Our Orange County Transportation Authority (CA) is on strike today. I was wondering how each of you have or will deal with a strike when and if it happens to you.

For More Information See:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,288659,00.html (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,288659,00.html)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070707/ap_on_bi_ge/bus_drivers (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070707/ap_on_bi_ge/bus_drivers)

http://www.octa.net/media.asp?category=media&page=press%20release&subPage=press_070607 (http://www.octa.net/media.asp?category=media&page=press%20release&subPage=press_070607)

http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics37/00068133.jpg (http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics37/00068133.jpg)

Ride more :D

Actually a threatened Calgary Transit strike was what got me commuting by bike in the first place!

I would deal with it by displaying a sign on my bike in support of the strikers.

I'd be happy, less bus's shooting past me and then cutting me off to get to the next stop.

With a laugh and a smile as I don't use transit now. Bike commute only, but I'm also not far out.

eh? what? transit?

that's what my bike is! :)

Happened here in NYC two winters ago. It only lasted a few work days, though. The first day I just telecommuted.. after that, the office wanted me here (no idea why). This was before I had a bike, so I took a cab to work and ended up walking most of the way home (from the financial district to around Grand Central). My commute is only 7-8 miles, so if it happened again, I'd just bike. The city shut down some roads to use for emergency services.. I'd probably end up biking down those.

Nobody would notice here.

Every company I have worked for that has required me to have reliable transportation has declined to accept busses as "reliable transportation". So if I can't show up with a motor vehicle or prove I can get to assignments on time by bike I don't get hired. Get some good lights and start earlier.

I lived in OC for 12 years and never relied on the busses. I used them but always had back-up.

How much of Orange County is serviced by mass transit anyway?

I rarely use public transit because under my circumstances it's a poor substitute for a bike. Transit will get me where I'm going, but more slowly, less reliably, less cheaply, and with none of the health benefits from hard exercise. Sometimes I feel lazy and don't really want to ride, but I ride anyway for reasons like not knowing the transit schedule, not having time for a slow trip, not having a token (you pay 50% extra if you pay cash) and not having money to burn.

When our transit company went on strike, car traffic was definitely worse and my perception was that a lot of the additional vehicles were in bad shape, trailing blue smoke making engine knocking noises, etc.

There were clearly also some newbie bike commuters, most of whom I think went back to public transit after the strike.

<---Don't use transit. Though I'd enjoy riding without any buses on the road.

We'd have to rearrange the trailer configuration for commuting with the children.

The article said that 70% of those using the system don't have cars. This is good news but I'm fairly certain that 99% don't have bicycles or would even think of commuting with one. The ignorance of human powered machines is what's keeping millions dependant on public transportation. The poor state of public transportation is creating millions of motorists each year.

Personally, I depend on pubic transporation. I could ride my bike but it's so much more relaxing (lightrail) than to bike and very inexpensive. But should they go on strike, I would have no trouble getting my commuter out.

The article said that 70% of those using the system don't have cars. This is good news but I'm fairly certain that 99% don't have bicycles or would even think of commuting with one. The ignorance of human powered machines is what's keeping millions dependant on public transportation. The poor state of public transportation is creating millions of motorists each year.

Personally, I depend on pubic transporation. I could ride my bike but it's so much more relaxing (lightrail) than to bike and very inexpensive. But should they go on strike, I would have no trouble getting my commuter out.

On my own blog, I cover the media' (both local and national) increasing interest in this strike. And I develop some proven strategies of my own in my Tuesday's 2 posts of "The Need To Cope On Your Own Terms", and my how-to rundown, "The Ways And Means To Cope When You Are Forgotten." And I attempt to go behind the scenes on the real why and how this strike is hurting all involved on Today's " A Closer Very Uncomfortable Look At The Real Striking Picture."

See my new Blogger blog that is always updated and does not rest on it's Laurels at http://folder-fanatic.blogspot.com/ (http://folder-fanatic.blogspot.com/) if you did not have the chance recently or awareness of it's existance.

From Folder Fanatic Site

>>>>>>These same people have a annual household income of less than $20,000.<<<<<<<<

Folks, If you're making 20K a year, you need a bicycle period. A beater bike with a spare inner tube, lock and pump will pay itself off in 3 months (est. $150.00) from having to take the bus. The bus is actually very expensive and averages about $1.50 per five miles or 30 cents per mile. Make no doubt about it, public transportation is very costly compared to pennies per mile for the average beater.

