Connection diagrams at bus stops

[triplethree]

"Remember, if your transit agency makes it hard to make connections, they don't really have a network.  They just have a bunch of lines." -- Jarrett Walker

Let's imagine that you want to get from, say, The Gap to Toowong. Driving is easy - Waterworks Rd, bear right onto Coopers Camp Rd, through Bardon and onto Metroad 5. By public transport, you have to make a connection. You can either catch a 380, 381 or 385 bus all the way into Roma Street then catch an Ipswich Line train or the 88 or 444 bus (frequent enough connections but a very indirect path shaped like a bent elbow), or you could approximate the route you'd take by driving and catch a 385 to Bardon then change to the 598 Great Circle Line.

Excellent! The thing is, when bus routes go in three or more directions, it is topologically impossible for all buses to serve the same bus stop without at least one route turning off its route and doing a U-turn. So, you will need to walk from one bus stop to another, often around a corner. This isn't a bad thing at all. The alternative would be a mess of intersecting routes chewing up time by turning off their road and doing U-turns, just so everybody can interchange at a single stop.

However, after reading Jarrett Walker's quote above, would you say that TransLink makes it easy to make these connections?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Pull the other one, sunshine!

The Journey Planner on the TransLink website does tell you to walk from one bus stop to another - in this case, from "Bardon Express Stop, Bardon - 15, MacGregor St approaching Rockbourne Tce" for 205 metres to "Bardon - 16A, Simpsons Rd far side of MacGregor Tce". But given TransLink's failure to publish meaningful bus maps, and their assumption that travellers must be intimiately familiar with the street names in places where they want to transfer - how do you know where Stop 16A is when you get off the 385 at Bardon?

The solution? Bus stop connection diagrams.

Here's one that I made up last night for the stop I use the most frequently.

http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/3825/connectingservicesbardo.png



Mind, you, this is a very rough draft. It could be improved by plotting the map to scale and including a scale bar so people can see how long it will take to walk to the connecting bus. And maybe traffic light icons too, because traffic lights are such visible landmarks for pedestrian navigation.

But this took me only a couple of hours (and I'd be much quicker once I get my head around Inkscape) - and using GIS software to further automate the process would make it even quicker. It's A4 sized so it would fit easily into a standard timetable display.

Maps like these should be placed at every single point on the bus network where meaningful connections can be made. At a glance, you'll be able to see what services leave from where, and how to get there.

I also look forward to the day when buses will have GPS-enabled automated announcements, announcing the next stop and interchange opportunities, e.g. after a 385 leaves the Coopers Camp stop, the PA will automatically say "Next stop - Bardon. Change at Bardon for the 375 all-stops service to the city, and the Great Circle Line." I know the technology is available; they've had automated announcements on the Liverpool-Parramatta Transitway for nearly a decade now.

So, c'mon TransLink. Advertise your connections. Draw some maps. Give us a network, not just "a bunch of lines".

[somebody]

Yeah, it's not just the journey planner that's the problem here.  131500 has had maps for years and years.

Stop locations aren't really ideal.  Indeed, even the GCL requires you to take a circuitous route around via Stuartholme - well, better than going via Roma St ignoring the frequency.

[techblitz]

nice one triplethree i like it.

i could think of a few places/stops these could be used.Bus drivers would be the first people to consult on this issue as to where they are needed the most.As they are the ones constantly redirecting passengers which result in delays. Some confused passengers on bus routes even go so far as to hail a bus down just to ask for directions!
These would be most beneficial to new residents/tourists to an area. I noticed you have a `north` icon on there,may i also suggest a `city` as well just to give people a general direction to the cbd.

To translink it would be too time consuming to implement (sarcasm), but it would be a step in the right direction to helping out new people to the area or passers through.

[justanotheruser]

I still remember when I first came to Brisbane and a football game was on. I knew where to catch the bus to Ashgrove (outside police HQ). however a sign informed me that the stop was closed due to an event and I should go to another spot. I had absolutely no idea where that street was. Calling information was useless. I ended up walking to adelaide street (the only other spot I knew the bus left from). When on the bus I looked out so I would see the stop and know where to go next time. i did not see one single sign for a bus stop in the street where it had been relocated to. nobody got on so i still didn't know where to go to catch the bus!

[triplethree]

nice one triplethree i like it.

i could think of a few places/stops these could be used.Bus drivers would be the first people to consult on this issue as to where they are needed the most.As they are the ones constantly redirecting passengers which result in delays. Some confused passengers on bus routes even go so far as to hail a bus down just to ask for directions!
These would be most beneficial to new residents/tourists to an area. I noticed you have a `north` icon on there,may i also suggest a `city` as well just to give people a general direction to the cbd.

To translink it would be too time consuming to implement (sarcasm), but it would be a step in the right direction to helping out new people to the area or passers through.

