DENVER | Transportation Thread

[bunt_q]

Originally Posted by PLANSIT

This will be a huge component. Kiss-n-ride, taxi, Uber/Lyft, etc will provide the "Last/First Mile" connection. And it will happen at several of the stations on the East Line. Not just DUS. Big ones probably include 40th/Colorado, Central Park, Peoria and 40th/Airport. Some of those will also provide long-term parking options. Something that Central Park already provides and is heavily used.

Not just the East Line. That's how folks will get to DIA all over the system. For me, I'll find my way to the Englewood Station, and if my back doesn't give out during the long slog of a transfer at Union Station (that's a poke at you, Wizened. ), on to DIA.

Personally, I think now would be a great time to find a legal means to toll Pena Blvd.

[RyanD]

Originally Posted by bunt_q

Personally, I think now would be a great time to find a legal means to toll Pena Blvd.

Well that would get you some guaranteed ridership on the A-Line. Now if we could do something about those door chimes. The more I ride the train, the more I want to bury my head in bad-door-chime-nightmare land...

[PLANSIT]

Originally Posted by bunt_q

Not just the East Line. That's how folks will get to DIA all over the system. For me, I'll find my way to the Englewood Station, and if my back doesn't give out during the long slog of a transfer at Union Station (that's a poke at you, Wizened. ), on to DIA.

Personally, I think now would be a great time to find a legal means to toll Pena Blvd.

You could Uber from LRT Platform to CRT Platform.

Seriously though. The pedi-cab guys/gals will pounce on the opportunity between the two.

[Fritzdude]

Originally Posted by balugajames

As someone who often picks people up from the airport. That will cease once the train is complete. Ill drop them off and pick them up from downtown instead. Much quicker.

Exactly - I can't imagine driving to the airport once that EMU is up and running. No more parking in the lots and walking a mile to the concourse. No more speed traps along Pena Blvd. No more waiting in the temporary lots for that text message that says "I'm ready; come pick me up". No more putting 50 miles on your car and 2 hours out of your day to make the round trip.

I'll be happily snoozing on the train and watching the traffic back up along I-70 as I will confidently know that I'll arrive to the airport on time. This East Line can't come soon enough.

[mhays]

Originally Posted by RyanD

Well that would get you some guaranteed ridership on the A-Line. Now if we could do something about those door chimes. The more I ride the train, the more I want to bury my head in bad-door-chime-nightmare land...

Oh god, beeps. I don't know about RTD's chimes, but those god damn kneeling buses with their ear-splitting beeps at every stop, not to mention trucks backing up (there's a better new version that's more buzzy and doesn't carry), car alarm owners that beep every frigging time they lock their doors....way too many frigging beeping things out there.

[RyanD]

Oh there are many beeps on the train as well. Here's a video of various chimes throughout the world. Denver is in this video. I know it is such a minor thing to bitch about, but I like me some good door chimes!

Train & Subway Door Closing Annoucements, Beeps

• Video Link

For the record, London is obnoxious too. I think DC, Vancouver, and Tokyo win.

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by mhays

Oh god, beeps. I don't know about RTD's chimes, but those god damn kneeling buses with their ear-splitting beeps at every stop, not to mention trucks backing up (there's a better new version that's more buzzy and doesn't carry), car alarm owners that beep every frigging time they lock their doors....way too many frigging beeping things out there.

Just the same, we've come a long ways: Beep Beep

[Cirrus]

Originally Posted by RyanD

Oh there are many beeps on the train as well. Here's a video of various chimes throughout the world. Denver is in this video.

Jeeze, that RTD chime is obnoxious. Both a horrible pitch and too long.

That said, it's the DIA airport subway chime that haunts my dreams. Deedle-dee-dee-deedle-deedle-DEE!

[FrancoRey]

Originally Posted by RyanD

Oh there are many beeps on the train as well. Here's a video of various chimes throughout the world. Denver is in this video. I know it is such a minor thing to bitch about, but I like me some good door chimes!

Train & Subway Door Closing Annoucements, Beeps

• Video Link

For the record, London is obnoxious too. I think DC, Vancouver, and Tokyo win.

LOL at Portland. They don't even chime. They just say, 'doors closing'. I pity those foolish non-English speakers.

Vancouver is the nicest of the bunch.

[RyanD]

Originally Posted by Cirrus

Jeeze, that RTD chime is obnoxious. Both a horrible pitch and too long.

That said, it's the DIA airport subway chime that haunts my dreams. Deedle-dee-dee-deedle-deedle-DEE!

Oh I like the deedle-dee-dee-deedle-deedle-DEE of DIA! It's 'cute' and pleasant...

From DIA's Website

In contrast to conventional public announcements, a series of musical chimes greets travelers throughout the underground system in "Train Call." Constructed from traditional folk songs such as "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain" these chimes function as melodic preludes to voice messages. Voices of local celebrities Adele Arakawa, Alan Roach and Mayor Michael B. Hancock deliver announcements in the train cars and on station platforms. The artist's intent is to humanize the traveler's experience.

As far as RTD goes, I can get over the beeps (those are probably a built in Simmons thing anyway), if they would change the bing bong sound before the station announcement. Everything about boarding RTD is just bleh and kind of a sensory bombardment: the long station names (Jeffco Goverment Center at Golden Station!?), overly electronic / dull bing bong tone, and the high pitch beeps when the doors are closing. Once again, super minor but it just bothers me. Did you notice in the video that Denver's segment was pretty much the longest?

