Lynx vs. UCF Transit

The Orlando TRiP project is artist impetration of Olrando’s Lynx transit system, it aims to look at how peoples relationship with the Orlando transit system can be art in one form or another.

In my exploration of public transit, which I had only used in the form of subways before in other states, the idea of riding a bus seamed interesting yet worrisome at the same time. When choosing where I wanted to go on the bus I discovered there was a lot more planning you have to put into the project given the nature of the public transit system.

Red Line

Lynx Red Line: From UCF Area to South St Downtown

The idea of riding the Lynx bus downtown on a Friday night had never come to mind before this project nor did even one there was such a thing till I want looking, which when you go looking you might find things you didn’t intend to find…

Gear-Grass Movement

Hail the Critical Mass!!!

 

The sky’s on fire and so were we.

Red orange pink and blue sunset

And underneath the dip-dyed sky there’s a sea of bikes.

Fixies of every color and creed wash over the pavement

Triple decker tall bike’s beacon like a lighthouse

Beach cruisers…cruising of course

and bmx’s with inflatable wheels

Splashing up the lanes and flowing down the road

Ispy a lone roller-blade ranger among the waves.

 

An Observational Narrative

Public transportation is something I definitely have experience in, yet the anxiety never really dissipates. I’ve traveled. Six countries, in fact, utilizing all the public transportation system Europe had to offer. As a young adult from South Florida, I never had to rely on busses, trains, or subways, but as a writer, my mind was open to any and all experiences outside of my comfort zone. The experiences I gained overseas were both positive and negative ones. I encountered brash Londoners on “The Tube” (their word for the subway) that made a fuss about my American friend resting her feet on the seats in front of her as she relaxed on the ride back from SoHo. This led to a short-lived brawl with a bunch of British strangers that resulted in us getting called offensive names, some pushing and shoving, and eventually a quick exit on the next available stop!

Hello again…Lynx

The last time I took a Lynx bus was in 1995. With no car insight in the near future, I needed a way to get to Valencia Community College West from Williamsburg and back. I remember it was three buses, 2 hours 3 minutes, and I hated every bit of it.

 

Initially, I had planned to ride the bus with two of my friends and make a day of it. Maybe ride it to Lake Eola, have lunch, walk around downtown, and then make our way back. However, on Valentine’s Day my car broke down so instead of a fun day around town I had to ride the bus to make it to school and work (luckily, I work at UCF and didn’t have to ride the bus to different locations). At 5:54am I walked to the bus stop only a few steps away from my house. The first thing I noticed was the two benches with no shelter over them and wonder what happens when it rains? or when the sun is blazing? Lynx bus #18 arrived on time at 6:08 am. One of the passengers had to leave his bike locked to the pole because the bike rack was full, which I found odd since there were only a few bike on it. The bus took Orange Avenue all the way to Lake Eola and that was really nice since I had no clue one bus could take me straight to beautiful downtown Orlando! First thing that came to mind was that I must make this trip with my niece Learsi and nephew Israel on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. A few minutes later we were at Lynx Central Station (LCS) and I transfer buses from #18 to #104 to make my way to UCF. After 70 stops and 2 hours and 4 minutes (10 minutes earlier than what Google had predicted) I arrived at UCF. It was a smooth ride and I made it to class on time.

The ride back home was another story…

The estimated time for my trip back home from UCF was 2 hours and 38 minutes, in reality it took over 3 hours. Instead of bus #104 this time I got on #13, the other bus that goes from UCF to LCS. Bus #13 stopped 151 times and passengers weren’t as quiet as in the morning, I guess after a long day at work and/or school everyone just wanted to get home. An older lady got up to ask the driver a question about which bus she needed to take and another passenger shot out that the bus was already late and people had other buses to catch and she was holding up the driver.  There was also a passenger singing aloud, which is when I decided to put on my earphones and listen to my own soundtrack. There were also plenty of individuals on their cell phones having arguments and dealing with personal matters for everyone in the bus to hear. 

 

Apart from my mom texting me every minute to see where I was and how my bus ride was going, it was surprisingly enjoyable. I definitely enjoyed it more in the morning than in the afternoon after waking up at 4am to take the bus and a long day of school and then work. Plus, because the bus made substantially more stop on the way back when I made it to LCS it was already dark and that made me a little uneasy. About the older lady asking the driver and the passenger telling her to take a seat because she was making everyone late, I can see both sides of the coin. On the one hand, the older lady had a question, whom else was she going to ask her questions other than the driver? But then again, when you are relying on public transportation to get around a minute late could mean not being able to catch the next bus home, to work, or to pick up the kids at school.

