Pierce Transit Overhaul

Every few months Pierce Transit releases a new schedule, mostly consisting of minor timing changes to more accurately reflect the real running times. This time around, however, there are a few significant changes in store. Two stood out immediately, as they have direct effect on me:

2 vs. 57

Truth be told, the effect of this change is relatively minor, but it is worth knowing about, lest confusion overtake your morning commute. As it stands, heading toward downtown, the 2 comes in from TCC and the 57 comes in from the Tacoma Mall. They meet at 19th and Alder, and share the next four stops before the 2 breaks off toward 25th on Trafton, and the 57 carries on down 19th. Starting July 12th, these two routes (post-Trafton) will switch. The 2 will take the more direct route, while the 57 will swing around to 25th.

So the rundown of those affected is this:

• If you live in the S 25th neighborhood currently serviced by the 2, you'll need to catch the 57 coming from downtown, or transfer from the 2 during the 4-stop crossover period between Alder and Trafton if you're coming from TCC and beyond.
• If you are heading to the DSHS or the News Tribune, you are likewise better off on the 57, though it's only a couple blocks off the new 2 route.
• If (like me) you take the 57 to the top side of UWT, you will now want the 2
• If you are going straight from one of the shared stops to 10th and Commerce, there's no reason not to take the 2, as it now has both the shorter route and the more frequent trips (every 15 minutes much of the day).

The main problems I see are these: firstly, this feels like something of a death knell for ridership of the 57. Given other changes being made to less-ridden routes, I can't help but wonder if this change will likewise see the 57 eventually relegated to hourly trips. Secondly, more than one PT driver has complained that stops and distance have been added to the 57 route, but the time allotted has stayed basically the same, severely tightening up their schedule.

So Much For UP

The big victim of failed urban design is University Place. The heart of suburban UP is served by precisely one bus route: the 53, running down Cirque to Grandview. It split time with 53A, which cut over to 40th rather than Cirque, and now that route will be the only survivor, with the 53 replacing much of the 59's service to the Manitou area. The only other route through UP is the 2, which slices through the business districts on Bridgeport but largely avoids the sprawling residential areas. For me personally, this means I can no longer catch the 53 a block from work to get dropped off three blocks from my mom's house. Of course, I'll survive an extra mile or two of walking, so don't feel bad for me. Feel bad for people like Doris Jairala instead.

Now, I've ridden this bus a lot, and I can understand the reasons for the switch. The vast majority of riders that have gotten on by the time the 53 leaves the mall are gone by the time it reaches the splitting point at Orchard. As mentioned, this is an urban design problem as much as anything: University Place just isn't built to be lived in without a car. It is hilly suburban sprawl, with much of the retail clustered together away from the residentials. But it's still unfortunate that this area has to be completely given up for lost by the public transit system. And it just means it will be that much more of an adventure rescheduling and rerouting buses as the larger golf tournaments roll in down the line (the 53 was the only bus that came anywhere near Chambers Bay).

And many more...

I'll just do a quick run through the rest of the changes that look like they're worth mentioning:

• The 61 to NE Tacoma will lose its Bus Plus status, and be restricted to a fixed route.
• If you take the 59 to Manitou anytime out of the conventional commute hours, you must take the 53 instead (see above)
• Riders of the 60 to the Port of Tacoma are now restricted to two available trips to in the morning and fro in the evening, rather than the current six
• Routes 26 (weekday), 51 (weekday), 220 (weekday) and 501 (weekday midday) are being cut in half, and will now all run hourly

The Bottom Line

Pierce and Sound Transit have spent a lot of money recently upgrading bus systems with GPS, Orca support, and similar gadgets to increase efficiency. The hope is that these improvements will lead to an easier riding experience (no requirement to buy a full month pass to avoid carrying quarters is a BIG step), thus increasing ridership. However, in the meantime we are stuck with a transit system that has depleted its funds on internal improvement and doesn't have the fare revenue to pick up the slack. As such, the longtime riders in suburban areas are being left stranded.

