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It's rarer to actually see one of those placards with a proper schedule card in them.
Sad waste of money...this was actually a GOOD thing that TriMet started to put schedule info at every stop, but like all things involving the bus system, got sacked because it was "too expensive" - yet TriMet insists on putting multiple signs at each MAX station when all they need is ONE small sign that says "Trains arrive every XX minutes between the hours of X:XX and X:XX."
Would you prefer that they cut service so they can pay to print precise schedules and have people go out and post them every time the schedule changes? Or would you prefer that many bus stops get removed so they can spend more money per stop?
And I've seen MAX pylons that use the "Trains arrive every XX minutes between the hours of X:XX and X:XX." format.
when all they need is ONE small sign that says "Trains arrive every XX minutes between the hours of X:XX and X:XX."
Disagree. If you're taking a train because you need to make a bus connection, those signs are useless, and I hate the platforms that only have those signs. If I know I need to get to, say, Willow Creek by 4:53pm, I want to know when the next train where I'm waiting is due and what time it's going to get me to Willow Creek. Those "every 20 minute" signs are useless in that regard.
And honestly I don't think it's too much to ask that those stops have stop IDs printed on them.. if I'm going to be super-ambitious, schedules with the times of the nearest timepoint would be pretty nice.
Up here in Metroland, we have schedules posted at most stops, using the last timepoint found on a schedule.
Jason, they wouldn't need to cut service, if a person can walk up and decide if they should wait for a bus vs. just walk, thats a saved rider, the schedules also help prevent frustration, especially if the person does not know the frequency or arrival times. Its not really that much money to print them, cut 5% of schedule printing.
And J, I have to disagree with you, if you walking up to a MAX stop at 4pm, and want to get to Willow Creek by 4:53pm, then your poor planning will lead to your problem. If you need to be someplace by a certain time, you should be checking online, or calling customer service in advance to find out what time you need to be at the MAX stop youd be researching at. If you just a casual traveler, the above mention signage works fine =)
if you walking up to a MAX stop at 4pm, and want to get to Willow Creek by 4:53pm, then your poor planning will lead to your problem
I disagree that that's poor planning (for the record, since I often want to connect to a bus at Willow Creek, I can more or less guess how long it will take me to get there from any MAX stop if I know when the next train is coming in).
But a common scenario for me is to need to be doing assorted errands downtown (classes, dr appointments, etc). However, I live on the west side, and the time that I'm done downtown is often variable. Generally speaking I know there are 4 MAX stops where I can connect to one of two buses on the west side that will get me close to home. I carry schedules for those buses with me - the printed Red/Blue MAX schedule, last I checked, just shows that "every 15 minutes between these hours" chart so that's not helpful.
What I want to be able to do is figure out which stop to get off the MAX that will get me home fastest (since I'm dealing with two infrequently running buses), so I like stops that show me the full Blue/Red timetable. That way I can see when the next train is due where I am, and what time it will be due at those 4 stops on the west side so I know which one to get off at for the shortest wait for my bus.
Still sounds like to me with a little advance planning, you could make yourself a cheat sheet, like a consolidated schedule of your stops and your routes, i used to do this for when I got off work late (after my scheduled time) so i knew what combo of trains/buses to catch by easily looking at the sheet. Just an idea. Also dont forget TriMet added trip planner to the text version of their mobile website if you are so equipped. =)
Would you prefer that they cut service so they can pay to print precise schedules and have people go out and post them every time the schedule changes?
It's ironic that you accuse me of how I make my arguments when you make completely false arguments like choosing between posting schedules at bus stops versus service.
After all, TriMet easily has the money to post - AND UPDATE - the exact same schedules at MAX stops - which are much larger schedule signs (read: larger printing and maintenance costs); plus there are more signs at a MAX stop to maintain.
TriMet spends money to clean each bus shelter; why cannot those contract crews take the whopping ONE MINUTE to post a new schedule?
Why cannot TriMet spent the $.50 in printing costs to print the schedules? Surely it will not break the bank to buy a LaserJet 5000, a toner cartridge and some 11x17 card stock to print these schedules three or four times a year. Let's see, 8,000 bus stops, you can print three schedules per 11x17 piece of paper, so that's 2,667 printings at 50 cents each, or $1300. Equating that to hours of bus service, that would eliminate about 14 hours of bus service for each quarter - that's one bus, for one day, every four months. Hardly worthy of "cutting bus service".
If you want to accuse me of my arguments, then you need to stop doing exactly the same. It is hardly a substantial cost yet it has huge benefits in attracting ridership by letting riders know when their bus will show up. Just like every MAX stop has the schedules...if it's too expensive for bus, then it must be too expensive for rail too, and think of all the cost savings by eliminating that expense for MAX by replacing it with a simple schedule.
Disagree. If you're taking a train because you need to make a bus connection, those signs are useless
They're more useful than schedule signs that have NO information on them, aren't they?
AND UPDATE - the exact same schedules at MAX stops
I thought they were moving to schedules that didn't need to be updated? And do MAX schedules change that often, seeing that it's not affected by traffic or construction projects?
the whopping ONE MINUTE to post a new schedule
I think it takes a little more than that to pick out the correct schedule poster, unlock the display, remove the old one, post the new one, close the display, etc. Have they considered adding schedule replacement to the cleaning contract? I don't know.
I don't know what's their reason for cutting back on on-street schedules, whether its the cost of design/printing, installation, maintenance (e.g. due to vandalism) or other things. But, if you would draft an e-mail, I know there's someone who might know that could be contacted.
letting riders know when their bus will show up
Schedules don't really do that. But Transit Tracker does.