 

(Public) Transit for Tacos

I am a Floridian. Born and raised in the Sunshine State, I consider myself well-versed in almost everything that the state has to offer, good or bad. I keep an umbrella in my car for those fifteen-minute downpours, I navigate downtown Orlando with confidence, I give tourists directions with confidence. But I cannot navigate the public transit by myself.

621

Route 621

Since the spring semester of 2013 I’d catch bus route 621 to get to class. Saying that “I hate catching the bus” is an understatement. 621 is a smaller bus, it’s also fuchsia pink and black so it’s still very hard to miss. Until about 5 weeks ago, I was living with my parents in Avalon, a suburban kind of area.  I was always under the assumption that the bus system in east Orlando (mainly the suburbs) was so bad because maybe they believe everyone can afford cars. I was wrong. The bus stretches all the way down to Bithlo, nothing like the suburbs and those people suffer from a horrible bus system as well.

My first class starts at 9:30am. My morning routine would be to wake up at 5:50am get dressed because the bus comes at 7:05am. I’d leave my house around 6:30am.The walk from my house to the bus stop is about 17minutes. I can’t risk leaving any later because sometimes the bus comes early and then I’d have to wait another hour and Thirty minutes, the bus comes every HOUR AND THIRTY MINUTES! 621 travel to four stops The Bithlo Health Center, Bithlo Park and Ride, Avalon Park Blvd/Colonial Dr. and Alafaya/Colonial Dr. Sometimes if you’re in an area without a stop they’ll pick you up from your house. I’d get dropped off on Alafaya and Colonial then walk to The Lofts and catch the shuttle to school. I did that for a year, until I finally moved out of my parents house.

I caught the bus again on February 10th, and the first thing the driver Ozzy said was “where have you been?” It reminded me of when someone on the bus disappeared; I’d always wonder if they were ok. There are a lot of stereotypes about people who ride the bus. Like “oh you’re a bum without a car or you’re broke, you don’t have any money”. Yes there are a lot of people on the bus without lots of money but some of them are veterans, some of them have suspended licenses, some of them have a fear of driving and some of them are older people who just want to get out of the house. I’m just young college student trying not to drop out. I have a lot of stories about catching the bus. I’ve waiting in the rain, heat and freezing cold for the bus. I have even missed it a few times and waited for another HOUR AND THIRTY MINUTES. I could defiantly go out of my way to complain about the bus system but I always stop myself with the thought of “How far would I get without it?”  

Life just isn’t “fare”

You get what you get and you don’t get upset. This motto was always instilled in my brain through my parents and teachers. I wasn’t graced with a car for my first two years of college so I managed to get around campus by the shuttle and the grocery store either by foot or a friend. When I had to travel back home, which was south florida, I would nine times out of 10 take the Amtrak train. The fare was more than reasonable, the seats were spacious and clean, the company of the other passengers was always pleasant, and the customer service was always 5 star. The scenery as the train rushes by the towns gives me a sense of peace and tranquility. With my headphones in my ears playing Jason Mraz pandora, I can fall asleep peacefully knowing that I was safe. The train attendants memorize everyones stops so as the train approaches it, they let the passengers know their stops are ahead so they don’t miss it. Once your at your stop, they help you with your bags and escort you off the train politely and always wish you safe travels. I would imagine everyone would have the same experience I had on public transportation which was more than great.

Ryan and Steven ride the bus

We needed beer! Thats what my roommate Ryan and I needed to get before we can watch the Tampa Bay lightning. So Why not kill two birds with one stone. Our journey starts with me looking up times and routes for the lynx bus line near Curry Ford rd. The route mapped out our journey and the E.T.A. would be Two hours and Twenty minutes. We had some time to kill before the game.

The Hard Way

I’ll admit, I’m a little spoiled. In high school I didn’t have a car, but I lived close enough to ride wherever I needed to by bike. For the first two years of college, I lived on campus and didn’t need anything more complicated than a skateboard to get me to class. Even when I moved off campus, a forty minute drive seemed only a pocket full of heartbeats compared to the time it took just to find a decent parking spot. What I’m saying is, I’ve never had to think too far ahead about how I’m going to get from point A to point B.

Naturally, I took to the task of finding a way to ride the bus with all the enthusiasm of a freshly neutered tomcat. I imagined that I would walk to the bus stop, pay my fare, and just sort of wait until I was somewhere I wanted to be. Easy stuff. I decided it would make the most sense to ride the bus for a day instead of taking my car, so I planned to ride it to school for my Friday morning class. Luckily, I scrounged up some morsel of foresight the night before my trip was to begin and routed out the trip in Google Maps. Several things became readily apparent.

First: There was no bus stop within walking distance of my house. In fact, if I wanted to ride the bus all the way from my home to the school, I would have to drive five minutes in the opposite direction to get on.