So what's to be done? I read an interesting article recently that the King County Council has called on Metro Transit to seek outside partnerships. I personally think this is a great idea. Not something to do in lieu of current subsidy (I believe that a functional transit system truly benefits every member of the community, and is thus deserving of our tax money), but in addition, to take some of the edge off. The first example we've seen are the "skinned" buses, that have been turned into roaming billboards for Venture Bank, Verizon Wireless, etc. I have said repeatedly that I am all for these. I'll take painted up buses generating ad revenue for a valuable local service over the hideous stationary (and illegal) billboards benefiting no-one but Clear Channel any day. And the fact is, let's be honest here, the buses are not exactly designed for aesthetics anyway, so billboard blight is not a concern when using them.

Other options include leased use of passenger facilities to private transit companies (is there really a need for a Greyhound facility right next to a Pierce Transit facility?), technology partnerships (Metro Transit's fancypants One Bus Away arrival timing website was developed by UW graduate students, and lordy lordy could PT use a new website), and probably plenty of other things that I can't think of because I don't know a lick about business. Something needs to be done to keep progress moving in a positive direction, and if partnerships like these are what it takes, then I am all for them and more.

Buddy: The Aftermath

So I never quite got around to writing about The Buddy Holly Story while it was running. Which is alright, I suppose: they were not exactly hurting for audience, and the micron of publicity this blog affords would have accomplished little. However, now that the thing is done, I thought it worth talking about.

I've been vaguely documenting the various stages of upheaval at TLT since this blog started. The long collapse under David Duvall, the temporary hiring of Doug Kerr, and finally the import of Scott Campbell from Lakewood. I still can't say for certain the path that Campbell will take the theatre on in years to come (selection of the show and director had come before his time, for example), but I can say that he definitely cares about the progress being made. In and out of nearly every rehearsal, helping hang speakers (and what an adventure that one was), doing what he can, when he can. So that's good.

So then there was the show. The June musicals at TLT can make or break a season; big productions of well-known shows. So when a paltry season last year ended with a failure to secure rights to Pajama Game, and a fallback plan of yet another Duvall-crafted revue, things did not look good.

This season the focus was put on a string of well-known classics, closed out by the newer Buddy. The lead-up to Buddy was, frankly, a mess. Auditions failed to fill out a cast requiring nearly every character to also be an accomplished musicians, and some roles had to be cast on nothing but recommendation. Even up to a day or two before opening, rehearsals were jumbled, songs sloppy, and tech a work in progress (I didn't have a chance to actually run the light board until the final dress rehearsal). Preview night was mediocre at best, and I was prepared to tell potential audience members to avoid opening weekend and wait until we had a few more runs to shore up the problems.

Now, opening night was not our best night. But it shattered all the expectations built by a week of tepid rehearsals, and when audience members started dancing in the aisles through the closing numbers, it became apparent that the show was exactly what it needed to be: an engine of excitement for a theatre trying desperately to drag itself out of a financial and creative hole a few years old.

Night two was better than the first and I believe (don't trust my memory on this, it might have come the next weekend) sported the (so far) highest sales of any performance yet this season. The following Friday, after a sketchy pay-what-you-can night, it started to become very apparent how much buzz was getting out. By the end of the second weekend, bartenders at the nearby Parkway Tavern were hearing from post-show customers (many of them season ticket holders) that this was the best show they'd seen TLT produce in five years. Every night I came out of the booth and caught the first wave of exiting audience, and never heard a single ill word spoken. Even on the worst of the off-nights, when dialogue escaped the brain, sound cues went horribly awry and guitars fell out of tune mid-show, the closing concert seemed to wipe all memory of error away, and the audience never once failed to come to its feet clapping along with Johnny B. Goode and Oh Boy. By week four the aforementioned Parkway employees reported customers saying they'd just come from seeing Buddy a second and occasionally third time

For me, the peak of the show was Friday, June 26th. The first night back after four days off is usually a bit shaky, but every inch of the show was dead on, start to finish. Jokes were hitting, song intros were smooth, tech cues were timed to the point where there was more luck than skill involved in how well they flowed.

I had stayed out of community theatre for the last five years or so, since TLT's production of Camelot. Buddy was more than sufficient to rekindle my excitement at working in theatre, and you can bet I will be back next season for... something. Who knows what. It was a damn good time, probably better than I've had in my years of (mostly) positive theatre experiences. This is the kind of momentum the theatre needs: getting every single person involved excited about the show, from the cast to the crew to the audience.

Thanks to everyone involved for everything involved, and I hope to work with all of you again, because that means that people who love theatre will still be involved in theatre. And that is exactly what TLT needs.

