Portland Day 5

The day at railvolution started off with the Community Streetcar Coalition meeting. The big news coming out this meeting was that Utah will receive a $26 million tiger II grant for construction of the Sugarhouse Trolley. So not only will we have four TRAX lines and another commuter rail line opening by 2015, we should have our first modern streetcar in the next couple of years.

In addition $200 million in new start money will be freed up with the cancellation of the ARC tunnel project that would link New Jersey and New York. The tunnel has been very controversial with even rail advocates on opposing sides of the issues.

I went to several outstanding sessions including the Impacts of Streetcars on Neighborhoods and Development, Biketopia which had some great information on how biking can effect development, Partnerships and Streetcars plus Blogging for rail.

Finally the head of the American Public Transit Association gave a speech on the status of transit today.

Old Streetcars and Urban Transit

Image by christine.ricks via Flickr
Saturday the Transport Politic had an article about New York studying the concept of using historic streetcars in a section of Brooklyn:

New York to Study Red Hook Streetcars, But What Are the City’s Goals?

Also recently the Jacksonville Metro blog talked about San Francisco's historic streetcars and possible uses in Jacksonville:

Streetcars & Waterfronts: The F Market & Wharves Line

I was planning on doing a response to the Jacksonville entry but now the Transport Politic lets me add even more comments to the fire.

First of all, most people know that I believe in streetcars in providing effective Urban Transport. However as I was going to point out and Yonah has done in his blog entry, historic streetcars may not be the best way to go for most cities.

While San Francisco has been extremely successful in not only operating a line of historic streetcars, it is best known for its legendary cable cars that still ply the rails of the city. However, San Francisco is unique in the aspect that its transportation system is also a tourist mecca. While other cities such as Fort Collins, CO and Tucson, AZ among others have historic streetcars running down their streets, San Francisco is the only city I can think of that many people travel to ride historic transit vehicles.

Other cities need to decide what their goals are. Are they trying to provide a modern form of urban transport or are they trying to build a tourist attraction that will not be part of the transit network. Trying to be both is difficult at best.

If the goal is to provide modern urban transport, then you need to design it for those purposes. On the other hand if your goal is to develop a tourist attraction, then it should be totally separate from your transit system so that its success or failure will not affect the important operation of your other transit operations.

Philadelphia has used old PCC cars brought up to modern standards with wheelchair lifts and air conditioning but still have the limits of using rolling stock designed for another generation. Philadelphia did this more to save money over buying new rolling stock but in the long run buying modern equipment may have been the more prudent financial decision.

One thing I will disagree with Yonah about is why streetcars disappeared in the 1930's. He makes the case that buses were more modern than old streetcars and while that may have been true for some, it also fails to point out that streetcar systems were also heavily taxed. In fact many streetcar lines were still making a profit but the taxes they were having to pay not only would not allow them to upgrade their tracks, but it put them badly in the red.

To top it all off, many of their tax dollars were used to fund local roads which was their main competition. Of course is this any different than how many cities used the tax dollars from small businesses to pay for IKEA's, Cabella's, and Wal-Marts who in turn put small companies out of business.

Private Vans?

Image by iirraa via Flickr

The Cap'n Transit blog has an entry on how New York is proposing allowing private vans to replace service abandoned by the budget cuts the MTA in the New York area.

Setting the "livery vans" up for failure?

In the posting it talks about while the city is talking about allowing the vans, on the other hand it is making the options so restrictive that it would almost be fool hardy for any van operator to actually try to make a goal of it.

The question is, would these kind of vans be successful in other areas?

While some people complain how much service has been cut in the area, in reality few places have actually lost service. Some areas have seen cutbacks but that is mostly due to them being far flung suburban areas that do not support regular transit service.

While I support private enterprise, it would be difficult for a private van to make money operating in these areas. However, how about service to such destinations as Hoogle Zoo where UTA service is virtually non-existent? While the vans might duplicate UTA service in places, not enough to do harm to either.

