way of life year-round. For others like myself, National Bike Month was a good incentive to try commuting by bicycle for the first time. On National Bike to Work Day, I ventured beyond my own neighborhood and rode my bike to work. It was a good experience, made more so by the fact that I learned I can use the hike and bike trail for about 90 percent of the commute. It’s ridiculous I haven’t been biking to work more often.

One under-publicized aspect of the All Systems Go! long-range transit plan is Rails with Trails, which is a plan to incorporate pedestrian and bicycle paths wherever feasible along the MetroRail right-of-way from Leander to Austin. The pathways would increase accessibility and connectivity to the MetroRail stations and provide cyclists and walkers an expanded network of safe trails. In essence, it provides another viable transportation choice for the community.

Capital Metro completed a feasibility study in 2007 with help from a broad group of stakeholders: members of the cycling community, the city, county, and others. The 32-mile Red Line was divided into 11 segments for the purposes of completing Rails with Trails. The study outlined a plan to create 31 miles of paved trails, 1.7 miles of improved sidewalks, and eight miles of additional on-street bike routes. The feasibility study is available on the Rails with Trails Web page.

Capital Metro is receiving $1.9 million in federal stimulus funding to continue development of segment #3, which extends from Highland Station north along Airport Boulevard to Morrow Street. The proposed trail will provide connectivity to both Highland Station and Crestview Station and will likely include 1.3 miles of trail and 1.6 miles of on-street bikeway. Design work on this segment will begin very soon and we hope to begin construction shortly thereafter.

Segment #1, from the Downtown Station north to Wilshire Blvd. (approx. five miles), is mostly completed, and includes the new Lance Armstrong Bikeway and Boggy Creek Trail. Some work has also been done in segment #11, which extends from Crystal Falls Road north to the Leander Station.

The City of Austin has included Rails with Trails in the revised draft city bicycle plan that will be considered by City Council soon. The bicycle plan includes other objectives to improve the link between cycling and transit--check it out here.

Our friends at the City of Austin are also working on a similar trail project along Cap Metro’s rail right-of-way from downtown Austin to downtown Manor.

Rapid Bus Demo

2009-06-03T09:00:00.000-05:00

You may have seen this bus rolling around Austin recently and thought to yourself "what is that?". It's a 2008 Nova LFX demo bus and it's just one of several different models that Capital Metro is considering for MetroRapid. Our transit planners and operators have been testing it out on the streets of Austin the past few days. So far, many are impressed by the way it looks, rides and drives.

The 62-ft articulated bus has 56 seats but it can be manufactured to have up to 62 seats. This particular bus has three wide doors. It's very roomy and quite comfortable. You might think the size limits its turing ability, but that's not the case. The bus can manuever around the same as a 40-ft bus.

This type of bus would be assigned to only the MetroRapid routes. The first two routes will be along North Lamar/South Congress and Burnet/South Lamar. Click here for more info on MetroRapid.

MetroAccess Driver Takes Silver

2009-06-02T17:14:00.000-05:00

Capital MetroAccess Van Operator Jeff Mercer brought home a 2nd place trophy from the National Paratransit Roadeo in Providence, Rhode Island, on May 31. Competing against 61 other drivers from throughout the nation, Jeff missed first place by a mere 18 points (out of 1,000 total).

Jeff was a definite underdog in the competition, as this was his first time competing in the national competition.

Also competing from Capital Metro, and the current Texas State Bus Roadeo Champion, was MetroAccess Van Operator Ted Ward, who placed 21st nationally.

Way to go, Capital Metro!

Bye Bye Legislature, at least for now

2009-06-02T13:49:00.003-05:00

June 2, 2009: the legislature is adjourned, at least for now. I am not sure if I am relieved or wish they would stick around longer. It boggles my mind how critical statewide policy is supposed to be made in less than five months. But, it is what it is, right?

So, what happened to Capital Metro? Overall, we achieved much of what was in our legislative agenda: bus-only shoulders, civilian fare enforcement, contracted peace officer authority, and use of the State’s travel discount. Unfortunately though, due to the State's budget constraints, we weren’t able to negotiate an agreement with them so that State employees could benefit from annual transit passes. Also very unfortunately, the Legislature was not willing to grant local entities more funding mechanisms for local transportation projects (the local-option funding measure doggedly and valiantly led by Senator John Carona). I find this to be incredibly disappointing but sadly, I am not surprised.

There were also a lot of other changes that were carried forward in legislation by Senator Kirk Watson and Representative Eddie Rodriguez. (This is probably what most of you are most interested in.) Those affect our board composition; our ability to operate passenger rail and set our own fares; and internal audit, review and reporting requirements of our agency.

If you're interested in what passed that most directly affects Capital Metro, here's a summary.

SENATE BILL 1263 (Senator Watson, Rep. Rodriguez) -- This is the big bill.

Board composition: Changes the composition of the Capital Metro board, most significantly by increasing the total number of members from seven to eight by adding another CAMPO appointee. Watson’s original proposal had called for more significant changes but negotiations in the past few days resulted in the Legislature essentially maintaining the current board composition with some minor tweaks.

The new board composition is as follows:

3 members appointed by CAMPO -- 1 must be an elected official, 1 must have at least 10 years of experience as a financial or accounting professional, and 1 must have at least 10 years of experience in an executive-level position.
2 members appointed by the City of Austin -- 1 must be an elected official
1 member appointed by Travis County
1 member appointed by Williamson County
1 member, who must be an elected official, appointed by all the small city mayors in Capital Metro's service area (which excludes City of Austin).

This is not much different than today in that the City of Austin currently appoints two reps, Travis County appoints a rep, various Williamson County officials appoint a rep, and the small city mayors in Travis County appoint a rep. The big change is the CAMPO component. Today they appoint two reps and there are no specific requirements of those individuals. The change gives them an additional rep and requires specific types of experience or elected official status for those reps.

Rail referendum requirements: Allows Capital Metro to forgo the highly unique referendum currently required of our agency in order for us to operate passenger rail (and which is required even if we are not needing to ask the voters for any additional funds to build the system, as was the case for our Red Line that was built within existing means) if

We are entering into a contract to build, operate or maintain a fixed rail transit system for another entity, or
Voters already approved funds for the project at an election called by our agency or another entity.

Fare approval abilities: Allows Capital Metro to set our own fares (like most any other transit agency in the country), except that CAMPO can veto the base fare if they do so within 60 days of the board it (which is unlike most any other transit agency in the country).

Internal auditor: Requires the Capital Metro board to hire an internal auditor who would report directly to the board. (Today our internal auditor reports both to the board and to our staff president.)

Sunset review: Requires Capital Metro to undergo a sunset review by the Sunset Advisory Commission, but without the possibility of being abolished. This would happen once now and/or next year depending on when it starts and how long it lasts, and again in 2016/2017.

Annual reporting requirements: Requires Capital Metro to provide annual reports to other entities to which we have any financial obligations.

Other operational abilities: Specifies that nonpayment of a fare is not a crime of moral turpitude (this is important for aspiring attorneys and other professionals I hear), allows Capital Metro to hire civilian fare enforcement officers, and ensures that peace officers with whom we contract for security can enforce violations against the Capital Metro system while on duty for Capital Metro (because we contract with APD and they may be on the train in Leander as part of their security duties).

SB 899 (Senator Duell, Rep. Smith) allows all Texas transit agencies to use the State’s travel discounts when employees or officers of the agency are traveling for work. (Saves us and thus you money!)

SB 434 (Senator Wentworth, Rep. Bolton) allows Capital Metro, at least in Travis County, (and San Antonio VIA, Denton County Transportation Authority, and Sun Metro in El Paso) to operate buses on highway shoulders during times of heavy traffic congestion in areas pre-approved by TxDOT. Basically, if traffic slows to 35 mph, our buses can use the highway shoulders as a travel lane but there are limits on just how fast they can go compared to the rest of traffic so that buses don't go unsafely whizzing by the other motorists who will be stuck in traffic because they didn't take the bus. (I'm sure I'll be one of those people one day just for being so snide.) There will be signs noting it's only for public bus use.

That's about it. I have a bunch of bills to dig through and see if anything else passed that might have helped or hurt us. Fun, fun, fun. If you're needing some good bedtime reading, let me know. I got a stack of it.

On the Air with Fred

2009-05-30T10:58:00.004-05:00

Recently Capital Metro's President/CEO Fred Gilliam sat down (over the phone) with KLBJ-AM news director Todd Jeffries to discuss a number of topics, including MetroRail, sales tax revenue, the recently approved line of credit, service changes, roadeo results and more. In a world of 10-second sound bites, it's always a refreshing opportunity to have a long-form conversation about several important issues. You can hear the interview on Todd's blog.

I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike...

2009-05-29T11:47:00.017-05:00

It always seems to start out the same way. I wake up, remember that this is a day that I'm supposed to ride my bike to work, and soon my half-awake brain begins to work to find an excuse for why I can't. Then, after some coffee gets me thinking a bit more lucidly, I recall all the reasons why I do bicycle:

good for me physically (love that fact that I can kill two birds with one stone by getting in my exercise while also doing the mandatory commute to work);
good for the environment (less than six miles each way isn't much driving but it adds up); and
good for me mentally (as the other bloggers have noted the level of interaction with the environment around you is MUCH more engaging on a bike).

So I usually manage to overcome my own mental inertia to do the easy thing (drive) and away I go on the bike. Of course nowadays it's especially good to ride because my kids get to ride too, and we get to enjoy a few minutes of quality time together in the open air rather than in the car before they stop off at school...and they sure seem to fight less when biking than when stuck in the back seat together!

Back to the opening point- every time I ride, without exception, I'm glad I did. So why the heck is it that my brain tries to come up with excuses not to do it? Sure, maybe it takes a little extra prep time to pack my courier bag with my work clothes. I have to be careful to fold my shirt so it doesn't come out all wrinkled and to not forget things like a belt or socks (which I've done and felt goofy all day long without). And yes, it's true that biking burns calories which generate heat which makes me sweat, but I have a place to change clothes and towel off and cool down before putting on my work clothes, so it's not really a big deal. As I like to joke, the side benefit of riding is that my meetings tend to be really short on those days (all the while hoping that I'm not really stinky)! Yes, riding the bike can complicate the situation when I have meetings out of the office, but that can be overcome by riding the bus or catching a ride. And finally, riding does take more time than driving, but in reality the difference is piddling, less than 15 minutes extra time in the worst case and sometimes fewer than ten.

Clearly the benefits far outweigh the costs. So again, why the internal resistance? Perhaps it's a metaphor for a broader phenomenon of the human condition (or at least mine)- the innate desire to go with the known, the easy, the safe, the comfortable, the routine. As I've learned through biking to work and in countless other ways, though, that is not the recipe for a fulfilled life. No, instead it's to push, to challenge, to try new things, and to explore. So, as they say, get on your bike and ride!

If You Build It...

2009-05-29T07:58:00.008-05:00

Austin-based high tech company Valence is interested in building a new production facility in Leander. One of the company's big attractions is the proposed site's proximity to Capital Metro's passenger and freight rail line. Here are a couple of yesterday's TV news stories about it:

A Tale of Two Cities?

2009-05-27T10:17:00.000-05:00

Back in the early '90's I worked as a bus driver in the city of Los Angeles. There were differences and similarities with how the buses in L.A. and buses here in Austin went about doing the same thing, that is, picking up and dropping off passengers.

One of the differences was in how we operated buses in downtown. In L.A. we didn't pick-up passengers at every corner. We pick-upped at every other corner. But there were bus stops at every corner.

Here's how it worked. Let's say, for fun, that you are the bus driver. And your route goes along 1st Street. Your stops would be on Los Angeles, Spring and Hill Streets, but you would skip Main, Broadway and Olive Streets. There are always other buses along your route and the stops you skipped would belong to those. But you, as the operator, would not stay in line behind the bus in front of your bus like we do so here in Austin. After you picked-up passengers, you change lanes and move in front of the other bus, which in turn, will move in front of your bus after boarding people. I always thought of it as playing leapfrog. It worked well.

I have to add that a city block in L.A. is longer than here in Austin. I can walk from 2nd to 3rd Streets while holding my breath. I'll use Austin for an example. If you, as the bus operator, picked-up folks at 11th Street, your next stop would be at Cesar Chavez Street. That is about how far apart the bus stops are in downtown L.A.

I'll end this tale of two cities with a quote from someone I love. "A-du-a-du-a-ta-a-ta-that's all folks."

Hidden treasures, as discovered from a bike

2009-05-20T17:06:00.034-05:00

I love riding my bike to work. I love it because if nothing good happens at work on a day that I ride, at least riding my bike was one good thing—two if you count the ride there and the ride home. But I also love it because it gives me an opportunity to appreciate so many surprising little things that I might not even have ever noticed had I been driving.

On my way home, I love to poke around and turn left or turn right, wherever I want to go. Even in a car, I’m not one to take the most expedient route but on a bike, the scenic route lures me even more.

So I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite things I see when I ride. Maybe you can figure out where they are.

This bird. I love this bird. I see him when riding between work and downtown.

And this? This is my tag. "So what," you say, but it’s the perfect example of something I never noticed in my car—and it’s my tag! A friend who rides his bike to work every day pointed it out to me, and not until my pedal-pushing friend told me about it, did I see it. Now I pass by and take such pride in the quick handiwork that someone else did, but which I can jokingly claim as my own. Here’s to you, T.B.

This drawing reminds me of Edward Gorey’s work, which I think is fantastic! This sticker decorates one hip person's mailbox.

Speaking of Gorey, I’ve learned to be OK with cemeteries, at least Oakwood Cemetery, which I ride by on my way home. I used to be really scared of cemeteries when I was a kid but now I love to pass by and look at the names on the tombstones, put them together and make up characters who I think would be perfect for William Faulkner novels. My absolute favorite at Oakwood is a headstone inscribed with the last name of “Numbers.” Can’t you see it? A tragic Faulkner character: Mr. Numbers. (Or I guess a potential nemesis of James Bond.) The first name I have chosen from another headstone goes especially well with Mr. Numbers’ last name but you should ride by there yourself and pick your own first name for Mr. Numbers.

