Readers Support Raising The Seatbelt Violation Fee

January 8, 2013 Politics/Policy 1 Comment

Readers support raising the fee for violating Missouri’s seatbelt law.

Q: Support or Oppose Raising Seat Belt Violations From $10 to $50

  • Support 52 [53.61%]
  • Oppose 37 [38.14%]
  • Neutral 5 [5.15%]
  • Unsure/no opinion 3 [3.09%]

For more detail see the original post here.

I’m wearing a seatbelt now as I drive a rental car back to Oklahoma for a family funeral. Posts will resume upon my return.

— Steve Patterson

 

Validate Your MetroLink Ticket

Metro has announced a change of policy regarding MetroLink ticket validation, effective today:

Starting Monday, January 7, 2013, all MetroLink tickets and 2-hour passes will need to be validated by customers prior to boarding the trains. The ticket vending machines will no longer automatically print the expiration time on these tickets or passes. This will allow customers the flexibility to purchase Metro tickets in advance of their trip, and then validate ticket when they are ready to use them. It also will eliminate confusion over whether or not tickets need to be validated. The following fares must be validated starting January 7.

  • Ride Ticket
  • Hour Pass
  • Round-Trip Tickets (each ticket immediately prior to travel)
  • Tickets from 10-Ride Ticket Booklets

I personally welcome this change, it allows buying a ticket before you need it.

ABOVE: Advance tickets must be validated as shown (top),  tickets purchased at MetroLink machines will no longer have an expiration date, these can now be purchased in advance but they must be validated
ABOVE: Advance tickets must be validated as shown (top), tickets purchased at MetroLink machines will no longer have an expiration date, these can now be purchased in advance but they must be validated
ABOVE: Red validation machines exist at entrances to all MetroLink stations/platforms
ABOVE: Red validation machines exist at entrances to all MetroLink stations/platforms

The change is already in place.

— Steve Patterson

 

Poll: Should The “Express” Library In The Old Post Office Be Closed?

Nearly a decade ago the developers of the Old Post Office needed more tenants lined up so they could get their project financing, allowing them to raze the historic Century Building across the street for a parking garage. The St. Louis Public Library came through with a lease for an “express” library just four blocks east of the Central Library building and the Century came down.

ABOVE: Interior of the Central Express library in the Old Post Office
ABOVE: Interior of the Central Express library in the Old Post Office

The Express was nice to have while the Central was closed for renovations but a cheaper temporary location could’ve been found, such as the still-vacant ground floor of the Library administration building at 1415 Olive.

The Century is long gone and Central reopened last month. Is the Express still needed? When does the lease expire? Should it be renewed?

The poll question this week asks if the Express, located four blocks from Central, be closed or kept open.  The poll is in the right sidebar.

Also, the Central Library first opened 101 years ago today.

— Steve Patterson

 

 

The ADA, Design Professionals, and Soap Dispensers

The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 has many standards for design professionals to use when designing everything from public streets to stadiums to public bathrooms. It doesn’t seem to require a soap dispenser usable only with one hand.

ABOVE: Soap dispenser best used with two hands
ABOVE: Soap dispenser best used with two hands

I see this type of dispenser way too often, if it’s really short I can use it one handed. Most of the time I have to wash my hand without soap. Someone continues to select this dispenser even though not everyone can use it. I can’t find an ADA requirement that a dispenser be able to be used with one hand.

The point? Regulation isn’t perfect. Designers must think, not just meet the minimum requirements.

— Steve Patterson

 

Icy Sidewalks Hard To Navigate In Power Chair

Winter weather has arrived, my first post-stroke winter without a car. I can bundle up to deal with cold temperatures, but modest snow can leave me stranded at home or looking for alternate routes.

ABOiVE: Our recent light snow made this stretch of sidewalk along Olive nearly impassable.
ABOiVE: Our recent light snow made this stretch of sidewalk along Olive nearly impassable.

I frequently take the sidewalk along Olive (above) from 16th to 14th to reach transit options. I passed over the ice you see but it was very rough, not easy on my power chair. If we’d have had more snow I couldn’t have gotten through this way.

I’ll learn which sidewalks get cleared and which do not, altering my route to avoid problem areas.

— Steve Patterson

 

Advertisement



[custom-facebook-feed]

Archives

Categories

Advertisement


Subscribe