Just got this email, so don't plan to ride Divvy home today:
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Divvy | 711 SE Grand | Portland | OR | 97214 |
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It sounds to me like you're viewing Divvy more as a recreational service to be enjoyed on nice days than a dedicated means of transportation on which people can rely to commute to and from work, school, the doctor, or other essential activities. I've grown quite used to being able to rely on Divvy so that's why my opinions are quite strong. But hey, I live by the lake and so I've got the red line, busses, cabs, Lyft, iGo (Enterprise), Zipcar, "bruh, hook it up with a ride," etc and the means to use any of them at will. That's not always true for everyone if you go a few miles west. That's all I'm trying to say.
Carrie Hirsch said:
Agreed. But extreme weather conditions may lead one to think ...yeah, maybe I need a back up plan...because sometimes stuff happens?
Tom Dworzanski said:No kidding. Over the next few years Divvy will get city-wide coverage including places that don't have good CTA coverage. Those same places tend to have almost no cabs. I'd hate to see people get stranded for no good reason.
Thomas Bruzan said:but I'd sure hate to get off the train and stare at a locked up bike.
So what was the actual mechanism here-- they remotely disabled new check-outs? Was there some sort of notification at the kiosk for those who didn't get the notice in time?
You guys must have cabin fever with all of this posting. Adam shut up, you whine about everything. Get a thicker skin. It's winter for damn sake. Winter disadvantages everyone!
In early February 2010 or '11 (possibly the same blizzard week you are describing), I witnessed this scene: Union Station packed to the brim with unhappy commuters and travelers. My Amtrak train southbound had been cancelled entirely.
Fortunately, my business downstate was not a matter of life-and-death, so I simply went home. :)
Jennifer on the lake said:
I'm trying to remember... Was it during the blizzard of '11, or the bitter cold snap immediately afterward? Or possibly a different winter weather event entirely, but I can't think of another one during my unemployment that was as bad. Anyway, Metra tried valiantly to run all the trains on time, but equipment was freezing faster than the crews could thaw everything, and most of them had already been working nearly nonstop outside on insanely long shifts in hellish weather. So Metra, or Union Pacific, or BNSF, or whoever it was, or perhaps all of them, finally just threw in the towel, and there were delays upon delays and not a few outright cancellations. Union Station at PM rush was full of grumbly commuters, many with monthly passes and probably paying through the nose for parking as well, many who usually car-commuted but opted for Metra as Plan B that particular day because the roadways were such a snarled mess. Every single one of us had paid to board a train at a designated time and disembark at a destination at another designated time, but what could be done?
I'm sure Divvy will face a similar situation, if they haven't already, and it won't have anything to do with recreation vs. utility, or Chicago vs. Miami, or whether or not the annual members consider the weather to be suitable for bike riding, or whatever. It will just be the realities of running a transportation system.
Fair questions. What did the Divvy rep say when you called them to ask for an explanation? You did call them, did you?
h' 1.0 said:
Day 2- we still don't quite know why Divvy is closed or what the criteria is for closing it, or what the criteria will be for re-opening it. We don't know if "temporary" is more like one day or 3 days or one week....
Comparisons to suspending other modes of travel are wearing very thin.
203 members
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