Coming Soon: Prepaid Boarding at Belmont/Blue WB only

[jajuan]

8 hours ago, andrethebusman said:

CTA has taken to using its own odd time designations for owl buses. After 2400 it keeps going up, 2500, 2600, 2700,2800 until last owls finish about 2900 (7am). I gather this is due to the needs of the payroll program that need to have numbers go up and could not understand 2000 to 0600 as 8 continuous hours.

So we got goofy time designations with CTA because of the flawed structure of the software used by its payroll department. Interesting. It seems rather silly that they have a payroll software program in which the uptick in the date at the transition from 2359 to 0000 (i.e. next minute after 2359 on June 23 is 0000 on June 24) is not recognizable as an increase in time to count out personnel work time. And I take it you were accounting for operator meal and break times in CTA counting the 10 hour period between 2000 to 0600 as 8 continuous hours and thus meant 8 continuous paid hours in your post. 

[Busjack]

1 hour ago, jajuan said:

So we got goofy time designations with CTA because of the flawed structure of the software used by its payroll department.

It could be the software, but it definitely goes back to streetcar days that the day starts/ends at 4 a.m. For instance, owl transfers were (from the CSL ones in Lind's book thru the 1974 style) punched ND (next day).

Obviously, though, 0500 and 2900 overlap.

[jajuan]

4 minutes ago, Busjack said:

It could be the software, but it definitely goes back to streetcar days that the day starts/ends at 4 a.m. For instance, owl transfers were (from the CSL ones in Lind's book thru the 1974 style) punched ND (next day).

Obviously, though, 0500 and 2900 overlap.

Thanks for the other perspective in conjunction to what Andre explained above on this. I knew with a number of transit systems that have 24 hour operations like CTA that the day typically starts/ends at 4 a.m. But I also thought CTA simply used the standard military style of time keeping, 0000 to 2359, instead of their own modified version of it. Makes one wonder how Pace accommodates similar in their time keeping system now that they have 24 hour operations on the #352. 

[Busjack]

42 minutes ago, jajuan said:

Makes one wonder how Pace accommodates similar in their time keeping system now that they have 24 hour operations on the #352.

There have also been the 3 a.m. UPS trips (390, 392, 395, 422, 890).

[west towns]

Ive seen this type of boardin g in toronto makes for a seemless system.   Interesti g concept

[BusHunter]

I noticed our operator out here at fg that was marshalling buses at belmont blue is now back driving a bus. He was out yesterday on the #152.

[Juniorz]

Scene's from the Belmont Prepaid Pilot

[BusHunter]

While waiting for these #77's I got some time to hang out at the belmont prepaid area to see what's up. All the extra personnel was gone today and only a supervisor was taking fares, people were walking through his area and he was pretty savvy about getting people to pay their fares. Then a blind man came along and he helped him on the bus which was a nice gesture, but this forced him to leave his post and a couple riders got on for free. It wasn't really his fault, I thought he was doing a good job. A car even came in the terminal and he shood them out. This just shows how hard it is to police this.

[BusHunter]

Something I noticed today while waiting on an #82, they striped out Kimball and put up these do not block driveway signs, but the motorists seem to be ignoring it so far. It seems new to me, I haven't seen it before and the bolts on the signs are shiny metal like the signs are a fresh installation. Why not just push the light back to before the driveway and make the driveway part of the intersection? There's so many buses maybe even give them there own light so they don't obstruct the left turn lane.

 

[Busjack]

34 minutes ago, BusHunter said:

Something I noticed today while waiting on an #82, they striped out Kimball and put up these do not block driveway signs

In the suburbs, those usually are only in front of fire stations.

34 minutes ago, BusHunter said:

Why not just push the light back to before the driveway and make the driveway part of the intersection?

Aside from this being a test, I'm sure Rahm is waiting for someone to pay for the signal. That, of course raises the issue whether the buses are entitled to their own signal.

[BusHunter]

9 minutes ago, Busjack said:

In the suburbs, those usually are only in front of fire stations.

Aside from this being a test, I'm sure Rahm is waiting for someone to pay for the signal. That, of course raises the issue whether the buses are entitled to their own signal.

Doesn't the 69th street red line stop have it's own light? 

[sht6131]

Maybe just add to the sign (weekdays only 6:30 to 9:30 am and 4:30 to 6:30 pm  except Holidays).

[Busjack]

19 minutes ago, sht6131 said:

Maybe just add to the sign (weekdays only 6:30 to 9:30 am and 4:30 to 6:30 pm  except Holidays).

Unless it is a trap to collect fines, no driver is going to figure out that it is a temporary no stopping zone. I assume that buses still have to get out of that driveway at all other times.

