tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514357.post6477942593291601408..comments2024-02-25T08:16:25.546-08:00Comments on Exurban Nation: A recent converstionRob Dawghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10042154106850545479noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514357.post-66917273127124973392009-03-16T13:04:00.000-07:002009-03-16T13:04:00.000-07:00Buses overall reduce congestion, as they potential...Buses overall reduce congestion, as they potentially remove a LOT of cars; with a well-designed bus line where it's routinely carrying 20+ passengers, that's taking 10 or more cars off the road. Starts/stops are a problem, but the solution is to use a turnout; for most streets in DC, they just eliminate streetside parking in front of the stop, and that's plenty of room for the bus.<BR/><BR/>The real problem with the buses in DC is too many stops. Stops every block or even every half block, which means that during rush hour the accursed bus is stopping. every. single. block. That makes it glacially slow, which is why people take the subway when they can. The solutions is fewer stops; one every two blocks, max. For a bus route to work well, you need few stops so the bus can keep moving.<BR/><BR/>Ideal is a commuter line which goes from a very small number of stops into the downtown. I used to ride one that stopped exactly once between where I got on (within walking distance of my home) and downtown where I worked. It was nearly as fast as a car commute but without the headache of having to drive. I'm fine with keeping a regular schedule, so for me it was ideal.Peripheral Visionaryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02489447120517274000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514357.post-75953281828390165822009-03-14T19:01:00.000-07:002009-03-14T19:01:00.000-07:00Mike Munger has a good podcast on the old privatiz...Mike Munger has a good <A HREF="http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2008/07/munger_on_the_p.html" REL="nofollow">podcast</A> on the old privatized bus system in Santiago Chile vs the new public one.TGGPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11017651009634767649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514357.post-74893982189150742792009-03-14T05:49:00.000-07:002009-03-14T05:49:00.000-07:00My impression as well. The birkenstockers of Port...My impression as well. The birkenstockers of Portland need to get their hands dirty.Rob Dawghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10042154106850545479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514357.post-6413160298377425842009-03-14T04:46:00.000-07:002009-03-14T04:46:00.000-07:00I lived in PDX for awhile. Nice city but it's fail...I lived in PDX for awhile. Nice city but it's failed to understand economic realities.<BR/>That might be the reason why there are so few successful, vibrant, employment in hi-tech. If Intel were to close those fabs in Hillsboro, you can stick a fork into PDX.<BR/>Too bad the fanatic green folks don't understand that you have to eat and pay the bills in order to enjoy life and do good for the environment.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01306310091546772054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514357.post-18652805197794646232009-03-14T01:51:00.000-07:002009-03-14T01:51:00.000-07:00NatGas is only slightly better because of fewer pa...NatGas is only slightly better because of fewer particulates. Otherwise the same to slightly worse.Rob Dawghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10042154106850545479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514357.post-991468392696650262009-03-13T18:47:00.000-07:002009-03-13T18:47:00.000-07:00Run the buses on natural gas instead of diesel lik...Run the buses on natural gas instead of diesel like DC does to improve urban air quality.Bill in NChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13183010395531193508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514357.post-30366907636422670682009-03-13T18:18:00.000-07:002009-03-13T18:18:00.000-07:00Thanks. I've been waiting for this.Thanks. I've been waiting for this.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16916296516631621667noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514357.post-50860811362235135102009-03-13T16:38:00.000-07:002009-03-13T16:38:00.000-07:00SM,This was a CR live link last night. I lost a b...SM,<BR/>This was a CR live link last night. I lost a bit more that was as interesting. I've just finished updating the links.Rob Dawghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10042154106850545479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7514357.post-91172402308654046902009-03-13T16:00:00.000-07:002009-03-13T16:00:00.000-07:00Am I the FIRST to ask if that was an IRC chat or a...Am I the FIRST to ask if that was an IRC chat or an blog thread or?<BR/><BR/>My problem with buses is the traffic congestion that they cause. If a street has buses running on it, the right lane loses a lot of its carrying capacity due to frequent stops and restarts randomizing traffic, painful turns, blocked traffic during stops, gridlocked intersections with buses trapped in them, etc.<BR/><BR/>If you want to run buses on a street, you really need to add turnouts at every bus stop as a minimum. The busway in San Fernando Valley seems to be working out OK, except for the excess traffic accidents and high costs.sm_landlordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05240427561510825980noreply@blogger.com