The Herald reports the T is going to experiment with "quiet" cars on commuter-rail trains, where cell phones will be forbidden and loud talkers thrown from the train admonished.
I don't see why it won't work on MBCR just the same.
The biggest problem is usually at full capacity, you end up with people trying to avoid the quiet car (because they don't want to be quiet) but ending up stuck in it anyways...and then the arguments about "well there was nowhere else to go!" begin.
Otherwise, it's usually pretty readily self-policed and riders accept the rules of the car.
The conductors only open a door or two per stop. You pretty much have to figure out which door to be near - which means the quiet car will work only if you are going end to end (and don't have something that can't get through the aisles - like a wheel chair).
I am very happy about this. Being subjected the one inane and/or personal conversation after another, I would like to have a place where I can be in quiet for the ride home. I realy don't need to know that someone's daughter lost her binky, what is on for dinner, or who is going to pick up whom. Nevermind the emotionally charged conversations where it is just plain uncomfortable.
People should be allowed to have those conversations but I should also have the option of not having to be trapped listening to them. So a quiet car sounds like bliss.
Oh man I would kiss the conductor's feet if they could pull this off. But something tells me it won't be easy: "Hey, I'm using my headphones!" (yeah at a volume loud enough for people at the other end of the car to get annoyed)
It would be nice to see this on the buses as well. I'm so sick of hearing everyones relationship issues at a screaming volume every day when I ride the bus. Also, we don't all think your crappy rap music blasting out of a little phone speaker is awesome. It seems so rude that these people should not even think of doing it but they do.
In NY the bus driver will make you be quiet or get off if you don't respect other passengers. Around here anything goes.
Now I'm having auditory mental images of feeding that phrase through Autotune a la T-Pain and working it into a remake of "On a Boat" by The Lonely Island. And it'll take a SLEDGEHAMMER to remove it from my brain.
As someone that rides the commuter rail daily, I think this is an awful idea. So much for grabbing the first seat you see on the train, now you'll have to navigate around people going from car to car trying to find which car they want. Add to the mix the busybodies that will shush you if you dare to make the slightest comment or noise and the overbearing conductors eager to impose their will on helpless commuters and you have a recipe for disaster. Sure it's annoying to sit next to someone having a phone conversation but it's called public transportation for a reason. If you want to control your environment completely, call for a taxi.
I would gladly shout out how nice it is to ride in quiet - except I prefer the peacefulness of companionable quiet. Not silence of course; for anyone who understands the concept of inside versus outside voices the differnce is obvious.
Anything that reduces noise on the T is welcome. That includes eliminating all but emergency announcements. There is no need to hear a train is arriving when the train's noise announces itself.
Contradictory to the response that boils down to public transportation = noise I offer that the public nature of public transportation argues for minimizing noise. The alternative is for more and more riders to talk so loud that the train car becomes a Car of Babble.
Often I am tempted to loudly read from Shakespeare when sitting near someone who blabbers loudly on their cell phone or whose ears buds are bleeding with thumpy, thumpy thumpy sounds. If they can pollute the environment with banal one sided conversations and throw-away music then at least reciting from plays will elevate the soundscape of the train. In semi-public areas which are shared, but where cellheads need to violate the shared quiet, I will read aloud to equal their volume. They then seem perturbed that anyone would match their volume. Poor babies.
Next step is to tamp down noise on the subways. Now children are generating noises from the builtin cell phone speakers.
Let's make those people who insist on forcing the rest of us to endure both the (mostly) inane babble of their "necessary" cell phone conversations and/or the digital "hash" emitting from their cheezy earbuds to sit with each other in one or two designated "make all the noise you want cars".
And put cell phone jammers in the rest of the cars, to insure they remain quiet.
Sorry, I like the announcements. Usually the announcement comes well before you can hear train noise, and even when you hear the noise you can't necessarily identify which direction it's coming from. The announcement tells me whether I should start running or keep my slow walking pace as I approach the fare gate.
Also on the Red Line, people need to know whether the approaching train is going to Ashmont or Braintree.
Comments
Works on Amtrak
I don't see why it won't work on MBCR just the same.
The biggest problem is usually at full capacity, you end up with people trying to avoid the quiet car (because they don't want to be quiet) but ending up stuck in it anyways...and then the arguments about "well there was nowhere else to go!" begin.
Otherwise, it's usually pretty readily self-policed and riders accept the rules of the car.
Another reason it may fail
The conductors only open a door or two per stop. You pretty much have to figure out which door to be near - which means the quiet car will work only if you are going end to end (and don't have something that can't get through the aisles - like a wheel chair).
