Spring Pick 2016

[Busjack]

17 minutes ago, Pace831 said:

On the streetcar point, you also have to figure that the construction cost would be much higher than BRT, and I doubt anyone would be convinced the project is enough of a priority to justify spending that much.

I'm not going to go back to the research on that, but the cost of the LRT was maybe 15-20 times of the BRT; the numbers were in the documentation. There would be the problem, either way that the line would be disrupted if traffic were allowed to make left turns (the left turn ban for 16 miles, with few exceptions is what generated all the neighborhood opposition), and,. like in the 1910s-1940s, if there were an obstruction on the tracks, the streetcar would be stuck, instead of a bus that could go around.

Also, since the BRT would not have been funded out of the 5309 program, they were talking about the core capacity program, but the planners said the first priority for that money was the RPM.

I don't know if an electric bus could handle that heavy of a route, but if someone is that worried about the pollution factor, that theoretically could take care of it. Note also, that despite any limitations at 74th Garage,* nobody is proposing putting  articulated buses on Ashland.

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*And I am assuming that Fisk Garage was a joke that died with the Ashland BRT.

[jajuan]

On 6/4/2017 at 8:46 AM, Pace831 said:

The "ridership went up by 5000%" is because the X9 didn't start service until November 2015. Before that, most were riding the local 9. To make any sort of comparison you would have to add the numbers for 9 and X9, which show total ridership on Ashland went down in 2016.

On the streetcar point, you also have to figure that the construction cost would be much higher than BRT, and I doubt anyone would be convinced the project is enough of a priority to justify spending that much. The BRT project seems dead for now, which shows the support needed isn't there. I don't ride the route, so someone else will have to say whether crowding is an issue, but 60' buses should be able to provide almost as much capacity as streetcars.

Well first, the X9 was restored December of 2015, not November. And as someone who has ridden the bus on Ashland both before and after the restoration of the X9, I can say articulated buses were never really a justifiable option despite Ridership Report numbers because many of the riders don't take extended rides. Many of them are taking short jots to the east-west bus route of choice. Also Ashland buses before and after the X9 restoration have also tended to operate on a small enough headway that the high number of riders were adequately spread among the 40 foot buses that operate service on Ashland. One thing that the return of the X express service did on Ashland, and on Western for that matter, is help further spread ridership out that artics are less needed now than when all bus service on both corridors was local service. One final thought, I think some of us are forgetting the impact the rebuild of the Red Line along the Dan Ryan had on bus service. Bus service across the south side was beefed up on existing routes along with the R routes being instituted. When the Red Line's southern end was reopened, that extra service was pulled back. So as one would logically expect, that along with riders going back to the Red Line would at least be part of the reason bus service saw a decline between 2015 and 2016. 

[Pace831]

9 hours ago, jajuan said:

Well first, the X9 was restored December of 2015, not November. And as someone who has ridden the bus on Ashland both before and after the restoration of the X9, I can say articulated buses were never really a justifiable option despite Ridership Report numbers because many of the riders don't take extended rides. Many of them are taking short jots to the east-west bus route of choice. Also Ashland buses before and after the X9 restoration have also tended to operate on a small enough headway that the high number of riders were adequately spread among the 40 foot buses that operate service on Ashland. One thing that the return of the X express service did on Ashland, and on Western for that matter, is help further spread ridership out that artics are less needed now than when all bus service on both corridors was local service. One final thought, I think some of us are forgetting the impact the rebuild of the Red Line along the Dan Ryan had on bus service. Bus service across the south side was beefed up on existing routes along with the R routes being instituted. When the Red Line's southern end was reopened, that extra service was pulled back. So as one would logically expect, that along with riders going back to the Red Line would at least be part of the reason bus service saw a decline between 2015 and 2016. 

Yes, you are correct that it was December. At any rate, close to the end of the year. And I agree with you that the route is better served by 40' buses. I only mentioned articulated buses as a hypothetical alternative to the hypothetical streetcar.

[Busjack]

The 39 Pershing weekend experiment was extended another 6 months (Press Release)

[sht6131]

Do not know if this was always effective but I noticed on the  8 Halsted schedule that the last three nb busses have no  return trip. Do they deadhead to the Kennedy/Dan Ryan back to 77th?

Did I read the schedule right?

[andrethebusman]

Actually Halsted-Belmont-LSD-Stevenson-Ryan-79th

[sht6131]

Thanks Andre, Does the 4 am`s route the same?

It would seem more practical from a time and mileage standpoint that these runs be NP.

[wordguy]

17 hours ago, sht6131 said:

Thanks Andre, Does the 4 am`s route the same?

It would seem more practical from a time and mileage standpoint that these runs be NP.

It would, except that NP doesn't have the room; nor is there any real estate available on the North Side for a new bus barn.

The only possibility might be building a multi-level facility at 901 W. Division, currently the CTA's supply distribution center.

[sht6131]

I meant only the last three runs and the first four an runs.

[andrethebusman]

23 hours ago, sht6131 said:

Thanks Andre, Does the 4 am`s route the same?

It would seem more practical from a time and mileage standpoint that these runs be NP.

Pullouts same in AM

[wordguy]

Actually, the barn runs from Halsted & Waveland to 77th begin in the early evening. I don't know how many runs make that long deadhead, but it seems as if there are quite a few throughout the evening. I'm not familiar with the pullouts.