Is the ATWU becoming a problem?

Is the ATWU becoming a problem while they are engaging more co-operatively with management?

That is the question after UTA cut a stop that has been used by a route in Utah County for 24 years, although it has been renumbered since 2000.

The route in question is currently known as 833, and was originally route 5 when UTA first started serving Utah County. The stop in question is on University Parkway, just below the Carterville Road overpass going east/southbound. (this road was originally called the 'BYU Diagonal' due to its NW/SE orientation to this point). This affects 833's headed for the YMount Terrace/NE BYU/MTC/Provo Temple area.

The stop has been in continuous service for that route since it was first designated as such in 1985. Now the ATWU local members claim that it is 'a problem' for them, and somehow persuaded UTA management to discontinue it for Route 833. If nothing else, traffic has actually grown in the area in terms of riders, due to many more businesses there now than in 1985, and the riders most seriously impacted will be the disabled and anyone with a load of groceries, etc., from the albertsons that is just out of view because of the business pad just behind the stop.

UTA claims that there are still two newer routes that service the area, 832 and 830. True, there's more frequent service, but the people that are left out are those needing to go quickly to Edgemont and the areas northeast of BYU that I mentioned earlier. Why should they have to lug groceries clear around through BYU then get off and cross another busy street to get on a second bus that comes less frequently (the same 833) to do their shopping? Doesn't this run counter to best practices for designing bus transit systems and bus stop locations? It may actually result in less riders in the end, instead of more.

They are going to monitor this, calls politely requesting the reinstatement of the 833 stopping there are needed, explaining the situation. I didn't mention the intersection either, but a look at the intersection of University Parkway/550 West/2230 North in Provo (also search for 'Albertsons') on Google Maps satellite abd street view will confirm the serious safety issues at hand for shoppers desiring to use 833 from this area.

Normally the ATWU serves a useful purpose for its members, but its actions of late involving holidays and now badly needed bus stops too, and maybe even in cases other larger things, have become a serious threat to UTA's ever getting to the point in its development that it wants to b e, it will only take much longer if at all to reach stated company goals in regards to ridership even with gas price spikes, economic difficulties, etc., they need to all learn the customer comes first.

And even if this is not ISO 9001-related after all, it still knocks the wind out of ISO 9001's image.

The union 'Let's work less, get paid more, the heck with the rider'

This comes as a result of what Michael Bloomberg told the unions that are in New York this morning, and it's going to end up quite damning to UTA's chapter of the Amalgamated Transit Workers' Union.

'Your job is to come in here and get paid more and work less' (paraphrase of Michael Bloomberg's comment).

Basically, they are now asking for certain days that are not true holidays although one is designated as such but is not generally taken except for certain government workers, such as the post office, etc. That one is Presidents Day. Most UTA riders will be dead in the water that day as a result of the arrogance of both the ATWU and UTA when they drew up the contract.

The other big one that is flagrantly worse is the July 3rd day off. Not only are they taking that off, but the 4th as well. Now the 4th of July is definitely legitimate, but for some riders the combination of the 3rd, 4th, and 5th means no bus service for three whole days!

This is a serious ISO 9001 noncompliance issue, and a breach of the public trust by both UTA and the ATWU. It may violate antidiscrimination laws as they pertain to certain minorities that require the use of public transit more than other groups, and the disabled who largely relyon UTA to get around.

The 3rd is not a legal holiday, so not even holiday pay can be paid to them for that day, in fact, they cannot be paid for that day at all. The 4th is OK however.

UTA must now respond, and retract both the February 16th holiday day off and the July 3rd, 2009 holiday day off. That to ensure they remain ISO 9001-compliant in the eyes of major segments of the ridership and others in the community that are associated with UTA in one way or another.

BREAKING: Fare incident may result in Utah State legislative, regulatory oversight.

Due to an incident involving the 802 that leaves Downtown Salt Lake at 310pm yesterday, I've begun talks with State leaders to get more regulatory and other governmental oversight of the Utah Transit Authority.