But the absolute best thing about riding a bike is the people. People are a zillion times nicer when you’re on a bike. In a car, you’re just a big, ol’ anonymous hunk of steel that makes noise and stinks. Friendly people are a huge perk, like this gentleman who's always on his porch and who always waves at me and all the bike-riders, as if he's known us all for years. He has the friendliest smile and I always enjoy going home that way. (When I stopped and chatted with him one day, and asked to take his photo for this blog, I learned that his 93rd (!) birthday is next week so I’ll have to take that route home then to say happy birthday.)

Well, here are the last few treasures that I've found on my way home that I'll share. (The Shoe Shine mural is the only image for which I can acknowledge the artist, who is the obviously talented Tonya Engel. The somewhat illegible phrase on the plywood reads, "Wavy Days," which I feel like I have a lot of.)

Even appreciating these little things makes me more able to appreciate everything else in my life. So I encourage you to hop on your bike, or just take a really leisurely stroll, and make a point to look for things that you might not otherwise ever see or pay much attention to. I guarantee it will make your day a much better one.

I Ride

2009-05-15T10:22:00.008-05:00

It was a beautiful morning to be out on a bicycle.

Last year I rode my bike to work a handful of times. This year for whatever reason I haven’t gotten into the habit. I don't have a good excuse if the weather's nice -- Capital Metro at 5th and Pleasant Valley is only 6.3 miles from my house in South Austin and I can ride most of it along the Town Lake Trail on Lady Bird Lake. The gravel trail means I have to work a little harder than if I stayed on pavement but the tradeoff of not having to dodge traffic is worth it.

So this morning I pulled the bike out from the back of the garage, dusted off the cobwebs and set off. Pumping up the tires and getting my “Go” bag ready took a little time and I was running late, so I passed within yards of the Bike to Work Day celebration at City Hall without stopping for a free breakfast taco. Sounded like they had a crowd of people out there though.

My favorite part of any run or ride around Town Lake Trail is the section on the north side of the lake, east of I-35. It’s so quiet and peaceful compared to the hustle and bustle of the trail on both sides of the lake from Austin High to the Ann Richards Bridge. This morning I encountered a few other cyclists, a couple of fishermen, one or two people sitting at picnic tables, and a handful of pedestrians and runners along this quieter stretch but very little else except birds and trees. Riding along there is good way to begin the day.

This evening after work my plan is to ride up to the Intramural Fields to join some friends for some pickup soccer. After a couple of hours of soccer at my age I’ll likely have trouble even walking TO my bike – never mind pedaling it home. I’ll walk or pedal over to Lamar and 51st and put my bike and tired self on the # 3 southbound to get me back to the neighborhood. Wake me when we get to Artz Rib House.

National Bike to Work Day is a good reminder to me that with a little bit of planning lots of us could find healthier ways to get to work – healthier for us and healthier for the environment. I wish there were free tacos every day though.

Bike to Work Day: Tomorrow

2009-05-14T16:41:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is Bike to Work Day. Wouldn't it be great if tomorrow during morning rush hour, there were more bikes out on our streets than cars?!

I've got my route planned out and hope to bike the whole way, but just in case I get tired, I've also noted where along my route I could catch a bus if needed. All of our buses (except the 'Dillo trolleys) have bike racks, and it's easy to load/unload your bike. If you've never "biked by bus" before, you can check out the easy how-to on our Web site.

I had heard there was a bike shop in town that had a standard bus bike rack in the store so people could practice (without the pressure of traffic zooming by). I thought it was Mellow Johnny's but turns out it's not. Does anyone know which shop, if any, provides that?

But. I did learn that Mellow Johnny's provides bike commuters hot showers, and while you're getting cleaned up, they'll tuneup your bike, provide you a storage locker, and give you a free cup of coffee (on Fridays). All for $1. Pretty cool.

They're also on the list of organizations providing FREE breakfast to cyclists tomorrow. Check out the full list of breakfast locations.

Hope to see you on two wheels tomorrow!

Good News for MetroRapid

2009-05-14T15:14:00.005-05:00

Last week, Capital Metro learned that the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has recommended $17.39 million in funding for MetroRapid. The funding is a part of President Barack Obama’s FY2010 budget, which must still be approved by Congress.

MetroRapid was one out of 10 new or expanding transit projects that the FTA recommended for funding. This announcement was a welcomed surprise. We submitted the project just nine months ago; and we were not anticipating possible funding this early in the process.

Initial service will operate on two of the busiest corridors: North Lamar/South Congress and Burnet/South Lamar. The project cost for these first two routes is an estimated $47 million. Capital Metro is still pursuing more federal funding, up to $37 million.

Capital Metro plans to start the procurement process for MetroRapid buses later this year. Staff is considering a combination of 40-foot and 60-foot vehicles. The buses will be equipped with signal priority technology to keep traffic lights green as they approach major intersections.

For more on the MetroRapid system, visit our web site.

MetroRail Media

2009-05-14T08:56:00.005-05:00

Here's a sample of some of yesterday's TV news coverage about MetroRail.

You can see the complete stories on each station's web site:
KVUE
KEYE
KTBC
N8A

Capital MetroRail Progress Report

2009-05-13T09:18:00.003-05:00

Capital Metro just released its community report about MetroRail status and next steps. I may post more a bit later--we'll be at Howard Station later this morning to answer questions from the media, and I know you'll have some comments, too.

Yelpers Discuss Capital Metro

2009-05-12T17:26:00.000-05:00

A customer named Michele sent us this link to a rather interesting thread on Yelp about Capital Metro.

The comments touch on everything from what people like and don't like about Capital Metro, to a more philosophical discussion about whether there is a stigma attached to riding the bus. Some of the suggestions posted for us are things we would also like to accomplish for the city, the region, and specifically, our customers. But one thing to keep in mind, and I'm sure people realize this but maybe it's worth mentioning again, with limited resources, we have to prioritize some things. Particularly over the next year or so, which we anticipate to be financially tight, we simply can't meet everyone's needs.

But we always appreciate the feedback and the discussion. Join in!

Prepping for Bike to Work Day

2009-05-11T11:32:00.006-05:00

This week is Bike to Work Week, and I'll be a poseur riding along with Austin's community of bicycle commuters this coming Friday, Bike to Work Day.

I've got an old beater Diamondback hand-me-down whose only frequent tasks have been getting me safely to my favorite neighborhood haunt Polvos and Zilker park, neither of which is more than a mile from home. Still, after reaching my destination, particularly the park, where I tend to travel down Barton Springs Road and have to cross Lamar, my nerves are in hyper-mode. I'm--at best--a bike novice, and frankly cars freak me out. I've never attempted to ride my bike during rush hours before.

So, I have some challenges to overcome to effectively commute to work. Fortunately, there are some great resources I (and anyone else who may be a little tentative) can take advantage of this week.

The downtown REI is hosting a free class tomorrow night, Bike Commuting 101, beginning at 7 p.m.

My main concern is finding the safest route to take (but one that doesn't add a ton of extra miles to the trip), and that is one of the topics covered in the REI class. I've also discovered the city's Bike Route Map which should be helpful.

Staff from the city's Bicycle Program will teach a bicycle handling drills class this Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Butler Park (by Palmer Events Center). I don't think I can make that one, but it looks good--basic starting/stopping techniques. See more of the city's Bike Month events from their Web site.

Finally, for a little incentive to get moving, a bunch of organizations will be providing free breakfast for cyclists on Friday morning (7 - 9 a.m.). Check out a mapped list of locations courtesy of the Austin Cycling Association. Incidentally, the ACA teaches a Traffic Skills 101 class that includes a half-day of classroom instruction and then a half-day of on-bike training.

On the Busy Number 1 Route

2009-05-11T10:38:00.002-05:00

Don't call me Ishmael.

In his adventurous novel, "Moby Dick," Herman Melville's protagonist Ishmael tells us why he feels the need to go to sea. He says in part, "Whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul...and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper-hand of me that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street and methodically knocking people's hats off---then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can. This is my substitute for pistol and ball."

How ghastly. I have never felt an urge, not even an iota of one, to assault people, even when my hypos have had me in a sturdy headlock. And certainly I have never felt a "damp, drizzly November" in any part of my soul. When I do I'll make sure to buy more life insurance.

Poor Ishmael. He would not have made a good bus operator. It would stress him out easily. Especially if he had to work the number 1 route, which I do every weekday after I finish the Leander Express.

The number 1 is our busiest line. I drive the 1L, which goes from Tech Ridge Park & Ride at Howard Lane to Southpark Meadows, at the new shopping center at Slaughter and I-35. On the map in the schedule booklet it looks almost like the Mississippi River.

Because it is so busy and taxing on operators, I had to look at it from another angle and see what it affords me. I found a prize. It is ripe with opportunity to help others. Like assisting a visually-impaired man cross a busy downtown street so he can hop on another bus; helping an elderly lady unload her groceries; helping a young mom carry the stroller on board; helping confused out-of-towners with information; or, helping all my passengers by staying on time so they won't miss their connecting route. These opportunities, as they pop-up, I hit out of the park like a slugger. Because I know if I allow one opportunity to help someone go without my aid, I will never get it back.

Faster Trains Coming Your Way: "Look, Listen, Live"

2009-05-08T16:58:00.002-05:00

As soon as this weekend, Capital MetroRail trains will be traveling more frequently and at higher speeds during testing along the 32-mile line from Leander to Downtown Austin.

MetroRail trains are much quieter and faster than freight trains. The passenger rail trains will soon be operating at speeds up to 60 mph in some areas.

Remember the three "L's" when you approach crossings: Look, Listen, Live. Please, too, remind children that tracks are for trains.

More life-saving tips are listed behind the cut.
When you're in a vehicle...
• Never stop your vehicle on railroad tracks. It is illegal to stop a vehicle on railroad tracks.
• Always obey all traffic signs and signals at grade crossings. The train has the right of way – look both ways before crossing.
• Never drive around lowered gates. It's illegal and deadly. If the gate is down, the road is closed.

When you're walking...
• Always stop, look, and listen for trains before crossing the tracks and be sure to look both ways.
• Never walk down a train track. It's illegal and dangerous. It can take a mile or more to stop a freight train, so by the time an engineer can see a trespasser or a vehicle on the tracks, it is too late.
• Cross tracks ONLY at designated pedestrian or roadway crossings and obey all warning signs and signals. If you cross at any other place, you are trespassing and can be ticketed or fined.

If you have children...
• Talk to them about railroads and teach the importance of crossing the tracks safely. "Stop, look and listen" is an important message for them to understand.
• Know the facts. Make sure that everyone in your family knows all these safety rules.

Visit allsystemsgo.capmetro.org/capital-metrorail-safety.shtml or stayoffthetracks.com for more information on Capital MetroRail safety.

A Transit Planner's commute via bike

2009-05-07T11:26:00.003-05:00

iRide the bus because it benefits Central Texas, costs me nothing (as a Capital Metro employee), and (hopefully) makes me a better transit planner. I ride my bike because it benefits Central Texas, costs me nothing, and provides a fun challenge. Though I have to admit, it is definitely more enjoyable riding downhill to our East Austin office in the morning than battling the afternoon heat, hills, and traffic.

On days when I’m not up for the full 8-mile trek homeward, I end up biking through the shaded Govalle neighborhood to pick up the #350 Airport Blvd., which works out well unless the bike rack is full. Another preferred multi-modal option consists of the Lance Armstrong Bikeway (East 4th and 5th Streets) to Downtown and boarding whichever northbound bus arrives first. When MetroRail opens this summer, I will be one of many taking advantage of the 15-18 minute travel time from Crestview to Saltillo/Downtown.

Both the City of Austin Bike Program and Capital Metro boast extensive and for the most part, complementary, route networks but as the area continues to expand and densify, it is essential to adjust accordingly. City of Austin is in the process of adopting Austin 2020 Bicycle Plan, and Capital Metro is currently in the early stages of developing ServicePlan2020. Both efforts will identify and recommend which changes need to occur to improve each system and increase ridership.

Enough planning talk. Riding a bike is fun. Pick a day to give up your car this month. Air up the old 18-speed and make your way to that bus stop you claim is beyond walking distance. The environmental and personal benefits easily outweigh the sore legs.

National Bike Month

2009-05-06T17:12:00.001-05:00

May is National Bike Month. Next week is Bike to Work Week, and next Friday is Bike to Work Day. At Capital Metro we love cyclists and we support Austin's commitment to a bike-friendly city. Look for posts all month long about bicycling and Capital Metro.

This month we'll revisit the basics of "biking by bus" on Capital Metro, meet some Capital Metro staff who cycle to work, and hear a smattering of other interesting bike tales. Stay tuned!

The June Jump

2009-05-04T15:36:00.001-05:00

Capital Metro was recognized during the opening session of the American Public Transportation Association annual conference in Seattle yesterday. We received a 2009 Bus Safety Awards Certificate of Merit for a bus operator safety program that has been successful in reducing collisions.

Since 2005, Capital Metro has implemented a safety outreach program each May and June to combat what we've called the June Jump. Data for several years prior to 2005 showed that collision accidents spiked every year during June. Other transit agencies in Texas all experienced the same phenomenon. Our safety team, led by Director of Safety & Security Mark Ostertag, researched the factors that may contribute to accidents in June, and developed a tailored bus operator training program to help curb the June Jump. Consequently, in the first two years after implementing the program, June accidents dropped 53 percent from the average of the three years prior.

You may be wondering, like I was, what makes June more hazardous than other months.
1. School is out. A greater number of higher-risk (teen) drivers are out on the road.
2. It starts getting really hot in June, and studies have shown that as temperatures rise, so does aggressive behavior.
3. June has the longest hours of daylight of the entire year, and glare is a significant concern during June.
4. June is the peak of vacation season, and out-of-town vacationers (who may be unfamiliar with our streets, or trying to read a map while they drive) driving around Austin increase by several thousand.
5. June is consistently one of the two highest months for DWI and DUI arrests.
6. Austin receives the second highest amount of rainfall in June, and wet roads make for slippery roads.

Arthur tries for Four

2009-05-01T15:19:00.004-05:00

Capital Metro Bus Operator Arthur Murillo is in Seattle, Washington, to defend his title in the 2009 International Bus Roadeo. Arthur has won the international title in the 35-foot bus competition three times. He'll attempt tomorrow to rack up a fourth title.

