February 16, 2011 – More Bus Stops than Starbucks Coffee Shops

Have you ever ridden a bus and felt like you were going nowhere because the bus was stopping every 100 feet or so to pick up or drop off a passenger?  I have personally had to restrain myself from screaming at a fellow passenger when he requested a stop one block past where the bus had just stopped.  A male in his twenties wearing jeans and sneakers no less.  He could have walked that block faster than the time it took the bus to get there.  Even if you are not often a bus rider, if you live in or near a city surely you have experienced getting trapped behind a bus.  Sometimes, due to traffic or a narrow street, there is just no getting around that bus.  That means you are stuck waiting at every stop; each of which may only be spaced a block or two apart.  I’m all for mass transit but let’s be reasonable.  It’s alright to make passengers walk a little ways to get to a stop.  With less overall stops the buses should run faster and be more reliably on time so it should work out to the benefit of everyone if we spaced stops just a bit farther apart and eliminated some of the excess.

The average city block is about 1/8 of a mile or 660 feet.  Based on this I feel that bus stops should at the VERY LEAST be two full blocks apart.  That could mean walking up to a quarter mile for a stop but I think that is more than reasonable, for local buses anyway.  Commuter and express buses should have stops spaced even farther apart.  The point of those buses is to get you to your destination faster so in those cases a little more walking for a more direct trip is expected.

Bus stops must be spaced at least 1350 feet apart for local buses and 2650 feet apart for express or commuter buses.

With less bus stops overall, it should also be easier to make the remaining stops nicer.  I expect to see shelters with benches, not just a pole with a sign. 

So pack a pair of comfortable shoes in your work bag.  You may need to do a little more walking to catch the bus, but the ride for mass-transit commuters and individual drivers alike should improve greatly.

As always I remain your all-powerful and benevolent Queen of the World,

Marisa