Discouraged, Again

It's been awhile since I've posted here. And the reason for that is that it's been a while since I've ridden either the bus or my bike. I'll explain.

I've run into some trouble with my bike. It's in the shop, and has been for several weeks. I should have it back soon, but let me tell you, every day is painful without it right now. The weather is PERFECT for riding. And it won't stay like this for long.

The bus system here works so much better when you're riding a bike than it does when you are a pedestrian, that I just can't go back to using it on foot (except for those rare occasions when the bus line running by my place is the one I need to get somewhere, and the even rarer times when its schedule is convenient). In those cases, I am fine with walking around the corner and grabbing the bus. I really look forward to that, actually! Riding the bus means I have time to read something, to space out and listen to music, or maybe just to file my nails.

I bused last night to see Wicked at TPAC, downtown. The reason I could do that is that I was meeting friends, and was sure that one of them would be fine with taking me home. It's so unfortunate that my home bus line will not take me home after 8:15. If it only would, then I could have taken the bus downtown TONIGHT to see Here Come The Mummies at Live On The Green (the new outdoor concert series). But alas. The only way I could have made it work would have been to take my car somewhere I could park it near another bus line, and then ride. I started to do that, but then thought better of it. The only places I could find to park were dark and a bit too deserted for my taste.

So I ended up driving downtown, trying to find parking, and not a bit surprised to find nary a parking space in sight. Unless, of course, I was willing to park very far away from the event, and walk by myself through nighttime Nashville. I only thought about that for about 10 seconds before I remembered that a girl got raped in that area, just last week. So, no. I choose no.

Now here I am, wishing desperately that things were different and that I could actually be an independent, public transit user, and it would get me places. I am getting tired of hearing the argument that "there just aren't enough people who use it." Of course there aren't enough people who use it. Our system is un-unseable.

But I will stop my whining now. I know that there have been some efforts made recently to improve the system, and I am uneducated with these. Suppose I should at least look into it.

What I really want to do, though, is leave. Maybe that will change again tomorrow.

Me and the Electric Bike

Me and the Electric Bike
Originally uploaded by Karen Alisa

My first shot on the electric bike was fired off without enough time to make sure my whole head was in. But no matter. I thought some of you folks might like to see what my electric bike looks like.

Since I bought this little baby, I've been getting a constant cardio workout and I've found that it's much more enjoyable to be out in the open air (as long as you're not sitting still) than it is to be in a hot old car. I've also found that motorists are far more courteous to bikers around here than you might think. And there are far more bike lanes than I realized too. And the bus system makes much more sense when used with a bike.

Today I needed to hit the Green Hills branch library, so I pedaled on over. And then I realized I needed the post office too. And Trader Joe's. And all of these places I hit quite easily "while I was out." On the way back home, I stopped off at Sevier Park to take this photo.

And that's all for now. I promise there will be more.

Oh, and for anyone who may be interested in a bike of their own, I got mine at Worldwide Electric Bikes (www.worldwideelectricbikes.com)

Man on Street with Harmonica

Man on Street with Harmonica
Originally uploaded by Karen Alisa

I am a little behind. Getting back in the blogging habit is a real challenge! These past couple of weeks, I've been riding my new bike and using the bus with it (and also driving a lot, out of need), and soon I shall write about these new adventures. However, today, I am reminded of something that happened on the streets many weeks ago.

It was the same day I worked the CMA Music Festival and barely caught a bus back to Music City Central, because the line I was waiting for never showed. I found out about the OTHER bus because a person at the stop knew about it. Otherwise I would have been stuck, and out of luck. The person who was my hero in this situation was Kenny B.

Kenny B is one of those seemingly-ageless people who most people probably wouldn't think was all that remarkable, on the outside. He's a middle-aged black man who rides the bus. What are the immediate judgments that most people would make about him, I ask you? Turns out that Kenny is a member of the funk group Super T, which he told me after a few minutes' conversation. He has played with his group at college campuses across the country, at two inaugural balls, and even at Jenna Bush's wedding.

I am in awe of this extraordinary man and the stories he is telling me (not yet too concerned about the bus we're both waiting on, which has not yet arrived), when a passer-by suddenly drops to his knees on the street, whips out his harmonica and starts serenading us. Kenny B swore to me that he'd never seen the man in his life! But somehow he seemed to attract the music, nonetheless. At least that's how it seemed to me.

Here is a photo of that man on the street, playing his unexpected serenade in the golden light of early evening. I wish I'd fired off a shot of Kenny B, too. When we parted, we were both running like mad for our respective buses. We didn't even say goodbye. But maybe I will see him again, one of these days. I like to think he is my friend.

