The Entire HBLRT System is Retarded

What I have witnessed, is what appears to be NJ State Police or Troopers of some kind. They dress in jackboots, carry high-power firearms(side arms), and their uniform appears to be modeled after Hitler's Gestapo, for maximum fear and intimidation of the populace.

I think most of the consensus on this group thinks takes this as normal, whilst I do not. I don't like being 'called out' by jack-booted commandos, for something as simple as a light-rail ticket. It was often brought up in this thread, that "fare evasion is a crime." Should it be? Should it be a felony? Should people do prison time and have their lives ruined for failing to have a valid stamp on a rail ticket? I guess this type of thinking is why we have become a nanny, police-state type society, and a country where we have the highest incarceration rates in the world. I wonder what percent of our tax dollars is paying for the millions of prisoners we already have. I believe a rough cost per inmate, is around $25,000 per year.

I wish I could understand where you are coming from. It would make it easier to understanding your statements and reasoning behind them. It is reminiscent of the NIMBYs that fought the system during the planning and building with their highly exaggerated statements and reasoning back then.

I have never seen a sidearm carrying fare inspector. Anyone else?

Fare evasion a crime? Certainly not a felony. Not even a Disorderly Person or Petty-Disorderly Person Offense.
I beleive it is considered an ordinance violation. No more of a "Police Record" then an overtime parking offense.

You are giving the impression you are a regular rider. Monthly Pass or buying your tickets in batch?

Unfortunately, I hate Brooklyn more than I do NJ, as the quality of life seems to be higher over here. NYC is in much worse shape than NJ. What was once the world's greatest city, is a nasty, dying, mess. And as corrupt as NJ politicians are, NY ones are even worse IMO. NYC lost its mojo years ago and it's not even a cool place for hipsters any more.

In any case, I don't think the NJ Police are "Nazis" in any way, shape, or form. Some of them seem to have a power complex and they have a reputation for being hard-azzes, but I have no other criticisms of them and these things can happen on any police force.

However, I highly suspect the uniform design, including the cap style, and the knee-high, leather boots, were loosely modeled after the infamous Gestapo uniform. Then, as now, the obvious purpose being to intimidate and frighten the public. It just seems incongruous. Also, I can help but detect this "fan boy" attitude from some of the posters on this forum. "Oh my God, someone has criticized our precious light rail system....Boo Hoo Hoo..." Is light-rail your entire life or something? Your emotional involvement to it, might be indicative of deeper emotional issues.

Honestly, I'm already quite bored discussing light-rail and police uniforms. What to you guys think of the Fox show Prison Break?

at7000 wrote:Unfortunately, I hate Brooklyn more than I do NJ, as the quality of life seems to be higher over here. NYC is in much worse shape than NJ. What was once the world's greatest city, is a nasty, dying, mess. And as corrupt as NJ politicians are, NY ones are even worse IMO. NYC lost its mojo years ago and it's not even a cool place for hipsters any more... ...However, I highly suspect the uniform design, including the cap style, and the knee-high, leather boots, were loosely modeled after the infamous Gestapo uniform. Then, as now, the obvious purpose being to intimidate and frighten the public. It just seems incongruous. Also, I can help but detect this "fan boy" attitude from some of the posters on this forum. "Oh my God, someone has criticized our precious light rail system....Boo Hoo Hoo..." Is light-rail your entire life or something? Your emotional involvement to it, might be indicative of deeper emotional issues.

Honestly, I'm already quite bored discussing light-rail and police uniforms. What to you guys think of the Fox show Prison Break?

You must be a troll if you take the time to start a convo' about lightrail on a lightrail forum and then deride those who deign to question the legitimacy of your comment. And I shudder to think how you'd describe the quality of life in NYC during the 70's & early 80's if you think the quality of life now is bad. Oh well, such is life on the internets, take the good w/ the bad, and all that... Mike Roque, I think we're done here...

at7000, maybe you should move to a rural area or something, then you won't have to worry about trains at all.

Seriously, why don't you just admit what happened. You have been trying to use the same ticket for days/weeks/months, and they finally asked you for your ticket. It was not validated, or validated at some previous time, and you tried to reason with them about how the system is retarded and how your rights are being impinged on, and how you don't want to be tased and sent to light rail prison. So you were given the ticket, which you paid, which should have been end of the story. However, you feel that suddenly the entire world should be catered to you, and that you should only have to pay the fare when you feel like it.

To prove your false outrage, you start making ridiculous comparisons to the Nazi regime, as if that someone gives you more credibility. The members of a railfan board call you out on your ignorant assertions, and your only response is that you are bored. Boo-fickity-hoo.

By the way, where is the link to that so-called study that POP is confusing?

at7000 wrote:Unfortunately, I hate Brooklyn more than I do NJ, as the quality of life seems to be higher over here. NYC is in much worse shape than NJ. What was once the world's greatest city, is a nasty, dying, mess. And as corrupt as NJ politicians are, NY ones are even worse IMO. NYC lost its mojo years ago and it's not even a cool place for hipsters any more.

In any case, I don't think the NJ Police are "Nazis" in any way, shape, or form. Some of them seem to have a power complex and they have a reputation for being hard-azzes, but I have no other criticisms of them and these things can happen on any police force.

