My dream system - bus/rail

[wrcousert]

I posted this on another board (not transit), and I'd like some feedback.

My system....

Every major street in L.A. and Orange County would have two bus lines (local and express) that would run the entire length of the streets, not stopping at city or county lines.

Local service would have a stop on every block, or every other block. Express service would have a stop every one or two miles.

Both local and express service would run 24 hours a day, as often as every five minutes to 30 minutes, depending on time of day.

Express buses would have the ability to pre-empt traffic signals.

Very large streets (those with four lanes in each direction?) would have the left most lane reserved for express buses, with stations on center islands. Buses would be modified (doors would have to be moved to the left side of the buses).

Basically, we'd have something like a bus version of the Blue Line.

Eventually, these express bus lanes could be upgraded to light rail, perhaps something similar to Portland's street cars.

A system like this could serve the entire L.A. metropolitan area, not just L.A. county. It would probably replace all currently existing bus agencies. Perhaps Metrolink could run it.

If built, most people could get to their destination with no more than one transfer.

Could something like this work?

[nickv]

I posted this on another board (not transit), and I'd like some feedback.

My system....

Every major street in L.A. and Orange County would have two bus lines (local and express) that would run the entire length of the streets, not stopping at city or county lines.

Local service would have a stop on every block, or every other block. Express service would have a stop every one or two miles.

Both local and express service would run 24 hours a day, as often as every five minutes to 30 minutes, depending on time of day.

Express buses would have the ability to pre-empt traffic signals.

Very large streets (those with four lanes in each direction?) would have the left most lane reserved for express buses, with stations on center islands. Buses would be modified (doors would have to be moved to the left side of the buses).

Basically, we'd have something like a bus version of the Blue Line.

Eventually, these express bus lanes could be upgraded to light rail, perhaps something similar to Portland's street cars.

A system like this could serve the entire L.A. metropolitan area, not just L.A. county. It would probably replace all currently existing bus agencies. Perhaps Metrolink could run it.

If built, most people could get to their destination with no more than one transfer.

Could something like this work?

A good idea at first, and some the proposals might work, but we do have some issues here:

1. Bus routes need to connect major activity centers, employment, transit centers & hubs, and medium & high density housing together, even if the route needs to divert from one street to the next. Temecula/Murrieta streets are prime examples; here were my ideas of realigning the local bus routes:

Route 23 ('A' & 'B' routes) & Route 61


Route 23 (southern portion of 'A' route)


Route 24 ('A' Route)


Route 24 ('B' & 'C' interlined route)


Harveston Shuttle:


2. In 2000, OCTA restructured its bus system in a "point-to-point" grid system, which had a negative impact on ridership. Officials were worried in 2001 that the number of individual riders was eroding. OCTA has been altering portions of the point-to-point system so that it incorporate longer direct bus routes between key population centers–a demand that many bus riders have made repeatedly. A classic example is the bus that operates on Alicia Pkwy in Laguna Hills. It was realigned a few years ago when riders complained that it was bypassing the Laguna Hills Transportation Center hub.

3. Good idea for the bus-only lanes, but instead of reserving the left lane, reserve the right lane instead. That will allow the local routes to use the bus lane. With that said, the local bus stops should each have a turnout so that the limited-stop buses can bypass a stopped local bus without having to switch lanes.

4. The local transit agencies actually make up Metrolink; so they cannot be "replaced" by Metrolink; however better transfer agreements can be made which would address any "turf" issues. Another option would be to expand the TAP Card.

5. We're playing with taxpayer money; so the routes must have a strong farebox recovery and acceptable passenger per hour counts. We just cannot run a night owl bus every 30 minutes on a low density corridor like Meadows Pkwy just yet.

[wrcousert]

Why not build a grid system with frequent service, but use small, circular routes similar to L.A.'s Dash system to get people to destinations off the beaten path?

For example.... Before OCTA implemented straight lining, Route 29 made stops at the Huntington Center and Golden West College. Service to those locations could have been restored with a route like this

1. Start at Beach and Edinger.
2. Head East on Edinger
3. Right on Gothard
4. Right on McFadden
5. Right on Beach

[nickv]

Why not build a grid system with frequent service, but use small, circular routes similar to L.A.'s Dash system to get people to destinations off the beaten path?

Actually, the main back-bone transit line of the system (whether it be Regional Rail, HRT, LRT, BRT, or express bus) would connect to the activity centers. A grid system would work in some places, but not everywhere. Take for example Omnitrans bus system. If that system were to be an all-grid system, unnecessary transfers would be added to people's trips. A trip from Downtown Redlands (or even the Loma Linda University and the Arrowhead Regional Medical Centers) to Downtown San Bernardino would turn from a single seat trip into a 2-seat trip.