Discuss Detroit » Archives - Beginning January 2006 » People mover is a joke this weekend « Previous Next »
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Ddaydave
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Username: Ddaydave

Post Number: 285
Registered: 04-2005
Posted From: 67.149.185.244
Posted on Saturday, February 04, 2006 - 9:24 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

we all know the people mover isn`t all that great to begin with but this weekend it has just been awful .the cars only seem to be stopping at each station about every 15 to 20 minutes today.. at a time it needs running at maximum capacity its crawling ..today they were turning people away at some stations ..if anyone goes down there tonight watch how often it goes by..
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Gary
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Username: Gary

Post Number: 112
Registered: 02-2004
Posted From: 69.221.72.82
Posted on Saturday, February 04, 2006 - 11:19 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Yep, the People Mover has been a joke since it's inception. It gets folks from Greektown to The Joe on hockey nights and it gets weekday lunchtime commuters to and from various restaurants without much trouble, but it was never intended as a means to transport the huge numbers of people such as the throngs gathering downtown for this week's festivities. It has become pretty obvious that the People Mover is a nice little novelty, but as a transportation alternative for huge events, it sucks big time. Start walking, y'all.
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Lilpup
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Username: Lilpup

Post Number: 849
Registered: 06-2004
Posted From: 64.12.116.204
Posted on Saturday, February 04, 2006 - 11:59 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

but did you ever think you'd see the day the People Mover was too crowded?

kinda like the warm weather - it's one of the nicer problems to have downtown
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Bob
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Username: Bob

Post Number: 736
Registered: 11-2003
Posted From: 64.12.116.204
Posted on Sunday, February 05, 2006 - 12:19 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

If there are delays is is because some moron has stepped in front of the doors when closing, or in the way was of the sensor when it is trying to close, so it keep trying to close but can't, this causes the whole system to have to stop and wait because the computer does not want the five trains too close to each other. This is a good problem to have, with that many people trying to ride the system. Maybe people will start to consider fixing our transit problem, since it so far has been the only major hitch in the Super Bowl.
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Nellonfury
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Username: Nellonfury

Post Number: 89
Registered: 03-2005
Posted From: 68.43.156.135
Posted on Sunday, February 05, 2006 - 12:38 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I didn't got on it.
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Panson
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Username: Panson

Post Number: 783
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 64.12.116.204
Posted on Sunday, February 05, 2006 - 12:52 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Why would anyone avoid walking through the biggest party Detroit has ever seen? What's the point of coming downtown?

F the people mover.
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Pffft
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Username: Pffft

Post Number: 770
Registered: 12-2003
Posted From: 68.248.14.6
Posted on Sunday, February 05, 2006 - 2:43 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I've gone all over town on the People Mover for the past few days, I don't know what the problem is. It's crowded, but so what?
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Mpow
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Username: Mpow

Post Number: 168
Registered: 11-2003
Posted From: 200.65.7.179
Posted on Sunday, February 05, 2006 - 2:46 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

yeah, try taking the metro here in Mexico City..ALWAYS crowded.
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Psip
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Username: Psip

Post Number: 1018
Registered: 04-2005
Posted From: 69.246.13.131
Posted on Sunday, February 05, 2006 - 3:21 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

from the Freep:
The People Mover has been humming, sardine-like; officials say 38,000-plus customers used it Thursday. The trains usually carry about 5,000 a day and 10,000 on Red Wings game days. Shuttles will be called when the stops are overcrowded.
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Ddaydave
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Username: Ddaydave

Post Number: 287
Registered: 04-2005
Posted From: 67.149.185.244
Posted on Sunday, February 05, 2006 - 4:54 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Panson I walked my ass of all weekend but the couple of times I wanted to get from one side of downtown to the other side the people mover failed bad ..and as far as the walking goes I walked at least four hours each day downtown..
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Drm
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Username: Drm

Post Number: 850
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 68.77.160.242
Posted on Sunday, February 05, 2006 - 5:41 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)


quote:

Panson I walked my ass of all weekend but the couple of times I wanted to get from one side of downtown to the other side the people mover failed bad ..and as far as the walking goes I walked at least four hours each day downtown..


