April 7, 2008
Cell Phone Plan for Metro Could Lead to Calls for Quiet
The Examiner reports again this morning on one of Metro's longest running teases: that some day, a contract could be awarded to build a wireless network inside Metro's tunnels and stations that would allow cell phone customers who don't use Verizon to use their phones as well. Metro first started talking about awarding such a contract two years ago, but nothing happened, and then last summer there was some more chatter, but still nothing. This latest round of mobile network titillation does sound slightly more promising, however, as it's linked to General Manager John Catoe's plans to modernize stations, platforms and trains by adding things like flat screen monitors.
WMATA has now put out an official call for proposals from companies interested in building the network -- which would reportedly take 18 months to get up and running in the busiest stations and closer to four years to complete in the entire system.
In the meantime, the Examiner story quotes concerned members of the Riders Advisory Council who are asking Metro to develop an ad campaign reminding riders to be considerate of others when using a cell phone on a train. Given the popularity of some of Metro's previous ad campaigns that tried to teach us all some manners, that sounds like a good idea to us. New York's Long Island Railroad's "Don’t be Cell-fish" campaign is one place Metro could look as an example, though we rather hope we can come up with a more clever new vocabulary word than that for WMATA. Or maybe the blunt approach would be better? Posters reading something like, "Please shut the hell up, because no one else wants to hear about what you're having for dinner", might be more effective.
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it's not going to matter. besides, i guess i'd rather deal with loud cellphone conversations than loud screens blasting adverts at me.
then, there's the noise that comes from loud-ass kids on the train, and i know there's no way to do anything about that.
buy earplugs, folks. it's your best bet....
Metro also has been criticized for failing to match other transit agencies in generating a potentially lucrative source of revenue for the cash-strapped authority. Metro received $46,000 in revenue from Verizon in 2005, $33,000 in 2006 and $28,000 in 2007, Peck said. Verizon told Metro the declining revenue was based on lower use, she said.
Nice to see the geniuses at WMATA are raking in the big revenue bucks from Verizon. Maybe their next cell service provider will take Cantoe's underwear as well.
While I do think the possibly constant jabber could be a concern (though consideration and manners tell you you shouldn't talk away in small, confined spaces), I think overall this is a good idea. At least you could use data features while down there. Throw in some wi-fi and it would be even better.
Anyone see the story in yesterday's Post on how Metro is finally getting around to allowing more techno-cool advertising in stations? I'm all for that, since Metro is bleeding money these days and needs all the help it can get. Of course, the purists will demand nothing in Metro stations that takes away from the spartan and dark tombs.
The "Cell-fish" advertising in NYC is good ... and most people do pay attention to that, but there are always self-absorbed people who can't bother to have a care for anyone else in the world.
Unfortunately, sometimes technology or products move into a market faster than society adopts manners, re: smokers throwing their butts anywhere they please or cell phone users having loud conversations in confined spaces. If people had immediately said/enforced DON'T LITTER or LOWER YOUR VOICE WE DON'T CARE WHAT YOUR WIFE WANTS TO YOU TO PICK UP FROM THE STORE TONIGHT with cigarrettes or cell phones, the world would probably be a better place... it's tougher to get people to unlearn bad habits than it is to get them to take up good habits, I guess.
I have verizon, and i never get service in the metro. i dont know where this urban legend of miraculous verizon service came from, but it's just as true as the whole "glade plugins will burn your house down" thing.
They do have an ad campaign.
I also have Verizon and I, too, do not get a signal when Metro is underground.
i have verizon, and have had service in the tunnels for years, but always have problems with call drops when exiting and entering stations. it seems like the transition to and from the tunnels causes problems...
Maybe I've blasted my ears to all hell, but I don't think people talking on the phone are going to add that much noise to trains. Yes, they should certainly still be considerate but I don't think it'll be that bad. Plus, most people riding solo have iPods or something else in their ears already.
As an added bonus for DCist readers, think of all the additional overheard material that'll come in.
Like Voteprime says, it depends on where you are. Some spots are too deep for the cell phone service to work (i.e. Van Ness).
I can usually get it to work in Gallery Place, Metro Center, Friendship Heights, Columbia Heights etc.
It used to be better though.
i have a new phone (well, in verizon's world, it's new, but thats a geekier topic altogether)texting is no problem though, that works. but calls, no way.
I don't know about you, but I get a strange sense of satisfaction when annoying, loud-mouthed cell-phone users lose their signal in the Rosslyn-Foggy Bottom tunnel.
cant wait for the first underground conversations that starts as such:
"Hi Tranny, it's Tranny"
It doesn't make sense that a station would be "too deep". The signals are relayed by 'towers' setup inside the stations and tunnels. I've always noticed a dead spot somewhere between Judiciary Sq. and Union Station.
I think that "dead spot" might be where the Red Line goes under the 95 tunnel.
Then again, Judiciary Square has always been a locus for morlock activity.
I don't find metrorail cell phone conversations nearly as annoying as I find Metrobus cell phone conversations. The inanity and volume of cell phone conversations shoot up when in the presence of large rubber tires.
