After a summer hiatus, Starts & Stops is back. (In the interim, I was working on a Sept. 11 project and making the most of vacation time.) I hear it was a quiet summer at the Department of Transportation while I was gone.
First, some summer-travel observations: Rapid transit rides in Sydney and Melbourne, in Australia, cost 2 1/2 times more than the T fare; Sydney has a great ferry system, but the trains I rode were even more trash- and food-strewn than the T’s.
The Barcelona Metro charges a comparable fare to the T, but the system is much cleaner, and the countdown signs on the platforms are remarkably accurate.
Barcelona also had the first left-handed entry turnstiles I’ve seen, reminding me of the day I shadowed a customer service agent at South Station and watched lefty tourist after lefty tourist swipe their CharlieCards on the wrong side and walk into a closed gate. But the special turnstiles seemed to be interspersed randomly with the right-handed gates, diminishing their utility. Another strike against the Barcelona Metro: It has few escalators and elevators, forcing riders with disabilities to confront stairs.
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