Excellence in Bus Stop Planning

As I got off my bus this morning at 6th and Market, the rear door of the bus was lined up with this little patch of mud.  As the bus was standing room only, a few riders had to step off of the bus to let others off, so our only choice was to walk through the mud.

Next to the mud patch was a little sign that says to help protect the landscaping and not to walk on it.

What were we supposed to do?  All file out through the front door?  This is a brand new bus stop on the Transit Mall!  Shouldn't the size of a bus and the placement of the doors have been a consideration towards the design of the bus stop?  Would a MAX stop be built with this where the door would be located?

Las Vegas investing in bus service

http://www.metro-magazine.com/News/Story/2012/03/RTC-Southern-Nevada-to-install-150-solar-bus-shelters.aspx

The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) announced its plans to install 150 new solar-powered bus shelters throughout the Las Vegas Valley as part of its federally funded transit amenities program.

(Wait...TriMet claims federal funds can't be used on bus amenities?)

“As a result, these 150 new bus shelters are estimated to save taxpayers about $54,000 a year in energy costs.”

(Whoa, a transit agency using federal funds to improve service AND cut costs????  Haven't I been saying that all along?)

The purchase and installation of the 150 new energy-saving shelters is funded by a $1.8 million formula grant from the Federal Transit  Administration FTA that must be allocated for transit enhancement projects such as transit shelters.

(You mean...there's a specific federal grant program that pays for bus shelters?!!!)

In total, the RTC has approximately 3,500 transit stops valley-wide and 1,500 stops have shelters.

(Let's see...1,500 of 3,500 is... 43% of bus stops have shelters, in a city in the high desert?!!!)

Quality in Bus Stops

A "standard" bus stop in downtown Eugene in front of the Oregon Electric Station restaurant.  Note the artistic "people" that decorate the shelter.  Also note the bus stop sign with schedule information and two seats.

Great Bus Stops of Portland

The sad part is that this isn't even in the automobile-centric suburbs of Beaverton and Lake Oswego - this is right smack in the middle of downtown Portland and the Portland State University campus.  Where are you supposed to board the bus?  If you're in a wheelchair or other mobility device, what are you supposed to do?  Wait in the right lane of 4th Avenue?

TriMet should not be tolerating this.  If this were a MAX stop, there'd be cops and tow trucks here PRONTO.  What is the difference between MAX and a bus?  There should be cops and tow trucks here PRONTO...and the idiot that actually authorized the placement of two parking spaces in front of the shelter should be fired.  This is Portland, for pete's sake!

This is what a MINIMUM bus stop should look like

This is what a bare-bones, MINIMUM TriMet bus stop should look like:  Well-placed sign, wide sidewalk with full pedestrian access in any direction, near a signallized crosswalk, with a signal light, area light and a schedule and map.

Sadly, by TriMet standards this actually ranks as "above-average"...but by major transit and European standards, this bus stop would be ranked "below average" or even "poor".

TriMet would go a long ways to improving customer satisfaction and ridership by spending money (including Stimulus funds that TriMet blew on other garbage) to bring EACH AND EVERY BUS STOP to at least this level.

TriMet's Culture of Safety

The good news is that Night Stop is coming soon.  The bad news is that it wouldn't have helped here, thanks to the great planning by TriMet and the City of Portland that prevented this bus from making a curb stop.  (And the bus stop sign and shelter are next to that blue car, and yes that is a "legal" parking space for the cars right where the bus stop SHOULD be.)

How do I ride a bus at 4th and Hall?

12 and 44 stop blocked by construction.  Absolutely no Rider Alert posted at the stop.  The 12 bus ended up stopping a block and a half short (with no notice); there's no temporary bus stop sign up, nor a "Bus Stop Closed" sign at the designated stop.  Nothing on Twitter, Facebook or http://www.trimet.org/.

Whatever happened to the "culture of safety"?  Oh, that's right.  Just eliminate bus stops.  If the bus can't stop, people can't get on the bus, and they won't ride, so we won't need buses.  "See where it takes you" is taking on a new meaning...

(Waiting for Jason's know-it-all explanation as to why TriMet should unilaterally close off bus stops - WITHOUT WARNING - and deny boarding to would-be riders for no reason...)