However, the danger is what many anti-transit folks propose. That is having vans directly compete against the UTA on its best routes. In this case the vans would cherry pick the best routes harming both operations. Complementary service would be a benefit to all those using it but cherry picking could lead to cut throat operations that will harm not only the operators but the customers as well.

Questions would also have to be answered on how these vans would be regulated so that they provide safe operations. Often times the biggest complaint about Jitneys is poor maintenance of their vehicles and the quality of drivers.

This could be an option worth exploring so long as transit service is improved and not damaged in the long run.

Blog Entries of Note...

Image via Wikipedia

From Streetsblog San Francisco:

SF School District Encourages Students to Bike

School district officials are putting in new bicycle racks and plus giving students a brush up on bicycle safety.

San Francisco Should Take Cues from New York and Just Try It!

New York is turning a section of busy Broadway at Times Square into a pedestrian area.

From the California High Speed Rail Blog:

Grade Separations Done Right

In California the NIMBY's are coming out of the woodwork because of the High Speed Rail Project. One is picturing the elevated line looking like an ugly freeway through the area.

Tight Squeeze At Transbay Terminal?

Like so many projects, the new Transbay Terminal in San Francisco could be at capacity very quickly and may not have the provisions to expand.

From Transit Miami:

Action Alert: Miami-Dade’s Million Dollar Bicycle Infrastructure Push

Miami may get improved bicycling infrastructure.

From the Overhead Wire Blog:

Preserving Affordable Housing Near Transit

Looking at some ways to insure that there is affordable housing near transit.

Connecting the Dots

Issues with the Fremont to San Jose BART extension

From the Cap'n Transit Blog:

Feds relax restrictions for light rail

Maybe the Obama administration will bring some sanity back to the FRA.

Blog Entries of Note...

Image via WikipediaFrom a local blog called Argyleist:

Considering Urban Trails

Author talks about urban trails and connecting them up with our growing rail transit system in the Salt Lake Valley. Once the Mid Jordan line is done you will be able to jump off at the Gardner Village station and use the Jordan River Parkway.

From the Daybreak Blog:

Mid Jordan TRAX Now Funded

The Federal Government has come through with funding for the Mid Jordan TRAX line to Daybreak. It is very unusual for a rail project these days to get 80% funding so this is really good news and shows how well UTA does despite what some would have you believe.

From the Stephen Rees blog:

Warning sounded over Olympic bus plan

Looks like some in Vancouver, BC are worried about how well they are going to handle Olympic related traffic problems and there is plenty of comparisons to Salt Lake City.

From the Bike Utah Valley blog:

Winter Riding

Yes you can ride your bike in winter and Bike Utah Valley tells you some of joys of winter riding.

From the Mobilizing The Region Blog:

Success of NYC Rapid Bus Line Underscores Need for Camera Enforcement Law

The New York BRT line is scoring a 10% increase in ridership (small compared to our light rail line in Utah). However, BRT depends on bus only lanes and it takes enforcement to keep the lanes clear. This could also become an issue here in Salt Lake once the transit lanes open along 3500 South.

From the Transit Sleuth Blog:

Transit Exploration

Adron explores the suburbs of Portland and tries to answer the question: is there life out there?

From the Overhead Wire blog:

Where's the Housing Action?

While development in the Charlotte, North Carolina area has slowed, there is one area that is seeing new construction: along the newly opened light rail line from Uptown Charlotte to the south side.

When Chickens and Eggs = Omelettes

I already discussed the report about Foothill when the article came out but here is more talk about the proposal for the reversible lanes.

Greedy DOTs Just Following Orders?

Most of the requested stimulus funds will go to highways not to transit and here may be the reason why.

Restructuring Property Tax to Land Alone

Is it time to change the way property tax is assessed to encourage its use and not parking lots?

From Streetsblog LA:

Measure R Highway Funds Ready to Roll. Transit Funds? Not So Much.

While there are certain people who love to moan in our area, take a look at what is happening in Los Angeles and be glad of the progress being made here. Voter in Los Angeles overwhelmingly approved new transit funding but so far most of it is going to highways and transit is seeing very little. They will still be doing studies in Los Angeles and we will be moving beyond our current projects.