Earlier today, Arthur was interviewed by Seattle Public Radio Station KOUW. Listen to the interview below.

You may be familiar with Arthur: in recognition of his third championship win last year, Capital Metro designed a bus wrap in his honor. Arthur was also voted "Best Bus Driver" in the Austin Chronicle's readers' poll.
But Arthur isn't the only one representing Capital Metro at the International Bus Roadeo this week. Bus Operator Abdelkader Tenouri is competing in the 40-foot category, and Mechanics Mike Clements, Phillip O’Neal, and Gary Hosea will compete in the Vehicle Maintenance competition.

Good Luck, Capital Metro!

Capital Metro's Response to Swine Flu

2009-04-30T12:44:00.015-05:00

Recently, more cases of the Swine Flu virus have been identified in Texas. The health and safety of our employees and passengers is a top priority. That is why we're taking steps to minimize the risk associated with the virus. Staff is using a hospital-grade sanitizer when cleaning the facilities and the interior of buses. Capital Metro also is encouraging employees to disinfect their work areas as a way to maintain a healthy work environment. Please be aware that these steps alone cannot fully prevent the spread of flu.

What you can do:

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends the following steps to reduce your chance of catching or spreading Swine Flu:

Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
The CDC advises that influenza is spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.
When you cough or sneeze cover your nose and mouth with a tissue. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it. If you don’t have a tissue, use your upper arm not your hand.
If you get sick, the CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

For more information about Swine Flu visit their Web site or call 1-800-CDC-INFO.

Capital Metro is working closely with local, state and federal authorities to monitor the Swine Flu outbreak and will take additional steps as needed.

Capital MetroRail Update

2009-04-28T16:07:00.002-05:00

Yesterday at the Capital Metro Board meeting, Executive Vice President Doug Allen presented an update on MetroRail progress. Capital Metro and Veolia have made significant headway to ready the Red Line for passengers.

* The agency has received the official waiver letter from the Federal Railroad Administration that allows Capital Metro to operate the system when all the components are ready.
* Train engineers have been certified on the operation of MetroRail vehicles, and dispatchers have been certified on the use of the Centralized Traffic Control system.
* Veolia has hired a new safety director, Randy Jamieson, with extensive experience in freight and passenger rail operations.
* Capital Metro has completed a comprehensive inspection of rail system components along the entire 32-mile line.

Doug also outlined the "critical path" to startup, as visualized in this chart.

The agency is working with the city to complete the installation and testing of signal preemption technology that will synchronize rail and traffic signals at several major intersections. In addition, Capital Metro is working to improve shunting, which controls the timing of the crossing arms and the ability of rail dispatchers to monitor trains along the system. Both shunting and signal preemption are key components to the successful operation of Capital MetroRail.

Don't Leave Me

2009-04-28T10:25:00.001-05:00

You step off the bus and walk the short distance to work. You've already had your coffee. Perhaps you were just promoted the day before. Or your kids are doing extremely well in school. Whatever the case may be, you feel good. You reach into your pocket for your wallet and, oh, my gosh, it's not there.

You think you might have left it on the bus. "Yes," you say to yourself. "I remember I pulled out my monthly pass."

What to do if you leave a personal item on the bus? The first thing to do is contact customer service at 474-1200. This number is posted at every bus stop. If you remember the bus number, perfect. This works to your advantage because customer service can contact the driver a lot faster. If you don't know the bus number, don't worry. Tell customer service which route you were on and at what time. Customer service, along with a radio dispatcher, will do some digging for you.

Capital Metro will work quickly to return a lost item left on one of its buses with the owner, be it a valuable item, like a wallet, purse or cell phone, or just lost marbles that someone wants back.

Once customer service has located the right bus, a radio dispatcher will call the operator and ask her or him to search the bus for the lost item. The operator will do so at the next bus stop. The operator then reports back that the item is in his or her possession. This is communicated back to the owner and arrangements are made to return the items to their owner. The owner can wait for the bus to make its return trip; sometimes a street supervisor is sent to retrieve the item; or, the owner can pick-up the item at the downtown office at 4th and Congress.

Here is a friendly reminder. Just before you deboard the bus, look up at the advertisements. Notice the one with a picture of a set of keys, purse, cell phone and other items and these three words: "Don't Leave Me."

Calling all policy wonks!

2009-04-27T11:31:00.002-05:00

Time for an update on the status of Capital Metro’s legislative agenda.

Where to start? What’s in the hopper? A number of things, all of which are moving along but the clock is ticking with only 35 days left in the session that ends June 1. Most of our bills have had committee hearings in at least one of the chambers and a few have been approved by at least one side of the Legislature but we’re still working to see what will make it out.

For more information about the status of some major bills that could affect Capital Metro, read on…

‘OMNIBUS’ BILLS re: fare enforcement ability, confirmation of contracted peace officer authority, and use of State travel discounts
- Senate Bill 1263 (Watson) and House Bill 2469 (Rodriguez)
- Status: HB 2469 was reported favorably from the Transportation Committee and is now awaiting scheduling by the Calendars Committee for consideration by the full House. On the Senate side, no hearing has been scheduled yet in the Transportation and Homeland Security Committee.

STATE TRAVEL DISCOUNTS FOR ALL PUBLIC TRANSIT AGENCIES
- SB 1264 (Watson), SB 899 (Duell), and HB 2899 (T. Smith)
- Status: Both of the Senate bills have been approved on the floor and SB 899 has been scheduled for consideration by the House Transportation Committee on 04/29/09. On the House side, Smith’s bill has been favorably reported from the Transportation Committee.

BUS-ONLY SHOULDERS
- SB 434 (Wentworth) and HB 1790 (Bolton)
- Status: The Senate has approved SB 434 but at the requests of senators representing these areas, they removed Williamson County and added El Paso. The House Transportation Committee took up the House version of HB 1790 last Thursday. The committee substitute that Rep. Bolton offered also excluded Williamson County but it also excluded El Paso County because of concerns by a legislator representing that area. The House Committee didn’t take a vote on Thursday so we’ll see if they take up the Senate version of the bill this week (or next, etc.) and if they’ll vote out the Senate or House version.

FUNDING BILLS
- There are a number of bills, and related constitutional amendments (the SJRs and the HJRs), that would authorize different means of local-option funding for transportation, including transit, projects. There are also a number of bills that would authorize additional vehicle registration fees to fund the same.

Local-option funding bills, and related constitutional amendments, include
• SB 855 & SJR 24 (Carona)
• SJR 52 (Davis), which is a duplicate of SJR 24
• HB 3448 & HJR 122 (Rodriguez), with HJR 122 identical to Carona’s SJR
• HB 9 & HJR 9 (Truitt), which is the companion to SB 855 and with HJR 9 identical to Carona’s SJR
• HB 1674 (Villareal)
• HB 3341 (Miklos).

Vehicle registration-only bills include
• SB 249, Shapleigh
• SB 294, Hinojosa (identical to HB 1716)
• HB 1716, Gonzales Toureilles (identical to SB 294)

- Status: Since there are so many bills regarding this issue, I’ll give a simple summary and say that Carona’s bill and Davis’ constitutional amendment have been approved by the Senate, and that all of the House local-option funding bills and House constitutional amendments were taken up by the House Transportation Committee last week but were left pending with no action. For the vehicle registration fee bills, both of the Senate versions have been approved on the floor but the House Transportation Committee hasn’t taken up the issue yet.

CAMPO PEER REVIEW-RELATED BILLS
- SB 2015 (Watson) and HB 4432 (Rodriguez).
- Status: Watson’s bill has been approved by the Senate. Rodriguez’s companion is awaiting a scheduled date for consideration by the House Transportation Committee.

I didn’t go into the content of the bills since, if you’re wonky enough to read this, you’re probably already versed in them. If you need a refresher or primer though, info about the content of the bills, save for Watson’s and Rodriguez’s Peer review-related bills, can be found in a previous blog posting. An overview of the Watson and Rodriguez Peer Review-related bills (as written by us, Cap Metro staff) can also be found online here. (Note that Rep. Rodriguez has since publicly stated his intention to move forward with Senator Watson’s bill and not the version that he previously filed.) And if you really want to dig around, find the actual bills and much more detailed information through the Texas Legislature Online. (You can do an easy bill search by entering the bill number in the top right-hand corner of the page. e.g., simply enter “HB 2469.”)

While we track a lot of other bills, those are the big ones that we’re advancing or watching. Here’s hoping that the next time I submit a post, I can tell you that all of the bills we wanted to pass, did! Well, maybe I’ll sneak an update in before June 1. Holler if you have any thoughts or questions.

Wednesday Morning on the 987

2009-04-23T16:02:00.000-05:00

The oblong box cruises south on Mopac. It is 6:22 on a mid-week morning and still dark outside. The interior lights are off. Two individual overhead spotlights are on as two of my passengers read. That means 21 passengers are asleep in the recliner seats. That makes me feel good because my smooth driving lulled them to sleep, which is what they wanted and looked forward to when they boarded at Leander and Lakeline. A 15-minute nap will help them get through the morning. As I drive this particular morning I see a meteor streak down and quickly disappear. It is the end of its million mile journey. I don't mention this to my passengers. It is too early to wake them.

But like almost all good things, this ride, as comfy and cozy as it is, is disturbed at 6:26 when the first passengers deboard from the bus. I go into my routine. "Time to get up. Don't forget anything. Make sure you have what belongs to you. Up and at 'em. Show them what you're made out've." Reminds me of when I was the duty N.C.O. in the Marines and had to call reveille, decades back. I walked the barracks to make sure every marine was up. Job well done.

My passengers know me by my name because this is the third time (or "mark-up," to use transportation lingo) I've had this run, the 987 Leander.

Each of my passengers smiles at me as they walk out and onto work. It's priceless.

They are in a good mood because their morning commute was quiet. Uneventful. Just as they like it. I did my part in making their day start off well. In turn they will make other people's day better. It is a chain reaction made from positive energy. At 6:44 the bus is empty except for me. And I think to myself, "Another job well done."

Celebrate Earth Day Everday

2009-04-22T14:29:00.003-05:00

Happy Earth Day!

In case you were wondering, Earth Day is a day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for our environment. According to Wikipedia, Earth Day was founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental demonstration in 1970 and is celebrated in many countries every year.

In my opinion we should treat everyday as Earth Day.

There are lots of things you can do to preserve our environment and our quality of life everyday. But if you really want to make a difference, ride the bus. Public transit offers the most effective and immediate method to reduce harmful emissions. It far exceeds the benefits of other energy saving household activities, such as using energy efficient light bulbs or adjusting thermostats.

According to the American Public Transportation Association, a single person, commuting alone by car, who switches a 20-mile round trip commute to existing public transportation, can reduce his or her annual CO2 emissions by 4,800 pounds per year, equal to a 10 percent reduction in all greenhouse gases produced by a typical two-adult, two-car household.

Use Capital Metro's online trip planner and give transit a try.

ServicePlan2020

2009-04-14T16:50:00.001-05:00

Capital Metro's bus service is going under the microscope. Capital Metro: ServicePlan2020 is a comprehensive operational analysis of every aspect of Capital Metro's bus service. The resulting recommendations will become our roadmap for growth over the next 10 years.

Most big transit agencies do some kind of major analysis of their services and routes periodically. It's a beneficial process, as routes tend to morph over time into a spaghetti bowl. A relevant example is the 'Dillo routes before they were streamlined last year. Likewise, it's an opportunity to thoroughly examine procedures and generally improve the system.

Capital Metro is way overdue for this type of mid-range planning. Some of the legwork for ServicePlan2020 has already been completed. Last year, Capital Metro completed a market segmentation study that yielded a considerable amount of information about rider demographics, barriers to riding, and what people like and don't like about us. That info is one dimension of the analysis. Other factors to be included are: existing system conditions (what works and what doesn't) and community participation and feedback.

ServicePlan2020 makes progress this week when two stakeholder committees convene and begin their work, analyzing various service aspects and identifying unmet needs. A Technical Advisory Committee (made up of planner types from allied transportation entities) and a Community Advisory Committee (representative of riders and community groups who have a key stake in public transportation) will meet periodically over the course of the year to refine ServicePlan2020. We want your involvement, too, and we'll post updates and open house meeting information here as things go along.

New Bicycle Parking Demo

2009-04-14T09:23:00.005-05:00

Commuters at the Pavilion Park & Ride in Northwest Austin may notice something different in the bicycle parking area. It’s called a BikeLid and it’s a new, safe and eco-friendly way to park your bicylce.

The outer shell protects your bike from theft, vandalism and weather elements. The BikeLid is used in other major cities across the country, like Portland, Tampa and NYC.

Capital Metro was lucky enough to get a free BikeLid with help from the City of Austin’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Program. We are testing it out to see if bicycle commuters use it and like it. If we get enough positive feedback, we may decide to purchase some at various other transit facilities.

They run from $800-1000, which is why we would not replace all bicycle parking with BikeLids, if we decide to purchase some. Other cities have used the sides of the shell for advertising and that’s something we would definitely consider.

Another benefit to the BikeLid is that it’s made from industrial plastic waste materials and recycled steel and is 100% recyclable.

The BikeLid is extremely easy to use: just lift the shell, place your bike inside, close the shell and secure it with a U-lock. Check out KVUE's story on the BikeLid to see how it works.

We see the BikeLid as another way to encourage cyclists to take transit. So if you’re a commuter at the Pavilion Park & Ride, give the BikeLid a try and let us know what you think.

It's easy being green and nice to be noticed too!

2009-04-13T10:57:00.008-05:00

Capital Metro earned the “Most Forward Thinking” Award for our exhibit at the Austin Green Living & Home Products Expo February 27th to March 1st. We talked with hundreds of people who stopped by our booth and climbed around on our beautiful hybrid bus parked inside the Austin Convention Center. A comment we loved the most, and heard a lot: “Wow, that’s a pretty bus!” We agree, and every time you take a ride you help keep the planet pretty too.

Ride the Bus and Breathe Easier

2009-04-09T12:28:00.002-05:00

Warmer weather and blooming wildflowers represents spring time in central Texas. It’s also a time to be mindful of ozone levels in the atmosphere. April 1 through October 31 is ozone season, the time when ozone is most likely to form.

