03.02.06
The Pendulums
I guess we would call them commuters in the US, but in Italy people who live in one city and work in another are called pendolari - pendulums, for the way they swing back and forth every day (much more descriptive than commuters!). In between major cities, they often form committees so they can gang up on the people who are in charge of the trains and demand their rights.
Apparently there was quite a ruckus yesterday in the tiny town of Vittuone, just outside of Milan. The pendolari, having just heard that a train was cancelled and they had about a two hour wait, decided to block the tracks, thus blocking about 2,000 other passengers who had nothing to do with this little “sit in.” Some of those other trains couldn’t even make it to a station, so they were stuck in the country.
I’m on the fence on this issue. On one hand, the trains in Italy are relatively reliable. They’re mostly on time, maybe a little dirty, and inexpensive. But when the system fails, it seems to fail spectacularly. And so on the other hand, the pendolari have a point. They’re fed up with hour-long delays and employees who probably aren’t paid enough to give a care.
In related news, the 24 hour train strike tomorrow has been cancelled. I would hate to be a pendulum.
Johnie MAC-Vail said,
03.04.06 at 11:07 am
Brian!
Don’t blame it all on the pandomonum???? I think I saw you in the crowd. Are you the one about to step over the the track with your hands in your coat? tell me Brian what ya hiding in your coat?
Johnie Mac