Transit & Travel Consulting
A few days ago I challenged cities and counties to accepting responsibility for actually clearing snow from sidewalks by just doing it. No more excuses. Then I came across an institution (hospital) doing it well. [gallery ids="1103,1104,1105"]
Thanks to Allina Health for showing how to clear snow efficiently and effectively. No excuses, just a safe, clear sidewalk.
Far side bus stops (just beyond an intersection) are in most cases the safest and most efficient choice. They require less curb space per bus, encourage passengers to cross behind the bus, speed bus travel by not having to wait at a red light twice (once in the traffic queue and then again after boarding passengers), prevent the right hook (drivers turning right in front of a stopped bus), and make merging out from the stop much easier. It can be politically difficult to relocate existing stops but many will be happy that far side stops usually require about 25 percent less curb space. The key is to push for stop relocation (and consolidation and upgraded amenities) in conjunction with street reconstruction projects.
Every year, despite lots of rhetoric, the same problem illustrates just how cities really feel about walking, biking and public transportation. There has been snow every year for centuries and it will continue to fall, yet somehow we still haven't accepted that the current system for getting around in the winter doesn't work. Cities clear the roadways for cars only, ignore everyone else, and then blame property owners for not all coming out with a tiny plastic shovel and scraping their piece of sidewalk clean.
It is time for cities and counties to take responsibility for maintaining safe, clear sidewalks everywhere. This spring we should survey every sidewalk and pedestrian path and make repairs where necessary, so that next winter we can simply drive a bunch of snow blower around the city and get the job done. UPDATE: like this.
On-board fare collection consumes up to 30 percent of running times. Severe delays can be reduced or eliminated by letting people ride free -- often enough time to recover from 20-minute delays in one trip. Otherwise you're running late all day, and nobody wins in that situation.
I remember once speaking to a DART Light Rail fare enforcement officer and mentioning that in Boston we still collect fares at the front door. She was speechless. Other rich Western countries would similarly laugh at us if they understood that still happens on almost every bus line in America. Requiring people to line up at the front door, delaying all passengers and paying an expensive professionally trained operator to waste up to 30 percent of running time collecting fares, at a time when we're cutting crowded service for lack of money, is beyond ridiculous.
A proof-of-payment fare collection system (TCRP Report 96) drastically reduces travel times and lets us use the savings to spend our resources where they are needed: more service.
In addition to creating dedicated space for buses on any day, it is especially important to mitigate the impact of one-time or occasional traffic congestion that we can foresee (parades, concerts, sports events, etc.). The traffic created by these events makes bus service slow and unpredictable, removing a powerful incentive attendees would otherwise have to use transit, which in turn creates more unnecessary traffic. During a recent evening parade in Minneapolis, bus routes experienced major delays as many thousands of people drove cars downtown. But there was one exception: buses using the 4th Street contraflow bus lane ran right on schedule.
Don't leave time points (major stops) ahead of schedule. In addition to making people miss the bus, running early is a major contributor to bunching on frequent routes. Example: Bus A is a few minutes late so it picks up some of the people who would have caught Bus B; then Bus B is early so it picks up fewer people and easily catches up to Bus A; then Bus C has even more passengers; and it continues. Between Bus B and Bus C there is a very long wait. The exception is when nobody is allowed to board the bus at that stop, such as drop-off-only stops (express routes) or if the bus has no more room.
Too many bicyclists try to ride as far out of the traffic stream as possible. This makes you much more vulnerable to hazards such as debris, potholes, suddenly opening car doors, turning cars, and cars/trucks passing too closely. Prevent all of these by being visible and claiming your position in the lane to discourage unsafe driver behavior. Take the lane whenever you need it. Car drivers don't feel bad about taking the lane for themselves, and you shouldn't either. See Bicycle Safe for more tips.
For what it's worth, bus drivers are also taught to take the lane in certain situations to discourage or prevent unsafe driving practices by others (i.e. when a lane is too narrow for a bus, or when periodic hazards are present in the right lane).
Our guest today is transit data and communications consultant Aaron Antrim of Trillium Solutions. We learn how to manage, present and use transit information to improve mobility and expand freedom by making transit networks easier to use. Find Aaron's work at Trillium Solutions, including his analysis of social media for transit and what makes a great transit website. Or find him on Twitter.
Other links include: Detroit Bus Company; Rome2rio international trip planner; San Francisco Bay Area transit summary; Social Media is Bullshit by B. J. Mendelson.
Do you have thoughts on any of these topics? Share them with the world (or just transit nerds) by emailing feedback@criticaltransit.com or using the contact form or those social media tools.
Find me this week at Transportation Camp and the TRB Annual Meeting in Washington DC, and hopefully testing out some new Epic Transit Journeys. Please get in touch if we might connect soon in Washington or elsewhere in the northeast.
UPDATE: If you're in Washington this week you might like another event called GTFS in the World, a workshop on open transit data.
Finally, if you enjoy what you hear each week, please help support this project by sharing it with your friends and colleagues, leaving a review on iTunes and other places, and consider sponsoring an episode if you are able to.
`Instead of trying to maximize seating capacity, think about total capacity and circulation. In these times of crowded vehicles and reduced budgets, we need as many people on the bus as possible, as quickly as possible. Design wide aisles, standing room and space for strollers, carts and large bags.