Ground-level ozone is a pollutant from man-made sources, such as vehicles, lawn and garden equipment, and industry emissions. Ozone pollution is harmful, but it is particularly unhealthy for children, seniors and people with cardiac or breathing problems.

The most effective way you can help decrease ozone levels is reducing your vehicle miles traveled, such as riding the bus!

A single person, commuting alone by car, who switches a 20-mile round trip commute to public transportation, can reduce his or her annual CO2 emissions by 4,800 pounds per year, equal to a 10% reduction in all greenhouse gases produced by a typical two-adult, two-car household. (source: American Public Transportation Association)

Now if that isn’t reason enough, thinks about this: By taking public transportation instead of driving a car, a two-worker household can save $6,251 annually. (source: APTA)

More money, cleaner air…who wouldn’t want that?

Learn more about ozone levels in our area and sign up to receive ozone warning alerts by visiting the Clean Air Force of Texas’ Web site.

2009 Capital Metro Roadeo Results--UPDATED

2009-04-07T13:12:00.001-05:00

Here's a video recap of the 2009 Capital Metro Roadeo. Behind the cut are the full list of winners in each category. Stay tuned for the State Bus Roadeo in Dallas, April 18.

Vehicle Maintenance Team
1st: Mike Clements, Phillip O’Neal, Gary Hosea
2nd: Eddie Resendez, John Proske, Jose Santamaria
3rd: Kevin Tuel, Eddie Jimenez, Ted Garcia

MetroAccess
1st: Ted Ward
2nd: Jeff Mercer
3rd: George Guerra

35-Foot Bus
1st: Abdelkader Tenouri
2nd: Arthur Murillo
3rd: Juan Maldonado

40-Foot Bus
1st: Porfirio "Pete" Rivera
2nd: Tony Payton
3rd: Amos Underwood

The Big Shoot-Out
1st: Fred Gilliam
2nd: Mayor John Cowman

Amateur Team
1st: Detour Divas & a Dude
2nd: Thunder Road Two
3rd: Death on the Yard (A scoring error had initially placed us in 2nd place.)

A Million Miles

2009-04-07T10:46:00.003-05:00

"Congratulations, Leo." That is what I heard from many well-wishers (they did wish me well) last week on my crossing over the million mile safety record. I am looking forward to receiving my green patch to wear on my uniform. Really. It feels like being awarded a merit badge from the Boy Scouts (I'm guessing it feels good for Girl Scouts, too) for something you worked hard for. That is my feeling about it. Call me a sentimentalist. Or don't. Capital Metro has quite a number of million milers. And also a few two million milers. A million miles is almost equal to two round trips to the moon, and it takes 13 years of safe driving to achieve it. What is amusing, a little not a lot, is that I drove the million miles going north, south, east and west all over Austin. I am glad Capital Metro acknowledges our accomplishments. I can compare this with being in the Marine Corps (I was in the Marines). Both are quick to reward you for your achievement.

I want to thank my friend Erica for asking me to write for the Capital Metro blog. Thanks! I will do my best to stay inside the theme of "pi," at least my interpretation of pi. And that is the relationship of things, situations or people around me and how it pertains to or affects me. And now if you will excuse me, I have to drive the bus.

Wrapping up the fun in Leander

2009-04-05T17:23:00.001-05:00

The 2009 Capital Metro Bus & Paratransit Roadeo is offically over. Tomorrow we'll post full results, but I don't want to leave anyone hanging. Here's how Juan, Mary, and George fared.

George Guerra and Juan Maldonado each took third place in their categories. Mary Molina wasn't in the top three of her category. Her concern that she hadn't had time to practice the course may have been a factor.

Fred Gilliam won the Big Shoot-out. Death on the Yard placed second.

Thorough judging from every angle

2009-04-05T12:53:00.001-05:00

At each challenge on the obstacle course, judges evaluate the operator's performance. There are also three judges onboard the bus. The team of judges working on "Death on the Yard's" bus included bus operators Leo Guerrero and Debbie Teague, and Safety & Security Director Mark Ostertag.

Leo was judging safety habits, like the use of turn signals and seat belt. He's been with Capital Metro since 1995 and just earned his Million Mile safety award. Debbie also joined Capital Metro in 1995, and her role today was to judge smoothness of operation. For example, during my turn behind the wheel, I got a little happy with the brakes once, and so Debbie was obliged to deduct a few points. Mark was the timekeeper--he's been with us for 10 years, and this is the 10th local roadeo he's helped to produce. The roadeo is one component of a comprehensive safety and training program at Capital Metro that produces our team of safe, courteous, and responsible drivers.

"Death on the Yard"

2009-04-05T12:35:00.002-05:00

Here I present "Death on the Yard", made up of Marketing's Dolores Jones and yours truly. Here we are onboard our 40-foot bus just prior to our competition. We competed against "Detour Divas & a Dude" and "Thunder Road Two".

I have no idea how we did. In the main, "real" competition, drivers must complete the course in seven minutes. They give amateurs a longer period of time, but to put it into perspective, I was responsible for driving half the course, and by the time I completed my portion, we were already at 6:49!

CEO Gilliam vs. Board Member Cowman

2009-04-05T11:35:00.002-05:00

After the main competition, Capital Metro employees have a little bit of fun, with the "Big Shootout" and an amateur team competition.

The Big Shootout is the next competition, and Capital Metro President Fred Gilliam will compete against Leander Mayor and Capital Metro Board Member John Cowman.

They've met on the course before, and Fred has consistently won (which sort of makes sense, since he's been in the public transportation industry for three decades). But, Mayor Cowman is both a competitor and a good sport.

The final competition is the amateur team competition, and I'm beginning to get nervous. I was talking big this morning, boasting about team "Death on the Yard" and our mad skills. Now I'm having a hard time remembering how to open the doors and kneel the bus. Uh-oh.

Forty footers rolling out next

2009-04-05T11:06:00.000-05:00

Bus Operator Mary Molina has been with Capital Metro for 13 years. She's up next in the 40-ft bus category. She says she's not nervous just yet. She's been through this before. Seven times before, to be exact. Two years ago she took 3rd place at the state roadeo, and last year she took 2nd place... so she's hoping to continue the trend.

Mary is not sure how she'll do this year--she wasn't able to practice the course beforehand. Although the challenges at the roadeo encompass the foundation of skills needed to drive a bus safely with passengers through all kinds of traffic conditions, the competition itself is quite technical. "Everything is a little different," Mary says. "Your mirrors and your seat position are different. It's challenging."

Good luck, Mary!

Challenge #9: the passenger stop

2009-04-05T10:27:00.000-05:00

Meet Risk Manager Mike Nyren and Safety & Training Manager Andrew Chavira, volunteer judges on the 9th challenge in the obstacle course: the passenger stop.

The objective of this challenge is to simulate a bus stop. The operator has to pull close to the curb but not touch it. The front wheel should be within 6 inches of the curb, and the back wheel, within 15.

Competitors must also announce the stop, kneel the bus, and open the doors for passengers.

Thirty-five-foot competition

2009-04-05T09:51:00.000-05:00

There are two bus categories at the bus roadeo: 35-foot buses and 40-foot buses. Juan Maldonado has been driving with Capital Metro for 23 years. His competition, the 35-foot bus, is up next. Juan Maldonado gears up to drive in the 35-ft bus category.
Juan reports that the dynamics of maneuvering a 35-foot bus are very different than a 40-footer. "Your reference points are different just because of the extra length," he says. And reference points are pretty important for depth perception when turning, backing up, etc.

Juan has earned the designation Million Miler, having driven more than one million miles without any accidents. Even so, he'll have his work cut out for him in today's competition, as he'll be competing against three-time international champion in the category, Capital Metro's Arturo Murillo.

MetroAccess drivers ready to show their skills

2009-04-05T07:58:00.002-05:00

Good morning! I'm on site at the Leander Park & Ride for the 2009 Capital Metro Bus & Paratransit Roadeo.

First up this morning is the MetroAccess van competition. Six drivers will be competing, beginning at 8 a.m.
MetroAccess Van Operator George Guerra, with his game face on.

This is George's second year to compete in the roadeo. Last year, he won the Customer Service Challenge. He's hoping to win the overall competition this year so he can advance to the next level. He's been a MetroAccess van operator for the past four years. Good luck, George!

2009 Bus Roadeo!

2009-04-03T16:18:00.001-05:00

Some of Capital Metro's finest will be competing in our local 2009 Bus & Paratransit Roadeo this weekend in Leander. The annual competition for mechanics and bus and van operators is part skills showcase, part learning exercise, and reinforces Capital Metro's emphasis on safety and customer service.

The local competition is the precursor to the State Roadeo and then the International Bus & Paratransit Roadeo. The top two winners in each division move on to the next competition.

Three teams of Capital Metro mechanics competed today in various timed challenges in which they diagnosed and fixed various engine problems. On Sunday, twenty-three operators will complete an obstacle course of nine challenges that test the operators' technical abilities, as well as the use of safe driving techniques and good customer service. The fun begins around 8 a.m. Sunday at the Leander Park & Ride.

The local bus roadeo also includes an amateur competition. The criteria for being an amateur: you're a Capital Metro employee but you've never had a commercial drivers license. Amateurs participate in teams, splitting up the nine challenges among the members. I'm participating on a team called "Death on the Yard," and I'll have you know I only ran over one curb at the Leander Park & Ride last weekend during our practice session! Wish me luck.

Driving a bus is hard. After the practice session, I had a renewed appreciation for this major portion of our workforce who transport people safely all over the city, all hours of the day and night.

MetroRail Update

2009-04-01T10:55:00.003-05:00

Capital Metro's monthly ASG E-Newsletter was published yesterday. The newsletter included President/CEO Fred Gilliam's monthly rail update. Read below.

Capital MetroRail Update from Fred Gilliam

As you may already know, Capital Metro decided to delay the start up of MetroRail service. After learning of our rail contractor Veolia Transportation’s alleged violations from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), Capital Metro felt it was important that we take a little more time to allow us to provide the safest and best possible rail system at the launch of service.

Veolia is investigating the matter thoroughly and working with the FRA and TxDOT to address the issues. Even though these incidents occurred during testing, we take them seriously, as safety is always the most important factor for Capital Metro.

Delaying the start of service allows Veolia more time to train its engineers and dispatchers and perform additional testing throughout the system. We will work with Veolia to finalize a new action plan towards beginning service.

Capital Metro also decided to bring in rail experts from Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) to assist with startup operations and safety implementation. These experts work directly for the MBTA and have experience working with Veolia, which is a contractor for one of MBTA’s many rail lines. The MBTA representatives donated their time as a peer agency and spent three days with us last week. Their objective and constructive feedback will help us determine our next steps in preparing to launch MetroRail service.

Click here to read the rest of the rail update and other stories in the newsletter. You can also subscribe to receive the e-newsletter via email.

Rail tweets

2009-03-27T17:07:00.000-05:00

We've been playing with twitter over here. It's sort of an experiment, but we're tweeting about MetroRail--check us out.

Everyone's on twitter, it seems. Frankly I never really got the memo; or, perhaps more appropriate, I missed the train.

One of our executives had earlier suggested twitter as a potential tool for frequent MetroRail updates. And after playing with it, it is kind of interesting. Perhaps it could evolve into a mechanism for service announcements once the Red Line is operating full service. That's what Washington DC's Metro just did. Maybe I could become a reluctant twitter fan with practice.

Facts on Finances

2009-03-24T08:01:00.001-05:00

With plenty of confusion out there about Capital Metro finances, staff gave the Board an update at yesterday's meeting. The Board also received a favorable annual financial audit from an independent auditor, as one of the required elements of the agency's FY2008 Certified Annual Financial Report. Learn a bit more about both the audit and the budget presentation here.

In Fact Daily posted the following story about our finances this morning:

McCracken, Cowman defend Cap Metro decisions
By Kimberly Reeves
In Fact Daily

Board members Council Member Brewster McCracken and Leander Mayor John Cowman went out of their way to defend the financial decisions of the regional transit agency yesterday, saying Capital Metro was being prudent and responsive to unanticipated problems of dropping revenue and rising expenditures.

Much of the talk was a response to a recent article by transportation reporter Ben Wear in the Austin American Statesman, which accused the agency of going on a capital spending spree on rail lines and park-and-ride lots that depleted the transit agency’s reserves. At yesterday’s meeting, agency officials vigorously refuted implications the agency had been less than prudent with its expenditures, saying it had met all its obligations and payments.

While Wear wrote the agency owed various local jurisdictions up to $110 million, officials insisted the transit agency is current with its fiscal obligations. Capital spending was, as Wear wrote, upwards of $300 million over five years, but sales tax revenue for that same time period was $783 million, the agency’s financial staff noted in a pre-board meeting briefing.

Agency officials were so firmly committed to their numbers – and that recent dips in reserves were do to unexpected bumps in the economy that the agency had and would continue to deal with – that officials said the agency was open to a state audit and had requested a review by the State Auditor’s Office.

During yesterday afternoon’s board meeting, McCracken offered his own soliloquy about the solvency of the transit agency, saying capital project expenditures now were funded separately from the recent growth in operating costs the agency had faced. The agency was not caught flat-footed, McCracken said. Instead, agency staff had constantly hammered at the need for operating budget restraint.

In 13 months, Capital Metro saw unprecedented fuel costs growth, from $11 million to $27 million, McCracken said. Among transit agencies, Cap Metro had seen some of the lowest fare box recovery and the lowest fare prices in the state. The decision to stop Build Greater Austin – given the growing operating expenses -- was a tough but wise decision. And the board had finally taken a hard, but critical, vote on fare increases in an effort to address the rising operational costs.

Yesterday, Capital Metro announced a voluntary buyout program for agency employees as a potential cost-savings measure. Talking to a television crew outside the meeting, Cowman said he continued to be a proud member of the board of Capital Metro, a board that continued to be fiscally prudent.

“We have to make some tough decisions,” Cowman said. “We’re all facing shortfalls, all over the United States. We look for solutions. We accomplish those solutions. We’re a solution-based company.”

As sales tax and ridership goes down, the transit agency would make adjustments, McCracken said. That’s the only way to respond to tough economic times. And although the local union presented the board with a petition at its last meeting to remove CEO Fred Gilliam, after yesterday’s board meeting Cowman expressed continued confidence in Cap Metro’s top leader, saying that Gilliam had done – and continued to do – an excellent job for the agency.

