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Line Numbering: Geek Fetish or Crucial Messaging?

Posted on May 3, 2010 in Basics, Las Vegas, Philosophy, San Francisco

Commenter Mike recently laid out a nice explanation of the line numbering system in Aachen, Germany, and then asked, fatefully:

How do professionals assign line numbers?

The answer is:  Much as geeky amateurs do, when drawing imaginary networks.  It’s a process of (1) imagining beautiful systems of order, and (2) willing them in to being.  Unfortunately, real-world professionals have to proceed through the additional steps of (3) clashing with proponents of competing systems, (4) enduring the derision and sabotage of anarchists, and finally (5) resigning to a messy outcome where only traces of beauty remain, visible “between the lines” so to speak, for those still capable of enchantment. Continue Reading →

The Power and Pleasure of Grids

Posted on February 23, 2010 in Basics, Frequent Networks, Los Angeles, Paris, Philosophy, San Francisco, Sydney, Urban Structure

Why do transit planners love grids?  Now and then you’ll even hear one muttering about “grid integrity” or “completing the grid.”  What are they talking about?

Suppose you’re designing an ideal transit system for a fairly dense city where there are many activity centers, not just one big downtown.  In fact, you don’t want to give preferential treatment to any point in the city.  Instead, you want people to be able to travel from literally anywhere to anywhere else by a reasonably direct path, at a high frequency.  Everybody would really like a frequent service from their home to everywhere they ever go, which is pretty much what a private car is.  But money isn’t infinite, so the system has to deliver its outcome efficiently, with the minimum possible cost per rider. What would such a system look like? Continue Reading →

San Francisco: “The Fuse Has Been Lit”

Posted on January 16, 2010 in Cuts, Fares, Frequent Networks, Mobility, San Francisco, Streetcars (Trams)

Updated Jan 16

The next round of San Francisco service cuts have been announced, or as commenter Ted King puts it, “the fuse has been lit.”  For local coverage see the SF Chronicle and Streetsblog SF.

Here are some of the most interesting points from the budget summary (via Streetsblog, not the Chronicle):

Although the budget hole to be closed is $16.9m, the service cuts are only $4.8m.  That’s impressive.  They achieve so much non-service savings by a whole pile of cuts to other things, designed to have wide but manageable impacts.  Labor takes a ping: not just 0.7m in “concessions,” but also charges for parking at the workplace.  (Since a huge share of the drivers report to work around 4:30 in the morning, many don’t have good transit options.) Continue Reading →

San Francisco: Those Service Cuts Were Fun! Let’s (not) Do It Again!

Posted on January 8, 2010 in Cuts, Philosophy, San Francisco

In posts here and here (with leftovers here), I praised the way San Francisco MTA crafted the budget-driven service cuts that went into effect last month. By deleting whole lines and line segments that had alternative services nearby, they managed to reduce service without reducing many people’s abundant access. So the implementation went fairly well.

Unfortunately, it looks like more cuts will be needed in 2010, made worse by Governor Schwarzenegger’s raids on state transit funding. So it’s understandable but distressing to hear the MTA Board’s conversation going along these lines: Continue Reading →

Doggie-bags from Overtaxed Restaurant Analogy

Posted on December 10, 2009 in San Francisco

26-36In the last post, commenting briefly on how some San Franciscans were lamenting the deletion of the uncrowded and redundant bus line 26-Valencia, I compared the 26 to a restaurant ….

Yes, we all like to ride uncrowded buses.  I really enjoy dining in uncrowded restaurants too.  And yet the odd thing is, however much I patronize my favorite uncrowded restaurants, they seem to go out of
business sooner than the crowded ones do.  I wonder why that is.

As always, the danger of fast posting is that you end up with comments that are much smarter than the post.  Commenter Spyone, for example, explained some of the economics of the restaurant business. Continue Reading →

San Francisco: Loss of Empty Buses Mourned

Posted on December 8, 2009 in Cuts, San Francisco

26-36Streetsblog San Francisco reports on the first day of the most substantial bus network changes in 30 years, including the first Monday without the 26-Valencia bus line, which was finally abolished after a century of semi-redundant operations.

As I explained here, the 26 ran infrequently along Valencia Street, just one block west of very frequent services on Mission Street, so it’s long been the case that if you don’t see a 26 coming, it’s usually faster to walk to Mission than wait for the next 26. Continue Reading →

San Francisco: Sometimes Cuts Are an Improvement

Posted on November 6, 2009 in Cuts, Frequent Networks, San Francisco

Most North American transit agencies are cutting service this year, but there’s a huge difference in how they’re doing it.  My last post discussed the painful cuts happening at Tri-Met in Portland.  Here’s better news out of San Francisco, where service is being trimmed and shaped not just to save money, but to create a simpler, more frequent, and arguably fairer network.  The changes are informed by a long study and outreach effort called the Transit Effectiveness Project, which is finally bearing some fruit in this year’s harsh desert of funding. Continue Reading →

San Francisco: The Paper Clip Snaps

Posted on November 2, 2009 in 2-Keepers, San Francisco

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The Bay Bridge connecting San Francisco with Oakland (and most of the continent) has been closed for several days.  SF Chronicle :

The bridge was shut down Tuesday evening. High winds and heavy
traffic loosened a pair of tie-rods and a steel bracket that was
installed Labor Day weekend to take pressure off a fracture discovered
in a structural beam – an eyebar – on the eastern span.

The 5,000-pound assembly crashed onto the upper deck, totaling three cars during the evening commute. Continue Reading →

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