As someone who rides the commuter rail regularly
I am very happy about this. Being subjected the one inane and/or personal conversation after another, I would like to have a place where I can be in quiet for the ride home. I realy don't need to know that someone's daughter lost her binky, what is on for dinner, or who is going to pick up whom. Nevermind the emotionally charged conversations where it is just plain uncomfortable.
People should be allowed to have those conversations but I should also have the option of not having to be trapped listening to them. So a quiet car sounds like bliss.
woohoo
Oh man I would kiss the conductor's feet if they could pull this off. But something tells me it won't be easy: "Hey, I'm using my headphones!" (yeah at a volume loud enough for people at the other end of the car to get annoyed)
Such a good idea
It would be nice to see this on the buses as well. I'm so sick of hearing everyones relationship issues at a screaming volume every day when I ride the bus. Also, we don't all think your crappy rap music blasting out of a little phone speaker is awesome. It seems so rude that these people should not even think of doing it but they do.
In NY the bus driver will make you be quiet or get off if you don't respect other passengers. Around here anything goes.
And trains
There should be quiet sections on MBTA trains. And on buses. And in Panera.
Actually, people should just STFU.
But don't you see?
I have to call every person in my phone book one after another whenever I'm on the train!
Naturally
To tell them you're on the train. Duh.
Every time I've been on a computer rail pulling out of a station, it erupts into a cacophonous chorus of "I'm on the train."
Really? Because I couldn't tell...
"I"m on a train..."
Now I'm having auditory mental images of feeding that phrase through Autotune a la T-Pain and working it into a remake of "On a Boat" by The Lonely Island. And it'll take a SLEDGEHAMMER to remove it from my brain.
A sledgehammer?
Click me!
It'll take more than a sledgehammer.
Short-ay!
No, use THIS sledgehammer!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqyc37aOqT0
Far higher production values. And dancing chickens.
Use facebook instead
Then you can post "Facebook User is on the train".
That's a very koolkid thing to do you know!
No way
All the koolkids use Glympse.
As someone that rides the
As someone that rides the commuter rail daily, I think this is an awful idea. So much for grabbing the first seat you see on the train, now you'll have to navigate around people going from car to car trying to find which car they want. Add to the mix the busybodies that will shush you if you dare to make the slightest comment or noise and the overbearing conductors eager to impose their will on helpless commuters and you have a recipe for disaster. Sure it's annoying to sit next to someone having a phone conversation but it's called public transportation for a reason. If you want to control your environment completely, call for a taxi.
I wish more people had Larry's guts
Classic CYE Clip (HBO, so there are some bad words if you're at work or among the young'uns)
Nice idea...
...but maybe the MBCR have got other aspects of train transit they should be working on first?
Like trains that--oh, RUN ON TIME, maybe?!
Or is that just crazy talk?
YES! ABSOLUTELY YES!
I would gladly shout out how nice it is to ride in quiet - except I prefer the peacefulness of companionable quiet. Not silence of course; for anyone who understands the concept of inside versus outside voices the differnce is obvious.
Anything that reduces noise on the T is welcome. That includes eliminating all but emergency announcements. There is no need to hear a train is arriving when the train's noise announces itself.
Contradictory to the response that boils down to public transportation = noise I offer that the public nature of public transportation argues for minimizing noise. The alternative is for more and more riders to talk so loud that the train car becomes a Car of Babble.
Often I am tempted to loudly read from Shakespeare when sitting near someone who blabbers loudly on their cell phone or whose ears buds are bleeding with thumpy, thumpy thumpy sounds. If they can pollute the environment with banal one sided conversations and throw-away music then at least reciting from plays will elevate the soundscape of the train. In semi-public areas which are shared, but where cellheads need to violate the shared quiet, I will read aloud to equal their volume. They then seem perturbed that anyone would match their volume. Poor babies.
Next step is to tamp down noise on the subways. Now children are generating noises from the builtin cell phone speakers.
A better idea than a "quiet car"
Let's make those people who insist on forcing the rest of us to endure both the (mostly) inane babble of their "necessary" cell phone conversations and/or the digital "hash" emitting from their cheezy earbuds to sit with each other in one or two designated "make all the noise you want cars".
And put cell phone jammers in the rest of the cars, to insure they remain quiet.
Train arriving announcements
Sorry, I like the announcements. Usually the announcement comes well before you can hear train noise, and even when you hear the noise you can't necessarily identify which direction it's coming from. The announcement tells me whether I should start running or keep my slow walking pace as I approach the fare gate.
Also on the Red Line, people need to know whether the approaching train is going to Ashmont or Braintree.