Either the pavement markings speak for themselves, or don't. If anything, add a sign like at a stop light where a railroad crossing is in front of a traffic signal (such as Chestnut WB at Lehigh in Glenview) "STOP HERE ON RED."

[Pace831]

10 hours ago, BusHunter said:

Why not just push the light back to before the driveway and make the driveway part of the intersection?

The light looks too far away from the driveway for that to work without confusing drivers. As long as there is space between the driveway and intersection for vehicles to stop, the pavement markings are more effective, not to mention cheaper. Compare this with Pulaski/Peterson, for example, where the stop line is moved back because a car could not stop before the intersection without blocking the bus exit.

[andrethebusman]

11 hours ago, BusHunter said:

Doesn't the 69th street red line stop have it's own light? 

No, but 95th does.

[BusHunter]

1 hour ago, Pace831 said:

The light looks too far away from the driveway for that to work without confusing drivers. As long as there is space between the driveway and intersection for vehicles to stop, the pavement markings are more effective, not to mention cheaper. Compare this with Pulaski/Peterson, for example, where the stop line is moved back because a car could not stop before the intersection without blocking the bus exit.

Didn't look like it was too effective to me. You know how they have those left turn only lights. They could always create a left only light that runs in two cycles one for the bus then the second half of the cycle for Kimball if the bus is already out there it has the right of way. That's not confusing.

[BusHunter]

12 minutes ago, andrethebusman said:

No, but 95th does.

Howard does. How does the 95th light cycle work? You have Lafayette and I think State and the bus lights all within 200 feet. This would be a closer simulation of Belmont/Kimball. 

[Busjack]

52 minutes ago, BusHunter said:

. They could always create a left only light that runs in two cycles one for the bus then the second half of the cycle for Kimball if the bus is already out there it has the right of way. That's not confusing.

If they were giving the bus the right of way at the exit from the bus terminal, it should be tripped only when the bus is leaving. At least they should install a detector loop in the pavement, like what I said is in the pavement at most suburban intersections.

[Pace831]

1 hour ago, BusHunter said:

Didn't look like it was too effective to me. You know how they have those left turn only lights. They could always create a left only light that runs in two cycles one for the bus then the second half of the cycle for Kimball if the bus is already out there it has the right of way. That's not confusing.

It would be confusing to drivers on NB Kimball because the light would still be on the far side of what would be an excessively long intersection. They'd need to move the detector loops and install a new signal and signage on the near side so drivers would know where to stop. It's not worth the cost for only a small bus terminal.

[pudgym29]

[quote=bushunter] Doesn't the 69th street red line stop have its own light? [/quote]

On 8/6/2016 at 11:06 AM, andrethebusman said:

No, but 95th does.

Harlem at Bryn Mawr on the O'Hare branch of the Blue Line has a separate signal cycle for buses turning north on Harlem from the station (CTA #88, Pace #423).

[andrethebusman]

On ‎8‎/‎6‎/‎2016 at 11:21 AM, BusHunter said:

Howard does. How does the 95th light cycle work? You have Lafayette and I think State and the bus lights all within 200 feet. This would be a closer simulation of Belmont/Kimball. 

At 95th the cycles are as follows:

1) EB 95th has green, first with left arrow, then no arrow

2) When EB arrow goes off, WB 95th gets green, then later in cycle gets arrow, at which point EB goes red

3) When WB goes red, NB State gets green

4) When NB State goes red, bus terminal exit gets green for about 10 seconds

5) Cycle repeats

Lafayette is similar.

1) SB Lafayette gets green, while EB 95th still has green but arrow has gone off.

2) EB 95th gets green next, until EB goes red at State, then EB gets arrow to turn into bus terminal for about 10 seconds.

3) WB 95th gets green. Note there is a lag between WB getting green at State and green at Lafayette, while the bus turn arrow is on.

4) Cycle repeats.

[andrethebusman]

Cermak/Chinatown used to have a light for buses leaving bus loop under L station to go east or west, but I believe it is now gone as bus loop hasn't been used in years. Irving Park/Neenah had a light for buses leaving, though Neenah was directly across from bus exit, so it doesn't really count, I guess. North/Narragansett still has an exit light for buses that is in advance of SB Narragansett going green.

[BusHunter]

Kind of weird how jeff pk doesn't  have a light it's the biggest terminal without one. But I hear a pedestrian  light is part  of the terminal  upgrades next year.

[andrethebusman]

You don't need a pedestrian light. You need an actual traffic light for coming out of the south terminal, where most buses turn left.

[strictures]

On 8/5/2016 at 11:24 PM, BusHunter said:

Doesn't the 69th street red line stop have it's own light? 

Garfield/Ryan also has a light right at the station entrance directly over the median of the Ryan, so passengers can cross that very wide road.