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PAAC Transit Development Plan: System Design Concepts (http://tdp.portauthority.org/paac/SystemDesignConcepts/tabid/493/Default.aspx - broken link)
1.) Can't someone tech PAT how to put together a SYSTEM MAP for godsakes.
2.) Seems like Option 1 - Better Redial Service would be less a shock to the riding public...Keep the numbering convention people are used to and looks like routes are better connected...
3.) Look like they plan to have faster service between Bloomfield L'ville and Oakland with another Crosstown route the 3U.....That's good because sometimes it felt like it took the 54C FOREVER to get to Oakland.
4.) 86A will bring alot of people to Bloomfield living...And its no longer going to homewood and Penn Hills, but will be more like a crosstown route from Bloomfield to Shadyside to Sq Hill and the Waterfront (incorporating the 64A)
5.) alot of Transfering will be going on....I dont have a problem with Transfering but the service needs to be frequent on both Routes....Going from once an hr bus to every 50 min bus...is not ideal.
It appears as if they added a bus that goes directly from Route 8 into Oakland. That would be great. People shouldn't need to take a bus all the way into downtown and transfer to get to Oakland. I've been recommending it for years. There is an express that takes Washington Blvd and there is another that takes the 40th Street Bridge. Both routes will be welcome to people who live in the North Hills. It's just a shame that they only have the pickups in Sharpsburg and Etna. People living in the suburbs of the North Hills would like a direct route to Oakland too.
The only reason they changed and added the routes connecting Bloomfield and Oakland is because of Children's Hospital. I wish they would realize that there are many cross-town and cross-county and cross-region routes that people would use all the time if they were available.
Yikes. It looks like they eliminated the Mt. Royal going to Ross Park. There's now a cross region bus. It appears as if you need to get off and transfer to get to the mall now. I'm glad I drive a car. It's a shame they can't come up with anything that inspires people to ride the bus. It would be better for the environment, but I'm not spending an entire afternoon trying to get from Point A to Point B when I can drive in 10 minutes.
I agree that the map is very hard to read. This is by no means a final anything. This is the consultant's report with RECOMMENDATIONS on what the proposed systems MIGHT look like. This is a first step. But I think they're on the right track with more direct service to Oakland and transfer hubs at busway stations. And I like the idea of bus lanes in more streets to speed bus traffic. They will still have to go through a series of public hearings before anything is finalized. So this is your chance: if you have an opinion, e-mail them or go to the hearing and make your opinion known. They listen to input like this.
Second, I find it impossible to evaluate the two radial options without knowing the planned schedules on the routes. For example, the "better radial" option retains the 63B, which my wife uses and is very convenient, and if I understood the consultant's analysis of the 63B correctly, they would probably plan to increase evening service, which would be nice. The "better radial plus" option eliminates the 63B and replaces it with a feeder to the East Busway at Wilkinsburg Station. That could be bad for us, but it also could be great if the frequency of this feeder were much higher during peak and it operated outside peak, which the 63B no longer does.
So I really don't know what to say. And I am assuming that is true of many people facing this sort of tradeoff.
Second, I find it impossible to evaluate the two radial options without knowing the planned schedules on the routes. For example, the "better radial" option retains the 63B, which my wife uses and is very convenient, and if I understood the consultant's analysis of the 63B correctly, they would probably plan to increase evening service, which would be nice. The "better radial plus" option eliminates the 63B and replaces it with a feeder to the East Busway at Wilkinsburg Station. That could be bad for us, but it also could be great if the frequency of this feeder were much higher during peak and it operated outside peak, which the 63B no longer does.
So I really don't know what to say. And I am assuming that is true of many people facing this sort of tradeoff.
I totally agree that it is hard to evaluate the radial options in this view. PAT needs to be a bit more detailed in the routes. I mean what is my local bus service goling to be like on off hours? Will it go into town, or will it stop in Wilkinsburg and I will have to hop on an EBA still? The map does not give details on each route. On the other hand, I don't think PAT even knows the details of every route either.
I totally agree that it is hard to evaluate the radial options in this view. PAT needs to be a bit more detailed in the routes. I mean what is my local bus service goling to be like on off hours? Will it go into town, or will it stop in Wilkinsburg and I will have to hop on an EBA still? The map does not give details on each route. On the other hand, I don't think PAT even knows the details of every route either.
The main problem with PAT (at least for me) is that when transferring, either one of the following situations happens:
1. Bus A is late and you miss the Bus B connection
2. Bus A is on-time and you miss the Bus B connection because it's extremely early
3. Bus A is extremely early and Bus B is extremely late so you wait a long time
4. Bus A is on time & Bus B is on time and everybody is happy
Anybody who has taken a bus downtown to transfer to another route knows what I'm talking about, especially after 7-8pm. I have no problem with transferring, but PAT better make sure that they actually police drivers who cannot stick to a schedule.
The new proposals all mention consistent headways and buses that come on the dial (:00, :10 instead of :02, :13, etc) so that should mean if I'm transferring from a bus that gets to a point at :05, there should be no reason that I'm missing the :10 bus at the same spot like what happens now.
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