Barcelona also had the first left-handed entry turnstiles I’ve seen, reminding me of the day I shadowed a customer service agent at South Station and watched lefty tourist after lefty tourist swipe their CharlieCards on the wrong side and walk into a closed gate. But the special turnstiles seemed to be interspersed randomly with the right-handed gates, diminishing their utility. Another strike against the Barcelona Metro: It has few escalators and elevators, forcing riders with disabilities to confront stairs.
On the roads, I successfully navigated great swaths of asphalt with minimal incident - the “drive on the left’’ reminders in tourist-heavy pockets of Australia helped - and in Spain got out of a threatened $275 ticket for an illegal turn on red in San Sebastián after the police officer turned out to be a Red Sox fan. “You do drive like that in Boston,’’ the officer acknowledged.
With the column resuming, I hope to answer more reader questions about transportation, so please keep them coming. Meanwhile, some recent news:
Radio bracelet helps quickly find boy lost on the T
On Thursday, an autistic 15-year-old from East Boston with a subway fascination wandered off from school and wound up on the T. For the Transit Police, such missing-person searches can last hours and consume considerable manpower. But this time, the department found the boy in the subway at Downtown Crossing in a matter of minutes, after deploying just two officers.
The difference, Deputy Chief Joe O’Connor said, was a bracelet the boy wore that transmitted a traceable radio signal. Known as SafetyNet, the bracelet is made by LoJack, the company better known for tracking stolen cars, and is marketed to caregivers of people with cognitive conditions.
LoJack charges subscription fees for the bracelets, but to promote the system it provides free receivers and training to police departments. The T has had the system since January, but this was the first real-life call here, O’Connor said.
