Recent content on BusGraphs
Last month, I used arf’s network modification capabilities to develop a small restructure of King County Metro’s transit network in Seattle. This change to routes 3 and 11 produced an access gain, while reducing the overall amount of service time expended. To explore ways to reinvest the service time, I expanded arf’s route modification capabilities to support frequency changes…
A useful access analysis tool should allow analyzing hypothetical transit networks, not just existing ones. As such, these tools can modify transit routes and their schedules. Consider Conveyal’s scenario editor, as shown in this demo, Clipped from Conveyal’s product demo . or this clip demonstrating Remix’s route editing functionality. Clipped from this video . While these tools…
As a transit rider in Seattle, ten years ago was an exciting time. The expansion of the Link light rail to Capitol Hill and the University of Washington portended significant changes to King County Metro’s bus network. This was coinciding with my transition from a passive rider to someone interested in the design of public transit networks. Back then, I began to appreciate access maps as…
Last August, I presented a map that could quickly show sector-centered access. That is, when considering a single start point and a fixed time budget, how often can one reach all other points within a region, when starting at that point at every minute of the day. This prototype map used reachability data produced by an early version of arf and clumsily combined it with spatial information…
I’ve spend much of January improving arf ’s performance. The 30-minute time budget access map for Washington state that used to take around 70 minutes now takes approximately 40 on my M1 2020 MacBook Air. A map of Seattle with the same parameters takes around eight. With the performance enhancements in place, I wanted to subject arf to a new trial: creating a 30 minute unweighted…
Arf is a new tool for generating unweighted access analyses, like the ones seen in this blog. Its outputs have the same 80 meter spatial resolution as those generated with my previous access analysis tool, the BusGraphs Access Analyzer, but arf can assess areas of sizes on the order of US states, and runs on conventional personal computers rather than cloud computing infrastructure. This 30-minute…
This is a proposal to use Interstate 5 between Northeast Northgate Way and the Spokane Street Viaduct as the “second downtown tunnel” planned for Seattle in the Sound Transit 3 project (ST3). Between these two points, the entire highway would be converted into a transit corridor. This would require a feat of political courage and interagency cooperation, but would provide the…
In Human Transit, Jarrett Walker describes his consulting work as being a domain expert who asks communities questions about the transit networks that they want to build. The questions present two endpoints to a spectrum. Each end has advantages and disadvantages. The position a transit agency takes depends on what the community that it serves values; there are no wrong answers. Walker then can…
I’ve been revisiting Jarrett Walker’s book Human Transit 1 . Reading it crystalized the disjointed thoughts that I had as a transit rider into opinions on how public transit networks should operate. It is one of the most important books I have read, and I suspect that is true for many people with a stake in public transit. I’m revisiting it by way of processing the response to my…
A network-wide access map colors sectors, uniform areas of a region, according to an access score. For an unweighted access measurement, the score corresponds to how often a rider originating in that sector can reach others throughout the region. But it doesn’t allow a transit rider with an interest in a specific sector to see exactly which destinations are within reach. The same data can…
This year, my proposed, in-service time neutral restructure of transit in Seattle is appearing in Seattle Transit Blog . Check it out there !
“ Trolleybuses on 3rd Avenue ” by SounderBruce is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 . Even if all King County Metro’s “commuter” bus routes were shunted to Link Stations , downtown Seattle would still teem with buses. Many of the transit routes that run entirely within Seattle serve downtown, converging on Third Avenue to create a transit mall. In this proposal, as with…
“ KCM 6895 in Downtown Seattle ” by SounderBruce is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 . For the third year, I’m proposing a full network, in-service time neutral restructure of Sound Transit and King County Metro’s public transit service in Seattle. This year, I’m adjusting my approach slightly. Previously, after I established a budget of service hours available, I would…
“ U-Link Grand Opening ” by Atomic Taco is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 . Want a one-sentence summary of every post in this blog? “Here is some data that argues for a radical change in the policies of public transit agencies.” This theme belies my overall satisfaction with the public transit in my life. Yes, I’d like to get places faster and wait less, especially at…
“ First Hill Streetcar on Display ” by Atomic Taco is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 . Ever since I read this Seattle Times article on the South Lake Union Streetcar , I haven’t been able to get the phrase “streetcar opponent Eugene Wasserman” out of my mind. Homer’s works use epithets (in the term’s original sense ) to describe an existential characteristic…
“ King County Metro Route 40 | NFI D40LF | Ballard (Leary Ave NW @ NW Market St) ” by Han Zheng is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 . After working in tech, where force-feeding disruptive changes to users is commonplace, the world of public transit planning feels like a group of indecisive friends struggling to decide on a place to eat. Modifications to bus routes involve consulting a…
“ Seattle AM General trolleybus downtown, 1986 ” by Steve Morgan is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 . Ridership-based route productivity measurements—those which compare a route’s average number of riders to its cost of operation—are common within transit planning. Unproductive routes will be the first considered for elimination when funding is tight. Those that perform well may…
