Express bus plan in works for Oakland-Downtown link

[Blackbeauty212]

Originally Posted by MountainDewGuy

I am still not sure what the REAL benefit of the BRT is? An "express" bus line from Oakland to downtown does what, exactly? Decrease the travel time by 5 minutes? Are there even that many stops between Oakland and downtown to warrant an "express" bus? The buses are still going to be using the same roads and same traffic lights as cars, are they not? I am an advocate one dedicated rail line from downtown through the east end. Nore sure what the word billion scares people so much, but at $1 billion dollars for a rail extension, it would cost the citizens of Allegheny County $16 per year when the cost is spread out over a 50 years period, and a dedicated and functional rail line will benefit the region for more than 50 years and provide more than a billion dollars in return value over that period.

I agree... Let's be honest here.... Pittsburgh's problem is not needing BRT between downtown and Oakland... If PAT is going to go big, then it needs Rail between Downtown Oakland and the East End. Ultimately you would want the 61's and 71's each of their branches converted to LRT lines. The problem is getting into and out of Oakland to other East End Neighborhoods, or to other destinations without going through Town. The Oakland to Downtown corridor is perfectly served, just reduce the number of the stops for faster travel times.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by MountainDewGuy

I am still not sure what the REAL benefit of the BRT is? An "express" bus line from Oakland to downtown does what, exactly? Decrease the travel time by 5 minutes? Are there even that many stops between Oakland and downtown to warrant an "express" bus? The buses are still going to be using the same roads and same traffic lights as cars, are they not? I am an advocate one dedicated rail line from downtown through the east end. Nore sure what the word billion scares people so much, but at $1 billion dollars for a rail extension, it would cost the citizens of Allegheny County $16 per year when the cost is spread out over a 50 years period, and a dedicated and functional rail line will benefit the region for more than 50 years and provide more than a billion dollars in return value over that period.

I think the idea is that you can eliminate all other lines besides the BRT which travel between Oakland and Downtown. So instead of a bunch of half-full 71's you get jam-packed BRT, which allows you to cut back on the other routes, and eliminate drivers.

[MountainDewGuy]

Originally Posted by pman

Trips to Morewood Avenue, for example, would take 14:07 from Downtown, compared to an average time of 23:10 now.

It sounds like they are expecting chopping 9 minutes off that ~4 mile journey. I am all for that. But I suspect that the bulk of the time savings boils down to having fewer stops, where people getting on and off then having to wait for the next green light is where most of the times is wasted. What happens when the "express" bus is in the bun lane behind a non express bus. If PAT can calculate the time savings, then show us the plan!

[MountainDewGuy]

Originally Posted by eschaton

I think the idea is that you can eliminate all other lines besides the BRT which travel between Oakland and Downtown. So instead of a bunch of half-full 71's you get jam-packed BRT, which allows you to cut back on the other routes, and eliminate drivers.

Good point. So instead of getting on a 61 or 71 and going directly to your destination from downtown, riders will get off in Oakland and then take a connecting bus to their final destination? That is going to be A WHOLE LOT of people transferring at one stop. It might be better to spread out the transfer points along the BRT line.

[I_Like_Spam]

Originally Posted by MountainDewGuy

I am still not sure what the REAL benefit of the BRT is? An "express" bus line from Oakland to downtown does what, exactly? Decrease the travel time by 5 minutes?.

I don't see the point of it.

It would be a better idea to just route North and West Rides through town to terminate in Oakland.

This would cut time for patrons by not requiring them to get off the bus in town and riding straight through.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by MountainDewGuy

Good point. So instead of getting on a 61 or 71 and going directly to your destination from downtown, riders will get off in Oakland and then take a connecting bus to their final destination? That is going to be A WHOLE LOT of people transferring at one stop. It might be better to spread out the transfer points along the BRT line.

I presume that's why they're building the Oakland transfer station. If all the 61s and 71s are going to pull in there to drop people off, who then wait for a downtown express bus, you're going to need a lot of room.

I wonder what will happen with Uptown. I could easily see this actually making Uptown bus service far worse. I guess they could keep one local bus, but it would probably come through much less frequently. And while I could see the BRT having a stop near Mercy/Duquense, I don't think you'd want much more than that in order to keep the trips speedy.

[pman]

Originally Posted by eschaton

I think the idea is that you can eliminate all other lines besides the BRT which travel between Oakland and Downtown. So instead of a bunch of half-full 71's you get jam-packed BRT, which allows you to cut back on the other routes, and eliminate drivers.

riders per labor hour is indeed a very important metric