In his comments, McCracken implied recent changes in the agency’s financial team were necessary for the agency to move forward. The improvement of the financial team, under the current leadership, had improved dramatically. The agency also had worked to create a separate capital budget so that operating expenses and the agency’s capital budget could be kept in perspective.

“That’s what happens when operating expenses increase faster than revenues,” McCracken said. “We started to lose our capital reserves. We had to cancel bus purchase orders. With the creation of a capital budget, we’re able to prevent the total erosion of our capital expenses before operating expenses eats it all up.”

Capital Metro also had been through a thorough peer review process from CAMPO with favorable results, McCracken said. That was like having a tough physical, twice over, to try to diagnose any problems with the agency. McCracken said he was confident the agency would implement many of the changes recommended by CAMPO in the coming months. Still, people are critical about Cap Metro right now.

“We get criticized – and people get mad at us – for spending money on a rail system after they told us to build it. Can you imagine what it would be like if they had told us to build it and we hadn’t spent the money?” McCracken asked his colleagues. “It’s hard to do something like a new rail system… Are we going to have to make some significant and important financial reforms into the future? Definitely.”

Cowman, who says rail service has strong support in the north, also bristled a bit at newspaper accounts over the weekend that said the start of MetroRail service was postponed indefinitely. Indefinitely implies no particular start date, Cowman said. There will be a start date for MetroRail, and it will be soon, Cowman said.

Work on the rail lines would be complete next week, Cowman said. While MetroRail faced a delay due to operator problems – the reason for the recent postponement – that problem would be resolved. It’s a positive thing that Capital Metro has caught a problem in advance and addressed it, not a negative thing, Cowman said.

Canceling the March 28 celebration

2009-03-20T16:20:00.000-05:00

We received some more disappointing news today, and in the interests of safety, Capital Metro has decided to cancel the community celebration next Saturday, March 28.

Here's the statement from President/CEO Fred Gilliam today:

“Capital Metro received notification today from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) of additional alleged violations against rail contractor Veolia Transportation. This is an addition to the previous violations we learned about last Friday.

At this time, I am not satisfied with the progress Veolia has made with safety and training. Capital Metro is absolutely committed to safety. Following extensive discussions with Veolia, the FRA, TxDOT as well as Capital MetroRail staff, I have just notified our Board of Directors that I am taking the following steps:

The MetroRail celebration event planned for Saturday, March 28 is cancelled.

Capital Metro has called for Veolia to replace its safety director.

Capital Metro is bringing in rail experts from Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) to assist with startup operations and safety implementation. They have experience with thirteen previous rail launches.

Capital MetroRail staff will continue testing enhancements to the signal system.

By May 15, Capital Metro will report back to the community with the status of the project and an action plan.

Capital Metro is deeply disappointed over this delay, but under no circumstances will we jeopardize safety by rushing this process.”

<15 feet = $200!!

2009-03-19T16:49:00.002-05:00

Last month, the Austin Police Department held a press conference to draw attention to the dumb (and illegal) things drivers do near railroad tracks, like drive around the gates, park on the tracks, etc. At the press conference, APD promised they would be cracking down on motorists who park on the tracks, first by giving warnings and then by writing traffic tickets.

Police officers are making good on that promise. Beginning this month, they've been handing out warnings to drivers who park too close, or on, the tracks. It's kind of a no-brainer not to park on the tracks, but you might not know that it's actually illegal to be within 15 feet of the rail. If you're closer than that, the crossing arm may be coming down right on your car if a train approaches.

APD's warning includes some lifesaving tips:

When you're in a car:
Be careful turning across train tracks — it's where more accidents happen.
Never race a train to a crossing — you will never have a second chance if you lose and even it you tie, you lose.
Expect a train on any track at any time — if a train goes by at a multiple track crossing, watch out for a second train on the other tracks, approaching in either direction.
Don't anticipate lights or creep out at rail intersections — and never, ever drive around the crossing gates.

When Capital Metro's Red Line begins full service, the police will start ticketing. That's the other important bit of info on the warning: if you do it again you might be shelling out $200!

Red Line Debut Delayed

2009-03-14T19:57:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, Capital Metro received notification from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) of allegations issued against our rail contractor Veolia Transportation. The allegations are in reference to incidents in February where two Veolia rail supervisors operating MetroRail trains entered a section of track without prior authorization during system testing.

Veolia is investigating this matter thoroughly and working with the FRA and TxDOT to address this issue.

Based on this incident and additional issues identified during rail testing over the past several weeks, Capital Metro will allow more time for Veolia to complete the training of engineers and dispatchers and additional testing of the rail line. Capital Metro is working with Veolia to establish a revised timeline for the start of service initially planned for Monday, March 30.

The ribbon-cutting communitywide celebration of MetroRail on Saturday, March 28, will move forward as planned. Learn more about the event on our Web site.

Veolia Transportation issued a statement about the FRA allegations. Read the statement here.

June 2009 Service Change: 'Dillos

2009-03-13T08:58:00.001-05:00

Another proposal in the June 2009 Service Change is to eliminate weekend service on the ‘Dillos, both #450 Congress Ave. and #451 6th Street. Unfortunately no one is riding the ‘Dillos on weekends. Well, that’s not exactly true. On any given ‘Dillo trip made on weekends, there’s on average between two and four people on it.

You may recall that last year the ‘Dillo system got a major overhaul: In Aug. 2008 we streamlined the routes and schedules so that they could operate as they were originally intended: as downtown circulators. During the week, the ‘Dillos work great transporting downtown workers and residents to meetings, lunch, and shopping errands. On weekends, the vision was that the ‘Dillos would attract tourists, weekend shoppers, and downtown residents. And it does, just not enough of them to justify the service. Of all of Capital Metro’s routes that operate on weekends, the ‘Dillos have the fewest riders—2-4 riders per trip, as I mentioned. By contrast, #1L/1M, our busiest route, carries about 80 people per trip on weekends. The poor economy may play a role in the low ridership, since today there’s perhaps fewer tourists and weekend shoppers milling around downtown.

Public input is always sought before any service change proposal is adopted, and the public hearing about the June 2009 Service Change is today at 12:30 p.m., at Capital Metro’s headquarters, 2910 E. 5th Street.

June 2009 Service Change: Express Routes

2009-03-11T16:25:00.001-05:00

We've begun shopping around Capital Metro's June 2009 service change proposal. One of the items in the proposal is changes to and the possible elimination of some express route trips in the Northwest corridor, on routes 984, 986 and 987.

After the Capital MetroRail Red Line begins full service, Capital Metro will evaluate ridership on both the Red Line and routes 984, 986 and 987 for some weeks to determine if any trips on these express routes could be trimmed. In particular, routes 984 and 986 parallel the Red Line. Those trips with similar departures as the Red Line could potentially be eliminated or consolidated with 987. However, we really won't know until after the Red Line has been in full operation a little while and we see where the ridership trends are.

Going multi-modal is a big deal, and while our planners have a lot of tools and expertise at their disposal to predict ridership patterns and need for service, it’s not a perfect science. It made pragmatic sense to go ahead and propose potential changes to 984, 986, and 987 now, so that we have the ability to make any needed changes after the Red Line begins to best allocate our resources and coordinate bus and rail services.

As with every service change (three times per year), it’s a public process, and we invite your participation. Capital Metro staff is hosting two community meetings this week, and the Capital Metro Board welcomes your input at a public hearing.

Public Meetings:

Thursday, March 12
11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Capital Metro Customer Service Center, 323 Congress Ave.

Thursday, March 12
5:30 – 7:00 p.m.
Capital Metro Customer Service Center, 323 Congress Ave.

Public Hearing:

Friday, March 13
12:30 p.m.
Capital Metro Headquarters, 2910 East 5th St.

Rail Safety Poster Winners

2009-03-09T13:46:00.004-05:00

Tonight, at the AISD board meeting, 12 Central Texas students will be honored for the artwork they submitted in the Capital Metro Rail Safety Poster Competition.

Becca Coplen, an eighth grader at Canyon Vista Middle School, is the grand prize winner for the middle school category.

Earlier this year, Capital Metro and its volunteer coalition GROW (Grassroots Rail Outreach Working Group) invited students to submit artwork in a rail safety poster competition. Three winning designs (one each representing elementary, middle and high school campuses) will be printed and hung in every school campus and public library located within two miles of the Capital MetroRail tracks.

Kayleigh Treanor, a senior at Austin High School, won the grand prize in the high school category.

Six first-place and six second-place designs were chosen. First-place winners will each receive a laptop computer donated by Dell. Second-place winners will each receive a pair of running shoes donated by RunTex.

Cindy Carrosco, a fifth grader at Blackshear Elementary School, won the grand prize in the elementary school category.

The poster contest is part of an ongoing rail safety effort that began more than two years ago and has blanketed the community with messages about rail safety. When the Capital MetroRail Red Line begins service on March 30, train traffic along the tracks will increase significantly, and MetroRail trains are faster and quieter than freight locomotives.

1st Place Winners
Kayleigh Treanor, Austin High School, Grade 12
Becca Coplen, Canyon Vista Middle School, Grade 8
Cameron Henderson, Kealing Middle School, Grade 6
Cindy Carrosco, Blackshear Elementary School, Grade 5
David Hernandez, Blackshear Elementary School, Grade 3
Jaylin Mason, Blackshear Elementary School, Grade 1

2nd Place Winners
Rene Salazar, San Juan Diego Catholic High School, Grade 11
Kristin May, Running Brushy Middle School, Grade 8
Gustavo Lang, Running Brushy Middle School, Grade 6
Gerardo Torres, Blackshear Elementary School, Grade 5
Jonathan Garcia, Blackshear Elementary School, Grade 3
Stella Behal, Maplewood Elementary School, Grade 2

Honorary Participant
Cristal Garcia Marchan, Metz Elementary School, Grade 5

The students will be recognized today, March 9, at 6:15 p.m. (before the AISD Board Meeting) in the Board Auditorium at the Carruth Administration Center, 1111 W 6th. St., Room B-100.

During the Citizen’s Communication portion of the Board Meeting (roughly 7:15), Capital Metro will acknowledge the contest winners and their schools.

Welcome to March Madness

2009-03-05T08:24:00.003-06:00

For the many Austinites who have been around for a while we all know March is a busy time for the city. Thousands of people will be coming and going this month so you might want to avoid the traffic and parking headaches by taking the bus when you can.

Let the fun begin:

UIL State Basketball Tournaments – March 5-7 and March 12-14 at the Erwin Center. Catch routes 10, 20, 37, 137 and the UT shuttles.

Texas Independence Day Parade – March 7 along Congress Avenue. Catch most local routes that go downtown to see the parade.

South by Southwest Interactive, Music and Film Festival – March 13-22. Taking place all over town. You can catch almost any of our routes to see a show. We’re also extending the ‘Dillos until 11 p.m.

Star of Texas Fair and Rodeo – March 13-28 at the Travis County Expo Center. Take route 37 or 137.

Spring Break – March 16-20. At least some people are leaving town this month.

St. Patrick’s Day – March 17 on 6th and in the Warehouse District. Don’t drink and drive. Ride the Night Owls.

MetroRail Grand Opening – March 28. Parties at all nine stations and free rides throughout the day. More details to come soon.

And, if you have the energy….

Capital 10K – March 29, between Congress and Mopac. There are a handful of routes that will get you to the starting line.

Did I miss anything? If so, let me know because I think my schedule is already full!!

Where is My Ride?

2009-03-04T14:41:00.005-06:00

Sorry for the long delay in reporting from the technology fronts. We have been extremely busy getting ready for the rail startup in just a few weeks (working on all of the technology at the stations and behind the scenes that you can't see) and in pushing the Automatic Vehicle Location project forward to fruition (as I started to talk about here).

One of the exciting things we are working on is enhancing the trip planner and website to provide better information about where the vehicle you care about is and when it will arrive. The latter problem while not trivial is actually the easier of the two to report on. In fact we have recently enhanced our website to give predicted arrival times for the next 3 buses at any given stop (link). Please take a look at it and let us know what you think. Currently this information is based on scheduled arrival time, but as we turn on the Automatic Vehicle Location system we will start replacing scheduled time with estimated time (based on the present location of the vehicle and its latest speed).

The trickier bit is if we should, and how we should display the real-time location of our vehicles once the AVL system is installed. The advantage to displaying the latest location of all of our fixed route vehicles is that individual riders can figure out which vehicle will best meet their needs and it greatly improves the transparency of the system. The down side to displaying this information is that people will count on the data being precise and as everyone should be aware of by now, technology is not always as accurate as we would like (think airplane arrival times or medical billing :-)). What we don't want to happen is to put information out there that a specific bus is 3 blocks away when it is really 1 block away. People will act on the information in front of them and may miss a bus they wanted. This is not what we want to accomplish with AVL.

I think the key is to display the information in a way that quickly indicates how precise and how reliable it really is. All AVL systems have to pick a frequency of vehicle location updates. For bandwidth and communication cost reasons it is impossible to query the bus and train vehicle every second to know where it is. Practically there is little value in querying a bus every second for its location when it is moving at 5 miles per hour. Conversely it is bad to query a train at 5 minute intervals when it is moving at 60 miles per hour (the stated location will be up to 5 miles away from the true location of the train). For this reason our system will attempt to balance the frequency with the velocity of the vehicles and find a happy medium. But as with all things used by many people, it will not be possible to please everyone with the compromise we reach.

Given this challenge of frequency and real-time accuracy we are left with the issue of how to display the information in a meaningful and non-misleading manner. I pose this challenge to the Austin community as I have yet to find any transit agencies with AVL systems that seem to have solved this conundrum perfectly. For your consideration, here are some of the agencies we have found with AVL that are attempting to visually display the most recent location of their bus fleets. You be the judge and let us know what you think works best.
King County Washington Note: Shows last time the vehicle was querried
Chicago Transit Authority Note: Nice display of Google base map and option to pick routes
Next Bus Note: This is a private company that integrates the approach for many agencies

There may be others, and we would love to hear about them, but we would really like to hear your thoughts on this matter.

Media MetroRail Ride

2009-03-04T08:32:00.019-06:00

This week the FRA was gracious enough to let us take members of the local news media for a MetroRail ride. We'd love to be able to offer rides to the general public. But we're not at that point yet. So we brought the media along to show you what it's like to ride MetroRail. Click through the jump for a few photos and KEYE-TV's story.

