Davis T station has been Charlie converted

[ron_newman]

As of this morning, the Davis T station has been converted to Charlie gates.

Comments

[lyonesse.livejournal.com]

yetch.

[nonnihil.livejournal.com]

I'll have to remember to convert the last of my tokens tonight. Thanks for the heads-up.

Load up your Charlie tickets early, before all the vending machines crap out and stay unrepaired like the old token machines did.

[spatch]

Vending machines, hell! I'm waiting for the Charlie gates to crap out and stay unrepaired.

And as far as the token machines go, I have to hand it to the T for making them so unreliable that the little flip-up "OUT OF SERVICE" sign was a standard feature in the design. They knew, all right!

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

I have to say, I absolutely love and prefer the new system, despite all the whiners. For those with passes it means nothing really. The turnover's been a pain but I don't see how it could have been done much better...and for those like me who use the T somewhat regularly but not enough to justify a pass, it's so much easier to buy a $10 card and keep it in my wallet. Lasts me about two weeks and I never lose it, unlike whenever I tried buying 4 or more tokens..

I will be using my bike more often once they raise the rates though.

[skexy.livejournal.com]

I find buying the passes easier; but I always feel slowed down at the new gates, and that's just not good. I also feel as though the 'upgrade' is just there to be a good excuse for them to go forward with the obscene price hike that's been proposed.

In any case, I was getting sick of feeling like herded cattle while the fences weere up during the process at Davis. That was just not good.

[magid.livejournal.com]

For those with passes it means nothing really.
Actually, it's the annoyance of having to stop and wait for the machine to let me through. And the loud noise.

[watchamacallit.livejournal.com]

And the fare boxes jamming up and eating passes.

[secretlyironic.livejournal.com]

While they were ripping up the station, you could get away without paying, just by throwing anything-- some pennies, a rock, trash-- into the little "pay here" bucket. Not that I did, but it certainly would have been easy to do.

The thing that amuses me about the rate change is how people are outraged about the "non-card-using surcharge." If the T had called it a "frequent-buyer discount" everyone would be thrilled at how reasonable an idea it was.

[theodosia.livejournal.com]

I'm just interested in seeing how the Charlie gates handle the EXODUS when a quarter-bazillion Somervillains are exiting all at once.

[ron_newman]

That doesn't seem to be a problem at much busier stations such as Park Street, South Station, and others where they are already installed.

[ron_newman]

Does that happen often? I haven't seen it yet, and I've been using at least some Charlie stations for months.

[nonnihil.livejournal.com]

Fortunately, the gates stay open when a bunch of people are leaving, rather than closing between each.

They're dumb, but not that dumb.

[lonely-squirrel.livejournal.com]

The gates don't close in between people who are exiting. It's only on entrance where they don't open properly.

[komos.livejournal.com]

You'll also see the cost of the spiffy new gate system reflected in fare hikes!

[treacle-well.livejournal.com]

I've not seen it. I use a monthly pass. Wonder if it's more of a problem with the paper cards.

[watchamacallit.livejournal.com]

I think it happens more often on the new bus fare boxes but, judging by the number of people in line for new passes when I had to get one, YES. The MBTA neglected to open a new office for replacement passes and is having an already busy department take care of it.

[ron_newman]

since I now buy my monthly passes from the machines, they are paper just like the stored-value tickets.

[ron_newman]

They also seem to stay open if a steady stream of people are inserting tickets, one behind another.

[watchamacallit.livejournal.com]

The paper cards are the ones that get stuck.

[treacle-well.livejournal.com]

At least at most subway station entrances there are multiple gates--but it is enough of a delay to be annoying. I also thought it was better when your card never left your hand. But, where there's a real slowdown is getting on the buses (even when everyone knows what to do with their card and does it).

[matthew miller (from livejournal.com)]

Yeah, geez, the buzzer going off all the time while waiting for the train isn't gonna be pleasant.

On the other issue, though, the stop-and-wait initially at least seems more pleasant then when you scan your pass and then step into the turnstyle only to realize that the card didn't register. Ow!

[matthew miller (from livejournal.com)]

The main thing I'm happy about is the automatic handicapped exit. Before, with a stroller, I had to wait until someone in the booth deigned to notice me and hit the release. More than once, I'd make eye contact and indicate that I needed out, and the booth person would WAVE DISMISSIVELY. Argh.

(Aside: getting around the T with a little kid is annoying enough, but basically is a voluntary condition. It makes me really sympathetic to those who have no choice. Man is the T awful at accessibility issues.)

[ron_newman]

Next month we're supposed to start getting CharlieCards (as opposed to the current CharlieTickets), which indeed never leave your hand -- you just tap it against the gate or farebox.

I like the idea, but the T is now racing against time to get these things distributed, and all stations converted, before the fare hike takes place. They should slow down and do things one step at a time.

[ron_newman]

what's not so good are gates labelled with wheelchair symbols, that lead only to stairways. Not a problem at Davis, but I've seen them at Kendall, Central, and Park Street. Maybe they've fixed this by now.

[matthew miller (from livejournal.com)]

I've been annoyed at South Station with floods of people trying to come out while I'm trying to get in. You feed your card through, and a flood of people walk through the other way -- make sure you shove through, or you'll have to wait 20 minutes for your pass to work again.

It might have been nice to have a few dedicated exits.