I visit malls in the burbs with my bike and head right to the bus stop to converse with the poor. Every now and then, I try to convince some that the mall is accessable by bicycle. To this day, I have yet to make one single convert. They all argue that it's too far and not possible!

Personally, I depend on pubic transporation.
Pubic transporation, eh?

Pubic-
pu·bic (pyū'bĭk) pronunciation
adj.

Of, relating to, or located in the region of the pubis or the pubes.

Trans-
"across", "beyond" or "on the opposite side [of]"

pore-
1 : to gaze intently
2 : to read or study attentively -- usually used with over
3 : to reflect or meditate steadily

-ation-
1. Action or process: strangulation.
2. The result of an action or process: acculturation.


Therefore:


Pubic Transporation (pew-biic traans-pour-ay-shuun) pronunciation
verb.
is the action or process of gazing intently across to the region of the pubis.

I rode a lot during the last bus strike, and this was when I was in the burbs. Now that I'm in the city, it would affect me less, as the destinations are closer.

How would a transit strike affect me? My co-workers will have something else to b!tch and moan about to me.... but they'll still dismiss cycling as a viable option. :rolleyes:

Pubic transporation, eh?

Pubic-
pu·bic (pyū'bĭk) pronunciation
adj.

Of, relating to, or located in the region of the pubis or the pubes.

Trans-
"across", "beyond" or "on the opposite side [of]"

pore-
1 : to gaze intently
2 : to read or study attentively -- usually used with over
3 : to reflect or meditate steadily

-ation-
1. Action or process: strangulation.
2. The result of an action or process: acculturation.


Therefore:


Pubic Transporation (pew-biic traans-pour-ay-shuun) pronunciation
verb.
is the action or process of gazing intently across to the region of the pubis.

LOL.... Good one...

LOL.... Good one...
Finally my attempt at humor is rewarded.

The PT here sucks anyway...you have to call a day in advance to schedule an appointment to be picked up, and it's pretty slow because they drop off people at their houses or destinations instead of at bus stops; I doubt that really saves anybody that much time; it just makes the ride longer for everybody else. They also have a ton of restrictions on what you can carry, etc...

From Folder Fanatic Site

>>>>>>These same people have a annual household income of less than $20,000.<<<<<<<<

Folks, If you're making 20K a year, you need a bicycle period. A beater bike with a spare inner tube, lock and pump will pay itself off in 3 months (est. $150.00) from having to take the bus. The bus is actually very expensive and averages about $1.50 per five miles or 30 cents per mile. Make no doubt about it, public transportation is very costly compared to pennies per mile for the average beater.

I visit malls in the burbs with my bike and head right to the bus stop to converse with the poor. Every now and then, I try to convince some that the mall is accessable by bicycle. To this day, I have yet to make one single convert. They all argue that it's too far and not possible!

I agree, unfortunately, I have clients who receive public assistance that will purchase a car every year with their income taxes. These cars do not last four months. The idea of buying a bike and using it as a main source of transportation is out of the question.

Gas, the price of a can of beans.

The article said that 70% of those using the system don't have cars. This is good news but I'm fairly certain that 99% don't have bicycles or would even think of commuting with one. The ignorance of human powered machines is what's keeping millions dependant on public transportation. The poor state of public transportation is creating millions of motorists each year.

Personally, I depend on pubic transporation. I could ride my bike but it's so much more relaxing (lightrail) than to bike and very inexpensive. But should they go on strike, I would have no trouble getting my commuter out.

I agree, unfortunately, I have clients who receive public assistance that will purchase a car every year with their income taxes. These cars do not last four months. The idea of buying a bike and using it as a main source of transportation is out of the question.


I am suprised that this attitude is so strong in other parts of the country. I thought that it is a unique attiude in far more car orientated Southern California. But as the cost of everything (not just transportation) continues to go up, and lower paying jobs and public assistance does not (or is non existent), I have seen people who a few years ago would buy a old clunker car, now turn their attention to bikes as a means to get around. That is now a bad thing for me and others who were-for the most part-left alone with our bikes and free to ride in peace. I have to really keep a sharp eye out for desperate people who want to permamently separate me from my bike(s) forever.

My suggestion is to get the details on why the strike is happening; we had one in our city awhile back and the union rejected three offers which I thought sounded like very good deals especially with each one being better than the last one. In this case I told my busing significant other to go ahead and use the Scab/Management driven buses guilt free. They were covering something like every other bus on the schedule.