However, I highly suspect the uniform design, including the cap style, and the knee-high, leather boots, were loosely modeled after the infamous Gestapo uniform. Then, as now, the obvious purpose being to intimidate and frighten the public. It just seems incongruous. Also, I can help but detect this "fan boy" attitude from some of the posters on this forum. "Oh my God, someone has criticized our precious light rail system....Boo Hoo Hoo..." Is light-rail your entire life or something? Your emotional involvement to it, might be indicative of deeper emotional issues.

Honestly, I'm already quite bored discussing light-rail and police uniforms. What to you guys think of the Fox show Prison Break?

the NJ state police were formed in 1921 and are dressed in a uniform based on modifed horse riding gear, which was common for police officers at the time and was used by the gestapo. you have your facts backwards.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:TAP_Machine.jpg

the above linked picture is the fare control for the LA subway. If you have that much of a problem with the concept, then you are part of a very small number of people who do.

at7000 wrote: Honestly, I'm already quite bored discussing light-rail and police uniforms. What to you guys think of the Fox show Prison Break?

It's not very reasonable for you to now try to dismiss the discussion without some acknowledgment that you're the one who started the discussion on light rail and police uniforms. I disagree with your opinion but will fight to your death your right to speak your it.

I was away from computers for the Memorial day weekend, pretending that I have a life outside of railfan forums. Ok I admit it, I went to Boston and among other things rode Mattapan-Asmont again, so I don't have very much of a life outside railfan forums.

Anyway Kamen Rider gave some decent documentation of the origins of the NJ state police uniform. I didn't know that it predated World War Two, but I do agree that German fancy uniforms and NJ state police uniforms, and some NJ Transit police uniforms are similar. That's the closest I can get to figuring out at7000's feelings against the police uniforms.
It's been a while since I rode the Hudson Bergen line, but I think I remember conductor style uniformed inspectors as well as NJ Transit uniformed armed police officers checking tickets. That's certainly the situation in my neighborhood on the Riverline, and I'd guess is the situation on other similar operations in the US and abroad.

Intimidation is in the eye of the beholder. I've mentioned at least once in some thread that it's a shame that we feel intimidated instead of reassured by police presence.

at7000 wrote: I am new here, and at first, I did not realize there were so many "rail fans" and such posting here.

Please explain how did you go to railroad.net and not realize there would be many rail fans on it?

I was just doing web searches on HBLRT and some URLs linked directly into these forums. In any case, believe it or not, I am a bit of a "rail fan" myself. I have always visited RR museums and car yards and such. I also enjoy model railroading.

It's amazing how much info is out there on light rail, I was never able to find that key study I was talking about earlier. I wish I could find it again ;-(

It's an extremely in-depth study of the HBLRT system. Ridership patterns, demographics, financial issues, stuff they liked and disliked about the system, you name it, and it was covered in detail. But I have a bad case of ADHD and I get bored with things quickly. For a while, all I could think about was light rail, and now I'm ready to move on to other things. I'm up to season 4 on Prison Break.

My latest rail related rant, is why on earth are the PATH trains so hot? Even when it is a nice cool day outside, those cars are sweltering inside. I wonder if they are trying to save money by cutting back on air-con? Or the cars are so old, the freon needs servicing? Like an old automobile where the AC just slowly dies over time.

at7000 wrote:I was just doing web searches on HBLRT and some URLs linked directly into these forums. In any case, believe it or not, I am a bit of a "rail fan" myself. I have always visited RR museums and car yards and such. I also enjoy model railroading.

It's amazing how much info is out there on light rail, I was never able to find that key study I was talking about earlier. I wish I could find it again ;-(

It's an extremely in-depth study of the HBLRT system. Ridership patterns, demographics, financial issues, stuff they liked and disliked about the system, you name it, and it was covered in detail. But I have a bad case of ADHD and I get bored with things quickly. For a while, all I could think about was light rail, and now I'm ready to move on to other things. I'm up to season 4 on Prison Break.

My latest rail related rant, is why on earth are the PATH trains so hot? Even when it is a nice cool day outside, those cars are sweltering inside. I wonder if they are trying to save money by cutting back on air-con? Or the cars are so old, the freon needs servicing? Like an old automobile where the AC just slowly dies over time.

As said by Sean Connery on Celebrity Jeopardy: "Boy, you might be legally retarded."

I actually like the Validation process. I found a light rail ticket I had purchased last year that I hadn't used yet, so I used that instead of buying the fare. Granted, I was there for 15 minutes before the Hoboken train arrived, so I could've bought and validated numerous amouts of tickets in that time frame, but if the train was comming, I could've just validated my old ticket and get on the train, and don't worry about the machine when the next train won't come for another 20 or so minutes outside rush hours.

I overheard yesterday as my train pulled in and passengers near me saw an inspection team on the station platform

I hate these fing inspectors, I can't ride if I don't have enough money

Firstly, no, it isn't, it's brilliant. Secondly if you have a problem paying for services rendered, might I suggest nit using the system since you also seem to dislike it. There is broadway bus and red & tan, that while horrible in comparison to the experience of riding light rail, might offer you a more traditional pay to ride structure. Also, another suggestion, is to get any type of monthly pass from 2 zones up, this will remove the need for validation before boarding. I usually have a pass of some kind, but I don't sometimes or I leave it at home, and yes I do sometimes miss a train due to getting ticket, however the majority of the time the train operator will wait for you. Whatever you end up doing, please realize that your opinion is vastly in the minority.