4 ms·

They should make a bus system that can change any light to green when the bus shows up, and control the grid in other ways to truly expedite public transit.

pmorici 8y ago
That technology already exists for emergency vehicles. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_signal_preemption https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_signal_preemption
- jrockway 8y ago
  Plenty of cities have traffic light preemption for buses. Portland does it for the MAX (not a bus, I know), and Chicago tried it when I lived there, etc. (The problem then becomes, what happens when an emergency vehicle AND a bus both preempt the traffic light? In Portland anyway, MAX wins. That doesn't always mean the emergency vehicle stops, though, with predictable results.) I rode the bus route daily when they tried it in Chicago and it didn't speed things up much. One at a time, slowly, slowly, people climbed on board, paid their fare, couldn't move into the bus because it was crowded, and then the next person in line blocked the doors until someone moved enough for them to get on... five minutes, the bus was on its way through a fresh green traffic signal. Great. (Continuing the rant, what about paying the fare off the bus? I've tried this in NYC, and every time I've used SBS, fare collectors have stopped the bus, slowly checked everyone's tickets with the bus stopped, and then gotten off. Waiting at a red light or two is nothing compared to that. I'm sure by the time you include the fare inspectors' salaries, some supervisors to fire them when they do the collection with the bus stopped, and recruiters for new fare inspectors... it's a mega money losing operation. But oh no, we could never make it free, only Communists would want free bus service!)
  - bobthepanda 8y ago
    NYC's implementation is terrible because no other place with proof of payment stops the entire vehicle to check fares. The issue with free is that free transit tends to create a negative spiral where some walkers and bikers will switch to transit because it's free, so services have to be improved to deal with the crowding, which makes transit more appealing to bikers and walkers, which increases overcrowding, and so on. None of the cities and towns that have free transit in the world are very big.
    - distances 8y ago
      Indeed, in Europe I've never seen a vehicle stopped for fare checks. Some places don't allow ticket purchases from the driver either, while others do but it's frowned upon for slowing down everyone else.
    - michaelt 8y ago
      The issue with free is that free transit tends to create a negative spiral where some walkers and bikers will switch to transit because it's free, so services have to be improved to deal with the crowding, which makes transit more appealing to bikers and walkers Woudn't the same thing apply to drivers?
      - bobthepanda 8y ago
        It does, which is why highway expansions generally fill up a few years after opening. http://cityobservatory.org/reducing-congestion-katy-didnt/ http://cityobservatory.org/reducing-congestion-katy-didnt/
chrisper 8y ago
Has existed in Europe since forever. Usually busses and trams have their own traffic light here.

pmorici 8y ago

That technology already exists for emergency vehicles. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_signal_preemption https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_signal_preemption

jrockway 8y ago
Plenty of cities have traffic light preemption for buses. Portland does it for the MAX (not a bus, I know), and Chicago tried it when I lived there, etc. (The problem then becomes, what happens when an emergency vehicle AND a bus both preempt the traffic light? In Portland anyway, MAX wins. That doesn't always mean the emergency vehicle stops, though, with predictable results.) I rode the bus route daily when they tried it in Chicago and it didn't speed things up much. One at a time, slowly, slowly, people climbed on board, paid their fare, couldn't move into the bus because it was crowded, and then the next person in line blocked the doors until someone moved enough for them to get on... five minutes, the bus was on its way through a fresh green traffic signal. Great. (Continuing the rant, what about paying the fare off the bus? I've tried this in NYC, and every time I've used SBS, fare collectors have stopped the bus, slowly checked everyone's tickets with the bus stopped, and then gotten off. Waiting at a red light or two is nothing compared to that. I'm sure by the time you include the fare inspectors' salaries, some supervisors to fire them when they do the collection with the bus stopped, and recruiters for new fare inspectors... it's a mega money losing operation. But oh no, we could never make it free, only Communists would want free bus service!)
- bobthepanda 8y ago
  NYC's implementation is terrible because no other place with proof of payment stops the entire vehicle to check fares. The issue with free is that free transit tends to create a negative spiral where some walkers and bikers will switch to transit because it's free, so services have to be improved to deal with the crowding, which makes transit more appealing to bikers and walkers, which increases overcrowding, and so on. None of the cities and towns that have free transit in the world are very big.
  - distances 8y ago
    Indeed, in Europe I've never seen a vehicle stopped for fare checks. Some places don't allow ticket purchases from the driver either, while others do but it's frowned upon for slowing down everyone else.
  - michaelt 8y ago
    The issue with free is that free transit tends to create a negative spiral where some walkers and bikers will switch to transit because it's free, so services have to be improved to deal with the crowding, which makes transit more appealing to bikers and walkers Woudn't the same thing apply to drivers?
    - bobthepanda 8y ago
      It does, which is why highway expansions generally fill up a few years after opening. http://cityobservatory.org/reducing-congestion-katy-didnt/ http://cityobservatory.org/reducing-congestion-katy-didnt/

chrisper 8y ago

Has existed in Europe since forever. Usually busses and trams have their own traffic light here.