On Washington Bicycle Traffic Laws

I hear a lot of bicyclists complain that motor vehicles don't respect their rights to the road, and a lot of drivers complain that bicyclists are in the way and unsafe. And in some ways, they're both right, as often neither really accounts for the actual state laws dictating bicycle traffic. As Bike To Work Week begins in Tacoma, perhaps a quick review is in order.

First, to the drivers: "Every person riding a bicycle upon a roadway shall be granted all of the rights and shall be subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle."

And to the cyclists: "Every person riding a bicycle upon a roadway shall be granted all of the rights and shall be subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle."

That (the beginning of RCW 46.61.755) sums up the core of the rules, and the core of most disputes. YES, we (cyclists) are allowed to ride on the street. YES, if the street is not designed for bikes, we are allowed to take up a whole lane of traffic. NO, we are not allowed to run red lights, run stop signs, ride in an opposing lane, even if there is no car coming. If you can get a ticket for it in a car, you can get a ticket for it on a bike. (And yes, geniuses who ride your bike to the bar so you can get hammered and won't be drinking and driving: drinking and biking is illegal, too. And more likely to get YOU killed. Drunk drivers are often saved by being loose and relaxed. That is not enough to save a drunk cyclist that jets in front of a sober driver.)

RCW 46.61.770 provides the essential details of this interaction:

Every person operating a bicycle upon a roadway at a rate of speed less than the normal flow of traffic at the particular time and place shall ride as near to the right side of the right through lane as is safe except as may be appropriate while preparing to make or while making turning movements, or while overtaking and passing another bicycle or vehicle proceeding in the same direction.

This does NOT mean that we have to stay as far to the right as possible. There are three facets of this that I think escape a lot of drivers:

1. "the right side of the right through lane" - this does not include the shoulder (marked or otherwise), parking lane, or sidewalk. This means as far to the right of the actual moving traffic lane.
2. "as near to the right... as is safe" - This is at the discretion of the cyclist. We know our capabilities, and have a good view of the road. There are aspects of the far edge of the street that make it less safe for cyclists than for cars. Riding right at the curb is unsafe. If you clip the curb in a car you hear a funny noise and get jostled a bit. If you clip the curb on a bike, you crash. Similarly, potholes, debris, puddles... anything a driver would move to avoid, a cyclist has to do so for a smaller version. As such it is often safer to stay out in the middle of the lane. Which is more likely to cause you trouble: a cyclist in your way, that you have to wait for a safe moment to pass by changing lanes; or a cyclist off to your right who has to swerve out in front of you to avoid something you can't see from your car?
3. "except..." - Yes, just as you must pass even the fastest cyclist, sometimes we must pass a slower one. This means sometimes we will move the middle of the lane. Sometimes we will enter the traffic lane from a single-file bike lane. We are also permitted to turn left. There are still a remarkable number of drivers who think a left-turning cyclist ought to stay to the right and use the crosswalks.
   

And now, since I've ranted at drivers for a bit, back to bikes for a second: GET SOME FRICKIN' LIGHTS. There are a lot of cyclists that I see riding at night with lights, reflectors, shiny jackets, etc. But there are still way too many riding around virtually invisible. It is not just a good idea. It is the law.

That's the gist of it. Drivers: get used to us. Our numbers are growing, and we really are helping you. You may be annoyed on the rare occasions that you're stuck behind us, but that also means we're not clogging your freeways or taking your parking spaces. Cyclists: take your mom's advice. "I'll treat you like an adult when you start acting like an adult." Start behaving like a car and cars will treat you like a car. Darting in and out of traffic on a whim, running red lights because you don't think you can be ticketed: you are making the drivers assume that we're all jackasses just like you. Stop it.

That is all.

P.S. No, Washington State does not require bike helmets. The City of Tacoma does, though. As does Not Being A Dumbass. Follow the city law and don't be a dumbass. Get a helmet.

Mr. Fusion @ Artwalk

Just a heads up, Mr. Fusion (that is 50% me and 50% Erich Sachs) will be performing at tonight's downtown Tacoma Artwalk, in Watermark Gifts on A St (across from the downtown post office).



Watermark is hosting a fundraiser tonight for the Neighborhood Clinic, a free health care center located on Yakima Ave. From 5PM to 8PM there will be door prizes, wine and music, and 15% of any purchases (getting a head start on Mother's day, anyone?) will go to the clinic.

