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A strategic game of chess… err – Bus riding

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Friday, Friday, Friday. Half workday, half weekend. And enough travel for both. Getting to work and getting home with my new friends Bus and Bike were golden. I even coordinated a perfectly timed bus/bike trip home over my lunch hour! Excellent. However, end of Friday = going out on the town. And of course, a First Friday falls right in the middle of this little experiment. So, I get home in plenty of time. Get ready. Get the dog fed. And get out the door with my guy (who is a trooper again!). And as I’m steps away from the bus stop …  It rolls right past us. Drat! (And I can’t even blame the bus for being early; this is another case of user error.)

So, we think about our options. 1) We can wait 45 minutes for the next bus. Nope – that would get us into the city too late to meet up with our friends. 2) We can go to the bus stop on the other side of the neighborhood to catch a different route. Feasible – but checking the schedule – both buses pass by opposite ends of the neighborhood at the same time. If we missed one – we’ve missed them both. 3) We can bike into the city to get around and plan to bus home. Unfortunately, we’re a one-bike household, and hopping on the handlebars doesn’t work as well as it did when I was 8 years old. 4) I, still personally car-less, can ride-share with someone else who is going downtown anyway. We rationalize it enough and I hop in the passenger side of the car.

We park centrally and get walking – hitting up RiverScape, the Cannery and the Oregon District in the course of the night. Passing by many, many zombies (and a few friends) on the way back to the car. Good thing we had the car – no buses were running by the time our night came to a close. We would have cabbed it home or ditched out early. That’s life without a car, but I was car-pooling!

So – back to being 100% car-less for Saturday. Ready to work and make up for Friday night’s carpool. Started the day off right with a nice walk for some coffee. And then planned to spend the afternoon cleaning, doing laundry and grocery shopping. Oh – cripe! Grocery shopping.  And I’ll tell you – it was worse than I thought. Checking the online trip planner, they recommend taking a bus a few miles in the opposite direction of where I’m headed in order to grab a transfer and come back to be dropped off directly next to the store. However, I decide that being family able-bodied that I’ll take a direct bus down to a stop less than 1/2  mile from the grocery and walk over. No problem.

Except now that I’m in the store, I’m feeling the pressure. As readers have advised, I need to be at my bus stop 5 minutes early.  I usually can enjoy grocery shopping, but with the pressure of the bus schedule on my mind, there’s no cruising the aisles and finding something new to try or comparing prices for me. I’m in the store feeling the stress; I’m rushing up and down aisles, grabbing just what I need, and getting up to the check-out line within 30 minutes to catch the next bus back out. I’m even making the choice NOT to buy some heavier objects because I’m thinking of how to carry everything. I get out to the bus stop, unload my bags from the cart, rush the cart back to the parking lot, and get seated 5 minutes early. And I wait. And I wait. And the bus is 10 minutes late.

Finally, as the bus is pulling up, nice guy next to me on the bench offers to help load my bags onto the bus. I’m ready to set them on the floor by a seat, but he kindly points out the lil’ area up front specifically designed for this stuff. Yay for help! Since I made the decision not to buy the heavy stuff on this trip, I opt to take a direct route to my neighborhood. Then I walk the 0.3 miles to my home. Longest walk of my life. Even without that case of beer, the groceries are making their weight known. The crazy heat and humidity that rolled in Saturday afternoon didn’t help either.

Lesson learned: Strategy is important. I’m being somewhat fast and loose with my decisions because I’m experimenting through trial and error and checking out all sorts of different options. If this were my life, both experience and necessity would lead to specific choices. Grocery shopping on the bus requires making the right choices: a smaller trip with manageable bags is walkable, a lil’ foldaway cart to roll groceries home can help, or a careful selection of products (i.e. not ice cream) allows you to take the bus that requires a 45 minute trip.

As afternoon turns to evening, I’m heading to church. Even though there’s a church within walking distance, we’re members somewhere a bit further off. And there’s a perfect bus to get us to our church at a decent time, but not so much to get home. And lo, another slight inconvenience of this adventure: an unfortunate lack of choice. Now, is there anything wrong with this local church? Of course not,we just don’t happen to choose it. But Saturday, we didn’t get the luxury of choice.

