3 ms·

I'm curious if there are any bright ideas on practical first and last mile transportation for people who want to take the bus or train. Say my house is 1.5-3 mi

I'm curious if there are any bright ideas on practical first and last mile transportation for people who want to take the bus or train. Say my house is 1.5-3 miles from the closest bus stop and my destination is 1.5-3 miles from its closest bus stop. Should I be bringing my scooter on the bus? Is there room for everyone's scooter on the bus? Curious to hear from people who use the bus or train daily, how do you get to and from the bus stop in a timely manner and in the cold.

thomastjeffery 4y ago
Add more bus stops. Beyond that, I think the most honest answer is, "Wear a coat, and give yourself more time."
htag 4y ago
1. Bus stops can be as cheap as a sign on the road. We should embrace cheaper bus stops to build more bus stops. Another benefit of cheap bus stops is under-utilized stops can be removed with less investment lost. 2. There's rooms for lots of scooters on buses. It's pretty common for there to be places for bicycles on buses too. Have you been inside of a city bus? There pretty big. 3. Real estate near train stations is almost always more expensive. This is a type of amenity you have to look into while choosing your home.
- 29083011397778 4y ago
  > Another benefit of cheap bus stops is under-utilized stops can be removed with less investment lost According to the public transit authority around here, if you remove a bus stop (due to, say, a drop in transit usage) and try to bring it back later (after usage of transit goes back up), it can take up to five years to see ridership recognize that, and start to use the stop at the same rate as when it was removed. It may be cheaper to leave the stop there long-term.
  - brewdad 4y ago
    Buses can drive past unused stops as if they aren't there. There is little cost to keeping little used stops open and available.
nayuki 4y ago
I can't speak for your situation, but I can tell you that Toronto made it work. Despite the fact that the majority of the land is single-family detached housing, it seems anyone is within a 1.0 km (0.6 mile) walk of a bus stop thanks to the bus grid. See: https://youtu.be/-ZDZtBRTyeI?t=304 https://youtu.be/-ZDZtBRTyeI?t=304 , https://media.blogto.com/articles/20201022-vox-news.jpg?w=1000 https://media.blogto.com/articles/20201022-vox-news.jpg?w=10...
xracy 4y ago
I like biking/walking. Both give me time to clear my head on my way to work. One of them is like 2x faster than the other. Scooters are fine if that works for you. AFAIK all of these options fit on the bus/train. But I will also say that the people at my work have long stated that the day they have to figure out where to park extra bikes, scooters, etc. They will make it happen. Because they take up so much less space it's much easier to manage. I think the same is probably true for public transit. I would suggest something you enjoy :). Accessibility is something else to consider for a lot of this... But it's not really an argument I feel people make in good faith. I would be okay with some car usage for people with accessibility needs for first/last mile transportation.

thomastjeffery 4y ago

Add more bus stops. Beyond that, I think the most honest answer is, "Wear a coat, and give yourself more time."

htag 4y ago

1. Bus stops can be as cheap as a sign on the road. We should embrace cheaper bus stops to build more bus stops. Another benefit of cheap bus stops is under-utilized stops can be removed with less investment lost. 2. There's rooms for lots of scooters on buses. It's pretty common for there to be places for bicycles on buses too. Have you been inside of a city bus? There pretty big. 3. Real estate near train stations is almost always more expensive. This is a type of amenity you have to look into while choosing your home.

29083011397778 4y ago
> Another benefit of cheap bus stops is under-utilized stops can be removed with less investment lost According to the public transit authority around here, if you remove a bus stop (due to, say, a drop in transit usage) and try to bring it back later (after usage of transit goes back up), it can take up to five years to see ridership recognize that, and start to use the stop at the same rate as when it was removed. It may be cheaper to leave the stop there long-term.
- brewdad 4y ago
  Buses can drive past unused stops as if they aren't there. There is little cost to keeping little used stops open and available.

nayuki 4y ago

I can't speak for your situation, but I can tell you that Toronto made it work. Despite the fact that the majority of the land is single-family detached housing, it seems anyone is within a 1.0 km (0.6 mile) walk of a bus stop thanks to the bus grid. See: https://youtu.be/-ZDZtBRTyeI?t=304 https://youtu.be/-ZDZtBRTyeI?t=304 , https://media.blogto.com/articles/20201022-vox-news.jpg?w=1000 https://media.blogto.com/articles/20201022-vox-news.jpg?w=10...

xracy 4y ago

I like biking/walking. Both give me time to clear my head on my way to work. One of them is like 2x faster than the other. Scooters are fine if that works for you. AFAIK all of these options fit on the bus/train. But I will also say that the people at my work have long stated that the day they have to figure out where to park extra bikes, scooters, etc. They will make it happen. Because they take up so much less space it's much easier to manage. I think the same is probably true for public transit. I would suggest something you enjoy :). Accessibility is something else to consider for a lot of this... But it's not really an argument I feel people make in good faith. I would be okay with some car usage for people with accessibility needs for first/last mile transportation.