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Post by jejozwik on Aug 10, 2008 8:06:06 GMT -8
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Mac
Full Member
Posts: 192
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Post by Mac on Aug 10, 2008 19:56:49 GMT -8
Whose gonna attend?
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Post by jejozwik on Aug 11, 2008 19:36:55 GMT -8
i might be going to the monterey park meeting. that is if work does not get in the way, again...
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Post by hooligan on Nov 13, 2008 23:13:59 GMT -8
Looks like something is going to happen is saw these posted at the artesia transit Center. Looks like its going to be a Busway like i suggested. ;D. i think if it they appropriately market this line and take away the zone charge(except for the express buses) it can see better ridership
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Post by Justin Walker on Nov 13, 2008 23:35:46 GMT -8
Glad to see they posted some info out at some of the stations. This issue is on the Agenda for this month's Metro Operations Committee and Congestion Pricing Committee Meetings: "RECEIVE AND FILE report on service changes under consideration for June 2009 to establish a Bus Rapid Transit service along the Harbor Transitway and El Monte Busway consistent with the Congestion Reduction Demonstration Project (Fastlanes)." View the report here: www.metro.net/board/Items/2008/11_November/20081119AHCPItem18.pdf
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Post by jejozwik on Nov 13, 2008 23:40:00 GMT -8
the bus way was discussed as the increase in service made possible with the toll lanes income.
unless something else has changed this has been part of the idea the whole time
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Post by antonio on Nov 14, 2008 2:50:36 GMT -8
Dr. Alpern and myself have been proposing this for quite some time now. I'm glad to see that the MTA finally realized what makes sense and what doesn't about the Harbor Transitway in particular. Foothill Transit has been a step ahead in utilizing the El Monte Busway with its successful Silver Streak service, which was branded very well. Now that they are treating this as BRT (the key part here is the Rapid R), increased headways and longer buses are in order
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Post by kenalpern on Nov 14, 2008 6:45:31 GMT -8
Antonio is entirely correct. Whether it's a connection of the Silver and Bronze Lines, the Downtown Light Rail Connector, the Run-Through Metrolink project coupled with an opening of the Harbor Subdivision ROW for Metrolink/DMU traffic, we've got to figure out ways to ease the mobility between the western and eastern halves of the county.
In fact, for those able to access it from the Long Beach and El Monte regions, by linking the Bronze and Silver Lines (maybe we'll just combine them and call them one line in the future?) to each other via Union Station and/or Little Tokyo, we've just given better alternatives for express/long distance transit than our current Blue and future Gold Lines.
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Post by metrocenter on Nov 14, 2008 13:18:19 GMT -8
Now if only they could figure out service on the 405 Freeway!
I envision something with stops at 710, 110, 105 and 10 before heading up into the valley.
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Post by wad on Nov 19, 2008 4:42:07 GMT -8
Connecting the two busways doesn't make any sense. There's probably very little through-traffic that a combined line is even needed.
What is needed, though, is a high-frequency service to serve all the Harbor Transitway stations, including the much-neglected Carson Street and Pacific Coast Highway stops. It should be the rapid transit service to San Pedro, something quicker than Line 445.
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Post by JerardWright on Nov 19, 2008 12:54:20 GMT -8
Connecting the two busways doesn't make any sense. There's probably very little through-traffic that a combined line is even needed. It's not so much of the through traffic of bus riders but to reduce the amount of buses that are duplicating the same task. One set of bus routes operate to discharge one set of passengers and another set of bus routes pick up another set of passengers on two different buses on the same corridor. It's easier to run these services through because of the predominately dedicated lanes they will operate on and the fact that at or near the ends of the dedicated transitway stations are much larger bus divisions/layover areas. A side product of that is more reliable local service south of Artesia Transit Center and East of El Monte Station. That would free up a considerable amount of layover space at Union Station which is the current north terminal for most of the Harbor Transitway buses, replace the berth at Gateway plaza for just Rapid Buses and Venice Blvd (under the 10 freeway which is the current south/west terminal for most of the El Monte Transitway routes) for more buses on other routes because these facilities are way over capacity.
