Slashdot Mirror
BART Outfitted With Wireless
wyldeone writes "The San Fransico Chronicle reports that the BART subway system has been completely outfitted with cells to allow cellphone usage everywhere on the line. The network has been paid for entirely by Nextel, who leased out the lines to the other carriers." From the article: "Rae said BART and the wireless companies know some riders will try to make calls over the din as BART roars and screeches through tunnels. But most of the business, he said, will be from people using wireless devices to read and send e-mail or browse the Internet. 'You could use your Blackberry to take care of all your e-mail on your way to work,' he said. 'But the trains are really too noisy (underground) to have an intelligent conversation.'"
I thought Lisa would have been the tech buff.
What percentage of cell phone conversations are intelligent in any case?
--
The universe is a figment of its own imagination.
The universe is a figment of its own imagination.
Not true, it is easy to fall asleep on BART. It is not any noisier than a subway. We have cell phone conversations when above ground all the time and are annoyed when the train goes under. Also, will it just be the stations or the underground tubes (transbay, Caldecott, etc.) also?
Great webhosting, cheap rates! Enter code SlashdotDiscount
'But the trains are really too noisy (underground) to have an intelligent conversation.'
Uhh.... what makes him think that most of the people talking on cell phones are having an intelligent conversation?
It's nice that Nextel leases out their lines to other carriers. Verizon is the only carrier to have built towers for the underground portions of the Washington D.C. Metro system, and they don't share at all with anyone.
But the trains are really too noisy (underground) to have an intelligent conversation.
Most of the conversations probably won't be intelligent, but you know plenty idiots will try anyway.
The simple truth is that interstellar distances will not fit into the human imagination
- Douglas Adams
I think the AC means "cellular" service, not cingular. The service is provided by Verizon.
There's a difference between being able to have a regular conversation in a loud space and being able to have a cellphone conversation in the same space. Particularly, it can be hard for the person on the other side to hear you over the din, even though you can hear them just fine.
"[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz
Like the one: "Yes, we're all VERY interested in what you're having for dinner."
After rtfa, I've concluded that this submission is grossly mis-titled.
Yeah, it's nice that you'll be able to use a blackberry or mobile phone to make calls, etc., while riding a BART train, but who calls that "wireless"?
The term "wireless" is usually related to 802.11, wifi, or "wireless networking", not the ability to make cell phone calls. But I guess that's incorrect, and we can now state that most of the planet is already "outfitted with wireless".
It's really too bad people have stopped thinking about the words they use and instead choose to parrot phrases they've misheard elsewhere. Oh well. I guess that's why they're working for the subway system.
> "The network has been payed for entirely by Nextel"
I'm pretty sure you meant "paid for"
All they need now is...
What about espresso bars, falafel stands, and multilingual whores?
Wouldn't it be a better technology upgrade to reduce the noise on BART while traveling underground so people can talk to each other? Of course, you would have to ban cell phones since it's so damn annoying as some people don't care if everyone knows about their sex life play-by-play.
When I was in Paris [last november] I was making calls in the subway without excessive noise or trouble.
:-)
I'm glad they're getting wireless though. So I'm not complaining, just comparing
Tom
Someday, I'll have a real sig.
Best transportation system in america? Are you aware the discussion is in regard to BART? Or as it should more reasonably be known, BAT? Or at least Bay Area Moderately Expensive, Underwhelmingly slow, Usually Mildly Smelly Transportion? BAMEUSUMST?
It's only decent when you compare it to the light rail fiasco of the south bay.
Yup.
I always wear earplugs on BART.
Some sections of track, especially in the tunnel and a few of the underground bits in Oakland are painfully loud. It's really pretty astounding, and far worse than any other subway I've encountered.
http://www.answers.com/topic/bay-area-rapid-transi t
In 2004 Bart was named the best transportation system in America. It is now printed on the side of every BART car. BART is pretty damn good, I moved to LA and miss it all the time, just you wait till you move away and have to deal with crappy public transportation systems. Bart goes to many places and covers a wide area, in SF it stops frequently and goes to many major destinations making it easy to use.
Great webhosting, cheap rates! Enter code SlashdotDiscount
Best is really a subjective term. I recently moved from SF to Chicago, after having lived in SF for close to 20 years. First, in those 20 years I'd seen all sorts of changes done to BART, some for the better, some for the worse.
It's nice that BART finally goes to SFO, after such a long battle with San Mateo.
But that's really the only tangible improvement I've seen from them in a LONG time.
On the other hand, I'm now experiencing the "El" in Chicago. They run 24/7. And to a greater land area. To both airports. Directly.
Now, I don't work the evening shift, but I can completely get by without a car here. I couldn't do that in SF. Ever.
Well actually it's because Verizon is CDMA and almost everyone else is GSM. I bet they would have loved to have been able to lease out bandwith to others, but the tech just does not mix.