I remember this today because apparently, Super T is going to be playing the next Frist Friday next week! Go here if you want more information, about the group or the event -
http://www.supertrevue.com/
http://www.fristcenter.org/site/calendar/eventdetail.aspx?cid=249

Unanswered Letters, Part 2

Here is a follow up to the first letter I sent (see previous post). Dated June 12, 2009. To date, this one has received no answer either.

Hi again,

A follow up -

I have been able to get downtown easily in the mornings for the festival. The problem I have been running into has been in returning home.

I finish my day at LP Field and need to grab the Shelby line back to MCC. From there I take the 8 back home. Yesterday, the Shelby bus never showed. I was at the stop on Woodland directly across from LP Field and the bus did not come. I noticed a sign that said the stop would no longer be in service effective 7/1/09. Someone else at the stop with me knew that there was another line coming through a block away, and we grabbed that one with barely enough time to make our transfers. Really, I had a stitch in my side from running to catch the 8 just exactly at 7:15. It would have been a pain to miss that bus, because I would have had to wait an hour for the next one. But at least there was another one, leaving at 8:15.

This morning, I called MTA to inquire about the Shelby route, and to find out why it had not come through. The woman on the phone (X, I believe) assured me that the bus was still coming that way. Maybe it was just late, she said. And again, the excuse about the CMA Music Festival. I felt frustrated because she was telling me a bus would be coming through that didn't appear to be actually coming through. But I decided to give it one more shot. What choice did I have?

Well, tonight the Shelby bus did not show once more. And this time, that meant I missed the LAST bus home. I had to walk all the way back to MCC and find a ride from there. This after nine hours of hard work in the heat carrying expensive and heavy camera gear. I didn't think I had the strength to walk all that way. But I was so angry, feeling utterly abandoned by our system, that I made the trip somehow running on pure adrenaline.

Thought maybe you'd like to know.

Thanks,
Karen

Unanswered Letters. Part 1

For my first two months of trying the bus here in Nashville, I kept a journal. It was the same one I kept while traveling, and I found some comfort to continuing my journeys this way, even while being back home. Like I was still exploring my own town. Like I was still learning about this place, from a different perspective.

In my journal, I diligently kept track of every route taken, every problem encountered, every positive thing I saw. Eventually, On June 10, 2009, I compiled a letter out of all my notes, and sent it to someone I believed to be a good contact at the MTA. To date, I have not heard back.

Here is the letter I wrote (leaving off any specific names):

Dear X,

Hello again! I had compiled my notes and put together a list for you several weeks back, but somehow had not managed to sit down and write until just now. Today, I have a little extra motivation because I have been very very frustrated with the bus system this afternoon. I understand that the CMA Festival causes some disruption. However, I also know that the festival has been planned for two years, and I can't understand why it would cause this MUCH disruption! Seems like we could have worked around it better.

I waited for the #25 bus at Edgehill & 21st for 40 minutes today. It was 35 minutes late. As it happens, I didn't have any appointments and was just planning to work from home this afternoon, so this was only an inconvenience and not a big problem. However, I am working the festival from Thursday through Sunday as a photographer. I have been planning to ride the bus downtown, but at this point I am not even sure if I can count on it to get me there. Do I really need to plan to be there an hour early, just to make sure I get there on time? I find that difficult to take, since I already will be out in the sweltering heat all day every day, working.

Anyway, on to my list. Under normal circumstances, following are the main issues I've seen during these two months I've been riding the bus. In order of importance:

1 - We need maps at every single stop, for every single line that goes through that stop. Our system is highly un-user-friendly, and just this simple improvement could make a world of difference. Another thing that would help is having a trip planner on the web site that actually works!

2 - We need better coordination of transfer times from the Midtown route to those routes it connects to. The #25 is frequently late, and with tight transfer times, that means that I often miss my transfers and have to wait 20-45 minutes for the next bus. And what's more, we need more routes that connect routes! I can't for the life of me understand why there is no route that goes up Wedgewood or Woodmont, for instance.

3 - It seems exhorbitant to me that it costs $1.60 each time a person boards a bus. I live near 8th & Wedgewood, and often need to get to places on West End. For me to do this, I have to transfer twice. Which means that I have to pay $1.60 three times to get somewhere that is only 3 miles up the road. Way more than I would have to pay for gas.