Here's a tissue.
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Barnesfoto
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Username: Barnesfoto

Post Number: 1674
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 66.2.148.123
Posted on Sunday, February 05, 2006 - 11:46 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

a shout out to mpow, my cuate in DF, 100% chingon.
It was amusing to see the locals on the people mover sheepishly try to avoid any body contact with each other. Last night there was room for two more people next to me, as folks tried to squeeze in at the greektown platform "We can't go anywhere, there's no more room! sqeaked a middled-aged woman.
Barnesfoto couldn't help himself...."Sure there's room, step over here! haven't you ever been to New York?!" (I should clarify that I bathe often and brush regularly).
People here are just so unused to crowded public transport.
Best thing about the crowded people mover: no pickpockets!
Don't even mention the Mexico City Subway....
Barnesfoto, missing his wallet at Metro Revolucion
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Spaceboykelly
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Username: Spaceboykelly

Post Number: 119
Registered: 04-2005
Posted From: 69.246.30.248
Posted on Sunday, February 05, 2006 - 12:24 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I personally had a fine people mover experience last night. My friends and I were walked-out and wanted to get from a bar to a car to go to a party in woodbridge. We didn't pay anything to park and the people mover took us much closer to our parking space. Thank you people mover.
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Corktownmark
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Username: Corktownmark

Post Number: 163
Registered: 12-2004
Posted From: 68.61.194.191
Posted on Sunday, February 05, 2006 - 12:57 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Maybe its time to extend the loop a little farther. the ball parks? the casinos? the river front park on the east side maybe
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Paulmcall
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Username: Paulmcall

Post Number: 587
Registered: 05-2004
Posted From: 68.40.119.216
Posted on Sunday, February 05, 2006 - 1:42 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

At what cost?
The city is already near bankrupt and the people mover is a notorious white elephant. I'd love a real transportation network but all we have is freeways and a weak bus system.
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Naturalsister
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Username: Naturalsister

Post Number: 465
Registered: 11-2004
Posted From: 70.236.146.210
Posted on Sunday, February 05, 2006 - 2:26 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Yeah, the People Mover is fine. We just have a problem around here because of short-sightedness.
What do they think they do in Tokyo? There inlies the problem, you don't think anything - you have no idea; you're clueless. And there you find yourself in your own little boring ass world.

I suggest that Southeastern-Michiganians get out more and realize that there is more to life than the county you live in and your way of life.

We need to have more of an opened mind and not freakin' panic because the PM was slow or crowded or whatever. I'm sure all types of transportation delays occur in Super Bowl cities EVERY year.

Thanks Bob for stating the facts. Pffft, thank you. Drm - I concur. Ddaydave - failed bad??? Here is another tissue.

later - naturalsister
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Ddaydave
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Username: Ddaydave

Post Number: 288
Registered: 04-2005
Posted From: 67.149.185.244
Posted on Sunday, February 05, 2006 - 2:33 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

the few times I went to use it it was a joke ...another tissue please
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Lilpup
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Username: Lilpup

Post Number: 851
Registered: 06-2004
Posted From: 205.188.116.137
Posted on Sunday, February 05, 2006 - 2:39 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Are you kidding? Delays occur almost every normal DAY during rush hour on the major city rail and subway lines!
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Drm
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Username: Drm

Post Number: 852
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 68.248.33.214
Posted on Sunday, February 05, 2006 - 2:52 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Exactly, Lilpup. Ever seen rush hour on the MTA? And in those cities one is most likely travelling farther than a few blocks (as is the case with the DPM) so walking might not be an option. It's not practical to design a transportation system, whether it be mass transit or roads, that will be free of delays during peak usage. There would be massive overcapacity at all other times.

This reminds me of how people at my office are constantly complaining about how there is nothing going on in the CBD and about the lack of people. Yet, those are the people that stayed home on Friday and who also stay home or leave early every year for the fireworks. It makes no sense.
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Spaceboykelly
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Username: Spaceboykelly

Post Number: 121
Registered: 04-2005
Posted From: 69.246.30.248
Posted on Sunday, February 05, 2006 - 3:00 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Drm: I completely agree [+ good point]
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Ddaydave
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Username: Ddaydave

Post Number: 289
Registered: 04-2005
Posted From: 67.149.185.244
Posted on Sunday, February 05, 2006 - 3:52 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

after spending my most of the last few days downtown..I had a blast .. that was my only thing that I could find to bitch about ..another tissue please ..
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Motorcitymayor2026
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Username: Motorcitymayor2026

Post Number: 444
Registered: 10-2005
Posted From: 71.10.63.140
Posted on Sunday, February 05, 2006 - 4:01 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

get over it Dday. Probably would have been complaining if there was no one on the People Mover too, right??

Personally, I also attempted to board the people mover. Me and 8 others bought tokens and waited on the platform as 3 full trains passed by, before we decided to walk. looks like a $4.50 donation to the city, fine with me.

