How To Build A Transit Line

[Jeff Smith]

Someone has analyzed and come up with an "Idiot's Guide to Building a Transit System" so to speak. Thoughts?

http://buzzer.translink.ca/index.php/20 ... t-service/

This post is part of a series about Managing the Transit Network: all about how TransLink plans transit service in our region. See all the past blog posts in the series here.

This post covers pages 12-21 in the Managing the Transit Network primer.

So far in our series, we’ve talked about the overall goals and challenges for transit planning. And we’ve looked at the broad themes we keep in mind when we design a transit network. (We also did an interview with the planning team behind this project!)

But in this post, we’re going to take a look at transit planning on the street level. That is, how do we design a good bus route or transit line? (And by “good,” we mean “a transit line that serves lots of people for as much of the day as possible.”)

Well, there IS an actual answer. Generally, we try to design a transit line with nine specific elements to make it likely to serve lots of people almost all the time. They are:
•Serve areas of strong demand
•Have strong anchors at both ends
•Be as direct, simple, consistent and legible as possible
•Maintain speed and reliability along the entire route
•Avoid duplication or competition between transit services
•Match service levels to demand
•Have balanced loads in each direction
•Experience an even distribution of stop activity
•Have an even distribution of ridership by time of day

[mtuandrew]

Very interesting, and a good way of making understandable the complexities of transit planning.

[Passenger]

Very good.

I will add one more:

Transit lines and automobiles are NOT natural enemies.

Cases in point:

In Chicago it is reasonably easy to drive in from the suburbs, park, and use public transportation around town.

In New York City, no.

[gprimr1]

Here's two I'll add:

If you have a long system, add express tracks. The DC Metro's greatest flaw is every train must make every stop. New York was smart to build express tracks.

Give me toilets on the train.

[Passenger]

Give me toilets on the train.

For a rapid transit system with short distances between stops, I disagree. Too many maintenance issues.

However toilets at every station is a good idea.

As it used to be in the New York Subway.

[amm in ny]

I'll add two points:

1. Frequent service. "Show up at the stop/station and wait for the next bus/tram/train" should be a reasonable strategy for using the system.

2. Alternative routes, in case there's a problem somewhere. While this can't be done for every stop or every trip, you don't want a single wreck/fire/police action to shut down most of the system. For rail transit, this means interchanges where lines cross. (This is pretty much built in to bus transit.)

[TedBell]

2. Alternative routes, in case there's a problem somewhere. While this can't be done for every stop or every trip, you don't want a single wreck/fire/police action to shut down most of the system. For rail transit, this means interchanges where lines cross. (This is pretty much built in to bus transit.)

Or just do it the way UP does it, if you hit someone keep on going.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/09/06/479208 ... racks.html