My OperaMore on Buses
Friday, September 5, 2008 3:00:12 PM
A bit ago I had a riff on tour buses using the 900 block M Street to get to the Convention Center. Now we have more:
[From an email by Ed Horvath to the authorities at the Convention Center:] The driver of Holiday Tours bus #302 just drove his empty bus through my residential block that is posted for no busses (at 4:40 pm this afternoon 9/4/08). These restrictions are in place to protect a block of fragile historic homes and many pedestrians including families with small children from heavy bus traffic associated with the Washington DC Convention Center that is immediately adjacent to this block.
AARP has their 50th convention in progress at the convention center and the dozens of other bus drivers from many companies honor these postings. I spoke to the driver and his comment was that traffic was blocked up on another block. Your driver ended up blocking traffic on this block as well since he couldn't get past another vehicle on this narrow block that is crowded with cars and pedestrians. Pedestrians, including some with significant disabilities walk through this block because it is generally safer than those with busses and trucks.
Almost all other drivers and bus companies comply with restrictions in this residential neighborhood. When we host tens of thousands of visitors each day at the convention center traffic is frequently congested for special events like those sponsored by AARP.
If any of your drivers does not have the patience or temprament to represent Holiday Tours in a safe and positive manner under these sorts of conditions they should not be permitted to operate your vehicles in this sort of environment.
The editor also saw a couple of Holiday Tours buses before this, as well.
There are signs, idiot-proofed signs, posted before entry to M Street. There really is no excuse.
The editor has heard the police say that a ticket would be for a moving violation, which could cost the driver his commercial drivers licence, i.e. his job. And that seems draconian. Once upon a time, the editor had some sympathy for that point of view. That's been gone for a while now.
The convention packager for groups such as the AARP handles the bus contracting, and it's hard for the folks at the CC to get through to some of them. If nothing else, there are so many companies, and many are here for the first time, it's just hard to get handle on it.
That said, maybe loss of the commercial drivers licence would get industry notice. Maybe several hours, or days, of impound for the bus would get industry notice.
[From an email by Ed Horvath to the authorities at the Convention Center:] The driver of Holiday Tours bus #302 just drove his empty bus through my residential block that is posted for no busses (at 4:40 pm this afternoon 9/4/08). These restrictions are in place to protect a block of fragile historic homes and many pedestrians including families with small children from heavy bus traffic associated with the Washington DC Convention Center that is immediately adjacent to this block.
AARP has their 50th convention in progress at the convention center and the dozens of other bus drivers from many companies honor these postings. I spoke to the driver and his comment was that traffic was blocked up on another block. Your driver ended up blocking traffic on this block as well since he couldn't get past another vehicle on this narrow block that is crowded with cars and pedestrians. Pedestrians, including some with significant disabilities walk through this block because it is generally safer than those with busses and trucks.
Almost all other drivers and bus companies comply with restrictions in this residential neighborhood. When we host tens of thousands of visitors each day at the convention center traffic is frequently congested for special events like those sponsored by AARP.
If any of your drivers does not have the patience or temprament to represent Holiday Tours in a safe and positive manner under these sorts of conditions they should not be permitted to operate your vehicles in this sort of environment.
The editor also saw a couple of Holiday Tours buses before this, as well.
There are signs, idiot-proofed signs, posted before entry to M Street. There really is no excuse.
The editor has heard the police say that a ticket would be for a moving violation, which could cost the driver his commercial drivers licence, i.e. his job. And that seems draconian. Once upon a time, the editor had some sympathy for that point of view. That's been gone for a while now.
The convention packager for groups such as the AARP handles the bus contracting, and it's hard for the folks at the CC to get through to some of them. If nothing else, there are so many companies, and many are here for the first time, it's just hard to get handle on it.
That said, maybe loss of the commercial drivers licence would get industry notice. Maybe several hours, or days, of impound for the bus would get industry notice.
