Margin Notes: Snow, Speed, Security

Mount Ben Lomond loomed in the distance as seen from Salt Lake City International Airport, Utah on 7-January-2010

TEMPE, ARIZONA - Once more, I headed south to find south only to find snow on this trip. This time, though, it wasn't at my destination, but at the intermediate airport along the way, in this case around Salt Lake City, Utah. Snow in Salt Lake City is not unusual this time of year, but it certainly is pretty when one doesn't have to shovel it or drive on snow-covered roads.

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Those driving on snow-covered roads in Oregon may not be looking at the state's traditional speed limit signs much longer. While venturing into Oregon this trip, I noted a number of US-standard "Speed Limit" signs on the interstate highways, instead of the "Speed" signs with large numbers that have been a hallmark of being in Oregon. Apparently, the transition from the old standard for the state started in 2002, so it will likely be many years before last large-numbered sign disappears from the state highway system, and many more (if ever) before it disappears entirely.

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If we want the murder rate to disappear entirely, then we need to restore faith in government. This is the surprising conclusion reached by several academics, including Randolph Roth of Ohio State University. I've long been an advocate of holding governments accountable and the Al Gore style of "reinventing government" rather than always considering the government an enemy as has been the argument of many conservatives in the United States, but didn't realize it could have live-or-death consequences. Roth discussed his views on CBC Radio One's The Current on Wednesday (see part two).

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I had time to listen to the podcast of that show because I made it through security at the Pasco, Washington airport so quickly. Small airports really are a different world these days. With only one security line, a single person could conceivably hold up the whole process, but with the smaller number of people involved, one's flight is not going to just leave because of a backup in getting to the gate. Furthermore, these small airports can work surprisingly efficiently; my entire 50-seat aircraft--entirely full, as near as I could tell--was boarded in less than ten minutes. I suppose that's the equivalent of boarding a 767 in fifty minutes, but it was still a lot faster than I would have expected. If I could fly out of a Pasco-sized airport every trip, I would.

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In the past generation, the downtown area of Pasco, Washington has transformed into a primarily Mexican business community. The major supermarket in the downtown area is now a Fiesta Foods, a regional chain catering to Hispanics in eastern Washington and Oregon which is one of my favorites. I will never forget walking into the Pasco store for the first time in 2005 and finding an entire row of tortillas. Living in Boston at the the time, where grocery stores had very conservative selections, I thought I was in heaven.

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I've found another aspect of Hispanic influence in the western United States to lead to be heartening on this trip. In Canada, the packaging on everything is in English and French, and I do not know French well enough to understand it. Here, quite a lot of packaging is bilingual, and I have found it very comforting to find I could read the Spanish and verify that it matched the English.

Margin Notes: TTC, Airports, Minneapolis

SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA - The Toronto Transit Commission significantly expanded its bus and off-peak streetcar service on December 1st, implementing 30-minute headways on virtually all routes as long as the subway is operating. Most affected in my neighborhood was the 55 Warren Park. Previously a rush-hour-only route, it now runs every half hour essentially all-day, every day. Surprisingly, there appears to have been latent demand for the service. Even on Sunday afternoons, I have seen the bus as much as half-full heading up the hill on Old Dundas Street out of its destination neighborhood, not just on Jane street where it supplements the often crush-loaded 35 Jane service. While I'm sure a few runs are almost empty, this appears to be a classic case of "run it, and they will ride."

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Two TTC "Fishbowls" at Lawrence and Jane in Toronto on 19-October-2007

As a result of the increased service, bus assignments have changed in interesting ways. The 5 Bay service now often runs with GM "fishbowl" buses. I believe Toronto is the only major transit system in North America that has rebuilt and kept its "fishbowls" in service--and now the buses that appear to be straight out of the 1970's are runing through the heart of the tourist areas. It makes sense from a utilization perspective, though--the non-wheelchair lift-equipped "fishbowls" are appropriate for a route that is paralleled by accessible subways. And, as I left for the airport today, imagine my surprise when I saw a "fishbowl" running on the 55 Warren Park through my neighborhood!

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Of all the "home" airports of my life, I think I have the fewest complaints about Toronto's Pearson International Airport. While transit links certainly could be improved, the "Airport Rocket" is certainly adequate and the airport itself is well-organized and quite functional since expansion of the new Terminal 1. Today, I departed out of Terminal 3 through the satellite "A" concourse, previously reached by shuttle buses. Now, there is a long walk to reach the "A" concourse along moving sidewalks beneath the tarmac.

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A Northwest Airlines A319 arrived at the Minneapolis airport on 14-July-2008

This trip likely represents my final trip on flights branded as Northwest Airlines, as the merger with Delta will swallow the Northwest name. I will have positive memories of Northwest. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, one of the most memorable jingles of my youth was "Northwest Orient Airlines... the World is Going Our Way." Furthermore, I have enjoyed making connections and visiting the Northwest hub of Minneapolis.

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Two Hiawatha light rail trains met in Minneapolis on 1-June-2007

The Hiawatha light rail line in Minneapolis has Bombardier light rail vehicles with horns that approximate the finest of traditional diesel locomotive air horns, though not as loud of course. While riding the light rail, I could close my eyes and imagine that I was really riding the Amtrak Empire Builder across the Minnesota countryside instead of an urban rail vehicle through the suburb of Bloomington.

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On board the light rail car, I overheard one woman telling another, "I'm so excited that I'm going to the library. I really look forward to Tuesdays and Thursday when the library is open until 8." What could be more appropriate in a city that ranked in 2007 as the most literate city in the United States?

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And why was I riding light rail if I was just changing planes in Minneapolis? I realized on the way to the airport that I had forgotten to pack something, so with 90 minutes between the gate arrival of my inbound flight and the boarding time of my outbound flight, I decided to duck out of the airport and procure the missing item at the Mall of America. Not only did I pull this off--and item was on sale at Sears for 50% off--but I still had time to grab Godfather's Pizza for dinner before heading to the gate, finding that my outbound flight was delayed by about another 90 minutes.

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The delay was because of inclement weather, as it was cold and snowing in Minneapolis. As we departed Toronto in above-freezing conditions, we were warned that the wind chill was -27 C in Minneapolis. Indeed, after landing, I tuned in Minnesota Public Radio and discovered that the ambient temperature was -1 F. Unsurprisingly, it was +43 F upon landing in San Francisico.