[Speed Gibson,
Friday July 8, 2005 at 12:02am]
The Wayward Bus
I decided to leave my car home so my teenage son could drive himself to weight training and wherever else. I took the bus to work yesterday and today, and it was quite the experience, especially yesterday.
Brooklyn Center has a new Transit Hub, and I misread the web site. So I missed the first bus that loaded on the other side. But more accurate signage would have saved me. Gate C says:
Gate A, where I should have been, said the same except "FROM MPLS" at the bottom.
You English majors out there know that strictly speaking, the adjective phrase "TO MPLS" only applies to the last itme in the list. A better sign would have been:
But of course, this bus loaded at the unassigned Gate B!
Well, we're off - just over two minutes early. And its a tiny 16 seater, so we wound up with 6 people standing at one point. We were certainly doing 40 mph, I think 45 mph down Bass Lake Road, speed limit 30 mph. Still, the bus wound up being 4 minutes late at the other end.
Coming home, I get a giant accordian bus. Other than two who got on later to travel just two miles, I was the only rider.
Light rail was starting to look pretty good.
Brooklyn Center has a new Transit Hub, and I misread the web site. So I missed the first bus that loaded on the other side. But more accurate signage would have saved me. Gate C says:
721, 724
761
TO MPLS
Gate A, where I should have been, said the same except "FROM MPLS" at the bottom.
You English majors out there know that strictly speaking, the adjective phrase "TO MPLS" only applies to the last itme in the list. A better sign would have been:
TO MPLS:
721 724 761
But of course, this bus loaded at the unassigned Gate B!
Well, we're off - just over two minutes early. And its a tiny 16 seater, so we wound up with 6 people standing at one point. We were certainly doing 40 mph, I think 45 mph down Bass Lake Road, speed limit 30 mph. Still, the bus wound up being 4 minutes late at the other end.
Coming home, I get a giant accordian bus. Other than two who got on later to travel just two miles, I was the only rider.
Light rail was starting to look pretty good.