Portland’s Safe Streets: How Do They Do It?

Portland despite its large bicycling communty had no fatalities last year. Can Utah improve its bicycling (and pedestrian) safety record?

From the Seattle Transit Blog:

Embarcadero Freeway = Alaskan Way Viaduct

As the Seattle area continues to decide what the future of the crumbling Alaskan Way Viaduct should be, some look to the City of San Francisco for inspiration. You have to love the before and after pictures from San Francisco.

Sound Transit Stimulus Request

Sound Transit is making a request of lawmakers for its own stimulus package which includes several transit projects.

From the Intermodality Blog:

Streetcars for Houston?

A look at possible streetcar routes for the city of Houston in addition to thier commuter rail and light rail extensions.

Blog Entries of Note...

Image by btobin via FlickrFrom the Daybreak Today Blog:

TRAX in Daybreak - Real Estate Boost?

From the Stephen Rees Blog:

Federal government, Ontario agree on $3.3B auto bailout package

The US isn't the only place were automakers are looking for a bailout. Canada plus the providence of Ontario has agreed to a bailout for the beleaguered automakers.

Funding Transit Elsewhere

Stephen Rees notes that voters in Manchester England voted down congestion pricing while Seattle is still trying to figure out what to do with the infamous viaduct. Many would like a San Francisco type option with the removal of the viaduct with increased transit service but the state constitution forbids highways funds being used to fund transit even if its part of a highway project.

From the Mobilizing the Region Blog:

In the Bronx, Pedestrians Bring the Business

A local community board charges that the loss of parking for bus service is causing a downturn in business (of course its not the economy!!). However numbers show that the area generates more pedestrians than even the famous London shopping district of Regent Street

Older Pedestrians at Risk in the Region; Gov. Paterson Responds

As the average age of the population increases, it will be more important that ever to insure that elderly people feel safe while doing such everyday things as walking across the street.

Groups, Electeds: CT Must Put Rail Project on Fast Track

This commuter rail project is along a stretch of track owned by Amtrak. While it is considered part of the northeast corridor, it has been the poor step child of the main north east corridor.

From the California High Speed Rail Blog:

Will Obama Repeat Clinton's Failure?

Clinton made some big promises about rail transportation in 1992 that never happened. Will Obama fail transit and rail transportation just like the Clinton Administration?

Bay Guardian: Build the Downtown Extension

One of the biggest problems with effective transportation planning is politics. We have seen it locally and here is an example from California. Caltrain currently ends south of downtown San Francisco and should be extended to the Transbay Terminal which would also allow High Speed Rail to use the facility. However, will politics get in the way?

Obama And Congress To Screw Up The Stimulus?

More on the possible outcomes for the stimulus package and where the money will most likely go.

From the Transit Miami Blog:

Public Transit Up; Auto Industry Down

While the 3rd Quarter looked good, you have to wonder what the 4th quarter will bring with the lower gas prices.

From the Trains for America Blog:

Amtrak NEC ridership down sharply in November; long distance ridership up

From the Streetsblog LA Blog:

Streetsblog Network: No Way to Build a Sidewalk

Story about a pole in the middle of a Louisville, Ky sidewalk. The question is asked why pedestrians have to deal with this and not motorist. They make a good point but if they drove 3300 South westbound west of about 1700 East, would they make the same claim? After all you cannot tell were the road ends, the telephone poles begin and were the pedestrians should run for cover.

Blog Entries of Note...

Image via WikipediaFrom the Mobilizing the Region Blog:

Region’s Monumental Interest in TOD Reflected in Panel, Grant Program

Shows some of the progress being made in the New York region when it comes to transit oriented developments.

From the California High Speed Rail Blog:

John Kerry Introduces HSR Bill

Talks about the high speed rail bill that has been introduced by John Kerry. Once again while high speed rail is great for states like California, here in the mountain west we need a more effective long distance network.