After church, it’s time to plan for the evening. Since I just did grocery shopping, I wasn’t anticipating dinner downtown, but with the bus schedule being what it was – I had no choice. There was no option for dinner at home and catching a bus for the show. So – we rode.  Zoomed right down to the front door of the restaurant, had a relaxed dinner and then picked up a different bus about an hour later to get to the hub. It was a short walk from the hub to the Victoria Theater and we were on-time for the concert.

Post-concert was more of a challenge. It’s that need for strategy coupled with the lack of leisure time. By the time we got out of the show, there was only one bus we could catch to get us back home. We had an hour to kill, but it wasn’t quite enough time to join the crew for the official after-show party. Plus – it was raining. Hard. So, we ran next door to Uno’s, hung out at the bar to kill some time, and then we ran for the hub and waited for the bus. I usually down-size the purse when going out for the evening, but again – the bus requires strategy. I should have packed a larger bag with a sweater and umbrella, instead I just got cold and wet.

Sunday – was an “off day.” Not for any reason than I’m designating this adventure about being car-less in Dayton. ‘Tis the season for graduation parties, so I headed to Columbus for the family. I suppose I could have bused to the airport, flew to Columbus, taken the COTA out to the party and then reversed it all to get home. But I didn’t. And I’m okay with that. Hope you are, too.

Up next – my last days car-less and learning more about the people who ride the bus.

I feel happy of myself…

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The bike is a great way to get to lots of downtown destinations

(Note: Thanks to Five Rivers MetroParks pal Valerie Beerbower for a little extra inspiration and the title this article. See video below for insights.)

As you know, on my first day of this adventure I was not at my best. A very promising start got me a little cocky about the ease of bus riding and I let down my guard. Okay – so you can’t just show up at the bus stop and hope a bus is there within 5 minutes each time. Lesson learned –  when busing, I will respect the time table.

Today, I added the bike into the mix. As I’ve shared, I’m not what you would call an expert biker. I actually imagine that this is what I look like to observers seeing me cruise by. (AND I really want a basket.)

So, what is a muppet to do? Fake it!

Where am I?

Morning commute: I coasted to the bus stop right by my house and waited the few minutes until my bus arrived – clean, pretty empty (maybe 8 people?) and on-time. Got my bike on the bike rack easy breezy. (But I probably would have been confused if I wasn’t a nerd who appreciates a good how-to video; I recommend watching it if you’re going to bring your bike on the bus.) Traveled to a stop about 3/4 mile from work where I hopped off the bus and hopped on the bike. Enjoyed the smell of fresh cut grass the last few minutes of the trip. Total travel time – 15 minutes. Are you kidding me? It takes 10 minutes to drive. It’s another good start to the day.

Lunch errands: This is when the appreciation for bike riding really hit. I had to travel the 1 mile into downtown to drop something off, I wanted to buy my tickets to the Dayton Gay Men’s Chorus concert (save $5/ticket by buying in advance), and I had to pick up lunch.

Quick stop for lunch

I headed out of my work parking lot and there goes another biker gliding by. We give the obligatory nod/smile (which translates to “look at us out here being awesome while all those people are still in their cars” or maybe it just means “hi,” but I’m taking it to mean I’m part of a club now). And since he’s going in my direction, I follow behind.And I quickly lose speed. And although I’m trying to follow all the rules (riding in the street, signalling turns, etc) – I realize that I’m not the kind of biker that cars can feel confident near. I know you “real” bikers will be disgusted with me, but I cheated. I rode on some sidewalks. Some of it was to make me feel safer, some of it was to let the cars know that I wasn’t going to topple into their line of traffic, and some of it was because it was convenient. But, however I got there – I did get there  – and it was better on a bike!

Shopping cart on the Merc - a sight you don't see speeding by in a car.

  • Errand one: Locked up right in front of the Key Bank building (which you can’t do in a car).
  • Errand two: The box office was moved to the Victoria Theater due to an event in the Schuster Center, so I unlocked, coasted the 2 blocks down Main and locked up again right in front of the theater (another one you can’t do in a car).
  • Lunch: the lovely day inspired me to hit Second Street Market for some yummy carry-out.

Total distance: 3 miles.  Total elapsed time: 45 minutes.

