Streetsblog: don’t forget stop consolidation
Wonder why your bus still stops on every block, even though budgets are being cut to the bone? According to SF Streetsblog, MTA stop consolidation (which would speed up service and was proposed in the SFTEP, and which we have supported for years) has been put on the back burner due to the recent budget cuts. If you comment on the proposal at the upcoming MTA Board meeting, make sure to mention this zero-cost way to speed up service.
Well, not ALL of we. Stop consolidation is a false solution to the real problems. First, in dense ‘hoods, the Mission, Tenderloin for instance, the actual rider counts boarding/alighting at closely spaced stops are high. Second, improving the throughput for the longer distance rider is more easily accomplished by running Expresses/Limiteds making only the major stops. This is clearly demonstrated all across the transit industry whether rail or rubber tire. On another blog someone cites two stops within a single block–each one is immediately adjacent a transfer point for a transverse route!
There are some lines or some parts of lines where consolidation makes sense. More extensive use of Expresses and Limited’s also makes sense. Make Muni faster and it will attract more who might otherwise use a car. I also think Muni should charge a premium fare for Express and Limited’s.
surcharging Exp/LTD service is not only inequitable, its uneconomic. Exp/Ltd buses will move riders faster thus costing less driver wage time. We want to encourage riders to use them.