BART to San Jose Lives?

Looks like voters in San Jose have approved a measure to increase sales taxes to help pay for the BART extension to San Jose. This one look like it was going down to defeat but now is passing by a slim margin (one thing to note is that it needs 2/3rds to pass so a majority DO want it).

From the Transit Sleuth Blog comes:

Trucking is Headed for Trouble

Adron makes some good points about the current conditions when it comes to interstate freight travel by rail and highway.

From the Overhead Wire Blog:

Too Easy to Build Roads

The Overhead Wire makes comments about the Feds approving the Mountain View Corridor on the west side.

Not a Train, Never Will Be

BRT is not like light rail, never will be.

From Streetsblog LA comes:

Report: Good Transit and Good Jobs Go Hand in Hand

San Francisco Moves Forward With Congestion-Busting Parking Reform

James Rojas on a Future Without Cars

From the RT Rider comes:

Riding on the edge

From the Orphan Road Blog:

Portland Development Commission RFI

From the National Association of Railroad Passengers Blog:

The Changing Transportation Construction Market

Blog Postings

Image via Wikipedia*From the Mobilizing the Region Blog:

The Way Out for Long Island

While many think of New York as a place that is very transit and pedestrian friendly, many of the outlining regions face the same problems that we are facing here in Utah. This entry talks about the problems faced in Long Island including the lack of affordable housing, politicians refusal to fund important transit projects and of course NIMBYism.

New Haven Passes Complete Streets Legislation, Launches Safety Campaign

The city of New Haven, Connecticut has passed complete streets legislation in order to make the city more pedestrian and bicycle friendly.

*From the California High Speed Rail Blog:

Next Steps

Now that California voter have approved construction of the high speed rail line, what are the next steps to be taken?

How Useful is High Speed Rail, Really?

A letter to the editor from a Merced, California newspaper rightly mentions how important the connections to high speed rail will be. It will mean that transit agencies who are often self serving and not looking beyond their tunnel vision will need to work with the officials at High Speed Rail to create a complete system.

*From the Denver Transit Stop:

Price appreciation near light rail

Prices of houses within a half mile radius of light rail stations in Denver appreciated at 4% last year while the rest of the housing market in Denver depreciated at a rate of 7.5%.

*From the Transit Sleuth Blog:

Non-Market Funding, What's the Solution?

Adron over at the Transit Sleuth blog has some interesting ideas about how transit and transportation in general is funded.

*From the Transit Miami Blog:

Tri-Rail Switches to Biodiesel

Tri-Rail which is Miami's version of Front Runner, has switched their locomotives from regular diesel to Biodiesel. Miami also has a set of Colorado Railcar DMU's but they will not switch due to warrenty considerations.

Move The UDB For Lennar? Just Say No.

Developer in Miami wants the Urban Development Boundry moved so that it can develop 900 acres near the Everglades for a new "self-contained" development.

Obama’s Potential Secretary of Transportation

One of the potential candidates for DOT secratary is Representative Earl Blumenauer out of Oregon who is a regular speaker at Railvolution, rides a bike every day to the capital and has ben supportive of transit projects.

*From the Trains for America Blog:

Amid declining numbers of flights, Chicago sees more visitors arriving by train

While rail travel numbers are still small, as airlines start haveing to charge higher fares and decrease flights, rail service is becoming a serious alterntive for some travelers.

Private developer builds his own Amtrak station

New Buffalo, Michigan is getting a new train station thanks to a local developer.

*From Streetsblog LA:

Having a Kid Doesn’t Mean Having a Car

Story about Carla Saulter whose Seattle PI newpapers blog is called "Bus Chick". She talks about the benefits of taking her "Chicklet" on transit.

With Election Over, It’s Time To Focus on Federal Transportation Policy

Good comments about what we need to start focusing on.

*From Streetsblog (New York):

City Planning Unveils Bike-Friendly Zoning Regs

The City of New York is working toward changing zoning regulations to help the needs of bicyclists in the city.

Blog Entries of Note...