And I loved it! And I appreciated going slowly enough to enjoy the sunshine and cool art in windows and the general city sights. But I know myself well enough to know why I really loved it – it’s an easy ride. Dayton is FLAT.  Sure, getting to the central business district is easy from every direction, but going away from the CBD means you’re riding up hill no matter which direction you’re heading. But there’s a great 3 mile (ish) area right across downtown that is flat and easy. So, I bus into town – bike around town – and bus home. It’s perfect for the non-athlete. Plus, the bus schedules being what they are – my errands are on my time.

The doorstep of the UD campus is as far as I go. Since my Hills and Dales experience, I take Far HILLS seriously.

So, next up – after the end of a work day, I coast over to an RTA stop that will take me directly home. That’s the beauty of the bike. Normally, I would catch the convenient stop right in front of work. But with two wheels, going a different direction for about a mile makes a lot of sense to bypass the need for a transfer. And when I got there – I kept going! It was a nice day. I had on a decent pair of shoes. I just kept rolling right along until I could roll on flat land no longer. Chilled on a nice stop with a bench and waited for my bus.

Evening Activities: And guess what? It’s my wedding anniversary! Me and my guy had dinner plans to check out the new Meadowlark location. He offered to drive, but since this is the definition of “for better or for worse,” he rode along with me.  Straight shot there and back. First bus was about five minutes late, but on a nice day hanging out with good company – that’s no big deal. Now, I did have to keep an eye on my watch a little more than I would have if we would have had a car in the parking lot, but the way the schedule worked, we got there around 7 and were able to enjoy a couple hours of dinner and drinks before being outside to catch the next bus. Not too bad at all! And the final bus back home? Just fine.

So, overall: a very nice carless day. I will grant you that the weather was ideal and I can’t count on that all the time, but I was happy to enjoy it. Days like today make me think I can do this more often. I’m going to have to experiment more with RTA and my bike, but if the weather is right, the financial cost isn’t too much, and the schedule is open – I could make this a thing once or twice a week. I’m giving two thumbs up (for today) to the RTA/bike combo. We’ll see what tomorrow brings, but for today – I feel happy of myself. Rock and roll…

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaIvk1cSyG8&feature=player_embedded’]

You had me at “hello” (and lost me at “goodbye”)

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You can’t escape karma. It’s true. I’m guilty of trying.

We’re all busy people; we all have volunteer organizations, meetings and committees to attend on top of work requirements. But when I first starting planning for this little adventure, I conveniently planned all my “extra-curriculars” outside of this week.

Until karma slapped me with an 8 AM meeting, the need to drop off some files at a satellite location, and a couple additional errands. So much for just going to work and home.

But you know what – that’s life. And this week is my life on the bus.

So, I woke up earlier than I like to catch the pre-7 AM bus from my home in the ‘burbs to get downtown.  Got off at my transfer site right on time, and after a short wait, jumped on the second bus to arrive at my meeting by 7:40. Good start! Unfortunately, due to an “alternating route,” I couldn’t use the same stop when heading back into the city, but I had prepared for that (thanks to the nice dude on the bus who gave me the warning) and I packed the flip-flops just in case a little walking was required.

Things got a little more tricky once I got back downtown. I took a quick jaunt over to Kettering Tower from the Wright Plaza hub to deliver some files. A slight change in the schedule makes a major difference; now my timing was off. I made it back to the hub and realized that I had just missed the bus that would take me to work. Thought process: I can sit for 25 minutes and wait or I can walk the mile to the office. Thank God for the flip-flops. I was hoping to see a yellow bike, but alas – no relief. So, I walked until I made it back to the office. Just then I started to realize that, although comfy, flip-flops are not the walking shoes of choice.

Waiting for the bus, your mind can wander. After this stop I had Feist's "One, Two, Three, Four..." on my mind for a while.

Overall, I was really pleased with my morning. Safe, reliable transportation. Friendly people. Good times. However, at lunch I had to run an errand which was about 3/4 mile from work – not so far that the bus is needed, but I really didn’t want to walk it.  My boss (thanks, boss!) kindly offered to “carpool” to help me out, but I’m trying to stick with the spirit of the adventure and see if I can make it happen. Not in a walking mood (although Kristen is inspiring me*), I grabbed the bus right outside my office for the short trip. Errand done, I had time to kill and lunch to eat. So – I headed into Yummy Burger. And what did I have?

