Obervations of Bus Routes and Busway This Week

[Jonno]

Had to go to my Doctor at the Mater this week so caught the bus there and then home.  Again I came away with the following observations at 7:15pm:

• the trunk busway routes 111, 555 and 66 were very well patronised and easy to recognise
• even buses late into the evening have good loadings.. My 230 had was at crush loading level
• the busway PIDs in no way reflect the reality of the buses arriving and should be turned off to save eletricity
• waiting for the bus on the busway is really like an extreme sport...wait...wait... wait...go, go, go, go ...ON BUS
• there are just too many routes on the busway (see above). There were 3 buses that arrived at the busway together with Garden City as destination
• you need 15 minutes to work out which bus or buses you need to catch to make a cross town trip.  Spontaneous route hopping is not possible.  Thank God for my Go Brisbane on the iPhoine but even then I need to be plotting routes by time and location.  I was always good a Battleship.
• there are just too many route across the city. I just want to go from here to there but which routes go to there and where is the stop or stops and then the times for each of those stops. It seems coverage has been given priority over legibility or usability
• we need to create a network of trunk routes that run along main roads which form a spider web or mesh across the city
• buses stop too frequently.  Stops need to be 800m apart not 400m  (is it 400 or even closer? as sometimes it is within throwing distance of the last stop)

I am no operations expert just a user who wishes to catch public transport as much as possible but the system makes this daunting and just plain hard.  I can only imagine what a person who is a first time user or tourist feels.

I believe a complete bus route over haul is required.

[Golliwog]

I'm with you on most of those. I hardly ever use the PIDs at the busway stations, although to be fair the only buses I catch from the busway are any of the UQ routes, and sometimes the 385. They all come frequently enough that I don't bother with a timetable.

As for stop spacing, I agree with you for the most part, but do see a point to some routes stopping closer than 800m, in some cases it makes routes more accessible, which is what people are sometimes after if they're trying to do a run to the shops or what have you. I do like the way the 390 and the 345 support each other. Both high frequency, but the 345 stops limited stops while the 390 does those that are inbetween. It makes for a good sweeper service.

[#Metro]

* there are just too many route across the city. I just want to go from here to there but which routes go to there and where is the stop or stops

How hard is it TransLink to print a BUZ MAP and put it in the station!!! 

and then the times for each of those stops. It seems coverage has been given priority over legibility or usability

Out of curiosity, I wonder how many bus routes are patronage routes and how many are "welfare" routes serving (to borrow Gazza's ungodly term) "TransLink Grannies".

* we need to create a network of trunk routes that run along main roads which form a spider web or mesh across the city

100% Agree. Core Frequent Network and Frequent Corridors.

* buses stop too frequently.  Stops need to be 800m apart not 400m  (is it 400 or even closer? as sometimes it is within throwing distance of the last stop)

I agree with this too. I am starting to notice this now... it's very annoying.

[Gazza]

This reminds me. Some Busway platforms have a simple map that shows the stations, with a list of Buses that go to each station listed below.

This needs to be everywhere, and available on the TL website as a pdf.

It is invaluable and easy to understand, but it annoys me how its only on one side of some stations.

[somebody]

> the trunk busway routes 111, 555 and 66 were very well patronised and easy to recognise
My experience is that the 111 may be, but the 555 and southern part of the 66 not so much.

> My 230 had was at crush loading level
Death to the 230!  231 BUZ please.

> the busway PIDs in no way reflect the reality of the buses arriving and should be turned off to save eletricity
Yes.

> Spontaneous route hopping is not possible.
Yes.

> there are just too many route across the city. I just want to go from here to there but which routes go to there and where is the stop or stops and then the times for each of those stops. It seems coverage has been given priority over legibility or usability
Isn't this more a function of the quality of the information rather than the route structure?

> we need to create a network of trunk routes that run along main roads which form a spider web or mesh across the city
To some degree we already have this.  What is lacking is the evening/weekend trips along Waterworks Rd/Logan Rd/Old Northern Rd

Wynnum Rd/Chatsworth Rd/Cavendish Rd have a long way to go.

> buses stop too frequently.  Stops need to be 800m apart not 400m  (is it 400 or even closer? as sometimes it is within throwing distance of the last stop)
Don't know what you mean by this.  All the BUZ routes except the 199 already do this.

> I believe a complete bus route over haul is required.
Exactly right.  But if you say that anywhere but RailBoT, people believe that it shouldn't be done.