GlassCity |
May 9, 2018 4:59 PM |
Quote:
Originally Posted by electricron
(Post 8181692)
You have failed to grasp how spread out American metros are. Great local bus service doesn't solve commuters services from the boondocks. A bus making stops every two to three blocks is not going to make a great 10 to 15 mile commute. What's needed is a rapid service.
Let's take DCTA recent experiences as an example. Commuters from Denton into Dallas travel 30 miles each way. When the A-Train replaced express bus services directly to downtown Dallas, ridership tripled although it requires a transfer to DART's light rail trains in Carrollton. That's why trains are so attractive to transit operators. The express buses did not get riders away from heavy congested traffic on the freeway, the train did.
Once you are in downtown Dallas or Denton, to make the last mile or two connection, that's where good local bus services shine. But buses alone, no matter how great they are, will rarely satisfy long distance commuters needs.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dubu
(Post 8181862)
Also with trains you can have them automated and also have them run 24 hours a day or close to it.
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I'm not saying buses are better than trains or anything, just that they're ignored at the city's own peril. As Nouvelecosse said, if you treat your bus system like shit while giving the train its own right-of-way, it's not the bus's fault it's stuck in traffic. Trains certainly have an important role in sending people long distances, and buses can be used for longer trips too by being limited-stop, but I just see many situations where people dismiss bus improvements in frequency and things like that because "it still sucks" or something like that.
What I'm saying is treating bus service as a hopeless social service is a self-fulfilling prophecy, because if you question its utility in the first place you're not gonna work very hard to improve it. Vancouver has an extensive rapid transit network, but the regular bus system is crucial to getting people around all over the city as well. "Improving transit" often seems to just mean "extending rapid transit," which it should, but it should mean expanding frequency and operating hours of regular bus routes too. It's called a system for a reason - every piece plays their role. Otherwise, with the inutility of bus services as you describe them, why have them at all? Just run rapid transit only. I think not every corridor can warrant rapid transit, so on those, local transit needs to be made as good as it can be. It'll help more than people think.
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