Thanks for your comments, Techblitz. I agree, the input of bus drivers would be very helpful. But just looking at a network map will help too. Ideally, connection diagrams should be placed at any stop where you can make a connection which makes sense and where you have to walk to another stop. For instance, I wouldn't bother drawing diagrams for The Gap. Yes, you can change to and from a 380/385 and a 362 there, but you don't have to change stops.

I think these diagrams would be most useful at locations where radial services intersect cross-town services and the Great Circle Line. Places in my part of Brisbane where I think diagrams like this should be:

• Enoggera
• Newmarket
• Toowong (you get off the train, there are six bus stops you can choose from to continue your journey. Is there any information about which buses leave from where? Nope, except for one ancient 1980s sign pointing to the University of Queensland buses)
• Ashgrove
• Ashgrove West
• Normanby Fiveways

I thought about adding "To City", "To Ashgrove", etc. arrows on the roads but decided against it - it adds to map clutter and the information is already implicitly conveyed by the route information for each stop - so you know that Macgregor Tce eastbound goes to the city because the 385 Cultural Centre, 382 City, 375 via City, etc. are on that side of the road.

And yes, it drives me bananas when I'm on a bus in the city (particularly along Adelaide St) and it's held up by people wanting to know which bus to catch to their desired suburb, and where to catch it from. The drivers often don't know -- why would a Toowong depot driver know which bus goes to Carindale? I don't blame the person who needs help either -- it's just another symptom of one of the most frustratingly complex bus networks in the world and TransLink's dismal failure to provide decent passenger information. Being a transport geek I'm always happy to help out if I happen to be sitting up the front. Not only because I'm a helpful person but because I want to speed the bus up

I still remember when I first came to Brisbane and a football game was on. I knew where to catch the bus to Ashgrove (outside police HQ). however a sign informed me that the stop was closed due to an event and I should go to another spot. I had absolutely no idea where that street was. Calling information was useless. I ended up walking to adelaide street (the only other spot I knew the bus left from). When on the bus I looked out so I would see the stop and know where to go next time. i did not see one single sign for a bus stop in the street where it had been relocated to. nobody got on so i still didn't know where to go to catch the bus!

Are you referring to those posters with the big green hexagons which say "Passenger ALERT" with text printed underneath? It's funny, they provide maps of temporary stop changes on the TransLink website, as can be seen here:

http://translink.com.au/travel-information/service-updates/bulletin/1336450521

But don't put them on the poster at the actual stop. God help people who don't happen to have a smartphone or aren't carrying a Refidex with them or don't come into the city very often and don't know where all the streets are.

[somebody]

The Cultural Centre is particularly bad here.  Almost 8 years after the formation of Translink mk1 it still has timetables organised along operator lines!  Not to mention no maps.

They have added a list of routes to every suburb but even that is mediocre as it includes (for example) the 160 to W'Gabba as Buranda is within Woolloongabba the suburb.

[justanotheruser]

I still remember when I first came to Brisbane and a football game was on. I knew where to catch the bus to Ashgrove (outside police HQ). however a sign informed me that the stop was closed due to an event and I should go to another spot. I had absolutely no idea where that street was. Calling information was useless. I ended up walking to adelaide street (the only other spot I knew the bus left from). When on the bus I looked out so I would see the stop and know where to go next time. i did not see one single sign for a bus stop in the street where it had been relocated to. nobody got on so i still didn't know where to go to catch the bus!

Are you referring to those posters with the big green hexagons which say "Passenger ALERT" with text printed underneath? It's funny, they provide maps of temporary stop changes on the TransLink website, as can be seen here:

http://translink.com.au/travel-information/service-updates/bulletin/1336450521

But don't put them on the poster at the actual stop. God help people who don't happen to have a smartphone or aren't carrying a Refidex with them or don't come into the city very often and don't know where all the streets are.

yes talking about those passenger alerts. of course translink did not exist at the time although i guess there was a website for the previous name of the information service. but yes as you point out not much help if you don't know where that is.

[techblitz]

Just some off the top of my head would be

creek rd-newman-cavendish rd intersection
salisbury east orange grove rd/henson rd
sherwood/oxley rd


The idea of these is to save a passenger from having to walk to all 4 up to 6 bus stops at major road intersections just to see which is the correct bus to catch.

Benefits:
1. less calls to translink for passengers asking for directions
2. less requests to bus drivers about which way to go/bus to catch
3. less stress/confusion for the passenger especially the elder generation.


Printable journey planners should be mandate at all busway stations as well as most if not all have many passing bus routes.
I certainly hope translink doesnt intend to turn thier help system majority `online` either

Yes they have a nice little app,mobile optimised website and supposedly looking at trialling a nice little gps bus app soon. But not everyone wants/has an iphone/android 3.5 inch mobile. They need to make sure they have readily available help/directions for the `offline`passenger.