Image by SheepGuardingLlama via FlickrFrom the Bike Utah Valley Blog:

Transportation Open House Report

Brad over at Bike Utah Valley has some good comments about the recent transportation meeting. One comment he makes is that UDOT is still UDOT and is solely thinking about highways. Once again this shows that the people who are advocating turning UTA over to UDOT have one purpose in mine: to get UTA's funds transferred to highways because they are highway foamers.

My Dream for Orem

Brad tells us his dreams for Orem including rail instead of BRT which makes a lot of sense. I would only add that a rapid and regular streetcar would work fine instead of full blown LRT on some of his route suggestions.

From the Mobilizing the Region Blog:

NJ Pioneers an Urban Approach to “Safe Routes to School”

A New Jersey program that is designed to win federal funds that are targeted toward pedestrian improvements around schools. Creating safer environments for pedestrians especially school children is very important to build a truly pedestrian friendly area.

New Haven-Hartford-Springfield Line Scoping Hearings Announced

Connecticut DOT who operates commuter rail service in the state is looking at changes to Amtrak's neglected step child of the northeast corridor the New Haven to Springfield line.

ConnDOT, NYSDOT Commissioners Tout Transit-Oriented Development at Mayors’ Institute

New York and Connecticut are pushing transit oriented development to lesson the need for cars in the very congested region.

From the California High Speed Rail Blog comes:

Why is Adrian Moore Lying to the LA Times?

There is several good points made in this blog. First it has a link that shows how much oil money the supposed "independent" so-called think tank the Reason Foundation gets (much like its counterpart the Heartland Institute home to anti-transit mouth piece Wendell Cox).

It also shows how much new passengers high speed rail is carrying in Europe.

From the Track Twenty-Nine Blog:

Streetcars V 2.0

Washington DC is already looking at one streetcar line but Matt shows his proposal for a comprehensive streetcar network that would benefit much of the Washington DC area.

From the Transit Miami Blog:

Of Buses and Trams

According to the University of British Columbia, modern streetcars are the most cost effective and efficient investment of transit dollars. Second is Light Rail (which serves a different market from streetcars), followed by trolleybuses.

Coming soon to a Health District Near You!

A new health center being built just a third of a mile from a Tri-Rail commuter rail station but will have tons of parking but still qualifies for silver LEED certification.

From the Trains for America Blog:

Amtrak offers national rail pass

For years Amtrak has a rail pass but it has only been available to international tourist. They also have had another product that US residents could by but it required you to travel at least one segmant on the VIA rail network in the United States.

Now you can purchase a rail pass for US only trips.

From the Overhead Wire Blog:

Euclid Corridor BRT opens in Cleveland

Interesting article about the Federal New Starts program and how their effectiviness is calculated by the FTA.

From the Streetsblog (New York) Blog:

Park, Ride and Wash in Fahrradfreundliche Muenster

While UTA and Salt Lake proceed on thier bicycle center, maybe they can take some ideas from Muenster, Germany.

Blog Postings from this week...

Image by xde19 via FlickrFrom the Mobilizing the Region Blog:

TSTC Is Kicking Transit-Oriented Development Up a Notch

Two organizations in the Tri-State area of New Jersey, Lower New York and Connecticut are working together to provide grants for transit oriented development. While some road warriors will use this as ammunition against transit projects, as not in this blog and others there is plenty of subsidies going to big box retails and developers.

From the California High Speed Rail Blog:

Orange County Knows Better on Proposition 1A

Orange County's Ultra-Right Wing newspaper has come out against the proposed high speed rail bill that is on the November ballot. No surprise there but there is some good comments about public/private ownership.

From the Transbay Blog Comes:

Freeway Revolts of the Future

For those not familiar with the situation, San Francisco is the first and so far only place in the nation to actually tear down a freeway after it was damaged in the 1989 earthquake. Instead of a elevated two story freeway along the water front you have a nice pedestrian friendly boulevard with the F line historic streetcars traveling north of Market Street and the quasi Light Rail/Streetcar lines traveling south. Who will be the next to get rid of a freeway?