“ Seattle hills ” by chrisostermann is licensed under CC BY 2.0 . I’ve recently improved my access analysis software to adjust walking speed based on change in elevation. The use of a constant walking speed, regardless of terrain, in previous analyses opened them to legitimate criticism, especially in hilly Seattle. A walking model can now be selected when computing an access…
“ Jackknifed Articulated Buses ” by Oran Viriyincy is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 . I’ve released the source code for the access analysis system that I have built to produce the maps and data in these posts. It resides in a collection of repositories , and basic setup instructions for deploying it onto Amazon Web Services are provided . All source is released under the GNU Public…
“ King County Metro Route 8 | NFI XDE60 | Madison St @ MLK Jr Way ” by Han Zheng is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 . Transit access is frequently depicted with isochrone maps . Given a starting point, time of day, and time budget , determine all the places that can be reached within that budget using transit and walking. These maps are not a new concept, with examples dating to the late…
“ UW HUB Stop ” by Oran Viriyincy is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 . This is a revised examination of a measurement of how individual transit routes contribute to overall access in Seattle. The first attempt was subject to a computational error that caused incorrect figures to be reported for certain routes. This iteration fixes that issue, and also uses updated schedules for King County…
“ RapidRide coach 6000 prototype ” by Oran Viriyincy is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 . Twice a year, King County Metro revises its bus service. Most of the time, the revisions are small. Fluctuations in funding and the workforce may cause a few trips to be added or deleted, and construction projects may necessitate minor changes to routes. Often, the service revision is a non-event for…
When the annual Fremont Solstice Parade celebrates the arrival of summer, King County Metro must reroute its buses around it. Routes 31, 32, 40, and 62 serve Fremont, and the parade forces them off their typical paths. I was intrigued by the detours. The routes weren’t just avoiding the parade, they were bypassing the Fremont Bridge entirely. Mass transit has used the Fremont Bridge since…
“ King County Metro buses at Northgate Station ” by SounderBruce is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 . This is an updated proposal for transit service in Seattle that exceeds King County Metro’s definition of frequent service on all routes 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Compared to its predecessor, it incorporates some changes to mitigate potential overcrowding, and, more…
“ The sorry bus ” by waferboard is licensed under CC BY 2.0 . Due to a software error, the in-service time amounts computed for transit networks in previous posts are inaccurate. Posts where an access measurement is used on its own are not affected. When access is expressed in terms of the amount of in-service time—whether for the entire network or an individual route—this quantity may…
Due to a computational error , the data and conclusions in this post may not be accurate. “ KCM 7032 on Broadway ” by SounderBruce is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 . This installment of the access-based route productivity series focuses on four routes that serve Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, but are otherwise quite varied. Three of these routes skirt downtown, but one passes…
“How many buses can you count in this photo?” by Oran Viriyincy is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. Decisions in public transit are often framed as tradeoffs. Should transit service cover a broader area, or should fewer routes run more frequently? What times of day, or days of the week, should see the greatest allocation of service? Rarely will one outcome be superior to another in all…
Due to a computational error , the data and conclusions in this post may not be accurate. “ 65th and Latona, 1956 ” by Seattle Municipal Archives is licensed under CC BY 2.0 . Measuring a route’s access-based productivity involves creating a hypothetical transit network in which the route doesn’t exist. For the two routes in this installment of the series, elimination is…
Due to a computational error , the data and conclusions in this post may not be accurate. “ Seattle Route 44 | NFI XT40 | NE 45th St @ 12th Ave ” by Han Zheng is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 . When I last looked at access-based route productivity , I found that a sample of Metro’s conventional bus routes nearly-categorically outperformed a selection of trolleybus routes. The type…
Due to a computational error , the data and conclusions in this post may not be accurate. “ KCM 6086 at Aurora & Galer ” by SounderBruce is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 . The routes in this update of the access-based route productivity series all cross the Lake Washington Ship Canal using the Aurora Bridge. Routes 5, 28, and the E Line share a common path out of downtown Seattle, cross…
“ Double Articulated Trolley Bus ” by Kecko is licensed under CC BY 2.0 . When trying to solve a complicated problem, I find it useful to ignore obvious constraints at first. It’s obvious that a transit vehicle cannot hold an infinite number of people. Yet when I proposed a redesign of King County Metro’s transit network in Seattle with frequent, 24 hour, seven day per week…
Due to a computational error , the data and conclusions in this post may not be accurate. “ Route 2 bus and Spring St traffic ” by Oran Viriyincy is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 . I’m continuing to explore access-based route productivity measurements by examining four routes that, like route 1, serve Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood. Routes 2, 3, 4, and 13 make their way up…
Due to a computational error , the data and conclusions in this post may not be accurate. I received a package from Amazon the other day, and I noticed something hidden under the shipping label. My first full-time job was writing software for its warehouse operations, and I had a passionate love-hate relationship with it. I had to take a closer look. PackTypes! I remember those! Without delving…
“ King Street Station and the Stadiums ” by Oran Viriyincy is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 . I listen to the Effectively Wild baseball podcast religiously. Generally, though, I despise sports commentary. I associate it with red-faced former athletes ranting about heart, hustle, and generalities concerning who’s a winner and who’s a loser. They recycle a tiresome collection…