[Mulligan]

Originally Posted by RyanD

Oh I like the deedle-dee-dee-deedle-deedle-DEE of DIA! It's 'cute' and pleasant...

From DIA's Website



As far as RTD goes, I can get over the beeps (those are probably a built in Simmons thing anyway), if they would change the bing bong sound before the station announcement. Everything about boarding RTD is just bleh and kind of a sensory bombardment: the long station names (Jeffco Goverment Center at Golden Station!?), overly electronic / dull bing bong tone, and the high pitch beeps when the doors are closing. Once again, super minor but it just bothers me. Did you notice in the video that Denver's segment was pretty much the longest?

Must be a slow day when the forum erodes to complaints about chimes on transit...

[bunt_q]

Originally Posted by Mulligan

Must be a slow day when the forum erodes to complaints about chimes on transit...

This isn't erosion. This is a top-5 life complaint for RyanD. Put a few beers in that big fella, and you'll hear more than you ever wanted to about the good, the bad, and the ugly in the world of train door chimes!

[RyanD]

Originally Posted by Mulligan

Must be a slow day when the forum erodes to complaints about chimes on transit...

There is nothing wrong with talking about train door chimes. I feel like these are very important things when riding transit in a city. You are welcoming a paying customer into your transit system. It needs to feel comfortable and pleasing to the ear. It's like when you walk into a hotel, bank, airport or whatever. If you have someone who says, 'Hi' in a very monotone, flat, negative tone, you're not going to want to approach that person nor are you going to want to be there. If you have a nice, welcoming 'Hi! Welcome!' type of person, you're going to be in a better mood right off the bat.

Really it boils down to customer service 101. It doesn't matter if it's automated or in-person. Train transit is going to be one of the first things people start seeing when traveling to Denver in 2016. The pleasant tones / welcoming experience on the train could set the beginning of their trip from good to great, bad to good, or (if it's done poorly on the A-Line) good to bad. It's the little things that can count big. Obnoxious hi-pitch door chimes on 3 hours of sleep when you're just trying to get to Union Station would honestly bother me. Sometimes I like to catch my zzzz's before I meet my company whether it's in Chicago, NYC, LA, whatever. (For the record I've fallen asleep on all of those train systems). RTD ALWAYS wakes me up with the beeps, and 8,000 character station names. Need my zzzz's man. No time to sleep lately.

Originally Posted by bunt_q

This isn't erosion. This is a top-5 life complaint for RyanD. Put a few beers in that big fella, and you'll hear more than you ever wanted to about the good, the bad, and the ugly in the world of train door chimes!

That's right! It's just one of those things! Shall we start on aircraft warning lights on top of buildings and how they should be symmetrical? I'm looking at you Four Seasons!

[bunt_q]

Originally Posted by RyanD

The pleasant tones / welcoming experience on the train could set the beginning of their trip from good to great, or bad to good.

"Aloha! Welcome aboard Route 19, service to Waikiki!" Best. Bus voice. Ever.

[RyanD]

My personal favorite: "Please stand clear, the doors are closing." *ding ding* "Este es el Metro Red Line a Union Station."... ... ..."Now arriving at Union Station. Thank you for taking the Los Angeles Metro.

Wait a second. Am I missing some English and Spanish translations on either side of that announcement? It only happened a couple times where one language was missing, still was pretty great.

[seventwenty]

Subway chimes videos? You all lose to this guy


Ahhh a place for my feets...

[RyanD]

That song is great. How do you find these things? Having taken the Seoul subway before, I have to admit that it was the absolute worst subway experience I have had to this day. Too much chaos, too many shouting Koreans. Couldn't even hear the door chimes or announcement.

[seventwenty]

Lived there when this song hit the KPOP 1,000 charts. And Seoul's subway's the best, you trogdor knockoff.

[Wizened Variations]

Originally Posted by seventwenty

Lived there when this song hit the KPOP 1,000 charts. And Seoul's subway's the best, you trogdor knockoff.

One of the best, on the very short list.

The Tube for history and eccentricity
The NYC subway for true grit
The French Subway, well for being French
The entire Tokyo commuter system for admiration and a quiet "thank G*d, I don't have to live there as a Japanese salarieman.
Beijing for that 21st Century definition of precisely crammed, I a mean planned.
Sao Paolo for the eye candy
Berlin for the historical echoes
Toronto because "seriously folks, Toronto is becoming world class."
Chicago to play with your fears late at night
Osaka's because its absolutely rigid precision would have occurred in Tokyo if not for where the Imperial Palaces sits
Melbourne for being the biggest subway that street cars use
Moscow for making the most durable designs and the most magnificent stations
Shanghai- but you have to mention Beijing first because, well such preferential treatment is many centuries old.
I'd put Montreal in, except I then would have two entries for four countries...
I forgot to add Mexico City- the tough, well run, well designed subway that does almost all of it's great work on rubber tires. A vastly underrated system.

Seoul is the model that China used.

[seventwenty]

Seoul's is great, but mainly b/c I drank way too much soju on it. Plus it's massive and got me to ski "resorts."