4 - Bus marquees really should tell what the next stop is. Sometimes the voice that gives this information is inaudible or even non-existant. And I can't help but think how lost I'd be if I didn't understand English well, or didn't know the city. I have traveled to Europe twice, and would never have been able to get around in places where a foreign language was spoken without having the marquee to read (and match to what I see on the map).

5 - ALL stops should have a trash recepticle. More benches and shelters would be nice too. Come to think of it, what happened to our bench on 8th, in front of Subway, near Wedgewood? It was there one day and gone the next.

6 - The lack of sidewalks, around major roads especially, is dangerous.

7 - Why is there no line that goes to Brentwood?

8 - Sure wish some of these lines that run on weekdays only would also run on weekends. Here I am thinking especially of the Murfreesboro Relax & Ride, the Opry Mills Express, and Lebanon Road.

9 - Seems like we should be encouraging more businesses to open up near bus stops. A place where I can stop and grab a coffee or a sandwich or something to read would be nice when I have to wait 10 minutes for the next bus. Places to shop more extensively (for groceries, for clothes) would be great for longer waits.

10 - The West End route (#3) spends an awful lot of tme driving around a mall that is no longer open. Not very efficient.

11 - It would be nice if more credit cards were accepted at ticket sales.

On a positive note, I have to give kudos on the new MCC complex. I love it there! I'm actually thinking I may look for studio space near it, because it is so easy to get to and travel from. Plus, I love that there are recycle bins right next to trash cans there. Very progressive for this area.

I do intend to write to our councilmen as you suggested. What kinds of things are helpful for me to pass their way? Maybe they don't need to hear all my MTA-specific observations, or maybe they do? I'd appreciate your advice on this.

Thanks X.

All the best,
Karen

How It Started

I had always been told that traveling abroad was going to change me and on some level, I knew that people were right. But of course, I couldn't have known HOW those changes would take place, or exactly what they would be. All I knew was that I had always felt drawn to Europe. Sometimes it even seemed as though I belonged over there, not here.

I've only lived two places in my life, now spanning 34 years - the first 25 in Huntsville, Alabama (the place of my birth) and the most recent nine in Nashville. While I have always harbored a sense of fascination for other cultures, the only one I have truly known is that of the Southeastern United States.

This past year I finally did make it off our North American continent and across the Atlantic to Europe, not once but twice. I experienced Paris, Saint Paul-Trois-Château (in northern Provence), Berlin, and Prague. Each place presented its own challenges and flavors, but there was one thing that was common to them all, and that was the thing that would ultimately change me the most.

I never knew it would be possible to live without a car. We have places here in the US, like for instance New York, where people live car-free, but those places seem so far from where I am, somehow. Staying in Europe for a few weeks gave me a glimpse of what life could be like, if I and everyone around me wasn't so dependent on an automobile. And now that I've had a vision of that life, I can't let it go.

First of all, life with good public transportation is SAFER. We Americans claim to live in "the land of the free," and yet, we are afraid to walk around at night. For good reason, too. We are so very isolated in our cars, driving around one or two per persons per vehicle, we are like sitting ducks walking to our cars with no one else around. People get knocked over the head, robbed and held at gunpoint, all the time. My American friends in Europe all told me that there was a moment when they came to realize that, over there, they can walk around at night and it's perfectly fine! They are connected to their surroundings and to other people in a way we just don't know over here, and it is simply SAFER. Talk about freedom.

Secondly, life without a car is less expensive. Getting around on good public transportation costs about the same as, if not less than, what we are used to paying for gas. Only there is no front-end investment of thousands of dollars for a car (which most of us go into debt for in the first place) and there is no expensive maintenance of that car. Not to mention the time and stress it saves us, when commuting, to not have to deal with driving through congested roads filled with angry, inconsiderate drivers.

I have been driving the same car for nearly 10 years, and lately it has begun to wear out. Since I returned from my second trip abroad in April, I have been faced with the fact that if I am going to continue living where I live, I most likely will have to buy another automobile. And I am vehemently against this. I have tried riding the buses and found them cumbersome, inconvenient. I've recently bought an electric bicycle and am going to try and make bus-riding work better that way, using the old car occasionally but only when necessary. But I am afraid that ultimately I am going to have to choose - either go back into debt for a car I do not want, or move away to somewhere I can live without one.

I love Nashville. I do not want to leave. And so, I am going to do my best to see that I never have to make this choice. However, I am only one person and I only have one voice. I see a need for change and I am willing to do my part. I just hope that there are enough people out there who feel the same way, that we can actually make a difference.

And so begins this blog.