As an aside, I wonder what kind of restrictions were placed in the contract in terms of sharing with other carriers. From what I hear, VZW has the cell towers in the DC metro, and doesn't allow other carriers to use them (maybe selfishness; maybe gross institutional incompetence on VZW's part - it's hard to tell with them). If it's a public place like a subway, the people who build the network should be required to lease out to other people; it's in the public interest that everyone get to play, not just the people with service from the carrier that gets the contract. Of course, if we'd just used a single wireless standard like in Europe, then the point would be moot.
BART is a decent system in terms of acessibility, diversity in locations, and cost, but BART can be a scary place depending on who you are and what you're carrying.
If I'm by myself, not carrying anything gadgety or money and I'm not dressed for the city, it's not so bad (24 year old white male). When I have to carry a laptop or dress up for the city, especially late at night, it can be a little nerve wracking depending on the people in the car. I usually try to get on in the car behind the driver and sit in the rear facing seats at the front if I really have anything of value. The thought crossed my mind in the past of carrying a taser or similar defense weapon, but despite my and other peoples' fears, BART isn't that bad of a place if you're careful, stuff doesn't happen -that- often.
I think the funniest thing that ever happened to me on bart was some pothead on the platform was trying to sell me weed, but he must have been completely baked because he first asked "hey man, wanna buy some pot?", and when I said no, he continued "then wanna buy some weed?", again I said no and he continued "how about some mary jane?".. he sort of faded out and walked off at that point. It was sort of funny in retrospect.
Best transportation system? I've lived in San Francisco and rode BART every day. I've also lived in DC, and I've also lived in New York.. BART and DC Metro are roughly even (though BART's interior is more comfortable). But realistically, come on.. New York has the best transit system in the US by far.
Coverage is the most important thing for a transit system, that and affordability. Let me know how BART's coverage map compares to this. And that's just the subway, not the buses, and not the commuter rails..
New York City puts the rest of the country to shame when it comes to public transit. San Francisco's a nice compared to cities like LA, Phoenix, Denver, etc. But there are definitely some eastern cities that have it beat.
I don't really agree with that assessment. Here in Stockholm, Sweden, we have what's known as the Pendeltåg (Commuter Train) which can take you over 90 km. (The longest distance from Gnesta to Nynäshamn).
A trip similar to what you describe would be Märsta to Södertälje centrum (73,4 km, or 45,6 miles for the metrically challenged).
A trip of that distance would set you back 5 "kuponger", costing you 15 * 5 = 75 kronor (about $9,40) if you pay cash. However, nobody here in Sweden is stupid enough to pay cash for that kind of trip, because you can buy 20 "kuponger" for a price of 145 kronor, meaning a trip will in practice cost 36.25 kr ($4,50). So, very comparable.
However, the Stockholm Pendeltåg is different in that it will let you take any connections within the Stockholm local transport system (buses etc) on the same ticket, effectively giving you more value for your money. (No paying for connecting buses on either end.) Also, a month pass for the entire Stockholm local transport network (giving you unlimited travel within the entire region, except to Bålsta and Gnesta) will set you back only 600 kr ($75,25 or so).
Now, the Stockholms Pendeltåg has its own drawbacks, not in the least that it won't do a very good job of taking you to Walnut Creek from Fremont.
Also, I don't take them very often, but they have their own problems, as with any rail network (leaves on the line, train worker strikes, breakdowns and delays) but from what I've seen on the rare occasion I do take a trip with a Pendeltåg, they're usually pretty clean and resonably comfortable.
Still, I just wanted to point out that the BART is in no way unique in its role as a medium-distance commuter train system.
I haven't been in the Bay Area since about 1992, but as far as I can recall, the BART was incredibly quiet, I suppose, in comparison to the NY subway system. It took a little research, but back when the system was new, the interior noise level was 60 db. Later, changes were made to reduce the noise levels to 40-45 db (better sound insulation, rubberized wheels on the cars, etc). It doesn't seem any more noisy than talking on a phone on a busy city street.
I guess it depends on the model of phone, and whether you're using a hands free microphone.
Just because you can mod me down, doesn't mean you're right. Shoes for industry!
in a time and place where cell phones have become affixed to our ears, the subway system once provided a welcome relief from the people who talk to thin air. practically anywhere else you go (out to dinner, at the movies, walking down the street), the everpresent hoards of obnoxious cell-phoners have taken over. it might be argued the subway has become one of the few urban areas where people are actually likely to talk to the people around them or to take in their surroundings. in small doses technological advances in connectivity, which allow us to talk with people when we want and where we want, are generally a good thing. particularly in emergency situations, and in light of recent terrorist activity on subways, subway cell phones may bring greater safety. however, when cell phones, instant messengers, and ultra high speed internet start to dominate our lifestyles, the value of a face-to-face conversation is largely ignored.
(( (CRAYON) )) >