Of course if the union has a legitimate gripe then you should respect that and show some solidarity.

But in my experience public service unions like the transit and garbage workers ones seem to want to go on strike every few years just to remind the city that they can. I don't think that is a legitmate reason to stay off the job, and I will vote with my 1.50 fare anytime I'm given the chance.

Bike The Strike!

I am very glad that people have shown alot of creative ways of dealing with anything-especially transit strikes. I just heard over the new on my local all news radio station that our transit strike is supposed to be over. The buses should start rolling soon. I need to get a confirmation from other sources before I formally announce it over my blog and even here. Even if it is over, it does not change what has happened to many innocent people not knowing or even not caring about using bikes as an alternative to public transit.

I still stand by my decision made many years ago about not be too dependent on others if I could possibly help it. I will continue to post here and elsewhere about these affordable alternatives that almost all people could do. You will never be a patsy or human leverage again!

I'm sure Orange County, like much of California, has decent weather year round. What if a transit strike occurs in the Midwest in the middle of winter? Even I didn't cycle commute the entire seven mile distance to work when it was in the single digit temperatures and below (and snowy/icy).

I'm sure Orange County, like much of California, has decent weather year round. What if a transit strike occurs in the Midwest in the middle of winter? Even I didn't cycle commute the entire seven mile distance to work when it was in the single digit temperatures and below (and snowy/icy).

The always perfect weather sunny Southern California is a myth. While I do admit we don't have the severe extreme weather you do in the Midwest, we do have our bad weather periods-like extreme heat, humidity, severe downpours, and yes, even extreme cold (it even snows here sometimes). For most of this type of weather I find myself in, I simply wear the proper clothing for it. And yes, I do break down and actually drive if need be (I am sure there are other people here will condemn me, but if my presence is required, well.....)

The only advice I could offer you or anyone else is to line up as many alternatives or options as you can before a strike, crisis, or some other misfortune occurs. That way if a bike trip is out of the question, you are not exactly sunk. The key thought here is to keep flexible and not to lose your independence if you choose not to drive at all or only part of the time. That is the most important thing I have learned during previous strikes, earthquakes, panics, or some other misfortune that occures anywhere at anytime.

From Folder Fanatic Site

>>>>>>These same people have a annual household income of less than $20,000.<<<<<<<<

Folks, If you're making 20K a year, you need a bicycle period. A beater bike with a spare inner tube, lock and pump will pay itself off in 3 months (est. $150.00) from having to take the bus. The bus is actually very expensive and averages about $1.50 per five miles or 30 cents per mile. Make no doubt about it, public transportation is very costly compared to pennies per mile for the average beater.

I visit malls in the burbs with my bike and head right to the bus stop to converse with the poor. Every now and then, I try to convince some that the mall is accessable by bicycle. To this day, I have yet to make one single convert. They all argue that it's too far and not possible!

Public transportation is expensive compared to a bicycle, but compared to a car, it's dirt cheap: a monthly bus pass in Seattle costs about $50/month, which is less than I was paying for auto insurance alone, back when I had a car. (Personally, I don't buy bus passes, because I only take the bus once or twice a month.) Bicycles only work as a transportation option if people are willing to get off their fat asses and exert themselves. In Portland, OR, Boulder CO, Davis, CA, people, do in fact use bikes for a significant percentage of trips. They're right up there with Amsterdam and and Copenhagen. (well, Boulder and Davis are...) In places like Kentucky and Alabama, there are people commuting by bike, but they're few in number, surrounded by people with a bucket of fried chicken in one hand and a jumbo soft drink in the other. For these people, the only choices they'll consider are mass transit or an automobile, and mass transit, expensive as it is, is still the much better option, from a purely monetary point of vew. (And there's no point in even talking about the environment here; most people in these places and these situations simply don't care.)

transit strike....i jump up and down for joy. finally the streets are free of diesel belching buses that lurch all over the road and clog up the streets. Finally i can drive or bike in peace without a bus taking up two lanes in front of me, going slow. Traffic moves much faster and smoother, drivers are no longer slamming their brakes on as a 60' bus suddenly pulls out wide from the bus bays. Cyclists are no longer squeezed off the curb or honked at by angry bus drivers . I wish transit would strike all the time.

There is no public transit system where I live.