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Girl hops on tracks. Shuts down Red Line.
By AdamPieniazek on Sun, 05/31/2009 - 2:02am
Red line service was stopped around 1:30 AM today due to a girl jumping on the tracks, tweets Kevin Gilnack. The unknown female then proceeded to run up the tracks from Park Street and was caught at the Charles/MGH station.
Service was stopped due to officials turning off the third rail. Bus connections were apparently delayed too.
Some T riders and officials took the delay in good spirit. Kevin's train operator gave them updates throughout the event, even blaming the madness on the Dave Matthews Band concert last night:
Glad we had a good mbta conductor-got a good laugh blaming DMB
(full tweet).
No word from the Boston Police twitter account as of this posting.
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Comments
1:30 am?
Normally there should not be any trains running on the Red Line at that hour, at least not between Park and Charles.
Was a bit surprised by the
Was a bit surprised by the late time myself, so I checked the MBTA schedule. Last train leaves Ashmont at 1:05 AM. Would place the train at Park Street right around 1:30 AM.
that's last train from Ashmont to Mattapan, not to Alewife
at least on the PDF schedule. Sounds like things were running seriously late last night.
Everything was probably
Everything was probably delayed because of the concert at Fenway, which probably delayed the last inbound Green Line trains
I was on that train. It was
I was on that train. It was the last train from Alewife to Ashmont. It was delayed first because it was waiting for late connections from the Green Line. Then, because the same girl was passed out on in the car and they couldn't wake her. Paramedics, T officials, and many others were called in. They finally roused her and that's when the real drama started. She ran down the tunnel in the direction of MGH. That's why the track power was shut down from Park to MGH, not because that's the way the train was running.
It was one of the crazier T moments I've ever experienced.
1:30 am?
Yeah, I catch the last southbound train on a fairly regular basis and it usually gets in by around 12:45 and leaves as soon as the last Green Line train arrives circa 1:15ish, thus I'm usually tweeting about how that line usually runs late and holds us up.
Tonight was a bit more interesting and we were stuck for later than usual. I'm just glad I got on the last train so I got to see/hear the updates. Even with that people were getting pretty frustrated, can't imagine the unrest going on at the other side of the train, disconnected from watching BFD, EMTs, T Police, etc.
I will say I think the conductor is a regular on the last train of the night and always good humored and does a good job of trying to keep us patient as we await the last Green Line.. or the capture of a drunk young woman who decides to run from stop to stop.
That's it for tonight. Hopefully there will be something to link to tomorrow besides my feed with more info on the incident. Goodnight.
More Illiterate Jogger Syndrome?
The joggers in that area seem to have enough trouble reading "sidewalk closed" and other signs indicating that running the wrong way up the bike lane across the Longfellow is not acceptable - why shouldn't they feel the similarly about all those negative signs that deny them their rightful place on the red line rails???
Running and Longfellow bike lane
I haven't seen this yet. You're talking about in the current state, with the one sidewalk closed off?
The pedestrian/jogger access between Longfellow and Esplanade was never great. It's even more of a pain right now, with a longer and much more dangerous route to get between Cambridge and the Esplanade.
I'm interested in knowing what behavior you're seeing, since it might be relevant to Longfellow-Esplanade access.
Longfellow Joggers
When crossing from Cambridge to Boston, I have yet to NOT encounter at least 1 wrong-way jogger in the boston-bound bike lane on the bridge. Ignoring all the signs, these special folk think that the bike lane is put there just for their special selves, and thus end up running the wrong way up the bike lane from Boston to Cambridge against bike and car traffic. These are dangerous people, since the closing speed on the downhill portion is quite high when a jogger is coming the wrong way, there is a somewhat blind turn near the bottom, and their presence requires swerving into the traffic lane.
I even had one such moran scream at ME for blocking HER path because I had to come to a complete halt lest I either smash into her or get run over by a truck attempting to swerve around. I was thinking it might be good for her to do some impromptu "triathalon training"... but the sidewalk was barracaded.
I don't mind the "right way" joggers because it is possible to treat them as slow bikes and just hang back until it is safe to pass them - and they typically have enough speed on the uphill anyway.
Boston to Cambridge, I never have any problems with joggers where they should not be (wrong way). Maybe because their lacking literacy skills mean they are all headed the wrong way on the side that expressly forbids their presence.
Boston to Cambridge joggers
You don't see wrong-way joggers on the Boston-to-Cambridge bike lane because that side has a perfectly good sidewalk (and one that is wider than the closed one on the other side).
