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Governor Romney, only weeks away from being a lame duck, announced that the MBTA would resume random bag searches of transit system passengers. We thought at first they'd be riffling through our bags trying to find any tokens we still have in our possession, though really they are indeed looking for bombs. The announced plan will deploy portable machines outside of stations that will test baggage for bomb residue, and, with probable cause, police can ask potential passengers to open their bags for further inspection. The initiative will be similar to the methods used when the Democratic National Convention was in the run up to the 2004 presidential election. The MBTA says the searches won't slow passengers on the system down. Though this is the same administrative body who lauded the CharlieTicket as an initiative to speed up fare collection, and we all know how well that has worked out.
There's no discussion of a specific terrorist threat that prompted this decision, it's been stated to have been prompted by the court ruling in which NYC's random searches were deemed constitutional. Romney was quoted in the AP story
"Their questions are: How can you do more? Can't you do more searches?" He said. "They never say 'Gosh we're really concerned about being inconvenienced.'"Really? Maybe Romney's listening to a different group of people than we are. It seems to us we're always hearing complaints about being inconvenienced on the T. Perhaps this all makes sense when his MBTA expert is his private driver – Mac Daniel at the Globe pulled up a 2005 photo of Romney on the T because, well, that was the last time he rode the underground. And then it was only from Park St. to Downtown Crossing on the Red Line. In that way he's certainly no Dukakis who routinely took the T to work on Beacon Hill and who we still spot from time to time on the platform waiting for a ride.
Because we weren't quick enough to catch Romney's 45 second train ride in 2005 we bring you a photo by Flickr user redjar showing the Charlie slowdown at South Station.
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Your attack on the Charlie ticket system is quite unfair. Yes, for a single ride ticket the machines take longer than for receiving a single token from a teller. Once the system is in place at all stations and T trains then residents of Boston will be able to get one card with a multiple ride charge and conveniently keep the card in their wallet for future rides.
I personally think its a positive step forward. The "random" bag search is not.
God I fuckin' hate Romney. And I hate the charlie card. It's even worse on the buses- you can't just slide and go anymore, you gotta wait for that ridiculous machine to spit your card back out.
As for the bag searches- if some T-worker stops me, I'll just walk. I could use the exercise anyway. (And I love redjar's comment on one of his pics- "After taking this picture I was told photos were not allowed on MBTA property. I asked why and was rudely told, 'You ever heard of 9-11?'." Classic.
I totally agree w/ Steve above. Any modern transit system should have automated fare collection. Yes, the rollout process hasn't been great, but when it is finally fully implemented it will definitely improve things. And once they introduce CharlieCards next year, it should be even better, since anyone w/ a CharlieCard can just wave their card in front of the reader instead of having to wait for the machine to read the card and spit it out. I'm so sick of hearing people complain about this. There are plenty of things wrong w/ the T, but let's not be short-sighted and at least acknowledge when they take a step in the right direction.
Automated fare collection on the trains is fine, but what's up with the new buss payment methods? All those do is slow everything down considerably. I can see the charlie card making everything faster eventually, but I don't think the new buss system makes sense at all.
I agree that the complaints about slowdown are a bit much. You know what used to slow me down??? Getting my monthly pass at a few select locations (none of which were located at my local T stop)...now I can get that at my T stop or any T stop.
Also, I find that just like anything else in this town, it will always be worse in the places were tourists (or people from the suburbs) congregate. I don't see much trouble at Stony Brook or State every day of the week.
Ah yes, "the rollout process hasn't been great, but when it is finally fully implemented it will definitely improve things"....Same thing they said about the Big Dig. Keep drinking the T kool-aid, folks!