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Duplication may not necessarily be bad. If there are parallel routes, maybe it's because there's high demand in that corridor. You could combine the routes and decrease headway on the new route, sure -- or you could run two routes, a block apart, which combined have the same headway (e.g. two buses with 10 minute headways, staggered = one bus with 5 minute headways). Then it's more convenient for the person a block over, and if you don't want to wait, you have the option to walk to the earlier bus. Plus, by spreading out the routes, you alleviate bottlenecks like lots of riders waiting at the same stop, and spread them out over several stops.

I recognize the problems with this, though: It's hard to get information. The online trip planner only displays three options -- it might not tell you there's an earlier bus a block over. Standing at one stop, you might not know there's an earlier stop a block over. This is complicated if buses don't run on time. So I'm not saying it's perfect -- I'm just making the case for its benefits.

On duplication between Metrorail and buses, there's an argument here, too. Ever found out that your line is closed when you're trying to get home from work? For me, I can take the 38B, the "Orange Line with a view". If we cut redundancy between Metro and buses, there are fewer alternatives when one system fails. Additionally, let's say I'm trying to get from Foggy Bottom to somewhere halfway between Rosslyn and Court House. (Admittedly, my example isn't in the District, but the logic is the same.) I could take Metro one stop and walk half a mile past Rosslyn (uphill); or I could go two stops and walk half a mile back the way I came. Or I could take the 38B, save the time going down and up several escalators, and be dropped off closer to my destination.

I'm not saying there's no value in combining and simplifying routes. But it probably has a more limited role than a wholesale overhaul of the Metrobus route system -- particularly given the questions of political feasibility (as SF and Baltimore point to) and the time constraints in the current budget process. More useful might be to identify the (say) top 20 changes in either cutting/combining routes or in modifying their path to limit spending while minimizing impact on ridership -- and see if we can't make the pain less than an across-the-board cut would be.

by Gavin on Jan 14, 2009 2:46 pm • link • report