Turnstiles
Does this qualify as a "system problem"? I despise the crappy "turnstiles" employed in BART stations. From slow-moving gates (including 1 gate that's slower than the other - always pleasant jamming one thigh) to all but 1 turnstile "closed" (open the other direction) despite the rush-hour traffic flowing that direction, to ones that complain "See agent" despite the next turnstile over accepting your ticket.
Add to this the new EZ Rider. I jumped on this as soon as it went into effect, and while I'm all for the new program I've got to say it sucks not being able to pay for parking with it too. I STILL have to carry a paper ticket so I can use it in the morning through the turnstile and then pay for parking (or make sure I always have $1 bills in my wallet). And what is up with not being able to JUST pay for parking at the machine with a paper ticket? If you try to use a ticket to pay for parking, it MUST be the ticket you just used in the turnstile or else it won't work. I've tried using my EZ Rider card on the turnstile and then a paper ticket to pay the $1 for parking with no luck. Sheer idiocy.
Wow... that was a tangent. Told you I have a LOT of BART complaints. Anyway, back to the turnstiles. I joined this site last night just as I was about to leave work and asked to be wished luck. Well, not enough of you responded and my luck didn't hold! ;)
I get to Embarcadero and tap my EZ Rider to the bubble. A lesson I've learned over time - no "close calls" as the system's just not sensitive enough. You MUST touch the card to the bubble or risk failure and even then there's about a 25% chance of failure.
Anyway...
*tap* *BEEEP* "See agent". *sigh* must not have tapped well enough... I must have been tilted at a slight angle and it didn't get a good read on my card.
*tap* *BEEEEP* "See agent" Oh for the love of G_d what now? I know there's nothing wrong with my card and I just laid it down on the bubble. Now there're people behind me so as I shuffle out from between the turnstile to allow them through I try one last time.
*tap* *BEEEEP* "See agent".
I am NOT walking 1/2 way across the underground so the agent can tell me there's nothing wrong with my card. I wait for the person next to me to go through and tap my card on THAT turnstile's bubble *tap* *DING* - and I'm through.
Oh no... I feel another tangent coming on. Knowing the EZ Rider system is uber-sensitive and there's always a chance for failure, even with paper tickets for goodness sake (oh you better watch out, you better not cry... wow... tangent on a tangent!), WHY OH WHY do some people follow so damned close behind you that they've already shoved their ticket into the slot before you've cleared?
On two occasions recently I had my EZ Rider b0rk and yet the gates opened and a ticket pops out beside me. *Momentary confusion* until I realize the idiot behind me couldn't wait the .5 second for me to clear and shoved his ticket in and the gates opened based on his ticket. Thanks for clearing me buddy. I'll take care of my "lack of exit" the next morning when BART's practically empty (compared to now) while you extricate yourself from a line 15-20 people deep behind you and go see the agent (who's already helping his own line of people) to explain why your ticket is already stamped with an exit but you didn't get out. How ironic that your impatience has now delayed you. Hahahahaha
Begin Rant - Yesterday
Begin Rant - Yesterday evening this Asian girl in her 20's bumped into me as we were entering the train. This wasn't a little bump either - this was your in my way bump. I'm glad I outweighed her by at least 50 pounds or she would of knocked me over. She was oblivious to what just happened and plopped into her seat. As she plopped I was wishing for the two bolts on the window side of her seat to magically disappear so she would come crashing down on the floor as she sat down. End Rant.
Hey Rafa! Not that the
Hey Rafa!
Not that the "turnstiles" thread is the place for our rants about rude people, but this morning some guy came out of nowhere and tried to angle in ahead of me (I was 3rd in a line of about a dozen or more) to get on the train. It was dual lines heading into the train so there was no way for him to sidestep me. I gave him a strong shoulder to the chest and a nice dirty look. I now dedicate that moment to you. Here's hoping people like him and your Asian girl get what they deserve. :)
Good for you Spice. Maybe
Good for you Spice. Maybe you gave him the only female contact he was going to get all day.
Hey now! I'm male! Now if
Hey now! I'm male! Now if my nick was sugar I could see the mistake... ;)
Sorry, now I know your male.
Sorry, now I know your male. eh-hem - Anyways hell of a shoulder block there dude!!
Yup, I have EZ-Rider.. I
Yup, I have EZ-Rider.. I used to have problems, untill an Agent told me, do it quick, flat and all the way down and don't move it. Other words of wisdom from the agent, keep the card in the plastic sleve, if not, you tend to slightly bend it and it will break. The antenna runs around the edge of the card.
Parking payment is dumb, but they warned me it was pilot program so it was not set-up yet.. (I like the word yet, but that could mean 2009) I guess before EZRider you could not pay with just cash. And to block people from paying then exiting, since that would be pointless, they made it so you had to have a ticket you just entered at that station with. (You pay for parking when you start your ride, not finishing it, you wouldda had a ticket already)
Yes, I too found out what
Yes, I too found out what you stated long ago, except for the "quick" part. Keep it flat and touch the bubble, don't just wave it over it. And yes, keep it in the sleeve.
