When It Comes To Public Transportation, It's Not the Transportation That Bothers Me

    Except for when it is.  Don't get me wrong, the public brings it's own unique flavor to the entire experience.  I'm not talking about the guy dressed up like a wizard who cast a spell on the entire train this summer.  (Not sure it took, by the way.) The lady with a terrible wig and the gentleman who is backpacking across the U.S but seems to be constantly stuck in downtown Salt Lake are both very kind.  The corporate weirdos who don't appreciate personal space are the passengers that get me.  But those invasions of my personal bubble are small sample of the experiences I've had with the Utah Transit Authority.

    I lived in Chicago for two years and took the "L" daily.  I loved it.  Aging cars on aging tracks in an aging city delivered outlaw art as graffiti from the backs of the ghetto.  During my time in Chi-town, I honestly don't remember having issues with the Chicago Transit Authority.  Buses and trains took me where I needed to be with an acceptable degree of predictability.  Neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow hindered the delivery of human cargo throughout the concrete jungle.  No delayed trains or buses.  No waiting in the snow for hours praying your bus wouldn't be affected by "snow routing".

    This begs the question: "WHAT THE FRIG IS WRONG WITH THE UTA?".  From the time when the train hosts made us switch platforms three times, to the train downtown being unpredictable, to being unable to tell which side of the platform you need to be on, the Utah Transit Authority is always an adventure.  I was impressed with the college student who arrived at the bus stop waiting for the 6:52 arrival and was still there when I arrived for the 7:36 arrival.  The explanation? Snow. I was less impressed with the  UTA who wasn't prepared for the snow storm that had been predicted for the previous 4 days. Even today, 24 hours after the storm, the bus was weirdly timed for an over crowded train into Salt Lake.  I never did figure out who was late and who was early.  I just know that the awards the UTA has received should probably have been given posthumously.

    When it comes to public transportation, the public is bothering me less and less.