The engineer's view

Perfect timing - the MetroRail train crosses the overpass as a UP freight train passes below

Board Member and Leander Mayor John Cowman announces the arrival at Leander Station

Board Chair and Travis County Commissioner Margaret Gomez chats with Mayor Cowman and President/CEO Fred Gilliam at Leander Station

Maria Garza explains the ticket vending machine to Univision

Board Member Mike Manor enjoys the ride

A family that happened to be at the Leander Station when we pulled up had the opportunity to take a quick peek at the train. The next day Capital Metro received this email:

Thank you so much. My family loves the pictures. I really appreciate you letting my children in to experience the train yesterday, we all felt so welcome. [My son] has not stopped telling everyone that he honked the Leander train. He will remember that always...

MetroRail Testing Update

2009-02-26T17:26:00.004-06:00

Capital Metro is in the process of extensively testing each component of the MetroRail system in preparation for the launch of service anticipated for March 30. Thorough testing allows us to identify and resolve any issues that may arise. When issues are resolved, Capital Metro’s rail operator will complete training of dispatchers and engineers and we will finalize rail schedules.

As part of this testing Capital Metro discovered an issue with shunting, the circuit detection system that activates as a train moves on the tracks. Shunting allows dispatchers to properly dispatch trains and controls crossing signals. To resolve this issue, we brought in a nationally recognized shunting expert to recommend remedies.

As other issues arise during testing, Capital Metro will work diligently to resolve them to ensure a safe, reliable passenger rail system. Safety will always the top priority in any decisions we make that may potentially affect the anticipated start of service on March 30. Click here to view the MetroRail status update presented at the Board of Directors meeting February 25.

Welcome to Crestview Station

2009-02-21T09:18:00.001-06:00

In addition to the event at MLK, Jr. Station today, we'll also be at Crestview Station from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., showing off the MetroRail train, helping people navigate the station and the new ticket vending machines, and generally getting Austinites ready to ride!

Eight of the nine MetroRail stations are ripe for transit oriented development, and a TOD is already up and running at Crestview Station. Midtown Commons is the transit oriented development adjacent to the Crestview Station. The development is still in progress. You can already lease retail/office space there, and the leasing office for the residential units has just opened.

When you swing by today to tour the train, you can sign an apartment lease to live next door!

Crestview Station Open House
TODAY
6920 North Lamar Blvd.
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
very limited parking available at the adjacent TOD

Welcome to MLK, Jr. Station

2009-02-21T09:08:00.000-06:00

Capital Metro continues the MetroRail Station Open Houses today. Today you have your choice of two stations: MLK, Jr. and Crestview, both from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Yesterday the group of Capital Metro staff who are volunteering at the open houses took a bus to MLK, Jr. Station to be trained on the use of the ticket vending machine and to tour the station. I snapped a few photos--it's beautiful!

This station has a musical theme, with musical notes portrayed in the metal guardrails and on the glass canopy shelter above. The station paving stones are made to look like piano keys.

The MLK, Jr. Station is one of two stations that will have rail connector bus routes direct to major centers of employment. There will be two connectors from MLK, one to UT and another serving the Capitol Complex.

MLK, Jr. Station Open House
TODAY
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
1719 Alexander Ave.
very limited parking along Alexander

Our Share of "the Stim"

2009-02-20T09:02:00.004-06:00

We recently heard from the feds that Capital Metro may receive about $26.1 million from the economic stimulus plan (or if you prefer the long name, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009).

Our initial proposed project list includes many possibilities, all of which would be key components of a regional transportation system that this area needs to remain economically competitive and to retain and attract businesses.

Here’s a quick summary of some those potential projects:

-Bus and paratransit fleet replacement and expansion: More than half of Capital Metro’s fleet will require replacement over the next several years.

-MetroRail Red Line Expansion: A likely first step would be to add some additional track siding which would allow increased service.

-Construction of new park & ride facilities: Possible locations for new P&Rs include South IH-35 and the city of Manor.

-Expansion of Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Technologies: Expanding the ITS system would allow us to provide real-time information for onboard audio and visual announcements to notify customers of upcoming stops. This would also result in more predictable service and improved operating efficiency.

-Upgrade of bus stop signage: Improved bus stop signage would provide information more effectively.

-Rail with trails: Over the years the community encouraged Capital Metro to plan for bike and pedestrian trails along our rail line.

Capital Metro is working diligently to determine the best use of this stimulus funding to provide maximum benefit for the community. We should have more detail in the coming weeks.

DO NOT STOP ON THE TRACKS!

2009-02-18T13:32:00.007-06:00

One more time: Do not stop on the tracks. We can never say this enough. Today Capital Metro participated in an Austin Police Department rail safety news conference near the 51st Street crossing. TV cameras captured many shots of people stopping on the railroad tracks. At one point, cars were stopped on the tracks as the gates were coming down and a train was approaching.

I hope that having images like these on TV will help raise awareness about rail safety:

Note the moped on the tracks in this one:

Belated Love on the Bus

2009-02-15T15:58:00.001-06:00

Valentines Day came and went, and without a single hokey/snarky/cynical/sentimental mention on our blog! Perhaps you were out yesterday and saw Carla and David Houston's bus, two riders who met on the 1L/1M, and then fell in love and got married. Carla entered her love story in the i-Ride contest, and now their image decorates one of our buses. All together now: Awwwww.

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority earlier this week asked riders to submit their tales of love and romance on MTA subways, buses and trains. The best ones would get posted on the MTA Web site on Valentines Day.

Here in Austin, I had a grand idea of collecting your own stories about love and romance and Capital Metro. Austinites are at least as creative as New Yorkers, and perhaps some masterpiece date ideas would emerge--you know, for Valentines Day. Unfortunately, I got sort of busy and it never got posted. But since a burgeoning romance can spark between cross-town riders on any ol' day of the year, I hope you'll still offer up your stories.

I'll start, with a true story of a blind date I had in 2007 that involved Capital Metro. That date went the way of most blind dates... nowhere; however, it was a pretty clever blind date idea, if I do say so myself.

Remember Gibson's Austin GuitarTown project? Several 10-foot art guitar sculptures were placed all over downtown and beyond. My blind date with Jon, who I believe was a bass guitar player in a band, began at the art guitar painted with Mexican free-tailed bats at the edge of the Congress Avenue Bridge near the Radisson. The plan was this: we'd walk or ride Capital Metro to visit all of the guitars, and take pictures of each one. (I had conveniently already mapped out the location of the sculptures on a Capital Metro System Map.) It's a little nerdy, yes, but it worked pretty good for a blind date because there was a project to complete, taking the pressure off a little.

Now, your turn!

Welcome to Plaza Saltillo

2009-02-14T10:31:00.003-06:00

Welcome to Plaza Saltillo!

Today Capital Metro welcomes the community to beautiful Plaza Saltillo Station to tour the Capital MetroRail train, pick up schedules and learn to use the new electronic ticket vending machines.

Plaza Saltillo is unique and beautiful. Inspired by the plazas of Mexican cities, and named for Austin's sister city of Saltillo, Mexico, Plaza Saltillo was built in 1998 and boasts a beautiful courtyard and fountain, a space for outdoor vendors, and a bandstand. The city of Saltillo donated the ornate, traditional benches that are found throughout. Plaza Saltillo was a collaborative project between the city of Austin, Capital Metro, and an east Austin cultural group called Ole Mexico. Since 1998 it's been the site of many celebrations, and today we can add one more to the list.

The presence of the bright red MetroRail steel framing for the platform--an identifying hallmark at every station--as well as the electronic ticket vending machines (not to mention the uber-sleek train itself), lends a modern edge to a plaza that is steeped in tradition and full of community memories. Soon it will serve as a gateway to downtown business, and as the first welcome to passengers who exit the train in east Austin.

Today you can be a part of it all, and be one of the first to see how fitting Plaza Saltillo is as host for Capital MetroRail. We'll be there, as will the train, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Plaza Saltillo Station Open House
TODAY, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
412 Comal
Bus routes: 4, 320

Join the Capital Metro Team

2009-02-13T14:51:00.001-06:00

Capital Metro is hosting a career fair on Saturday, Feb. 21 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The fair will be at Capital Metro Headquarters, located at 2910 E. 5th Street in Austin.

Currently, Capital Metro is seeking diesel fleet mechanics. If you are interested in other positions, you are also welcome to attend. The fair will provide potential employees the chance to learn about career opportunities and the benefits of working at Capital Metro.

Applications are available on capmetro.org and at the fair. For more information you may call (512) 389-7473 or (512) 389-7521.

Ticket Vending Machines 101

2009-02-10T16:08:00.001-06:00

This morning Fox 7 filmed a demo of Capital Metro's new ticket vending machines that are being installed at all of our MetroRail stations.

You can try out the new ticket vending machines at one of four remaining open houses this month, beginning with Plaza Saltillo this Saturday. Here's more info.

Great Turnout in Leander

2009-02-07T15:37:00.003-06:00

Wow! More than 1,000 people joined us today for the Capital MetroRail open house at the Leander Station. Visitors had the opportunity to tour the train, practice using the ticket vending machine and ask lots of great questions. With just a few weeks to go until the big grand opening event (Saturday, March 28-- mark your calendar), it really was a amazing to see and hear how excited people are.

If you didn't make it to today's open house, we have more coming up this month. See Gerardo's post for the complete schedule.

In addition to the MetroRail train, we also had an Express bus on display at today's open house; and our friends at the Leander Fire Department showed off some of their trucks and equipment which were especially popular with the kids.

"This is only a test"

2009-02-05T10:48:00.001-06:00

If you happened to be traveling on 183 through Leander last Thursday, you may have done a double take at the Leander Station. Several fire engines, police vehicles and ambulances were on the scene participating in a Capital MetroRail emergency preparedness drill.

The scenario: A car has collided with the MetroRail train at the Leander Station crossing. Eighty passengers onboard the train, as well as the driver of the car, have varying degrees of injury. Ready? And, go!

At 10:58 a.m., the train engineer called into dispatch to report the collision, and thus set in motion the drill. Within minutes the Leander Police Department was on the scene, followed by the fire department and EMS. The drill lasted almost four hours, and every angle of the response was analyzed and evaluated by safety experts.

What was the point? Obviously the main answer is to help us prepare for this kind of situation. "It's new," says Leander Deputy Fire Chief Bill Gardner. "It gives us a good opportunity to practice a unified approach." If a crisis of this magnitude actually occurred, it would require the help of and response by multiple departments in surrounding communities.

Following the drill, the participants debriefed and got useful feedback from the evaluators. A few other drills are planned between now and the Red Line debut on March 30.

Here is some footage from the drill taken by Joe Wrubleski in Capital Metro's training department. In the video, yours truly plays the part of newscaster. Note to self: don't give up day job.

Come one, come all...

2009-02-04T16:52:00.002-06:00

I hear the train a comin’, It's rollin' 'round the bend…….

Well not quite yet but we are preparing our community for MetroRail service starting March 30th by hosting five educational MetroRail Station open house events in February.

We are approaching very exciting times in our community with the ushering in of MetroRail service for our region. In anticipation, we are hosting community wide MetroRail Station open houses during February. At each open house event there will be a Capital MetroRail train for people to tour. We will help people understand the new ticket vending machines that will dispense rail and bus passes at each station. Capital Metro staff will be on hand to answer all of your questions about riding the train, including schedules, connector routes, riding the train with bicycles, and rail safety.

The open houses are free and open to everyone in our community. Stop by anytime during the event. Except for the Leander Open House, parking will be limited. Riding the bus or carpooling is encouraged.

Capital MetroRail Open Houses:

Leander Station – Saturday, Feb. 7
10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
800 N. US 183

Plaza Saltillo Station – Saturday, Feb. 14
10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
412 Comal Street
Bus routes: 4, 320

Crestview Station – Saturday, Feb. 21
10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
6920 North Lamar Blvd.
Bus routes: 1L/1M, 101, 300, 320, 350
Access St. Johns for limited parking at adjacent development

MLK, Jr. Station – Saturday, Feb. 21
10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
1719 Alexander Ave.
Bus routes: 18
Limited parking next to station

Downtown Station – Friday, Feb. 27
2 p.m. – 7 p.m.
401 E. 4th Street
Bus routes: All local and ‘Dillo routes

Better Ways to Reach Out

2009-01-30T14:58:00.000-06:00

I will be the first to admit that public transit is less than intuitive. Timetables and routes and zones and fare structures are less than intuitive. And the harder it is to use something (like public transit or your cell phone's latest features) the less likely people are to use it. In our business of public transit we are aware of the many barriers to using our system on a daily basis (despite what it may seem like from the outside). Working in the technology group there are however only so many of those barriers that we can address directly (much as I would like to I cannot make the buses come more often). But what we can do is try to make the effort to get information about the system as easy as possible. The theory being that as we knock down barriers to using public transit, more people will want to use it. In that vein, I came across a fascinating article about a little town right here in our neighborhood that has gone off and done something useful in a very ingenious way. While the connection to public transit may not be obvious, let me explain...

Out friends to the south in San Antonio did something smart about 10 years back by putting a unique number on every bus stop in their town. With that number, when someone calls into their phone system or when they visit their website they are able to access information specific to their bus stop simply by referencing the unique number at their stop. This makes it way easier to ask for the next bus to arrive at stop #5413 than to have to describe the bus stop (the one just north of 5th and Congress on the um I think it is the west side of the street... hold on a minute and let me ask someone which side of the street we are on...). This type of short hand is very useful for lowing the barrier to bus and train information.

Realizing the advantage of this type of shorthand to reference points of interest within the Capital Metro world we have begun the long process of putting unique bus stop numbers at each of our stops as we roll out new signs (the problem with getting this done quickly is that we have to modify 3100+ bus stops and transit centers with a precise piece of information that can't be in error). As we start to get this numeric shorthand in place you will see us roll out the new ability to get stop specific information from our web and IVR systems in this way.