From the Trains for America Blog:

Amtrak funding bills tied into rail safety, pass house

A bill that will give Amtrak $13 Billion over the next five years about also include privatization and safety improvements has passed the house.

From the Streetsblog Los Angeles:

City Council Moves Bike Sharing and Advisory Committee Reforms

Los Angeles may be moving to offering a bike sharing program.

From the RT Rider Comes:

Tax Increment Financing For Transit

I have mentioned in the past that one of the biggest problems transit agencies face is that they are usually totally dependent on the sales tax which is very cliclical. The RT Rider in Sacramento hsa some alternative ideas to the sales tax that may be worth exploring since something like a property tax is dead before it gets started.

From the N-Judah Chronicles comes:

Assessing The Damage Caused by Crazy Governor, Goofy Legislature on MUNI, BART, et al...

What would happen if they actually turned UTA over to UDOT? Would we be dealing with the same kind of stupidity that California is now facing? It just proves the stupidity of that idea but we must remember it is promoted by the people pulling the puppet strings who want UTA's money to highways.

From Baltimore Inner Space comes:

Pratt Street

Talk about making a street in Baltimore better.

Pedicabs in Downtown and the surronding area?

Image via WikipediaHere is an article from Xing Columbus and a link to a more thorough article talking about the use of Pedicabs in the downtown Columbus, Ohio area.

When most people think of Pedicabs Japan and China come to mine as big user of Pedicabs. However, pedicabs are slowly being accepted in certain areas around the country. So how about pedicabs in Salt Lake City? With our wide streets Pedicabs would be able to be in the curb lane while automobiles could use the other lanes.

The big benefit of pedicabs is that they are cleaner since they do not have motors plus they offer a unique travel experience. However, some people don't like the Pedicabs especially the automobile cab industry who usually fight against pedicabs including a vicious fight going on in Los Angeles. In New York pedicabs have become too successful and many groups are trying to get them restricted to benefit of the Pedicab opponents.

Pedicabs would make getting around downtown that much easier plus offer a unique Asian influence to the area. Say you just have a nice dinner at one of our nicer independently owned restaurants, you could use one of the pedicabs to get you a the couple of blocks over to the nearest light rail station.

Pedicabs, a another possible piece of our transportation puzzle.

Godrey still wants to play with aerial gondolas in Ogden...

Portland_Strtcr_GoBy3
Originally uploaded by RACTOD

Apparently Mayor Godfrey up in Ogden is still dreaming of that wonderful urban gondola project instead of looking at what the best transportation options for the city is.

First here is some reading material:

Weber council weighs Ogden transit plan

Weber County Forum Responds

Gondola Comparison

Now let’s take a look at the Gondola comparison prepared by the city of Ogden. The first thing you will notice is that the only project that has been built that even comes close to what Godfrey wants is down in Columbia. Other than that all the other urban gondola projects are pipe dreams.

One thing that is not mentioned anywhere in the comparison is what happens to the urban fabric between the gondola stations.

The first gondola mentioned is the Roosevelt Island Gondola in New York City. This was built before Roosevelt Island had a subway station which opened in 1989. One thing to note is the ridership. Our two TRAX lines carry the same number of passengers in less than two years than the Roosevelt Island gondola has in its 30 years of existence. Also there is no comparison to the urban fabric since the Roosevelt Island gondola primarily travels over the East River.

The next gondola project talked about was MART which was part of the New Orleans Worlds Fair. This is another gondola that traveled over water so had no effect on the urban fabric it passed over. An interesting point about this gondola is that there was plans to continue operating it after the fair but that last less than six months and was later torn down on the orders of the Coast Guard. Another interesting facet is that ridership during the fair boom was less than half of what projected by the backers of the system.

The next one compared is Telluride Colorado which travels from the historic city to the Mountain Village area. Once again it is hard to compare as this one is designed to carry people from the historic town which is located in a narrow valley up to the village which sits 1800 feet higher than the historic village. Once again there is no real urban fabric that the gondola travels over.