I was HAPPY to see that i could not board the people mover because it was TOOO busy. Never seen that before, wasnt sure if i ever would either.

Pretty nice problem to have, too bad this challenge wasnt 24/7 365
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Hooha
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Username: Hooha

Post Number: 84
Registered: 06-2005
Posted From: 69.81.52.188
Posted on Sunday, February 05, 2006 - 5:05 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Had to let one train pass on my return people mover trip before I got on. No big deal, big events overload many transit systems. I was once on the L in Chicago heading out to see Michigan play in Evanston. The train much more packed than the people mover, and we had to switch trains for a connection. The entire trainload of people poured out of the first train and trampled over each other to get good seats on the new train. I won't even mention the throngs of people trying to get on for the return trip.
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Bob
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Username: Bob

Post Number: 738
Registered: 11-2003
Posted From: 152.163.100.8
Posted on Sunday, February 05, 2006 - 5:20 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Yes, I agree Hooha, I have had many instances on the L in Chicago where it has been a race to get on a train, which is packed, nice problem to have as far as I'm concerned. I'm wondering how much the extra revenue to the DPM usage this past week will help their yearly budget.
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Motorcitymayor2026
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Username: Motorcitymayor2026

Post Number: 448
Registered: 10-2005
Posted From: 71.10.63.140
Posted on Sunday, February 05, 2006 - 5:54 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

not going to help a whole lot, but it certainly will be welcomed.

Last year, 1.7 million riders, and I think they lost $3 per rider, giving a budget of roughly $5 million. Between the Auto Show and SB Week, they expected over 500,000 riders ($250,000). The real effect though will be the advertising on the People Mover. The last couple months allof the on-board ads have been nearly full on all of the trains. The exterior wraps (like the current Escalade) are quite expensive, and add a lot fo revenue. Check out thepeoplemover.com for pricing to figure that out.

However, with the Wings being canceled last year, ridership was down. (10,000 ridership on wings games (5,000 above average), at about 50 games at the joe per year (preseason, playoffs, reg. season), that cost about 250,000 (50 x 5000) in people mover ridership.

With those extra 250,000 riders this year, plus the hundreds of thousands of SB riders, ridership should certainly get above 2 million for 2006. With hopeful increased Tiger attendance, an extended playoff run by the Wings, and all of the other events downtown this year, ridership could creep above 3 million.
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Naturalsister
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Username: Naturalsister

Post Number: 468
Registered: 11-2004
Posted From: 68.42.169.65
Posted on Sunday, February 05, 2006 - 8:23 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Nice evaluation - optimistic. I love it Motercitymayor!

later - naturalsister - Daily DPM Rider.
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Ddaydave
Member
Username: Ddaydave

Post Number: 293
Registered: 04-2005
Posted From: 67.149.185.244
Posted on Monday, February 06, 2006 - 12:45 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Motorcitymayor2026 it wasn`t that it was packed that pissed me off it was how slow the the cars were coming by ..when the DPM needed to be running at maximum efficiency for the biggest event in detroit in years the cars coming by every fifteen or 20 minutes when I went to use it ..how much more money could the city have made if the cars were coming by ontime ???? maybe someone from dpm needed to at the stations telling people to get there fat asses in the cars ..it just seemed to be poorly managed.. standing inline isn`t a problem waiting 20 minutes for a cars that should be there every 5 or 10 minutes is
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Gumby
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Username: Gumby

Post Number: 845
Registered: 11-2003
Posted From: 204.39.225.136
Posted on Monday, February 06, 2006 - 12:56 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Yeah the people mover wasn't too bad on Friday when I was down there. Had a much worse time on the subway in Boston on my way to the Sox game 3 years ago.
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Motorcitymayor2026
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Username: Motorcitymayor2026

Post Number: 452
Registered: 10-2005
Posted From: 71.10.63.140
Posted on Monday, February 06, 2006 - 12:59 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

okay, Dday, i can understand that.

When I was down friday, they were a little slow, but not 15 minutes off. Also, I found it odd that one of the trains was only half the size as usual, with only one car instead of 2...kind of odd.

