Sardine class: nothing new here
The Gazette sums up various ideas for taking pressure off the overloaded orange line but they’re still all talk: the pink line, more metro trains, more buses on the north-south streets parallel to the line’s eastern side. But the statement “if alternatives won’t save commuters any time, they won’t use them” is a bit too blankety. People might choose to leave a little earlier if it allowed them to avoid the sardining inevitable on the orange line now.
Ian 07:40 on 2019-05-10 Permalink
This is true, when I worked downtown I made a point of taking the bus instead of the metro even though it meant more waiting around outside and a 15 minute walk just to avoid the orange line in the morning – and that was 4 years ago, it’s worse now.
EmilyG 08:43 on 2019-05-10 Permalink
I have a weekly appointment near Atwater metro on Thursday afternoons, and I take the metro one stop to Lionel-Groulx, then take the orange line to Rosemont station. It does take a bit longer than if I took the green line the other way to Berri, and then the orange line to Rosemont, but if I use my way, I avoid having to deal with trying to board the orange line at Berri.
Blork 08:56 on 2019-05-10 Permalink
The photo the Gazette uses to illustrate “sardine class” is misleading. That’s just a slightly crowded Metro car; the people there have a bit of elbow room and they’re able to look at their phones and books. True “sardine class” (which happens daily and I experience about once a week) is so jammed you can barely lift your arm to your face to look at your phone — sometimes your phone is an inch from your face because that’s all the room you have. Forget about reading a book.
Kevin 10:57 on 2019-05-10 Permalink
I have to say I hate the new metro cars when it’s really crowded. I think they expected people to give up their folding seats and stand, holding onto the rounded bars near the accordions, except nobody ever stands up and those bars are impossible to reach if you’re standing there.
Blork 11:20 on 2019-05-10 Permalink
True that. Kate has mentioned in the past how the Azur cars are difficult for people with lesser vertical endowments, and I’ve noticed that too even though I’m vertically average. I used to have very good “sea legs” but not anymore; I absolutely MUST have a third point of contact on a moving Metro (first two being feet) and I’ve occasionally found myself on a crowded Azur car where there was literally nothing to grab onto except other people. Not fun!