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Keep your eye out this weekend for some tweaks to WMATA's Trip Planner tool, which are set to launch on Saturday. Among the changes, according to Metro:
- The Trip Planner will now recognize abbreviated street directional indicators, such as S, or S. for South.
- Under the "Advanced" link, the Trip Planner will now allow address searches to be restricted to one of Metro’s compact jurisdictions, instead of searching the entire Metro service area.
- Search data will no longer disappear if you get the dreaded "Destination/Origin Not Found" message, so when you go back to try it again, you won't have to retype your entire entry.
- The available time increment for viewing trips 15 minutes before and after a requested time will be expanded to include increments of five, 10, 20 and 25 minutes.
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The big question, though is will it take into account track maintenance or will it just tell you what would happen if the metro system was running optimally?
If only Trip Planner and Real Time Arrivals could be reconciled with reality.
On a related topic, NEXTBUS is the most awesome thing WMATA has done in a long time.
well, the changes might not be perfect (i.e., including track maintenance issues) but it sure as hell is a big leap forward. kudos to wmata for making the necessary updates!
Has anyone else seen the "Thank You" billboards from Metro on the Red Line? There's one at the Grosvenor-Strathmore station, and in effect it says "we know things really suck since the June accident, so thanks for continuing to put up with our sorry asses." It had the wrong effect on me - it was like getting a Valentine from an abusive boyfriend. Thanks for the sentiment and all, but fix your ish, Metro.
They could at least have the decency to change the signs so that they say "F**k you" instead. At least that's being honest. The "Thank you" signs just rub it in; like a fraternity pledge being hazed with a paddle and made to say, "Thank you sir, may I have another" but instead of a paddle it's a telescoping train.
Seems to me, that in order to plan one's trip, one needs to know what reality is. Or is that too straightforward?
Metro reality="add 30 minutes to everything"
or maybe we can just get google transit already! Metro can stop wasting their time and money providing fixes to an already sub-optimal trip planning tool and just let someone else do a much better job of it for free.
Is anyone else completely unimpressed with these upgrades? I mean, recognizing S as an abbreviation for "South" isn't exactly artificial intelligence here.
For all it is worth. For me, the bus is either late or coming. Doesn't make a difference. I'll still be standing at the bus stop. The buses are in the drivers hands. I'm sure they'll pick up speed if they'd only stop talking to their friends in the seats behind them.