What is exciting about the Manor experiment is that they have taken this concept of a simple reference link to a much deeper source of information and they have proven it can be done for a small amount of money and they have shown that a lot more information can be compressed into a relatively small space. The new form of short hand (in their case a QR code) can be used to convey much more information than a simple 4 or 5 digit number. Of course the hurdle now becomes getting people familiar with a new way of accessing information, but as camera phones become more popular this problem may be solved by other people. (To understand what the city of Manor did and to understand this new way of compressing more information please read the associated article here.)

And for those of you that would like to try this out, I have included a QR code jump below to e-mail me your thoughts. (If you need help deciphering this strange beast, read the article above. If that doesn't work then post a comment on this blog and I will show you how to take advantage of these hieroglyphics.) As always, I would love to hear what you think on this topic and where you think shortcuts like these could best be used in our system.

Cold Weather Buses

2009-01-27T16:28:00.000-06:00

Brrr. It's getting cold outside. A winter storm warning will be in effect this evening. Right now Capital Metro has no plans to alter its bus schedules or MetroAccess services because of the weather. People depend on us rain or shine (or snow or ice), and it's a rare event when we reduce services because of the weather.

Whenever freezing temperatures threaten, we actually increase one service, what we call our "cold weather buses." It's one part of a citywide effort to help Austin's homeless stay warm on a cold night. Working with the Office of Emergency Management, the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless, and several other local organizations, Capital Metro provides special transportation from ARCH to area shelters for the night, and then returns people in the morning.

Capital Metro's cold weather buses have already been called into service for this evening. Stay warm!

A Community of Commuters

2009-01-27T10:55:00.000-06:00

This weekend the Dallas Morning News printed a fun article about a social network of women commuters on DART. Their membership is up to 50 women, and in addition to visiting during their daily commutes, they meet for a business networking lunch once a month.

I know here at home, Express route riders often get to know one another and form a small community of sorts. That's a trend I think will spread to MetroRail, too, once it's going. I'm pretty sure we could come up with a snazzier club name than DART's "Blue Line Ladies Lunch Bunch." The MetroRailers? The Red Line Red Hots? Red Line Rogues? The 5 o'clock Sidecars?

Check out the full article from the Dallas Morning News, behind the cut.

Dallas Morning News - January 25, 2009
Women extend DART commute into a network

Judy Appelman and Darlene Bennett have learned to make connections while making connections.

They've turned the daily trek from Garland to downtown into a business network for female DART warriors. Membership in the dues-free legion, the Blue Line Ladies Lunch Bunch, currently stands at nearly 50 women ages 32 to 65.

In addition to communing while commuting, the group meets each month at a lunch spot downtown to socialize with purpose. Someone needs to sell her house. Another needs to find one. Several, including Appelman, are looking for jobs.

More than half of the members are legal assistants and paralegals.

"The only way we're going to survive in this world of new economic realities is by networking with each other," says Appelman, whose hours as director of marketing for an architecture firm were recently pared to part time. "There are 48 people who now know I'm looking for a job."

Sometimes commuters form social groups, but as far as DART knows, this is the first time a business network has coalesced.

"This group has taken on a whole different dynamic," says DART spokesman Morgan Lyons. "This is really cool."

It started last April when Bennett, an executive assistant for an oil and gas chief executive, asked Appelman how she could get to know other women on the train. Bennett, who moved here from California to take care of a seriously ill sister, was "starving for friendship," she says.

Appelman and Bennett set a lunch date for the next week. Becki Woodward, who works in the purchase and sales department of Southwest Securities, overheard their plans and invited herself along. Over Mexican cuisine at Iron Cactus, the idea for a monthly group lunch of Blue DARTers blossomed.

"We started by gathering e-mails on the train," Appelman says. "It was truly that simple. We're not selective at all."

Women only

Guys can't join, Bennett says in hushed tones, as if that were illegal.

"If somebody loses a job, maybe somebody else knows of a job," Woodward says. "I wish the whole world were like this. We're all helpmates."

Last Thursday, nearly two dozen train trekkers gathered at Enchilada's on Elm Street, where the conversation centered on how to expand the club's just-launched Web site. More detailed contact information on everyone would be helpful. Perhaps they should start a reading club. A list of goings-on downtown and where to park cheapest at night would come in handy.

Most get an hour for lunch – but not necessarily the same hour. Forewarned, Enchilada's manager Toni Lopez was happy to accommodate the come-and-go crowd.

They came in small batches beginning at 11:30 a.m. (coinciding with train arrivals at Akard a block away), ordered as they sat down and left when they had to. The last woman caught the Blue Line's 1:23 p.m. northbound.

The group is thinking about doing an after-work happy hour at Mockingbird Station because some can't get away at lunchtime.

There are other benefits. "If someone has car trouble when she gets back to the station, she knows who she's ridden in with that afternoon and can call for help," Appelman says. A half-dozen or so with children at Texas A&M University formed an Aggie Mom subgroup.

"Instead of reading, people feel free to strike up conversations," Bennett says. "I've met some of the nicest ladies on the train and have been blessed in getting to know them."

A rainbow

It's become an endeavor of the heart for Bennett and Appelman, who would like to help start Red Line and Green Line groups.

The folks at DART think that would be just great.

"It shows how transit can create community, a sense of ownership that you can't get while riding alone in your car," Lyons says.

This is (not) an Emergency

2009-01-23T15:27:00.006-06:00

“This is MetroRail #104. I just had a collision with a car at the Metro Drive crossing, and people are injured.” That’s more or less what one of our train engineers will say when he or she contacts rail dispatchers on Thursday morning around 10 o’clock. Fortunately, this is just a test. Capital Metro will stage a rail emergency drill at the crossing by the entrance to the Leander station.

It’ll be a great opportunity for Capital Metro and the first responders to practice coordinated emergency procedures in a “live” situation. We’ll try to make this as realistic as possible. Here’s the scenario: a car speeds through a railroad crossing and is struck by a train. The engineer notifies dispatch, then the dispatcher calls 9-1-1. There will be mock victims with a varying level of injuries and perhaps a few other surprises that we won’t mention ahead of time since you don’t get that kind of advanced warning in a real emergency.

Following the rescue efforts, there will be a debriefing to critique the operation. You can spend years preparing for emergencies—and believe me, we have— but you never know for sure what will happen if and when you ever have to put those plans into action.

Capital Metro meets regularly with the various police, fire and other emergency responders in the area to focus on rail safety and emergency preparedness. Thursday’s drill is just one part of the overall safety and emergency plan.

I wouldn’t want to post something about rail safety without also encouraging you to review these safety tips. I’m sure you’ve heard these things before. But despite the fact that it’s dangerous and illegal to walk on railroad tracks or drive around railroad gates, people still do it.

Capital MetroRail Schedule--First Pass

2009-01-22T11:14:00.009-06:00

Hooray! Today I am pleased to share with you the tentative schedule for Capital MetroRail. Note the heavy emphasis on “tentative”—our planning team expects changes to the schedule based on the real-time “practice runs” that begin Feb. 12 along the entire 32-mile line.

This draft schedule allows for seven SB trips and three NB trips in the morning, and then seven NB trips and three SB trips in the afternoon--each weekday. The frequency will be every 30 minutes. See the timetables behind the cut.

Capital MetroRail Update

2009-01-22T09:38:00.004-06:00

The Capital MetroRail system will begin service on March 30, 2009. Here's the latest rail update from Capital Metro President/CEO Fred Gilliam.

Happy New Year. Capital Metro looks forward to beginning a prosperous new year with the opening of Capital MetroRail service. From the 2004 creation of All Systems Go to the 2006 Rail Design Open Houses and now to the preparation of launching Capital MetroRail, we have come a long way in preparing to open the first passenger rail system in central Texas. Of course, we could not have gotten this far without successful community collaboration and support.

We expect to begin service on our 32-mile passenger rail line between downtown Austin and Leander on March 30, 2009. We are working diligently to deliver on our promise to build and operate a safe, reliable and high quality rail system for central Texas.

Below you will find updates on Capital MetroRail.

Station Construction

The ticket vending machines, security cameras and station signage installation has begun for the Downtown, Plaza Saltillo, Highland, Crestview, Lakeline and Leander Stations.

The MLK, Jr. platform is complete; however, the Bus Plaza is still under construction and expected to be complete in February. The Kramer Station west platform should be completed in February and the east platform will be completed in March. Howard Station is progressing as the station platform is nearly complete and the Park & Ride will be finished before the start of service in March.

Signal System and Track Work

The installation of the Centralized Traffic Control (CTC) signal system is complete and testing is now underway. The CTC system will allow dispatchers to see where every train is on the line at all times and manage all signals and switches.

There will be three new sections of track siding that are necessary for the trains to pass each other. The Leander siding is complete and the Kramer and Manor track sidings will be finished in February.

Freight Switch and MetroRail Testing

On February 7, Capital Metro plans to switch freight rail operations overnight between the hours of 9 p.m. and 4:30 a.m. Between two to four trains will be traveling during this time.

For safety and noise reduction near residential areas, Capital Metro has installed quad gates at many railroad crossings between Leander and downtown Austin. These safety upgrades allow local municipalities to request quiet zones from the Federal Railroad Administration to permit trains to pass crossings without blowing their horns. This investment is part of Capital Metro’s commitment to safety and quality of life near the tracks.

Once freight has shifted to night, Capital Metro will begin an intensive 45-day testing period in which MetroRail trains will run during weekdays along the entire 32-mile line between Leander and downtown Austin. These “practice runs” will allow us to test the new signal system, finalize the rail schedule and train the MetroRail engineers. This testing is critically important to a successful opening as it allows us to identify and resolve any issues before we have passengers on board.

Open Houses and Grand Opening

We are planning some events in the coming months leading up to the opening in March. In February, Capital Metro will host five open houses at some of the stations to educate future customers on how to ride the MetroRail system. The grand opening celebration is currently being planned for the weekend prior to March 30. See the stories in the ASG Newsletter for more details about these events.

Thank you for your interest in Capital MetroRail. I always appreciate your feedback.

Sincerely,
Fred Gilliam
President/CEO
Capital Metro

i-Ride Winners Roaming Around Town

2009-01-16T08:01:00.009-06:00

The i-Ride campaign has come and gone but the winners will live on a little while longer. Seven buses are now roaming around Austin with the faces our i-Ride winners. The new bus wraps display the winners along with their reason for riding the bus. These wraps will be on the buses until March.

For those of you unfamiliar with the campaign, Capital Metro launched i-Ride last year with the intent to use current riders’ stories to encourage others to try transit. We called for customers to share their reasons for riding through stories, videos, songs, artwork, poems, etc. We received over 300 entries with many cool, amusing and heart-warming stories.

So if you happen to see any of these people riding your bus, say hello and maybe they will tell you more about why they ride Capital Metro.

Stimulus draft released: $10 billion for transit

2009-01-15T13:14:00.003-06:00

The Huffington Post reports that a draft economic stimulus bill totaling $825 billion has been floating around the halls in Washington, which includes $30 billion for highway construction and $10 billion for transit.

Here's an excerpt:

MODERNIZE ROADS, BRIDGES, TRANSIT AND WATERWAYS

To build a 21st century economy, we must engage contractors across the nation to create jobs - rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges, modernizing public buildings, and putting people to work cleaning our air, water, and land.
Highway Infrastructure: $30 billion for highway and bridge construction projects. It is estimated that states have over 5,100 projects totaling over $64 billion that could be awarded within 180 days. These projects create jobs in the short term while saving commuters time and money in the long term. In 2006, the Department of Transportation estimated $8.5 billion was needed to maintain current systems and $61.4 billion was needed to improve highways and bridges.

Transit: Public transportation saves Americans time and money, saving as much as 4.2 billion gallons of gasoline and reducing carbon emissions by 37 million metric tons each year.

· New Construction: $1 billion for Capital Investment Grants for new commuter rail or other light rail systems to increase public use of mass transit and to speed projects already in construction. The Federal Transit Administration has $2.4 billion in pre-approved projects.

· Upgrades and Repair: $2 billion to modernize existing transit systems, including renovations to stations, security systems, computers, equipment, structures, signals, and communications. Funds will be distributed through the existing formula. The repair backlog is nearly $50 billion.

· Transit Capital Assistance: $6 billion to purchase buses and equipment needed to increase public transportation and improve intermodal and transit facilities. The Department of Transportation estimates a $3.2 billion maintenance backlog and $9.2 billion in needed improvements. The American Public Transportation Association identified 787 ready-to-go transit projects totaling $15.5 billion. Funds will be distributed through the existing formulas.

Amtrak and Intercity Passenger Rail Construction Grants: $1.1 billion to improve the speed and capacity of intercity passenger rail service. The Department of Transportation's Inspector General estimates the North East Corridor alone has a backlog of over $10 billion.

Hello, Legislature!

2009-01-13T19:07:00.001-06:00

Cheers to the first day of the State's 81st legislative session that began today, because Capital Metro's got a lot on our plate! We're simply trying to keep up with ways to provide the modern-day necessity of transit in an urban area. What's on our wish list, you ask? A lot. OK, it's not that much but it's a fair amount so I'll just write about some of our more interesting initiatives.

Read on for more information and background about each issue, but for ease of reading, here's a short list of some of our priorities:
- Civilian fare enforcement abilities on MetroRail.
- Enhanced security abilities throughout our service area.
- The ability for buses to drive on highway shoulders during massive congestion.
- New community funding sources for transit.

And while not part of the legislative program that our Board asked us to advance, I'll touch upon one more issue that could come up in the session: the referendum required of our agency in order to build, or even operate, passenger rail.

Our Red Line between Leander and Austin opens this March. Seems pretty standard, or at least not unusual, for a transit agency to operate passenger rail—even in Texas—but we still need some changes to state law so that we can more effectively operate a regional rail system. Like Dallas and Houston for example, we won't have barriers or turnstiles to board MetroRail so we’re looking for the ability, also like that of Dallas and Houston, to hire civilian employees who can enforce fares by requesting proof of payment and issuing tickets if necessary. We also need to make sure that the peace officers with whom we contract to serve as some of our security (currently APD) are able to use their law enforcement abilities if there is a crime occurring on Cap Metro property outside of their jurisdiction so this too is on our agenda.