Thai food, of course (and it was yummy). Here, friends, is a benefit of going car-less. If I had run my errand with my car, I most likely would have gone to a more familiar (and further away) place for lunch. But being that convenience was key, I tried something new and it paid off. Plus – I killed just the right amount of time to grab my bus back to the office for a less than 60 minute lunch hour. Sweet!

All is sunshine and roses. Good travel day, good work day. Time to pack up a bit after 5 PM. I shut down and head out to the ever-so-convenient bus stop right outside work, and I notice that I’m walking out 1 minute after the bus is supposed to be there. Please, God, let it be 2 minutes late. It wasn’t.

I know, I know – you warned me that I need to be early for the bus. But here’s the catch. In the morning – that’s okay – I’m only cheating myself out of sleep. But at lunch or in the evening, there’s not as much flexibility. Because for every extra minute I get to the bus stop early, that’s a minute I’m taking away from something else.

Patience is a virtue, but it’s not one of mine. I sit at my bus stop and review all my little maps to determine if there’s a different bus or different route near by I could still catch. I call the RTA line, but no one answers after 5:30 PM. Finally, the next bus came (after I’ve walked a good long way to find a bus stop with a bench).  This bus takes me to my transfer stop, but the schedule is off now and I just missed my bus home and have to wait another 45 minutes. AUGH!

After all my crazy planning, THESE are my shoe options for Day 1?!?

Luckily, there’s a bar with a fine patio down from the stop. But my once-smart idea to pack some flip-flops proves not good enough and I’m wishing I had some better walking shoes. So, after a drink and flipping through a

couple local newspapers, I make my way out and wait the final 15 minutes for the bus. Which takes me 4 blocks from my house – a convenience I was really excited about early in the day, but had lost its luster after the end of the day. I make it into the house 1 hour and 50 minutes after walking out of work (usually a 15 minute drive).

So – what did I learn after one day? If you can work within the time schedules – the people are nice, the routes are convenient, and the bus can work out pretty well. But as soon you miss that one bus, plans go out the window and it’s tough to get back on track. I’ll also claim some “user error” on this one. But that’s why it’s a week adventure and I’m not giving up after a day.

Up next, my bike is coming with me on the bus. I am *hoping* that this results in the best of both worlds – convenient rides for the distances and quick trips for the errands. Famous last words…

* Reference to the lovely Kristen Wicker and her piece on walking as a primary means of Dayton travel. Check it out!

Researching (and worrying about) RTA

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Pop Quiz

The bus system in Dayton is:
A) Difficult to Navigate
B) Expensive
C) Dangerous
D) Limited in Area

Okay – time’s up! What’s the answer?

Well – I can tell you that I don’t know. But I’m going to find out!   No gossip, no rumors – just my experiences exposed. If the bus late, dangerous, or annoying, I’m calling them out. But you’ll also know if the bus driver is helpful and if the routes are easy to navigate. I really don’t know what to expect, so you’ll know as I know.

As much as I’ve HEARD about taking the RTA (fodder for our lil’ pop quiz), most of the people who are talking don’t actually ride. And the people who do ride, don’t usually talk too much about it. So – I cornered my friend Jen who utilizes RTA as her main source of transportation and got her insights.

Well, mostly it works pretty well, if you’re staying in Dayton or close suburbs and if you’re traveling between 7 am and 6:30 pm weekdays. Traveling in the evening or weekends gets a lot trickier because bus frequency declines dramatically.

As far as bus clientele I rarely have problems. Occasionally the kids can be kind of loud, but most drivers will intervene if it’s excessive or if they’re being rude or crude. It’s usually a pretty friendly atmosphere.  And if there is someone acting strangely, there are other people experiencing it with you which can be kind of fun.

Another benefit I found when I took the bus to work was that extra 15-20 minutes before I had to be fully engaged. When I was driving to work I needed to be awake and alert. Taking the bus let me work into my day more gradually.

So, as I get closer to launching my week without a car, I’m gathering all the info I can about how I’ll get around. The RTA Web site has been my “go to” for this purpose. In case you want to try a similar adventure, I’m going to clue you into my process in hopes it makes things easier for you.

