Freemark writes:
"Though one agency, BART, provides service to much of the region, most of the other transit operators are confined to their limited districts. This means that buses in San Francisco are run by one group, while those in Oakland and San Jose are operated by two others. Each has its own staff, own maintenance facilities, and own priorities."
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission, meanwhile, "is structurally suburban-oriented because each county, rather than city, is represented."
Which results in Oakland, a city of almost half a million people, has no direct representation on the commission.
Comments
Fractious
frac·tious (frkshs) adj.
1. Inclined to make trouble; unruly.
2. Having a peevish nature; cranky
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/fractious
That probably is a good description of Bay Area transit, but I think the article is about the fragmentation, not the fractiousness, of regional transit governance.
Charles Siegel
Fractious
Charles-
My dictionary includes the definition "(of an organization) difficult to control, unruly, e.g., the fractious coalition of the Social Democrats."
But truthfully, I dug further in freedictionary.com, and it looks like the word I was attempting was probably "factious", as in, "Of, relating to, produced by, or characterized by internal dissension."
Best, Tim
Tim Halbur
Managing Editor
Re: Fractious
Tim:
I think I misunderstood your intention.
I thought that you were using "fractious" to mean fragmented, based on the article and on your quote:
"Though one agency, BART, provides service to much of the region, most of the other transit operators are confined to their limited districts. This means that buses in San Francisco are run by one group, while those in Oakland and San Jose are operated by two others. Each has its own staff, own maintenance facilities, and own priorities."
It is natural to confuse "fractious" with "fragmented," because it is related to "fraction."
If you were using the word to mean unruly or difficult to control, then my point does not apply.
Best,
Charles Siegel