The incident involved finding out that the disabled are now being asked to pay double what they did only a few months ago what they would otherwise be paying today had UTA not sneaked in a fare increase over and above the fuel surcharges and other regularly scheduled base fare increases.

I'll detail the issue in a later post, with more information on the incident that started it all as sescribed above, but for now the fact that a standard practice that UTA had followed for over 23 years at least, and that many relied on for a better quality of life, has been discarded without publci input and without more fully involving those affected in the decision.

When TRAX engineers try too hard to keep a schedule...

Crap happens.

Today I witnessed a huge whopper, one that involved a speeding train, even through the construction, and the first time in nine years of operation for TRAX that I've seen a TRAX engineer overshoot the disabled boarding platform. And not just once, but twice.

I've heard of it happening before but considered some stories to be embellished, but never witnessed anything like this personally, here are the details on what I personally witnessed.

I boarded a train that would leave Sandy Civic Center Station at 1123am. All seemed well, and there were no other connection protection issues, so the train left right on time. He got to 9400 South, let a disabled rider using a wheelchair off, then went on to the next station.

I thought he was approaching 90th South, Historic Sandy, a little fast, given the braking he had to do, and he overshot the disabled platform there. Fortunabely this was not a serious issue, no one needed to board or get off on that platform.

He went on from there, and hit the construction zone where the northbound train has to use the southbound track due to bridge work, which by the way is nearing completion as rail has been laid on the reconstructed northbound track bridge. He ran that somewhat faster than I normally experience trains taking that segment during this time, it was almost normal speed for any other train, and he had been running a little fast out of Historic Sandy before that.

No other incidents until later, two disabled riders using wheelchairs got on at the Murray Central Station (IHC Hospital), and all went well.

The next station was where this all hit the fan.

He overshot the platform at Murray North (45th South). But this time was where it all came back to haunt him. The two disabled riders had to get off and at first he didn't realize they needed to get off. One of them said out loud 'Oh s---, we're going to be late!', and the driver seemed a bit perturbed, once he realized he had to get the train backed up all of about five or six feet.

There were other drivers talking over the fence, so they all witnessed this as well.

They got the train backed up, and the two disabled riders got off.

And we left the station. The engineer left with the train. as a much more subdued driver as well. No more speeding by him the rest of the trip.

Got to 13th South (Ballpark), got off. Looked at the clock as he left. 1150am, the schedule said he was due at 1147am under normal circumstances. So the drive to be absolutely perfect got him nowhere, and made a mess out of UTA's public image as an ISO 9001.2000 compliant company.

Goes to show that ISO 9001.2000 is not all its cracked up to be, especially when people try to be absolutely perfect about keeping a posted bus or train schedule. Drives home my point about some of the other recent incidents as well that I've mentioned involving TRAX.

Later on, a University line driver almost left some people ON his train, as there were so many needing to get off at Gallivan Station that the doors closed before they could all get off. This was on an older 'San Jose' car, one that had come from that city's light rail system whne they upgraded a couple years back.

Passengers making TRAX connection from 811 left behind, again.

Four days after the last incident, a TRAX engineer left behind some passengers who were trying to reach a train from an 811. This time it happened at 1008am.

And this time it was worse for UTA, as several who were left behind were totally blind riders, they had gotten on at American Fork Smiths, having been brought to that stop there by a community services agency van.

So it got called in again, not so much for additional complaint purposes, but because I have been working on a different high-tech project, and how they resolve problems there is they take the bug reports, and categorize them, and the more reports of the same problem they get, the more likely the problem is to be moved up the priority list for resolution.

And I've even got the resolution: The schedule can be adjusted for the 811 arriving at TRAX, I would not adjust the TRAX schedule, as that needs to be where it is right now as far as times go. The best start time from 100 South University in Provo that I've found is :57 after the hour, and on other runs the start time needs to be early enough so that the arrival time at TRAX is more than five minutes before the train going northbound is scheduled to leave.