Anyway, I am glad to see the extra dollars and riders on board
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Bob
Member
Username: Bob

Post Number: 739
Registered: 11-2003
Posted From: 205.188.116.137
Posted on Monday, February 06, 2006 - 12:08 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

It's entirely possible that there was only one car because the other was broken. I think there are only 12 cars total on the DPM system. But now its Monday and sadly our city will go back to not careing about mass transit instead of using the Super Bowl example that we need it to be a world class city we want to be.
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Gwhobbies
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Username: Gwhobbies

Post Number: 55
Registered: 10-2005
Posted From: 66.208.225.165
Posted on Monday, February 06, 2006 - 12:13 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

To me, it looked like the end of a work day in San Francisco waiting for the train. It's called normal. Any city would have experienced the same over crowding issues with a big event. Folks just gotta bitch about something I suppose.
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Chris_rohn
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Username: Chris_rohn

Post Number: 185
Registered: 04-2005
Posted From: 68.77.160.147
Posted on Monday, February 06, 2006 - 1:51 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I thought the people mover was very exciting with that many riders. Everyone on the train was in good spirits, and trains arrived every 3-4 minutes. I think the folks at DPM did a fine job controlling the crowds and kept the trains running as well as they could. I wish people would use the system more often, even though it is usually faster to just walk where you need to go.
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Mikeydbn
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Username: Mikeydbn

Post Number: 289
Registered: 04-2004
Posted From: 35.11.141.32
Posted on Monday, February 06, 2006 - 1:58 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

The State News had a blurb about the people mover
http://www.statenews.com/artic le.phtml?pk=34472
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Bob
Member
Username: Bob

Post Number: 741
Registered: 11-2003
Posted From: 205.188.116.137
Posted on Monday, February 06, 2006 - 2:15 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Nice article on the DPM, 70,000 on one day, has the system ever had that many people on it for one day. I don't even think Auto Show puts up those kinds of numbers.
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Gianni
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Username: Gianni

Post Number: 205
Registered: 05-2004
Posted From: 209.104.144.90
Posted on Monday, February 06, 2006 - 3:44 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Here's the weirdest thing I saw this weekend with the people mover: We lucked out I guess and were able to get on at the Broadway station on the first car that stopped. It was crowded. At several stations along the way there were large crowds waiting to get on but our car was full already. We got off at the Ren Cen. This was about 2:00 PM. There must have been a thousand people waiting to get on. It made the snow slide line look like nothing. The line went on it seemed forever. These were people staying at the hotel and on their way to the game. They obviously were going to be waiting so long they could have walked to Ford Field and back several times before they could ever get on a train. It's only about a 20 minute walk from the Ren Cen to Ford Field, but this looked like a wait in line for 1 or 2 hours. No one it seems ever thought of telling these people they could walk. I tried to, but I didn't want to cause a scene with all the security around. I wonder how long it took them to get to the game.
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Michigansheik
Member
Username: Michigansheik

Post Number: 83
Registered: 09-2005
Posted From: 68.40.107.39
Posted on Monday, February 06, 2006 - 6:49 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

The people mover was croweded, yes, how did it fail? Locals should have known to go to stations like Times Square or Financial District to avoid the long lines.

Try getting a cab in NYC on a rainy day, next to impossible.

I ended up doing a ton of walking to avoid the waits but later saw a female pedestrian get whacked by a car right in front of the RenCen at 2am Sat night. That was pretty scary but I think she'll be OK. Make sure you look for cars people!
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Motorcitymayor2026
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Username: Motorcitymayor2026

Post Number: 487
Registered: 10-2005
Posted From: 71.10.63.140
Posted on Tuesday, February 07, 2006 - 4:04 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Well,

154,000 riders Fri-Sun. So, with the winter blast beginning Thursday night, and other arrivals, i bet that from last Wed. until Monday, the system handled 200,000+ riders.

Many more than the 25,000 that would have been on it during that time normally
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Psip
Member
Username: Psip

Post Number: 1029
Registered: 04-2005
Posted From: 69.246.13.131
Posted on Friday, February 10, 2006 - 12:52 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

From the DSR 2 DDOT group:
Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) Director Norman White announced on Tuesday that the department carried more than 800,000 riders – an equivalent of moving almost the entire population of Detroit – during the four-day Super Bowl period.
White said 816,220 people were transported on the Park and Ride service DDOT operated between six locations, downtown Detroit, and regular DDOT routes during the four-day period – more than double DDOT’s normal ridership during normal Thursday through Sunday periods.
“Because of the dedicated efforts of our DDOT staff we were able to maintain normal service for our regular routes while at the same time providing shuttle service for hundreds of thousands of riders between six city and suburban locations and the downtown Super Bowl area,” White said. “I’m proud of the efforts of this department and our employees, who truly went above and beyond the call of duty.”

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