Salt Lake Bus Riding

7/23/2007
11:18
Kearns #34

A world built on cheap energy means vast developments that go on and on.
It means highly segregated zoning. Workplace far from home. SPRAWL. It all looks so similar.

Houses out here got built in the 1970s.
Ultimate Combat Training Center: now that’s something you’d never see up in our area.
Made me feel nauseous.
Cop cars ahead, pulled over, lights flashing.
Cops, fire truck, ambulance - all came to my neighbor’s on Saturday….WHY? Girl sitting on lawn crying.
Here, an accident.

Bus driver thinks I’m strange, asking about where he turns around.
Jordan Landing. Vast mall.

I shouldn’t judge others – they are overwhelmed.

John lives somewhere out here. You couldn’t pay me to do so.

Abundant cheap fuel – here today, gone tomorrow. Shortsighted is understatement of century.

8/22/07
9:53
State Street #22

Just another ordinary day.

Bus driver explained to me that if I would have deboarded before bus turned off State Street, I could have caught #222 without having to wait 15 minutes. The schedule in no way explains this. I am waiting at a major transportation hub for buses & TRAX - there is no restroom here, like there are in other cities, at their hubs. Some would call this frugal, thrifty. I call it stingy, ungenerous, uncaring, a lack of priority for mass transit. Two mayoral candidates and a City Council candidate personality have vented their outrage about our cities bus system in conversations with me, primarily about the upcoming route cutbacks.

If policy makers and deciders knew about Peak Oil, would they be making different choices?

Lady with four purses, a massive big gulp jug that has sports heroes on it just boarded. She also has a shaved head with stubble growth. Deboarding, she says, “See ya later! Bye!”, in a high squeaky voice. Bus driver has a quiet rapport with his regulars. Whistles.

8/23/07
8:41
Ballpark Trax #16
8:57 switched to 4800 West #48

How many people ride buses ‘cause they can’t afford cars?
How many ride ‘cause they feel it’s the right thing to do?
So much slower and inconvenient than driving..as a choice, it takes real commitment.
All of these people look like they could own a car.

Sitting, idling, waiting.
2 guys in front, talking about job hunting. A guy had just moved here, is having a hard time.

UTA guy is going around handing out new bus maps.
UTA is promoting changes as FASTER, OFTENER, BETTER. But people I know are complaining.

Wal-Mart glows brightly in the morning sun.

Bus driver annunciates cross-streets in matter-of-fact emphatic crisp tone, only me and me only.
Driver says the number of bus hours will stay same…
that it depends on where you live as to whether it’s better of worse.

This portion of the route will be eliminated. It will become part of another route.
Two women boarded, complaining about route changes.
Driver says more started riding when gas prices first went up and have kept riding since.
Discouraged woman going to school + working. Will be negatively impacted by route changes.
Will probably quit school.
Telling this to caring older woman who knows her. Older woman glibly says…”It’ll all work out.” But will it?

Land of trailers and RV's

I feel I’ve surrendered to a certain hopelessness. Yet I keep acting as if hope were possible.

Just doing the thing I see that needs doing.
Given up all the fear , stress, worry about it.
Yet a certain small glimmer of sense things will be ok.
Feel more shrunk, withdrawn, looking less at landscape, more at paper.

How come more people don’t read, even if they have a long bus ride?

Job-hunting guy who was riding before got back on…beaming.
He’d gotten a job. Recognized me, greeted me. Starts in a week.