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What: Mr. Fusion @ Watermark Gifts
Where: 1115 A St, Tacoma
When: 5PM - 8PM
Why: Fundraiser for the Tacoma Neighborhood Clinic

Google Search(es) Of The Month: February

I finally, after lengthy slacking, set up Google Analytics for the blog.izenman.com url. One of my favorite things about it is the ability to see what searches are getting people to visit (one of the main sources of traffic for thisshirtispants.com remains google searches for "shirt and pants"). So far, most of them have been pretty normal, like:

• the final toast tacoma - Obviously.
• reviews the wrestler - Again, no shocker (though I am buried a few pages deep in the results).
• walkability synonyms - Helpfully points seekers to a post in which I mention that I can't think of any synonyms for walkability

A couple stood out to me today, though, as I discovered that I am the number one result for:

• zombies public domain
• zombies in ancient text

Personally, I would think that "zombies public domain" would show more results for Night of the Living Dead (a film that resides in the public domain by accident), and that "zombies in ancient text" would return more about... well, zombies in ancient text? Not so much a lonely blog post about copyright law and creativity. But I'll take it.

The Open C.L.A.W.: A Brief Report

This evening I had the pleasure of attending the second monthly (monthly?) open meeting of the Cartoonists League of Absurd Washingtonians: The C.L.A.W.

On The C.L.A.W.'s agenda for the evening, after their formal opening ritual, was the further carving of their steamroller print (made with 100% real steamroller!) for Sunday afternoon's Wayzgoose/Letterpress & Book Arts extravaganza at King's Books in Tacoma. I have seen the near-complete version of their piece, and I can safely say that it is pretty dang bitchin'.

There was also a brief impromptu tutorial on layering and coloring techniques from Stowe, shown via the example of a piece for an upcoming Vampire: The Masquerade card set (way over my head, I know basically zero about photoshop, and am barely competent drawing with mere pencil and paper) and a display of some of member-in-waiting Stan Shaw's WSDOT and Star Wars Minis work.

As the only true outsider at the meeting, I mostly just sat back and watched, and scribbled. Here is what I personally accomplished while keeping company with professional cartoonist types (click to enlarge):



Main goals of these drawings were 1) attempt at least moderately realistic faces with zero photo-reference and 2) attempt to display at least some range of motion, and open mouths. I have a bad habit of sticking to the closed-mouth grimace because I've never been comfortable drawing actual mouths, or what happens to faces when they move.

(Certain family members may recognize Mr. Super Guy, whose bumbling cartoony exploits hung on our kitchen wall for years and years.)

Now I need to learn how to shade. And how to draw musculature. And fabric. And, um... everything that's not faces?

Don't forget to come to the Wayzgoose on Sunday! Not only will you witness the C.L.A.W. steamroller print from noon to one, but they should have copies available of their new 'zine, Claw-tu Verata Nikto.

Back To The Drawing Board

When I was a kid, I drew a lot. I mean a lot. Buried somewhere I have a giant stack of illustrations of superheroes, mostly my own creations. The quality varied: I started out awful, and got better over time, as one would expect. I was never great, and eventually, long after determining that I would never be a professional comic artist (an early goal of mine), drawing drifted off, as the time taken by music and computers expanded.

I still doodle endlessly, and draw bizarre stylized faces. Recently I've been tossing around the idea of starting up my own webcomic, but nothing has really sprung to the front of my mind that I could 1) make consistently entertaining and 2) draw consistently recognizably enough for my own tastes. I sketched a little and moved on.

A couple days ago, though, something interesting happened. I have, of late, been frequentint Warren Ellis's message board, Whitechapel. Whitechapel is populated by a ricoculously talented batch of people. Late last week someone posted an art exercise idea: forum members would post pictures of themselves, and others would draw them.

The thread has been a huge hit, and the aforementioned talented folk have done some amazing stuff. Fortunately, due to Warren's firm "Don't be an arsehole" policy (a rarity on web forums), even those lesser artists among us are able to post our portraits to encouragement rather than mockery. So I whipped out a pencil and paper and gave one a shot. It turned out, well... hideous. But I kept trying. And man... I had forgotten how much I enjoy just sitting and drawing. Even pictures that turn out crap.

So here's my first page of Whitechapelers (not the first one... it was on a different page, and it sucked - really, truly). Hopefully this will get me off my ass coming up with a webcomic idea.