New MetroBus Shelter To Be Built On 14th @ Washington Ave

It’s not everyday a new bus shelter is built, they’re expensive and permanent.

This stop serves the northbound 32 (ML King-Chouteau), 41 (Lee), and 74 (Florissant) MetroBus routes.  In the last 5 years it has been located a block north and in each of the two blocks to the south, moving every so often. This location offers the most space, but the decorative rough stone pavers have been a trip hazard.

Unfortunately the adjacent business wasn’t informed of the construction in advance. I think anyone working in the public right-of-way should attempt to give some advance notice to those impacted by construction. Metro St. Louis contracts with Wall for bus shelters.

— Steve Patterson

Curbs Ignored As Potholes Get Patched

With our recent weather potholes are a problem, but other road infrastructure continues to deteriorate without getting much attention.

Granted, driving past a broken curb isn’t going to damage your wheels, tires, or suspension the way a pothole might. I’d like to know when and how these two curbs will get repaired.

Are there worse curbs elsewhere in the city? Is there a list? Do these only get addressed when a major streetscape project happens?

— Steve Patterson

Readers: Slight Preference for ‘Taxi’ Over ‘Cab’

Last weeks the votes were nearly evenly split between “taxi” and “cab” as the name readers use for a vehicle for hire:

Q: What name do you use for a vehicle for hire?

1. Taxi 39 [48.15%]
2. Cab 36 [44.44%]
3. Taxicab 4 [4.94%]
4. Unsure/no answer 2 [2.47%]

I personally have a strong preference for “taxi”, perhaps because of the 1978-1983 television series.

Of the 13 on call taxicab companies licensed to operate by the Metropolitan Taxicab Commission, only two have taxi in their name.

— Steve Patterson

Poll: What Name Do You Use For A Vehicle For Hire?

In the last 4-6 weeks I’ve taken 5 taxicab rides: a morning meeting, three parties, and to the ribbon cutting of Fields Foods on Friday.  That’s more rides than the rest of my 23 years in St. Louis combined!

What I’m curious about is the name people, and companies use, to describe the vehicle. Here are the three most common names:

• Taxicab
• Taxi
• Cab

To my knowledge, they’re interchangeable. To an extent, we probably use all three at one time or another. What I’m looking for in the poll this week is the name you use most often, the one you’d blurt out first. The poll is in the right sidebar.

— Steve Patterson

Utility Work on Washington Ave

For a while now workers have been cutting a trench in Washington Ave to do utility work.

In the process it has been closed to eastbound traffic. Both directions of the #94 & #97  MetroBus routes have been rerouted to Locust St. Thankfully I haven’t needed to catch either of these for a while. I usually catch them at one of three stops between 14th-18th, I’ve not seen any temporary stops on the reroute. If I need the bus I’ll have to travel to a stop beyond the reroute, to the normal route or see online if Metro has posted temporary stop locations.

The noise has been loud during the day, I can only imagine how loud for those with windows facing Washington Ave. But new infrastructure doesn’t just pop into place — noise, dust, inconvenience, etc are part of the process.

Just looking forward to when the project is completed.

— Steve Patterson