Comments on: SoCalTIP, an early citizen-run transit site http://headwayblog.com/2008/01/28/socaltip-interview/ Better living through transit innovation. Fri, 26 Aug 2011 10:47:29 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: cph http://headwayblog.com/2008/01/28/socaltip-interview/comment-page-1/#comment-321 cph Tue, 12 Feb 2008 19:49:33 +0000 http://headwayblog.com/2008/01/28/socaltip-interview/#comment-321 Actually, *I* designed the Socaltip logo.... I remember typing in a few of the schedules as well. Some of the simpler schedules (clockface) could be done by a short C program containing a couple of loops. It was the big MTA schedules that not only had frequent service, but running times that varied with traffic, that were a pain to type in...and keep updated. Nowadays, just about every agency in the region has schedules on line, so there's less of a need for Socaltip. I *would* like to have a page that lists streets names, and all of the buses that operate on that particular street, etc. Maybe someday.... Actually, *I* designed the Socaltip logo….

I remember typing in a few of the schedules as well. Some of the simpler schedules (clockface) could be done by a short C program containing a couple of loops. It was the big MTA schedules that not only had frequent service, but running times that varied with traffic, that were a pain to type in…and keep updated.

Nowadays, just about every agency in the region has schedules on line, so there’s less of a need for Socaltip. I *would* like to have a page that lists streets names, and all of the buses that operate on that particular street, etc. Maybe someday….

]]> By: Dana http://headwayblog.com/2008/01/28/socaltip-interview/comment-page-1/#comment-320 Dana Tue, 12 Feb 2008 18:49:44 +0000 http://headwayblog.com/2008/01/28/socaltip-interview/#comment-320 UGH. I mean http://socata.net/calendar UGH. I mean http://socata.net/calendar

]]> By: Dana http://headwayblog.com/2008/01/28/socaltip-interview/comment-page-1/#comment-319 Dana Tue, 12 Feb 2008 18:48:32 +0000 http://headwayblog.com/2008/01/28/socaltip-interview/#comment-319 One further thought is to me one of the best uses of the net for propagating transportation information for our region today is the calendar attached to the Transit Advocates' website [http://socata/calendar]. There are so many entities with meetings and events that occur that are informative that it is easy to lose track and can be vexing running to ground details. I and my fellow compilers try to include a wide variety of useful listings in the calendar whie not becoming too bogged down in clutter or excessive detail. One further thought is to me one of the best uses of the net for propagating transportation information for our region today is the calendar attached to the Transit Advocates’ website [http://socata/calendar]. There are so many entities with meetings and events that occur that are informative that it is easy to lose track and can be vexing running to ground details. I and my fellow compilers try to include a wide variety of useful listings in the calendar whie not becoming too bogged down in clutter or excessive detail.

]]> By: Dana http://headwayblog.com/2008/01/28/socaltip-interview/comment-page-1/#comment-318 Dana Mon, 11 Feb 2008 23:58:23 +0000 http://headwayblog.com/2008/01/28/socaltip-interview/#comment-318 As a spectator I witnessed the birth and death of SOCALTIP. A few times I tried to generate publicity in hopes of helping them get more volunteers to do the tedious text creation. My greatest success was during one of the MTA strikes when I was able to get most of the media (local TV stations and the Times) to list the site as a source of alternative routing information. But the exposure led to no recruits to help upkeep and the poor thing eventually dwindled into oblivion. A noble idea, and the demise was really not the fault of anyone. S*I*G*H* As a spectator I witnessed the birth and death of SOCALTIP. A few times I tried to generate publicity in hopes of helping them get more volunteers to do the tedious text creation. My greatest success was during one of the MTA strikes when I was able to get most of the media (local TV stations and the Times) to list the site as a source of alternative routing information. But the exposure led to no recruits to help upkeep and the poor thing eventually dwindled into oblivion.

A noble idea, and the demise was really not the fault of anyone. S*I*G*H*

]]> By: Hank http://headwayblog.com/2008/01/28/socaltip-interview/comment-page-1/#comment-316 Hank Mon, 04 Feb 2008 06:46:30 +0000 http://headwayblog.com/2008/01/28/socaltip-interview/#comment-316 As one of the other contributors of SoCalTIP (and the designer of the logo), my answer to whether SoCalTIP will come back is "not bloody likely". The attempt at multi-agency coordination in the Bay Area's 511 has not worked very well, and most transit agencies have capable people to put stuff on the web, whether they are employees, consultants, or employees of affiliated agencies (like their city IT department). Even the obscure agencies in Central California started putting stuff up on the web in 2002 or 2003. The main issue you are getting around is credibility from the public, which you are not going to get unless you get governmental sponsorship. SCAG, the only logical sponsor of such an endeavor (as AQMD doesn't cover all of the urbanized Los Angeles area), is too impotent to do that. And people are used to using PDF schedules, and the original reason to use text only schedules (lynx and screenreaders) has died off now that the blind have PDF capable screen readers and dumb terminals are museum relics. Typing schedules is very annoying and I tried OCR as much as possible, and got somewhere with the limited amount of scanner time I had at school. With the prevalence of OCR software, it should be easy for someone to cover the few agencies that do not have web presence, and link to the official agencies for the rest. As one of the other contributors of SoCalTIP (and the designer of the logo), my answer to whether SoCalTIP will come back is “not bloody likely”. The attempt at multi-agency coordination in the Bay Area’s 511 has not worked very well, and most transit agencies have capable people to put stuff on the web, whether they are employees, consultants, or employees of affiliated agencies (like their city IT department). Even the obscure agencies in Central California started putting stuff up on the web in 2002 or 2003. The main issue you are getting around is credibility from the public, which you are not going to get unless you get governmental sponsorship. SCAG, the only logical sponsor of such an endeavor (as AQMD doesn’t cover all of the urbanized Los Angeles area), is too impotent to do that. And people are used to using PDF schedules, and the original reason to use text only schedules (lynx and screenreaders) has died off now that the blind have PDF capable screen readers and dumb terminals are museum relics.

Typing schedules is very annoying and I tried OCR as much as possible, and got somewhere with the limited amount of scanner time I had at school. With the prevalence of OCR software, it should be easy for someone to cover the few agencies that do not have web presence, and link to the official agencies for the rest.

]]>