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Post by kenalpern on Nov 19, 2008 14:14:32 GMT -8
As I've mentioned before, this has a lot of similarities to the light rail and Metrolink connector issues (a.k.a., the Downtown Connector and the Metrolink Run-Through Project). Not only does it help operational issues to link the two Busways together, but it helps to better serve and attract Downtown to both local and regional commuters.
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Post by Justin Walker on Nov 19, 2008 16:51:51 GMT -8
This single, frequent service would also have a significantly stronger brand identity than the current mess of buses that use the busways, each taking different routes and serving different stops. The current arrangement is nearly completely incomprehensible to the lay commuter.
This service has the same basic rationale as the Silver Streak, which has been quite successful.
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Post by ieko on Nov 19, 2008 18:21:21 GMT -8
I wonder if they'd renumber the 4XX lines if they no longer provider service to downtown?
How about running 444 later if they do this? It'd be nice to have a quick ride after 6:48pm without having to bet on whether or not Torrance Transit will show up.
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Post by wad on Nov 20, 2008 5:28:18 GMT -8
It's not so much of the through traffic of bus riders but to reduce the amount of buses that are duplicating the same task. One set of bus routes operate to discharge one set of passengers and another set of bus routes pick up another set of passengers on two different buses on the same corridor. It's easier to run these services through because of the predominately dedicated lanes they will operate on and the fact that at or near the ends of the dedicated transitway stations are much larger bus divisions/layover areas. A side product of that is more reliable local service south of Artesia Transit Center and East of El Monte Station. I also think an ulterior motive of linking the two busway lines together is to "spread" the ridership figures by taking the relatively robust El Monte Busway ridership and boosting the figures of the dreadful Harbor Transitway ridership. Metro does this ridership gaming routinely, mainly through "trunking". This would be another example of it. I don't disagree that this would mean for more reliable local service. This is what Metro ought to do. The pattern I noticed is that on the 44X lines, the local ridership is actually very good. All the riders seem to scatter at Artesia, leaving the buses running mostly empty along the Freeway. I would actually be for a single Harbor Transitway line, as long as the bus runs to downtown San Pedro and serves the neglected Carson and PCH stops.
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Post by ieko on Nov 20, 2008 6:16:17 GMT -8
I don't agree that ridership is low on 44X lines on the harbor transit way. I ride these routes (mostly 444) through often, and if a 44X line breaks at artesia transit center the next 44X will be 100% full because it has to take two routes worth of passanges. Generally you don't need to stand when using 44X on the harbor transit way, but you certainly don't get to sit by yourself. So I can easily see how one route handling the traffic would be busy.
I've also rode on the first bus going south (got on near caltrans building) and the thing was pact and nearly everyone rode through, I couldn't believe it. I think it was even a weekend but I'm not sure, it was like 4:45am.
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Post by JerardWright on Nov 20, 2008 8:50:53 GMT -8
I don't disagree that this would mean for more reliable local service. This is what Metro ought to do. The pattern I noticed is that on the 44X lines, the local ridership is actually very good. All the riders seem to scatter at Artesia, leaving the buses running mostly empty along the Freeway. Exactly, another pattern that I've noticed that relates to this is that the 450X has shifted a number of those riders from the 444, 445, 446 and 447 during the peak period and relieved some rush-hour crowding along the Blue Line. Before it would be notoriously crowded when it starts at 7th Street Metro Center but now it's only moderately full from the start and gains more riders along the railroad right-of-way, because more seated riders are being recycled with local riders compared to those who were travelling a longer distances to the park-ride lots and as a means of connecting to the Green Line. One solution could be extending the 450X to San Pedro Harbor-Beacon Park Ride or Ports O' Call Village and operate it all day on 30 minute headways to serve as a replacement for the 445 south of Artesia Transit Center.
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Post by wad on Nov 21, 2008 4:59:32 GMT -8
What would happen to Line 550?
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Post by JerardWright on Nov 21, 2008 11:12:21 GMT -8
^ That's a good question. Honestly, I don't know. They could run the 550 down the transitway south of Artesia to get better service frequency but the local Vermont corridor riders wouldn't like that.
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