A sharp reminder of the need for rapid mass transit
Previously posted on October 7 at: http://spaces.msn.com/members/evandodds/Blog/cns!1phaOgcvNsBxzvBN9Zpx1vbQ!212.entry
I’d posted about the need for “rapid” transit before, but it’s been a month or two and it’s worth bringing back up periodically. Yesterday was a vivid reminder of this problem.
Background:
- With no traffic, it’s about 25-30 minute drive home from work
- With no traffic, it’s about 15 minute busride to Montlake + wait for 48bus + 15 minute bus-ride home.
On the bus ride home yesterday, I left my office around 5:30pm. I walked about 8 minutes over to the Overlake transit center, and waited about 5-10 minutes for the 545 bus to arrive.
<SIDE RANT> I like the new “more 545 busses during the peak period” strategy with the September schedule. It’s great. But when I see no bus for 10-15 minutes, followed by 3 busses tailgating one another, it makes me wonder. Shouldn’t the first bus skip some pick-up-only stops to get back on schedule? Shouldn’t people waiting at the stops wave-on the first bus and get onto the 2nd or 3rd bus instead? How about when the first bus is so full (because it’s been late to all its stops) that it’s past standing-room-only and the other two busses have plenty of room?
To be fair, we see this on the 48 route (and presumably many others) as well. When they have a different terminus, say “Columbia City” vs “Rainier Beach”, I suppose I understand it at least a little. But if they’re identical route, what’s the point?!
</SIDE RANT>
Anyways, back to my busride home. It’s now about 5:45, let’s say. Right onto the SR-520 HOV lane we go. And then we stop. Because the whole of the highway is backed up (all lanes) as far as the eye can see. It was drizzling, so perhaps there was an accident a few miles ahead.
In any case, we ended up inching along for nearly an hour until it cleared out and we were able to get back to normal speed. It took me about 1.5 hours to get home. All because there was ABSOLUTELY NO DIFFERENTIATION BETWEEN THE TRANSIT TRAFFIC AND NON-TRANSIT TRAFFIC.
But wait, you say… what about the HOV lane. Isn’t that differentiation? Ah, sounds like a great topic for my next post.
