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One thing not mentioned, but which I'd think plays a part (even if unsaid) is that wherever you put a bus shelter you're also putting in "noise" ... i.e., the stopping and going of a bus. I have a bus stop (and bus shelter) on the corner near my house. I can hear when a bus stops there or pulls out even though there is a large church between my house and the shelter. I couldn't imagine living closer to it ... and I, unlike the folks in Chevy Chase DC, am in an urban area.

Obviously there aren't easy solutions as to where to place bus shelters (or stops for that matter), but I think common sense would indicate we shouldn't put them in front of someone's home. I think anyone can appreciate that no one should be forced to live like they were "in Grand Central Station". They really should be located in front of public buildings. Places like Chevy Chase DC may have a problem if they attempt to put the shelters in parts of the neighborhood that aren't yet urban. But of course that begs the bigger question. Do bus stops in the first place belong in non-urban residential streets? I would vote on the side of 'no' because on the one-hand people who choose to live in a non-urban environment like that are hardly the type who will by and large choose to give up there personal transportation in favor of mass transit, and most importantly, it is highly unlikely that placing mass transit in this area will be economically viable. Mass transit is extremely expensive and requires lot of ridership to make it worse. If you've got a neighborhood where you can't find public/commercial establishments to place bus stops in front of, then you've got a neighborhood that doesn't have a reason to draw the large number of outsiders to it to make mass transit work from a dollar standpoint.

Putting bus stops in there in the hope that that will help transform the neighborhood into an urban one, is putting the cart before the horse ... and basically telling the residents who bought there "we don't care if you bought in a non-urban area, we know what is best for you and will turn it into an urban area". And that is just not right.

by Lance on Sep 15, 2008 10:20 am • link • report