Southbound there is little need for adjustment. Although it will need to at times be held for a train, because some rush-hour trains tend to run slightly late, like no more than five minutes. Any adjustments to the southbound 811 schedule should be made only where this is a regular occurrence.

That, and the institution of Connection Protection procedures for the 811 Northbound only, would solve alot of the problems and eliminate the ill-will that is going around now among 811 riders due to the multiple incidents like the one described today and last Saturday morning, and all, including even UTA, will be all the happier because of it.

Chatsworth (Los Angeles) train accident should never happen with UTA.

UTA is doing something that should mean there should never be an accident like the one in Los Angeles involving a public transit passenger train and a freight train last week. That wreck killed more than a dozen people, and many think that the driver was distracted by a text message on his cellphone, whether the text was from him to someone or from someone to him I don't know.

As is widely known, UTA has purchased right-of-way easements for the Frontrunner and in some cases TRAX lines, and occasionally shares segments of these lines with the freight carriers since the Sandy (Blue) line is along an old local freight delivery line, cars are regularly seen at a couple of places, and spurs off the main tracks are seen in a number of places along that line and the forthcoming Mid-Jordan line.

There is also track-sharing between Ogden and Pleasant View, that segment of Frontrunner shouled be up and running by the end of the month according to news reports. In fact, to ensure that Frontrunner and Union Pacific freight trains interact smoothly with each other along the Pleasant View segment of the route, as UTA does not have its own track constructed in this area yet, Union Pacific employees will ride along for the first few days or week or two of operation of the Pleasant View portion of the Frontrunner line.

What UTA is doing about the matter is this. No driver of any train is allowed to use a cellular phone or pager (texting) device while in the cab of the train. If it is found that they are or have used a cellphone or pager while in the cab, they can be fired for doing so.

There have been very few incidents involving trains and other objects, a couple incidents were caused by drivers, one by faulty switching on 7th South, and one instance where a train did hit a car and the train driver was at fault, that one was outed by City Weekly, the local Salt lake area alternative paper. But in nine years of operation, TRAX has proven to be extremely safe, and as time goes, improvements will yet be made to the already excellent safety program employed by UTA in regards to its rail services.

UTA abandons 'Connection Protection' ISO program.

The Utah Transit Authority has abandoned one of the key programs that were adopted to help it attain the ISO 9001 certification that was received.

I was told Saturday morning after an incident involving a TRAX driver who effectively only got half the riders off the 811 that arrived at 708am onto his train, and snapped at the rest of us for 'holding him up'. This was an example of 'clockwatching' as noted in an earlier post.

Riders were still approaching the platform when he drove away, but some of us from that 811 were able to board. This likely is responsible for some ill will that may be going around town now about UTA.

Upon calling and talking with Customer Concerns, the agent there said 'Did you know we are no longer using 'Connection Protection'? I didn't get the chance to tell her that it was part of a project to attain ISO 9001 certification, as many there at that department are usually left in the dark about issues like this.

I reported the incident involving the TRAX driver, and began looking after I got back home that night for information. I have now found one, and maybe more data sets that indicate the important role that this has played in the development of a quality mass transit system in a growing Salt Lake Valley, and will yet play on a more significant basis as the bus and TRAX system grows in the next few years.

Here's one study published by the University of South Florida, it seems to indicate that riders were more satisfied if they had a 'protected' connection:

http://www.nctr.usf.edu/jpt/pdf/JPT%208-3%20Cluett.pdf

{Cut and paste the above URL into your browser address bar, it's a pdf so it might take a short time to load).

One of the figures in the study shows how riders and drivers knew if they were going to make it on time to their connections or meet the connections. One method was showing ETAs for trains on TRAX platforms. That has also been abandoned, also the verbal notification that the train is arriving as well.

This study is well worth reading as it is. I'll add more to this post as I find more.