  • It surprised me when I found how easy it is to buy passes and tokens around town. I figured I’d have to go to a transit center. It makes it a lot easier to know I can get a pass when I’m doing the grocery shopping and just hop on the bus when I’m ready to ride.
  • RTA offers bike racks (yay!), but if the bike rack is full, you can’t bring your bike on board, you have to wait for the next bus (boo!). Maybe every time I get on the bus there will be one or fewer people who are also riding a bike. We’ll see. But if I have to wait for another bus b/c I can’t get on with my bike I’ll be annoyed.
  • Along the lines of scheduling – I’m confident about the bus that will get me to work, but I’m a little concerned about the buses that will take me home after meetings, dinners, shows, and nights out. The RTA schedule shows that my ideal route home stops running after 6 PM. Now, I realize I CAN get home another way (as long as I’m leaving the city by 11:30 PM), but it takes some research and planning and more late-night walking that I would choose.
  • One of the complaints I’ve heard is that RTA is notoriously late. On-line, they offer an “On Time Service Guarantee,” but that just means they won’t be more than 30 minutes late. And if they are, they give you a free pass. Sorry, but if I’m more than 30 minutes late to some meetings, I could have burned some major bridges.
  • In getting ready for this adventure (finding my routes, etc), and I have to report that the RTA Web site is not as user friendly as it could be. There are great resources – maps and recommended routes – but the maps are small when you print them out. And the “trip planner” (which gives you times, bus numbers and route options) didn’t recognize the addresses I plugged in. I had to put the same location in 5 different ways to get the system to recognize where I was trying to go! That said, there are other ways to discover what you need and I’m now the proud owner of a few route map brochures that I’ll keep with me. (Which is laggardly of me, but since I don’t have a smart phone to check for new schedules, a handful of paper maps suits me just fine.)

Am I adding to the negative stigma by being worried before I even step foot on the bus? Maybe. Maybe that says something about human nature. Maybe I’m just a worrier (thanks for passing THAT trait along, mom). Or maybe that’s one of the reasons RTA is getting a bad rap in Dayton these days – we do a little online research and give up without even stepping up on the bus. Whatever it is – I’m a few days closer to saying good-bye to my friend the car. I’m excited and nervous.

If you have any recommendations for smart bus riding tips, let me know!

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/rtagreen#p/u/3/_MZoy0s8Ifg’]

RTA has generously offered a few 7-day passes that DaytonMostMetro.com will be giving away as I chronicle my adventure. If you’re interested in giving it a shot yourself, you might just be able to win one! And if you want to have your say, RTA is soliciting feedback as they plan for the future – let them know what you need for mass transit.

Enter Dump the Pump Video Contest

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With gas prices close to $4 per gallon, it makes more sense than ever to Dump the Pump by riding RTA. And now is the time to shoot your why-you-ride-RTA video in time for the Dump the Pump Day event on June 16 when video contest winners will be announced. Entries are due by June 14.

By sending in your video, you become eligible to win cool prizes:

  • 1st place: 8G i-Pod Touch and three 31-day RTA passes
  • 2nd place: Flip Ultra HD camcorder and two 31-day passes
  • 3rd place: $50 Best Buy gift card and one 31-day pass
  • The first 10 early birds who submit valid videos will receive 7-day passes.

Use a camcorder, cell phone camera, or home PC to create your entry. Videos should be between 15 seconds and 2 minutes long and must focus on why you ride public transit. Are you saving money, helping the environment, commuting to relax? You tell us. Then upload your entry at i-riderta.org no later than June 14.

Your videos can be in Quicktime (.mov), .mpg, .wmv, or .avi format and should not exceed 50 MB. Winners will be contacted and will be responsible to pick up prizes.

RTA will celebrate Dump the Pump Day from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, June 16 at Courthouse Square. You can enter to win chances on RTA bus passes and Dragons tickets at the event. Drive Less Live More partners also will present information on driving alternatives. Please go to i-riderta.org or call 937-425-8374 for more contest entry or event details.

RTA, Ohio’s greenest fleet, serves 3,300 stops on 29 routes throughout Montgomery and parts of Greene County. The agency operates diesel, hybrid diesel, and electric trolley buses to take people to work, school and shopping. Customers ride RTA on more than 10 million passenger trips each year.  RTA is committed to providing the highest levels of customer service as the region’s first choice for alternative transportation.