Lisbon; when you hate to be proven right.

[WaikikiFirst]

on another thread, I mentioned we just got back from Lisbon, and mentioned the OLD trams & cable cars, I made a point of capitalizing OLD b/c I didn't and wouldn't use any of them. When my wife asked if I wanted to try one, I told her they "looked like an accident waiting to happen", and I wasn't being flip.
So, I just heard a famous cable car crashed, killing at least 15 people. We stayed 1.5 blocks from the top of a different one, another of the most famous ones. They looked like the same design to me. There was freq a line of people waiting to use it, mostly just so they could take their photo on it, it seemed to me. We walked down that street and up that street. It wasn't difficult, nor long. The one that crashed was, idk, a 5 minute walk away, and yes we walked up and down to that too. Steep but very interesting WALK.

I'd take this crash as a warning if you go to Lisbon. There are ubers everywhere. The quaint, OLD, over-filled trams & cable cars are best for photos from the OUTSIDE.
Do you think the people who designed those expected them to be filled to the max maybe 8 hrs/day? Do you?

 

[davidvel]

Somehow, given this post and others, it seems implausible that you "Hate to be proven right" in this instance (though you were not). Your comment said nothing about safety, and was hardly a prediction : " With all the hills and the (OLD) trams, some parts sort of look like SF, just (OLDer)."

Just had to post this to try to take credit for foreseeing this despite not doing so, and despite the horrific tragedy. Sad.

 

[WaikikiFirst]

Somehow, given this post and others, it seems implausible that you "Hate to be proven right" in this instance (though you were not). Your comment said nothing about safety, and was hardly a prediction : " With all the hills and the (OLD) trams, some parts sort of look like SF, just (OLDer)."

You're hilarious. You think I should yell "FIRE!"? You think I should TELL people what to do? OK. I will. People, listen,
a) when you see people standing in line for something, DO NO just automatically get in line. Think of your RISK/REWARD. And when the line is to use an OLD piece of OVER-USED equipment, think again
b) stop with the photo ops. If your reward is nothing more than a photo op, make theh smart call. The photo op on that thing is only somewhat better than the people who lean over cliffs for a photo in Yosemite or stand on one leg next to a hot spring in Yellowstone.
c) WALK more

THere you go. But I doubt anyone can make you drink.

ps: sorry for not giving the details of every conversation my wife and I had in Lisbon, I can see it triggered your std outrage.

 

[nerodog]

Living in Portugal , the maintenance and upkeep have been an issue with outsourcing staff and in this case, yes there was an inspection. However. In order to see what caused this horrible accident, many components of the tram would have to be taken apart...it wasn't. From what we hear there will be new trams and state of the art infrastructure ... takes time.. Lisbon has problems with public transport. Many elevators , escalators always out of order., old trains, lack of accessibility. These old yellow trams should be housed in a museum. Safety codes are more important.

 

[nerodog]

You're hilarious. You think I should yell "FIRE!"? You think I should TELL people what to do? OK. I will. People, listen,
a) when you see people standing in line for something, DO NO just automatically get in line. Think of your RISK/REWARD. And when the line is to use an OLD piece of OVER-USED equipment, think again
b) stop with the photo ops. If your reward is nothing more than a photo op, make theh smart call. The photo op on that thing is only somewhat better than the people who lean over cliffs for a photo in Yosemite or stand on one leg next to a hot spring in Yellowstone.
c) WALK more

THere you go. But I doubt anyone can make you drink.

ps: sorry for not giving the details of every conversation my wife and I had in Lisbon, I can see it triggered your std outrage.

Always can buy a postcard... safer !!!

 

[nerodog]

on another thread, I mentioned we just got back from Lisbon, and mentioned the OLD trams & cable cars, I made a point of capitalizing OLD b/c I didn't and wouldn't use any of them. When my wife asked if I wanted to try one, I told her they "looked like an accident waiting to happen", and I wasn't being flip.
So, I just heard a famous cable car crashed, killing at least 15 people. We stayed 1.5 blocks from the top of a different one, another of the most famous ones. They looked like the same design to me. There was freq a line of people waiting to use it, mostly just so they could take their photo on it, it seemed to me. We walked down that street and up that street. It wasn't difficult, nor long. The one that crashed was, idk, a 5 minute walk away, and yes we walked up and down to that too. Steep but very interesting WALK.

I'd take this crash as a warning if you go to Lisbon. There are ubers everywhere. The quaint, OLD, over-filled trams & cable cars are best for photos from the OUTSIDE.
Do you think the people who designed those expected them to be filled to the max maybe 8 hrs/day? Do you?

Absolutely do not ride.. not maintained up to standards. Bedt to buy a postcard or just a photo. Other countries have streamlined and updated all the cables ... not in Lisbon or other parts of Portugal... beware

 

[pedro47]

Thanks for sharing the information about the cable cars in Lisbon, Spain.

 

[Pompey Family]

I'm not long back from Lisbon (I've been previously) and I never used the trams primarily because I was happy enough walking everywhere and I knew that the touristy ones are notorious for pick pockets. Yes there are a lot of steep hills in Lisbon but they're not particularly long or arduous and shouldn't pose any issue for most people.

 

[TolmiePeak]

Just curious if the OP also avoids driving down the freeway in a car due to the massive death and severe injury toll.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Why is everyone so cranky?

Such a sad and terrible accident.

 

[WaikikiFirst]

Just curious if the OP also avoids driving down the freeway in a car due to the massive death and severe injury toll.

And, another local that doesn’t understand how to understand the point or understand the concept of Risk:Reward. No surprise. What you would have asked if you had any clue about what I discussed (which you obviously don’t)

curious if the OP avoids driving the freeway IN RUSH-HOUR TRAFFIC in a VINTAGE YUGO for a drive that provides ZERO REAL VALUE to his life.

Let’s see;

Risk: As I stated, and has been confirmed, the tram in question was an old mess, a LITERAL “accident waiting to happen”. It was not a generic tram. We rode the Swiss trams on the same trip. They were awesome. In Lisbon: a LITERAL “accident waiting to happen”.

Risk: As I stated, those trams are filled to capacity with TOURISTS all day long, esp during summer. Idiots were lined up 15 minutes before they opened, to take the 1st tram DOWN the hill. Idiots. So, it is like agreeing to drive in RUSH-HOUR traffic.

Reward: None. Most of the people ride it with, but WITHOUT, their friends. They divide into 2 groups. 1st group gets on. 2nd group takes their picture as the tram pulls away. Then, 2nd group gets on the next one and the 1st group takes their picture when they pull in to the other end. That it the great majority. Simply so they can look out and have their picture taken. The hills are not hard to walk, and IF ANYONE THINKS THE STREET IS “PICTURESQUE”, well, guess what, you get a MUCH better view of the street by walking it.

So, if you even half understood Risk:Reward, you would ask:

curious if the OP avoids driving the freeway IN RUSH-HOUR TRAFFIC in a VINTAGE YUGO for a drive that provides ZERO REAL VALUE to his life.

And the answer to that is “Hell no. I’m not 1/20th as stupid as the average tourist is.”

 

[WaikikiFirst]

Why is everyone so cranky? Such a sad and terrible accident.

I suppose the Lisbon locals are cranky because their public transportation was turned into a joke and an accident-waiting-to-happen by stupid tourists ... for no good reason. Maybe that. Public transport that was useful for the elderly. The LOCAL elderly. Turned into a circus and an accident-waiting-to-happen.

Now, take a step back and ask yourself why "locals" are cranky in many tourist areas around the world. Stupid tourists. Swarms of them.