More On Chicago Bus-Only Lanes
by Lewis DerkinsMay 14th, 2008, 2:18 pm
Chicago recently received $153.1 million in federal funds to reduce traffic congestion. How will they spend it? On Bus Rapid Transit, which will have dedicate bus lanes and outfit buses with special devices that allow them to signal traffic lights and extend them.
The city is also going to use the funds to increase parking prices downtown. Why it costs money to raise prices is unclear – you already pay meter maids to run around and check the meters – have them take the extra time to change the meter amounts.
In general, I support Chicago’s efforts to reduce congestion to benefit their commuters, but why should bus riders be given preference over everyone else? People tend to avoid the bus because it is inconvenient, and this solution doesn’t really change that.
Chicago isn’t talking about expanding its routes, extending its hours, or putting more buses on the road during these times. They’re talking about building lanes that only the buses can drive in, and pricing schemes that encourage more people to take the existing buses.
The specifics of the BRT plan include fewer bus stops, dedicated bus lanes, next-bus arrival information at bus stops, and quick rear door and prepaid boarding.
So, if I don’t live close to the bus now, how exactly will it help me that now there are buses that stop at fewer stops, drive in their own lanes and don’t have to stop at traffic signals as often?
It doesn’t. Waste of money.
Arrival information at bus stops? You clowns don’t already have that? That’s probably another reason that the people who currently drive don’t take the bus – they have no idea when the thing shows up and no ability to plan.
Another fallacy about this program is that it assumes that this will entice anyone who currently doesn’t use the bus to suddenly hop aboard when you change one aspect of the commute. I don’t ride the bus because it isn’t convenient. If I want to go to a store, I have to carry all of my crap; I can’t remember that I have a side errand to run and make a quick trip to do it; I can’t leave the office to go to a quick meeting across town. Buses don’t do these things well, so I don’t ride them. This program assumes that the key aspect is speed, which for some it may be, but for many it is not.
Regardless, you’re also encouraging more people to ride a system that already has a million users per day, and we’re actually cutting back on service. Less stops = less opportunities to pick up riders. This means that in order to benefit, I probably have to ride a regular bus to a transfer stop and wait for another fast bus, so this probably eliminates the entire benefit of the speedy service. And buses extending stop lights probably isn’t going to do wonders for congestion on the rest of the roads.
This is dumb. Build the extra lanes and allow everyone to use them, not just buses. Synchronize the traffic lights to eliminate the stop and go effect. Revise your intersections and on/off ramps to cause less delay and actually handle the volume of traffic that goes through them.
But don’t take my tax dollars and reward someone who’s willing to participate in some social experiment. All taxpayers should have the benefit of the federal funds that they paid into – not just the bus riders, and the nanny state doesn’t need to tell us how to commute to work.
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Posted in Bus-Only Lanes, Buses, Congestion Pricing, Spending, Traffic Congestion |