We're also working on a couple of efforts from last session and I'm especially optimistic about one of them this time: the ability for our buses to drive on highway shoulders when roadways become congested, of course only where safe and if approved by TxDOT. We’re very fortunate to work with Senator Jeff Wentworth and his hardworking staff again. They were able to get this passed in the Senate last time but unfortunately we just ran out of time in the House. (New House Speaker Joe Straus led on that side of the Legislature.) This practice is used all over America and in effect creates extra highway capacity, but only for buses, for very little money–an easy way for public transportation to achieve a travel-time advantage. Per TxDOT, the estimated cost per mile is only $2,000 for sections that are already structurally sound. (Compare that to their estimate of $8 million per mile for a new lane on an existing highway.) Other good news is that this past December, the House Transportation Committee already recommended this legislation.

There are two other big issues that I also want to mention. One item is part of our agency's legislative agenda and the other isn't, but was recommended as part of a recent CAMPO study of our agency.

The first item deals with, frankly, money. Capital Metro doesn't have enough funds to create a truly regional transit system and, further, we are limited in our ability to do this. As a result of how communities are allowed to join Capital Metro under State law, our current service area does not reflect the residency and work patterns of Central Texas. If you are geeky enough to read this Capital Metro blog, you probably know that communities like Round Rock, Cedar Park, and Pflugerville are not in our service area. To join Capital Metro, an entity must dedicate a penny of their community's sales tax to our agency’s funding. This is what Austin, Leander, Manor, Lago Vista, Precinct 2 of Travis County, and 5 more communities do. People all over Travis and Williamson Counties want and need public transit. Remember when gas was $4 a gallon and our ridership went through the roof? To me, one Statesman story said it all. If I recall correctly, something like four of the five people in the photos on our Express buses did not live in our service area. And in 2030, more than half of our metro area population will live outside of the Capital Metro service area. Clearly, Capital Metro’s service area needs to be larger.

But the problem is that these communities, which so desperately need transit, have committed all of the local sales tax the State allows them to their community's other priorities like economic development, property tax relief, or roadways. So we have to think of other ways that people can pay for transit other than sales tax.

One of the ideas that is being kicked around in this region, and all over other major metro areas in the state, has emanated from North Central Texas. For the past two sessions, prompted by a desire to expand their regional rail system, the North Central Texas area has asked the Legislature for permission to let communities‘bust' the local sales tax cap but only for transit. The Legislature wasn't quite comfortable with this and suggested they come back with other creative suggestions that could be applied statewide. While there are still a number of details to be worked out, they are now proposing that local communities be allowed to levy a limited number of taxes and fees, from a Legislature-approved list of options, for local transportation projects. These monies could only be raised if approved by the voters. Capital Metro’s also supportive of this idea but we’re trying to figure out the best way to address issues such as governance and equity—some very tough issues to tackle but definitely worth tackling.

Lastly, I want to mention the State's requirement that our agency secure voter approval in order to build or operate passenger rail, even if we do so within existing funds, like we did for the Red Line. Removal of the requirement isn't part of our Capital Metro's legislative program but the study that CAMPO just wrapped up of our agency recommended that this be removed. No other transit agency in the state has this requirement and, to our knowledge, no other agency in the country does either. While passenger rail is a fairly typical function of many urban mass transit agencies, most agencies still have to go to referendum to have the actual funding approved. That's totally understandable and realistically, this would be the same for our area. I don't know of any way that more passenger rail could be built in Central Texas without going to the voters for funding approval. Even though Capital Metro has been this region's public transportation provider for over 20 years, this requirement can unfortunately cause other entities to be hesitant to work with us if they already have to go to referendum once for funding.

Capital Metro's got a lot to chew off, and there's still a little bit more, but I won't continue droning on. No one can guess what will happen at the Legislature but I'm optimistic that they'll see fit to grant us these abilities so that we can continue improving upon the service that we provide, and that Central Texans need. Traffic is a mess and there is so much support for public transportation right now. It's an opportune time for the State to make these changes. My little slogan is that we simply need 21^st century tools to do a 21^st century job. Here's hoping for a *happy* happy hour in 140 days.

TOD Progress at Leander Station

2009-01-12T14:06:00.001-06:00

Capital Metro has been working with a number of public and private entities to develop the land surrounding the Leander Station, which will be the “end of the line” for the first phase of the MetroRail Red Line when it opens in March. But don’t think “sprawling suburban shopping center” development. Think “walkable community,” a “live, work, and play” development, a transit oriented development (TOD).

TOD is a smart choice because it’s denser, more efficient, and gentler on the environment than traditional developments. It creates a sense of place, a community where people can reduce their dependency on cars. It promotes healthier neighborhoods, too, where people walk and bicycle and get to know their neighbors.

In this kind of economy, it can also be a boon to communities, as national studies have concluded that for every $1 investment in a transit project, the community will yield about $6 in local economic activity.

Here’s some major mileposts in the Leander Station TOD:

* In 2005, the Leander City Council approved the Leander SMART Code, which is the blueprint for TOD development for more than 2,000 acres in northeast Leander.

* Capital Metro’s Leander Park & Ride opened in 2007, giving commuters ample time to “get friendly” with the station site, and with public transportation in general. Ridership on the Express bus routes that serve Leander have experienced sustained growth.

October 2008 photo of the Leander Station.

* Capital Metro has a working agreement with the development group that owns the 80 acres immediately adjacent to the Leander Station. Their land actually surrounds the station on three sides and is planned for a mixed-use TOD. Capital Metro and the developer are working on joint plans for eventual development of the Leander Park & Ride, in concert with the 80-acre TOD. A common land planner will ensure that both projects move forward with a unified approach.

* Road infrastructure surrounding the Leander Station and TOD site are well underway. Delays due to the discovery of an historic ranch house slowed the process of approvals and funding for CR 274, but the concerns have been resolved, and design has begun. CR 273 is under design, and the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization recently issued a $4 million grant for its construction. CR 269 to continue west from 183A to CR 2243 at its intersection with US 183 (at the H-E-B) is now under design.

* A pedestrian/bicycle connection will be under construction soon, from the northwest corner of CR 2243 across US 183 by crosswalk to a sidewalk extending from the northeast corner of the intersection north to the southern end of the MetroRail boarding platform. The connection will be complete before the rail service begins.

Last chance to buy a 'Dillo

2009-01-08T13:26:00.000-06:00

You might remember in November we advertised some retired 'Dillos for sale in an online auction. All told, we had 12 'Dillo trolleys to sell, and the last two are currently up for auction on GovDeals.

You may be asking, what can you do with an old 'Dillo?

For inspiration, ask Karisa Prestera, who turned an old 'Dillo into the retail outlet of her business, Taste No Evil Muffins. Karisa transformed the 'Dillo into the whimsical store seen above and sells her muffins there six days a week.

Karisa advertises the former-'Dillo-headquarters on her Facebook page as part of what makes her business uniquely Austin. Here is the "before" photo:
(Check out the Taste No Evil Muffin Company on Facebook for a series of photos documenting the retired 'Dillo's transformation.)

This particular 'Dillo is an older model than the ones currently for sale online, possibly in service even prior to Capital Metro's formation in 1985. The Taste No Evil Muffins trolley isn't operational, but has a permanent home outside the eclectic Maria's Taco Xpress on South Lamar. (Ride routes #3, 29, 331, or 338 to get to the muffin trolley.)

I mentioned to Karisa that she could upgrade her 'Dillo to one that actually runs, and she'd love to if only she had $30,000 to spend (more or less the going rate for the other 'Dillos we've sold). Instead, she is saving her dough to install convection ovens in the trolley--maybe as early as this spring--so she can move 100% of her operations into the muffin trolley. That would make Taste No Evil Muffins the first complete bakery bus. (Well maybe not the very first, but at least the very first bakery in a former 'Dillo!)

You can bid on the two remaining 'Dillos through Jan. 14.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-02T23:20:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year, everyone! All of Capital Metro joins me in wishing you a happy and prosperous 2009.

Like a lot of people, I tend to become introspective at the end of each year, analyzing all I did and didn't accomplish during the previous year. It'd be interesting to get a feel for Capital Metro's 2008--like a top ten list of big events that shaped transportation in Austin. Off the top of my head I can name a few. Perhaps you can help me flesh it out.

In no particular order:

* We opened a brand new (and award-winning) facility, the South Congress Transit Center.

* Four dollar gasoline sent ridership through the roof.

* STRIKE!

* We increased Capital Metro's base fare for the first time in our history.

* We completed the lion's share of work to bring Capital MetroRail to fruition and set a firm start-up date.

* Major changes were proposed to the MetroAccess program.

What else would you add to the list? What is your hope for Capital Metro in 2009?

Take the Bus to First Night

2008-12-31T08:52:00.004-06:00

If you plan on enjoying New Year's Eve at First Night Austin, try taking the bus to the festivities. In addition to the many regular routes that travel downtown, we're extending four routes (4, 101, 171 and 982) until 1 a.m.

And don't forget about the Night Owls that start running after midnight until about 3:30 a.m.

We encourage you to buy a Day Pass good for unlimited rides for 24 hours. Children under six ride free.

For more details, check out the handy pocket map that will help you plan your trip.

Have a safe and happy New Year!

To Tree or not to Tree

2008-12-31T08:22:00.004-06:00

The Statesman ran a story today about the removal of some trees on Capital Metro property near the railroad tracks. Good story.

The most important thing to remember here is that we’re talking about safety and federal regulations. Imagine if you were in your car approaching a major intersection and your view of a traffic light or stop sign is blocked by a tree. The consequences could be deadly. A train operator has to have a clear view of signals too.

We're required to clear any obstructions in these circumstances:

Line of sight to crossing signals: Train operators must have a clear view of all crossing signals and gates up to 20-seconds prior to reaching a crossing so the train has time to stop if the signals are malfunctioning. Drivers on the road must also have a clear view of all signals, signs and gates.

Line of sight to train signals: These are the signals that train operators look out for so they know whether they must stop or keep moving. Operators must have a clear view of all signals. Most signals on Capital Metro's line are placed within 12 to 16 feet from the center of the track and are about 12 feet tall. In areas with straight track, the line of sight could be as long as a half-mile from the signal itself.

Operating envelope clearance: There cannot be any obstructions within the operating envelope of a train. The size of the operating envelope varies depending on the curve of the track. The industry standard is 10-feet from the center of the track on each side and 22-feet high.

Failure to remove obstructions could result in a serious safety situation as well as violations from the Federal Railroad Administration.

MetroRail staff will continue to work closely with the landscape contractor to make sure that crews only remove what’s absolutely necessary to comply with the federal regs. And as the story mentioned, we’ll work with neighborhood groups to try to let them know in advance if there’s going to be any major trimming happening nearby.

From Alcoholic to Workoholic

2008-12-30T09:56:00.005-06:00

Here’s a feel-good story for the holidays. The New Jersey Journal reported on a former homeless man who turned his life around and is now recognized as one of New York City’s nicest bus drivers:

Once lost in drug haze, now 'nicest' bus driver
Friday, December 26, 2008
By CHARLES HACK
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

After being homeless for more than a decade, a Union City resident has found a home, love, and even an award for being one of New York City transit's nicest bus drivers.

His employer, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, presented David Abramski, 51, who now lives in the Doric Towers in Union City and drives for the Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority, with an award after 21 passengers contacted the authority in 2007 to praise him for being courteous and helpful.

He was one of four MTA workers presented with the Govan Brown Presidential Award in October. The award is named for a retired bus driver who collected 1,400 commendations for charming passengers during his 21-year-career.

Abramski chalks up his popularity to common courtesy, saying "Hello" to anyone who looks at him, announcing every stop and saying "Thank you" when passengers are departing.

"I try to treat everyone like they are my friend - like it's a rolling party," Abramski said. "I want everybody feel at ease."

He also goes the extra mile with service. He has hand-delivered valuables left on his bus to their owners.

Once playing guitar for a band that landed gigs at the storied CBGB's rock club, Abramski's life spiraled out of control in the mid-'80s, leading to his eviction from a single room occupancy hotel. He was homeless for 10 years, living in an Amtrak tunnel below Riverside Park in New York City.

Smoking pot since his teens, he says he got hooked on crack cocaine and alcohol when he was laid off from his job as a bicycle messenger after breaking his shoulder.

"I finally hit the bottom," he said. "You couldn't get any lower than living in that tunnel."
His parents took him into their home and clipped out job advertisements to help his search for a "real job."

He became a motorbike messenger after attaching a small motor to his bike. Then he got a motorcycle. And then finally a bus, when he landed a job as a part-time bus driver with NJ Transit before being hired by the MTA in November 2000.

"I'm sorry I messed up. I was so bad as a kid," sighed Abramski. "I was such a rebel."
After moving from a boarding house in Union City to a condo in Jersey City, he met his wife, Barbara Alice.

He plans to retire when he is 63 years old and move with his wife to Florida, and has been working overtime to earn enough to buy a house there.

"I used to be an alcoholic, but now I'm a workaholic," Abramski said.

Are You Too Sexy for the Bus?

2008-12-24T10:34:00.004-06:00

Local entrepreneur and Capital Metro rider Vicki Flaugher wrote an interesting article about the social stigma that sometimes accompanies riding mass transit. She had been in a car accident that totaled her vehicle, and had decided to ride Capital Metro so she could save up for a Prius. Here's an excerpt, behind the cut.

Little did I know, though, how much other people seemed to have negative ideas about riding the bus. My friends, even my new-age, modern-minded, vegetarian, recycling friends, all looked at me with pity in their eyes when I told them I was riding the bus.

For the first few weeks, they would offer me rides or tell me about some great deal of a car one of their neighbors had for sale, but after awhile that stopped. I felt a real disconnect from the socially conscious, energy efficient nirvana they talked about pursuing and how they acted about the actuality of it when a friend of theirs was living it.

Complete strangers were happy to fill the pity gap, though, as they saw me waiting at a bus stop. They would stop and offer me a ride because they just felt bad that a “nice woman” like me would be waiting for the bus. What’s that about? Do normal, cleanly dressed, law abiding, working people not ride the bus? The prejudice was obvious.

Flaugher goes on to challenge readers to examine their own prejudices when it comes to public transportation, just as she had to face her own. Some of the questions she raises: "Are you too sexy for the bus?" "In your mind, do I have to own a car to fit in?" "Do you think poorly of the people riding the bus?" "Are people who afford and use cars somehow held in higher esteem?"

The full article, including an audio version, can be found here.