Due to a computational error , the data and conclusions in this post may not be accurate. I initially wrote this op-ed for the The Stranger . That publication passed on it, citing the busy election endorsement season. I then submitted it to The Urbanist , where it was rejected as a “too extreme of a version of the argument.” While the publisher’s feedback did highlight the risk…
“ King County Metro Rapid Ride New Flyer DE60LFR 6085 ” by S.S. Sol Duc is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 . I recently received feedback critical of the Seattle transit network restructure that I previously proposed . It raised concerns about overcrowding during peak travel times—those associated with the commutes for a traditional 9 to 5 office job. My restructure provides uniform…
“ City bus, 1953 ” by Seattle Municipal Archives is licensed under CC BY 2.0 . The contention that the average commute duration has remained constant over time, and is independent of cultural differences and the built environment, underlies Marchetti’s constant . Technological changes might determine how far one can go, but the time allotted remains the same. That allotment is…
“ Entering King County on WA SR 410 ” by Joe Mabel is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 . I grew up in Massachusetts. When I go back and spend a day in “Boston”, it might actually involve being in Brookline, Cambridge, Medford, Somerville, Chelsea, Everett, and Revere. That is not my relationship with Seattle and the municipalities around it. Sometimes I don’t leave its…
Due to a computational error , the data and conclusions in this post may not be accurate. “ Shattered ” by Wade Rockett is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0 . On September 2nd, King County Metro enacted its plan to suspend or reduce the frequency of 20 routes. Faced with a shortage of operators and mechanics, it could not reliably operate its existing service. Meanwhile, I proposed a…
Due to a computational error , the data and conclusions in this post may not be accurate. “ Old Style Metro Bus Stop Signs ” by Oran Viriyincy is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 . In the last post, I presented a restructured transit network for Seattle . Overall, the new network, versus that of an existing weekday, improves access by 19.7%, while reducing the amount of service by 13.9%. In…
Due to a computational error , the data and conclusions in this post may not be accurate. “ Buses in front of Benaroya Hall ” by Oran Viriyincy is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 . King County Metro is facing a labor shortage . Due to a lack of operators and mechanics, on September 2nd, 20 routes will be either suspended or modified to run less frequently. Routes have been chosen based on…
Due to a computational error , the data and conclusions in this post may not be accurate. “ Railroad terminals Northern Pacific – Great Northern – Chicago Milwaukee, St. Paul, and Pacific and Union Pacific, Seattle, Washington ” by Boston Public Library is licensed under CC BY 2.0 . After I posted A Journey on the Seven Seats , a reader noted that while the post…
“ Sound Transit, Metro, ST transfer slip (Purple A) ” by Oran Viriyincy is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 . Transfers have been on my mind. To me, they’re just a normal part of the transit rider’s experience—no different than taking an unprotected left turn when driving a car. I’m not going to go out of my way to make one if I don’t have to, but if it’s part…
“ Seattle in Black & White: Alki Beach I ” by JoeInSouthernCA is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0 . Last week, there was a two-day stretch of summer-like weather in Seattle, and all I could think about was the beach. Swimming has always been one of my favorite summer activities. I grew up spending parts of the summer on Massachusetts’s South Shore, swimming in temperate water on sandy…
“ Metro 2518 on Eastlake Avenue ” by SounderBruce is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 . Nearly 12 years ago, I sat at a table near the front windows of Pazzo’s in Seattle’s Eastlake neighborhood and confirmed plans to tour some nearby apartments. As I ate my calzone, I noted the route 70 buses that passed by on Eastlake Avenue East. I considered living near a bus route to be a…
“ KCM 6971 with Mariners advertising at Convention Place Station ” by SounderBruce is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 . Whenever I talk about the way that I measure transit access, I run into a problem. The numbers are horrendous. Their magnitudes don’t line up with human-scale quantities. Consider some examples from the analysis in the last post . The number of possible journeys is…
“ Link light rail ad at Sea-Tac Airport ” by Oran Viriyincy is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 . As I was running the access analysis supporting Of Buses and Ballot Boxes , I encountered something that fascinated me. It wasn’t relevant to the piece itself, so I didn’t emphasize it there, but I knew it had to be the next thing I investigated. I needed a way to test my suspicion…
“ Voted! Please get out there and do the same! ” by Aaron Gustafson is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 . I’m a last-minute voter, so I avail myself of King County’s ballot drop boxes. In the waning days of an election cycle, a ballot dropped in a mailbox might not get postmarked in time to count. Last election day, I was looking for a drop box near my place of work in downtown…
“ KCM 2870 in SODO ” by SounderBruce is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 . In 2015, I became fascinated by King County Metro ’s efforts to restructure its bus network in anticipation of the opening of two new Link Light Rail stops. At the same time, I found out about isochrone maps and the larger idea of access in transit . While I was creating software to measure the latter, the…
“ Mount Rainier and the Port of Seattle from Magnolia Bridge ” by SounderBruce is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 . “What if we planned public transit with the goal of freedom?” asks public transportation consultant Jarrett Walker in a blog post from this March. A little over five years ago, a presentation that he gave planted this question in my mind. Having a background in…