I do understand it's a pilot program and I believe they've mentioned they're working on fixing it so you CAN pay for parking with the EZ Rider, but it's still a pain in the &%^@# to have to carry a paper ticket or cash when EZ Rider is meant to take the place of that need.
what i have found works best
what i have found works best with ez rider is to slam it straight down onto the sensor from at least 6 inches above. you must go straight down to get the best results, coming in from an angle doesn't work nearly as well. i leave it in my wallet, making sure that it is closest to the outside of the wallet - no credit cards or cash between it and the sensor, just a thin layer of leather. that, and i make sure the little gold chip is pointing down when in contact with the sensor.
i don't understand the whole thing about parking. the parking kiosks have had ez rider-ish sensors on them for at least 6 months. what the hell is left to do to make them work is beyond me. you think they'd be pressuring the vendor to complete the job...
For parking they are looking
For parking they are looking at using Translink to help pay for parking
See
http://apps.mtc.ca.gov/meeting_packet_documents/agenda_954/10_-_TMG_Parking_Initiative_11-26-2007_BART-MTC.ppt
for more info.
btw: I heard a quote about the London's "Oyster Card",
Seems when they went from mag stripe to RF based card movement through the gates went from a maximum of 15 people per minute to a maximum of 40 people per minute.
See the bottom of the this article:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/09/11/oyster_card_onepulse/
for the quote/reference.
i'd believe the stats about
i'd believe the stats about 15 people vs. 40 per minute. in fact, i'd argue that on bart the descrepancy is probably greater. using a regular ticket you not only have to be careful about feeding the card into the slot, but there is also a noticeable delay from the time i pull the card out of the machine until the gates open. with ez rider, i can go through the gates without even breaking stride.
Careful boopie. Sometimes
Careful boopie. Sometimes those wacky gates don't open and they'll break your stride FOR you! ;)
oh believe me, me and my ez
oh believe me, me and my ez rider card have visited the capital of thailand.
*cringes in sympathy and
*cringes in sympathy and covers his capital of thailand*
careful, I hear you can get
careful, I hear you can get a hematoma in thailand
Beats getting a hemorrhoid
Beats getting a hemorrhoid in Thailand. But anyways.
Sounds like the EZRider isn't so EZ. I smell a reincarnation of Sakanta in the works.
Humm.. EzRider = EzHematoma
Humm..
EzRider = EzHematoma
( opps sorry I forgot that hematoma was a banned topic here "-)
Sad part of the story is
Sad part of the story is that even the RFID chips embedded in Employee ID Cards don't work! I've seen "ERROR PROCESSING" time and time again. An employee needs to see the agent? LOL. BART likes employees to enter and exit the system using their RFID cards so they can keep tabs on us, some do and some don't, but I've found it's not worth the hassle.
Yeah, I keep mine in the
Yeah, I keep mine in the protective plastic carrier and put it down flat on the circle and usually don't have problems. Occasionally there is just one gate that is f0rked up with the rfid reader and it doesn't have love for my card. If I get the beep, going to another gate is the easiest way of dealing. No reason to try what doesn't work repeatedly.
Other rfid cards in close proximity to it will also mess it up and give "see agent." My work badge and EZ rider don't like being near each other.
And speaking of gates, what's up with the gates that are just sitting wide open? I swear I run into these about 1/3 of the time when exiting the station when going home at night. Not that big of a deal, but I have to be extra careful to watch the cheesy little display to make sure my EZ Rider registers since the gates are already open.
One night I tagged my card down on the circle and it beeped, annoying me, but with the gate already open. The person behind me was following close and fast and was ready to give me anal "pleasuring" if I tried backing up. I went through anyway to avoid that horrible scenario. I probably should've gone back in the swing gate and out again right then, but had to actually "see agent" to get back into the station the next morning since I didn't have a punch out from the night before. Annoying.
The agent tagged me out from the other side so I get the feeling I got charged an "excursion fare" since it had been longer than 4 hours then, though I'm not sure what I got charged for the "avoiding pleasuring" incident. In any case it was worth paying the extra $4 to avoid the anal pleasuring from the guy behind me who already had his card in and was chomping to get some crotch/butt contact.
The gates close after motion
The gates close after motion sensors detect someone has passed through. If for whatever reason the person processes their ticket out and the motion sensors don't "sense" them leaving the gates, they will stay open until someone else moves through, or they time out and reset themselves... which can be from around 10 seconds up to a minute. Usually around 45 seconds. It's important to process in and out even if the gates are open, as one can be charged with fare evasion if they fail to process out. Ignorance isn't an excuse... Some Agents will confiscate an exit-coded ticket, while others will charge an excursion fare, while still others will hit the Time/Date Override and charge you only what was owed from the previous trip.
Hope this helps.