Category Archives: Transportation

When It Comes To Public-Private Partnerships, Follow The Smart Money

Posted on July 5, 2017 by mikethemadbiologist

Investor Jim Chanos on Il Trumpe’s infrastructure proposals (boldface mine): It’s going to be public-private partnerships. I have a long experience with those: I was short Macquarie Bank, which was the originator of these sorts of things in ’05-’06. Macquarie … Continue reading →

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D.C. Metro’s Reliability Is The Issue

Posted on June 30, 2017 by mikethemadbiologist

When the New York Times covers the far flung hinterlands–places like Philly, Boston, or D.C.–too often much hilarity ensues (Maureen Dowd’s referring to South Bostonians as “Southies” comes to mind). That said, this NYT article about the D.C. Metro’s woes … Continue reading →

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The Press Corps And Why We Can’t Have Nice Things (Like Mass Transit)

Posted on June 25, 2017 by mikethemadbiologist

Boston Globe columnist Shirley Leung writes (boldface mine): By now, you must have read that The Boston Globe has moved downtown from our longtime home in Dorchester, where most employees drove to work and enjoyed free parking. No such perk … Continue reading →

Posted in Boston, DC, Transportation | 4 Comments

The Last Thing Metro Needs Is Privatization

Posted on June 23, 2017 by mikethemadbiologist

Once again, we see the complete lack of political oversight–which is to say, failure by D.C. area politicians–on the Metro system. This time, it’s privatization (boldface mine): Metro needs to be fixed fast — daily ridership is plummeting, contributing to a projected … Continue reading →

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WMATA/Metro’s Worst Idea Yet

Posted on June 19, 2017 by mikethemadbiologist

I believe this could lead to violence (boldface mine): …at two downtown stations, Metro is literally adding music to the mix. At Gallery Place-Chinatown and Judiciary Square, an “easy listening” playlist selected by Metro staff is being pumped into the … Continue reading →

Posted in DC, Fucking Morons, Transportation | 1 Comment

If Scanning Bags Poorly Were An Actual Security Risk…

Posted on May 31, 2017 by mikethemadbiologist

…then wouldn’t we place security over profit (boldface mine): Bottles, cans, paper: [DHS Secretary John] Kelly also noted that people are carrying more onto planes now to avoid checked-bag fees, and it’s creating problems for TSA. “They can’t tell what’s … Continue reading →

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Why I Don’t Trust WMATA/Metro

Posted on May 9, 2017 by mikethemadbiologist

And it’s not due to overblown fears about safety. Instead, this is the reason (boldface mine): WMATA claims that reduced hours are necessary to properly maintain the system, but most other cities’ rapid transit systems manage with longer operating hours … Continue reading →

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DC Metro Has Learned Absolutely Nothing: Thoughts On Their ‘No-Tracking’ Response

Posted on April 19, 2017 by mikethemadbiologist

Last night, the D.C. Metro’s Red Line had massive rush hour delays due to a “small fire” at the Gallery Place station. For me, a 25 minute commute turned into a 105 minute one. I do realize that things break … Continue reading →

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Senate Democrats Propose Good Infrastructure Bill, But Here’s How You Sell It

Posted on February 10, 2017 by mikethemadbiologist

So the Democrats recently proposed a good infrastructure bill. Here are some of the highlights (boldface mine): On Tuesday, Democrats led by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) unveiled a proposal to spend $1 trillion over the next 10 years to repair … Continue reading →

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This Metro Problem Has Nothing To Do With ‘Unions’

Posted on December 7, 2016 by mikethemadbiologist

And everything to do with managers. While it’s almost always a bad idea to read the comment sections of local news blog, when I foolishly do read them about Metro, inevitably the idea that Metro employees are paid too much … Continue reading →

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