The "honey what should I pick up from the store" calls annoy me way less than the "dude, I was so drunk last night, maaannnn. And Troy [belly laughter] mannn, he was..yeah..I know...total skank...yeah..totally..no, can't, I'll be in Vail...tonight? probably Bourbon...yeah..I know..total skank" conversations.
My favorite cellphone conversations are the ones where every third word is f**k.
And then they hang up by saying, "Love you, mom."
There's always some hair-trigger criticism of cell phone use in public. Seems more likely people are pissed they cant hear the other half of a normal-volume converstion.
Hopefully, with more people using cellphones on Metro, the quality of the half-heard conversations will improve. As it is now, it's all who's-meeting-who-at-Brasserie-Beck and who's-banging-who-at-work. I'm sure we can ratchet things up with folks using their cells to hire hitmen to whack their exes, or to tearfully recount recovered shaved panda molestation memories to their shrinks.
Count me in on the no Verizon service thing - I can send texts occasionally and calls cut out all the time.
Re: There's always some hair-trigger criticism of cell phone use in public.
As opposed to hair-trigger happy cell phone users who couldn't possibly wait the few minutes until their metro ride is over to have a phone conversation. us polite people are just SO annoying to commute with...
it's just like hair-trigger cell phone use on planes. when i landed at DCA saturday night, i can't tell you how many people on the place whipped the phones out to announce loudly to all of us, "hey, i just landed!"
more than a few passengers had that "i want to take that phone and shove it up your ass" look on their faces...
After just finishing a couple of DC-NYC-DC bus rides this weekend, I can vouch that most cell phone users' conversations are much louder than normal conversations in places like buses and trains... I could easily hear everything the guy 6 rows back said to his friend on the phone, whereas the couple behind me talked in a low murmur that bothered no one.
Why are we getting flat screen monitors and "updated stations" when we are constantly losing money and declining quality of the transit itself (ostensibly the whole point of a mass transit system)? Have you ever been to NY or Boston? We are lightyears ahead in customer service and station cleanliness etc., not to mention already having the countdown monitors. Let's do things like, I don't know, have trains that don't break down and busses that don't feel like they will break any moment.
My point was that there should be no criticism of people who use cell phones at a conversational volume in public, but there often is.
I have Verizon and it works pretty well on the metro. Oddly enough, one place it never works is underneath the Verizon Center.
I can't recall the last time I heard anyone talk on a cellphone in public at "conversational volume." Everybody's hollering like they're being trampled to death at a Cincinatti Who concert.
If only they could restrict cell phone service in automobiles like they do on Metro....
my rules for metro conversations (and behavior)
1)don't have them.
2) if you most have them, whisper.
3) fine since you're going to ignore me anyway, can you at least try to follow the basic rules of human decency (pretend to be human for a minute:
a) no drunk girls (sorry, snarky misogynist, and yes i'm female, side coming out)
b.) NO girls pretending to be drunk (way way worse offense than actual drunkeness) because "like omigod, imsodrunk, i totally didn't know what i was doing." I detest girls (yes GIRLS, not womyn or women so don't rant at me) who have to pretend to be drunk to be remotely sexual. boring.
c) no YELLING.
d) ESPECIALLY no YELLING when the person is standing right next to you.
e) if a call drops or doesn't connect more than twice STOP TRYING!
f) no more than two calls or people talked to in any given metro ride.
g) no being mean, obnoxious or "informative" to the metro bus driver. I'm talking to you "IT'S CALLED BUNCHING!!! WHEN ALL THE BUSES COME TOGETHER" chica
h) no name-dropping.
i) especially no name-dropping if you're a 12-year-old intern who WORKS ON THE HILL
j) if there are seats on the train or bus and it's crowded you HAVE to file in and sit down. no "i don't feel like sitting". the rest of us do and we don't feel like having you in our face when there's plenty of room elsewhere. file in people.
k) no clusterfcking. period. c'mon really.
l) no stopping in: doorways, bottoms or tops of escalators), narrow passageways meant for walking not standing
m) no looking behind you when walking. WHAT?
n) no standing unnecessarily close to anyone. c'mon really, i know im a city girl now but is it THAT confusing that people don't want you standing all up on them. really?
o) (gotta keep going now) no making out.
p) no standing backwards on the escalator making out with your sweetie, holding hands or otherwise making a mega-nuisance of yourself.
q) P applies double if you're 15.
r) P applies quadruple double triple if you're 15 AND with your parents.
s) No talking to your friends at the other end of the car
t) no SPRAWWWWWLLLINNGGG out with your papers, bags, food, big ol self
u) no gum chomping
v) no strollers, bikes, large parties at rush hour when you don't have to be there
w)no pushing. especially old people and children. (don't smirk. i've seen it)
x) no letting your child "play" by the edge of the platform, run screaming through the cars, yell.
y) no space-cutting. everyone takes their spot on the platform. stay there. when the train comes along don't dart in front of the people patiently waiting their turn. especially if you're an Important Businessman, cutting off some nice normals. oh and bonus Z: no running! jesus. wtf? there'll be another one!
z) Thank you for choosing WMATA :)
p.s. when's the quiet car coming? i'd pay money for it! especially with wifi.
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