The third gondola compared is the only one that comes close to what Godfrey is trying to build and that is the urban gondola in Medellin, Columbia. This one is designed to take people from a poor section of town to the main transportation hub. Of course the gondola like Miami’s Metromover travels over city streets and does little for the urban fabric is passes over.

The fourth project talked about once again is a poor comparison to Godfrey’s dream which is the Portland Ariel Tram. Like the telluride situation this gondola is designed to carry passengers from the waterfront area up a steep incline to the Oregon Health and Science University which is located on a cliff area to the west of the waterfront area. As a side note this does not replace a streetcar route but connects the Portland Streetcar to the University area.

The line does travel along Gibbs Street which lies between the cliff and Interstate 5, but once again because the gondola travels over this isolated area, it is doing nothing to help this neighborhood.

The next couple of gondola’s mentioned join Godfrey’s as pipe dreams which includes proposals in Baltimore, Maryland and Camden, New Jersey.

What it comes down to is a gondola is good for point to point transportation especially for situations that involve huge elevation changes. What it is not designed to do is blend into the urban fabric of a community. How will 25^th Street benefit from the Gondola? Instead imagine a streetcar traveling along the street bring people from FrontRunner to shop and dine in Ogden.

What Godfrey should be working on is bringing a new vision to the city, one that focuses on the character of the city, provides the opportunity for independently owned retail stores and restaurants which would give residents of Salt Lake City an alternative to the chain stores and restaurants of Gateway and other developments. Ogden could build something really unique that would cause people to want to travel to the city. Between the river walk, 25^th Street, and Washington Blvd Ogden has an outstanding opportunity to develop a unique destination that will bring new life to the city.

Or will Godfrey take the opportunity that Ogden has and squander it on some pipe dream?

Fast Buses get more stops...

2007 Gillig Advantage BRT bus on Utah Transit Authority Route 313
Originally uploaded by jmdspk

While going through the changes that will take place to bus service on April 26th, I noticed that UTA is quietly adding bus stops to many of the fast buses that were started in August.

When these bus routes first started, I pointed out that the negligibly increase in speed would not make up for the loss of potential riders due to fewer bus stops. For example my wife works at 3500 East and Bengal Blvd just around the corner from Smith’s. The old 32 bus used to provide direct service from our home to her work. The few times I took her to work I noticed that there was passenger standing at every bus stop along Bengal Blvd to catch the 32. How many of these people still took the bus when faced with a much longer walk just so the bus could be a few minutes faster?

What it comes down to is that the market potential for the slightly faster service does not equal the market penetration of the additional stops. This brings into question how well the 3500 South BRT line will do considering it is replacing the 35, not supplementing it.

UTA is not the only one to fallen into this trap. Amtrak the company that never learns from its history keeps making this mistake. On the northeast corridor between Washington DC and New York it has tried a non-stop or one stop express train several times in order to save a few minutes between the two points. However, every time they try it the train is discontinued in about a year because the time savings (most recently 10 minutes) does not justify the loss of riders from making fewer stops.

Metro in Los Angeles made the same mistake with the Gold Light Rail line. It created an express service but once again the time savings was not enough to justify not stopping. The train loadings become very uneven and this express service quietly died in the latest changes at Metro.

So how does this compare to Europe and Japan who are building a bunch of high speed rail lines or New York City that offers express subway trains?

Do you really think that France and the rest of Europe plus Japan just decide to build a high speed line for the fun of it, or because it would be cool? When they decide on which lines to build a high speed line they look at rail routes that are at capacity already. For example the first TGV route in France was between Paris and Lyon. This route was running over capacity so something had to be done so they built a new rail route. In addition, the TGV did not replace the regular trains between Paris and Lyon, it supplemented them.

In New York the situation is the same. The express subway service supplements the existing local subways that are already at capacity.

So when should fewer stop service be implemented?

Only to supplement existing service when that service is at capacity or you create a line were the time savings will create new marketing dynamics.