Saturday, January 27, 2007

Charlie's Mailbag (1/27) Where's Fenway????

KMP writes to charlieonthembta@gmail.com and sends a pic along.


Okay, everyone. I saw this last summer, and forgot about it - what's wrong with this picture?


Whoever composed this sign doesn't realize that Kenmore is closer to Fenway Park than the Fenway station, that's what. I think this falls under the category of "everyone knows this", except that I have had many experiences riding the D train with disoriented visitors from out of town wondering why all the other baseball fans were getting off at Kenmore, which is obviously not the station for Fenway Park. Isn't it?
(Just a reminder that in this 15 degree weather, spring will again come and people will care...)
_KMP
When I saw the signs last summer I wondered the same thing. The only logical reason I can think of the signs going up is because of the ongoing construction at KENMORE and the T wants to spread the traffic going to games around.

However the summer of 2007 will bring major construction to the D Line and the station will be closed from August 2nd to September 2nd. KENMORE promises to be a real mess during Red Sox home games.

When the Riverside line opened in 1959 the station was actually named Fenway Park which created a lot of confusion and it was shortened to just Fenway years ago.

5 comments:

Ron Newman said...

But after the game, Fenway station is worth knowing about. Sure, it's a longer walk than Kenmore, and you'll wait longer for a train. But wouldn't you rather get a comfortable seat at Fenway station instead of being packed standing into a sardine can at Kenmore?

Fenway said...

Ron Newman said... But wouldn't you rather get a comfortable seat at Fenway station instead of being packed standing into a sardine can at Kenmore?

I've been doing that for years.

However from a fare collection standpoint sending more fans to Fenway Station will make it a nightmare. The fare inspectors will have their hands full dealing with surburban fans who have been riding outbound for free for decades suddenly finding out things have changed. For many people a Red Sox game is the only time they ever use the T.

Anonymous said...

ron -- that only works going inbound. a lot of people park at riverside and RIDE inbound. Going out, Kenmore is the way to go.

why not just rename "Fenway" to "THE SWAMP"

Anonymous said...

I noticed on the T's trip planner that Fenway Park is not listed as an attraction.

Then for kicks I wanted to see how it would have me go to Fenway Park from Harvard Square thinking it might send me on the #1 bus.

No it came up with a way I never would have thought of, because it is so dumb

Trip Planner

Harvard Station
Fenway Park

tinerary 1 - 50 mins.

* WalkingWalk For 4 Mins. To Harvard Sq & Garden St - Dawes Island
Walk approx. 1 block N on Massachusetts Ave.
* Bus Service66 Dudley Sta Via Allston view route
1:30 PM Depart from Harvard Sq & Garden St - Dawes Island
2:01 PM Arrive at Washington & Walnut
* Bus Service60 Kenmore Sta Via Cypress St view route
2:08 PM Depart from Washington & Walnut
2:16 PM Arrive at Brookline Ave & Yawkey Way
*
Cost: Regular fare Senior/Disabled fare
$3.00 $0.80

Itinerary 2 - 69 mins.

* WalkingWalk For 3 Mins. To Massachusetts Ave & Holyoke St - Holyoke
Walk approx. 1 block S on Massachusetts Ave.
* Bus Service1 Dudley Sta Via Mass Ave view route
1:38 PM Depart from Massachusetts Ave & Holyoke St - Holyoke
2:15 PM Arrive at Dudley Station - Harvard Side
* Bus Service8 Kenmore Sta Via So Bay Ctr & Ruggles Sta view route
2:30 PM Depart from Dudley Station - Harvard Side
2:44 PM Arrive at Brookline Ave & Yawkey Way
*
Cost: Regular fare Senior/Disabled fare
$3.00 $0.80

Ron Newman said...

The default parameters to the trip planner are Minimize Transfers, Use All Services, Walking Distance 1/2 mile.

The intersection of Mass. Ave. and Beacon Street is just slightly over 1/2 mile, so that's why it won't send you on the #1 bus, even though that's the most logical route. Instead, it's trying to bring you to a bus stop that's right in front of the ballpark, even though the routing is ludicrous.

If you change the Walking Distance to 3/4 mile, you get the sensible bus route, followed by an 0.6 mile walk.

But you'll also see that the planner hugely overestimates the amount of time it takes to walk anywhere. A normal human walking speed is about 3 mph (20 minutes per mile), but the walking times given on the T's planner seem to be based on walking only half that fast.