This problem should disappear by July 4th, which is when the state intends to reopen the other sidewalk.
I somehow doubt it
These are people who are incapable of using a simple walk signal to cross to the other side and use the sidewalk or the lane (again, right way joggers don't cause the problems). I somehow doubt that the presence of a sidewalk will deter their self-importance.
Joggers wrong-way in the bike lane
That doesn't sound very considerate.
Might be that some of them don't realize that it's *really*, *really* a bike lane.
Might be that some of them are aggravated about foot access getting shortchanged, so they decide they're just going to reduce the pain by commandeering the bike lane that happens to be on the desired side of the bridge.
Might be that some of them decided that playing chicken with bikes is safer than using the sidewalk. Getting from the sidewalk to the Esplanade right now is a trial of about 6 different hazards, 2 of them especially dangerous. (Getting around the lamppost, then getting across the unsignaled lane that turns right onto the bridge at speed just after views are obscured in at least 4 different ways). I haven't tried it out myself, but I wouldn't be surprised if wrong way on the bike path is safer and easier than sidewalk.
It's not a simple walk
It's not a simple walk signal... it's a convoluted route involving at least a couple of unprotected crosswalks... and we know how good you drivers are at stopping for those.
Few points
1) Running on asphalt is physically a lot better for your legs because it gives far better than concrete.
2) When running in the road, the correct direction to run is into traffic. This makes you more aware of when traffic is approaching your position and traffic should be more aware of you and will often berth wider than if they are going the same direction as you (and assume they can just blow around you).
Now, the runner should be giving way to you, but of course, there's no where for them to go since the sidewalk is blocked off. The Longfellow under construction is hardly the place to take a hard line for the above criteria. They should go use the sidewalk on the other side until they get across the bridge.
Its funny Kaz...
Is it me or do I remember when I was younger (25 years ago) when adults told us to run with traffic? I never understood that one. Just never made sense to me.
25 years ago
It might have been Officer Friendly who told us to ride our bikes against the flow of traffic when we were in the street.
I don't recall any advice for runners. Running was unusual.
This was in Oregon. Kids in Boston might have been receiving different advice at the time.
Sorry, Kaz
You are wrong. There is a perfectly good place for them to run on asphalt that is far safer than getting impaled on a bar end at a closing speed of 25-30 mph, or forcing a cyclist who is legally there into traffic.
It is called the wider bike lane on the other side. HOWEVER,
Wrong again! Perhaps I need only force the next illiterate dolt into the travel lane in morning rush traffic, where they belong then? The point isn't whether they should "run heading into traffic", the point is THEY SHOULD NOT BE IN THE BIKE LANE AT ALL! There is clear signage that pedestrians are not permitted on that side or in the bike lane.
Considering that the vast majority of cyclists are headed for work, and the joggers just seem to be out on a run (no backpack, no bag, etc.), there is another option: run somewhere else. Yes, find a new route!
"Find a new route"?
Cambridge runners flock to the Esplanade for good reason, and minimizing the in-Cambridge running means taking the nearest bridge. Apparently some people are optimizing that further, using the bike lane (which I suspect saves 10-15 minutes each day on a round trip).
I suggest contacting DCR with your concerns. The Cambridge traffic engineers would be responsive, but I doubt that any pertinent parts of the road are under their jurisdiction.
Um, sure
Whatever, Swirly. How do you go from "Wrong again!" about whether you should run into traffic or not...to talking about the bike lane again? How do you tell me that I'm wrong about there not being anywhere for a runner on your side to go (which is what I said) by telling me they should go to the other side? No shit, maybe that's why I said they should use the other side's sidewalk AND I was talking about in the *instance* that you meet one on your side, he doesn't have anywhere to get out of the way as he should. You're all over the map. I'm so wrong....that I already said what you just "corrected" me with? Good one.
It's absolutely true that you should run against the flow of traffic if you're going to run in the road. I already AGREED that the Longfellow Bridge is NOT the place to currently stick strongly to that rule of the road. I already AGREED that they should run on the sidewalk on the opposite side (with traffic) for now because the bridge is not a good situation to hold tight to the general rules of jogging on the road.
Funny, I seem to see the
Funny, I seem to see the same problem with bicyclists grasping they're motor vehicles, and thus not allowed on the sidewalk or to violate traffic signals.
Ron Newman and Swirlygrrl
Ron Newman and Swirlygrrl get indignant in 3... 2... 1...
Motor vehicles?
No wonder I'm so tired lately. My motor must be on the fritz.