8 comments:
It's rarer to actually see one of those placards with a proper schedule card in them.
Sad waste of money...this was actually a GOOD thing that TriMet started to put schedule info at every stop, but like all things involving the bus system, got sacked because it was "too expensive" - yet TriMet insists on putting multiple signs at each MAX station when all they need is ONE small sign that says "Trains arrive every XX minutes between the hours of X:XX and X:XX."
Would you prefer that they cut service so they can pay to print precise schedules and have people go out and post them every time the schedule changes? Or would you prefer that many bus stops get removed so they can spend more money per stop?
And I've seen MAX pylons that use the "Trains arrive every XX minutes between the hours of X:XX and X:XX." format.
when all they need is ONE small sign that says "Trains arrive every XX minutes between the hours of X:XX and X:XX."
Disagree. If you're taking a train because you need to make a bus connection, those signs are useless, and I hate the platforms that only have those signs. If I know I need to get to, say, Willow Creek by 4:53pm, I want to know when the next train where I'm waiting is due and what time it's going to get me to Willow Creek. Those "every 20 minute" signs are useless in that regard.
And honestly I don't think it's too much to ask that those stops have stop IDs printed on them.. if I'm going to be super-ambitious, schedules with the times of the nearest timepoint would be pretty nice.
Up here in Metroland, we have schedules posted at most stops, using the last timepoint found on a schedule.
Jason, they wouldn't need to cut service, if a person can walk up and decide if they should wait for a bus vs. just walk, thats a saved rider, the schedules also help prevent frustration, especially if the person does not know the frequency or arrival times. Its not really that much money to print them, cut 5% of schedule printing.
And J, I have to disagree with you, if you walking up to a MAX stop at 4pm, and want to get to Willow Creek by 4:53pm, then your poor planning will lead to your problem. If you need to be someplace by a certain time, you should be checking online, or calling customer service in advance to find out what time you need to be at the MAX stop youd be researching at. If you just a casual traveler, the above mention signage works fine =)
if you walking up to a MAX stop at 4pm, and want to get to Willow Creek by 4:53pm, then your poor planning will lead to your problem
I disagree that that's poor planning (for the record, since I often want to connect to a bus at Willow Creek, I can more or less guess how long it will take me to get there from any MAX stop if I know when the next train is coming in).
But a common scenario for me is to need to be doing assorted errands downtown (classes, dr appointments, etc). However, I live on the west side, and the time that I'm done downtown is often variable. Generally speaking I know there are 4 MAX stops where I can connect to one of two buses on the west side that will get me close to home. I carry schedules for those buses with me - the printed Red/Blue MAX schedule, last I checked, just shows that "every 15 minutes between these hours" chart so that's not helpful.
What I want to be able to do is figure out which stop to get off the MAX that will get me home fastest (since I'm dealing with two infrequently running buses), so I like stops that show me the full Blue/Red timetable. That way I can see when the next train is due where I am, and what time it will be due at those 4 stops on the west side so I know which one to get off at for the shortest wait for my bus.
Still sounds like to me with a little advance planning, you could make yourself a cheat sheet, like a consolidated schedule of your stops and your routes, i used to do this for when I got off work late (after my scheduled time) so i knew what combo of trains/buses to catch by easily looking at the sheet. Just an idea. Also dont forget TriMet added trip planner to the text version of their mobile website if you are so equipped. =)
Would you prefer that they cut service so they can pay to print precise schedules and have people go out and post them every time the schedule changes?
It's ironic that you accuse me of how I make my arguments when you make completely false arguments like choosing between posting schedules at bus stops versus service.
After all, TriMet easily has the money to post - AND UPDATE - the exact same schedules at MAX stops - which are much larger schedule signs (read: larger printing and maintenance costs); plus there are more signs at a MAX stop to maintain.
TriMet spends money to clean each bus shelter; why cannot those contract crews take the whopping ONE MINUTE to post a new schedule?
Why cannot TriMet spent the $.50 in printing costs to print the schedules? Surely it will not break the bank to buy a LaserJet 5000, a toner cartridge and some 11x17 card stock to print these schedules three or four times a year. Let's see, 8,000 bus stops, you can print three schedules per 11x17 piece of paper, so that's 2,667 printings at 50 cents each, or $1300. Equating that to hours of bus service, that would eliminate about 14 hours of bus service for each quarter - that's one bus, for one day, every four months. Hardly worthy of "cutting bus service".
If you want to accuse me of my arguments, then you need to stop doing exactly the same. It is hardly a substantial cost yet it has huge benefits in attracting ridership by letting riders know when their bus will show up. Just like every MAX stop has the schedules...if it's too expensive for bus, then it must be too expensive for rail too, and think of all the cost savings by eliminating that expense for MAX by replacing it with a simple schedule.
Disagree. If you're taking a train because you need to make a bus connection, those signs are useless
They're more useful than schedule signs that have NO information on them, aren't they?
AND UPDATE - the exact same schedules at MAX stops
I thought they were moving to schedules that didn't need to be updated? And do MAX schedules change that often, seeing that it's not affected by traffic or construction projects?
the whopping ONE MINUTE to post a new schedule
I think it takes a little more than that to pick out the correct schedule poster, unlock the display, remove the old one, post the new one, close the display, etc. Have they considered adding schedule replacement to the cleaning contract? I don't know.
I don't know what's their reason for cutting back on on-street schedules, whether its the cost of design/printing, installation, maintenance (e.g. due to vandalism) or other things. But, if you would draft an e-mail, I know there's someone who might know that could be contacted.
letting riders know when their bus will show up
Schedules don't really do that. But Transit Tracker does.
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