Search results

I would argue the point of a rail trail is for walking, cycling, and other micro-mobile activities, providing a scenic, safe, and quiet way for people to enjoy the outdoors. The preservation of the ROW for future transit use is an ancillary benefit that is sometimes dwarfed by the primary point...

Following up because there have been notable travel times in recent days! As a reminder, this is specifically about Brigham Circle <-> Boylston: Service Date Day of Week Median Round-Trip Travel Time Notes 12/16/2023 Saturday 32:05 Faster than any day in September or October. Faster...

Speaking of Excel, I dove into the Green Line data related to the speed with respect to the recent closure between Babcock Street, Kenmore, Heath Street and North Station. For this analysis, I examined the stretch between Brigham Circle and Boylston, which contains all but one of the...

Great post! Are we sure the methodology doesn't use something other than fare gate/validation interaction for GLX, because I'd expect the numbers to be much lower. If those numbers are just the people who validate their fares at GLX stations, then the true ridership on the GLX is off the charts...

I agree that bus routing that covers too much of the ring in one route shouldn’t be the goal, but I am envisioning longer routing than you are. I don’t believe that these routes require end-to-end riders to be successful. I’m envisioning the target to aim for to be roughly six routes that each...

We’re veering off-topic, but I’ll bite. The first segment of the Urban Ring has already been built. The Silver Line Gateway busway in Chelsea. I think that’s an important fact because it shows that we can eat this project one manageable step at a time. Now we just need to take the next step. In...

Totally! The United States Census Bureau does a good job of capturing a similar sentiment this by measuring urban areas (which would be more appropriately called "urban and suburban areas" as they cast a wider net than what your estimates, which are more accurately "urban" areas, capture)...

I agree with all of this, but don’t forget the Green Line! I’ve ridden the Green Line to North Station from Kenmore and points west (like Newton) many times. Take the Green Line from North Station to Riverside after a Celtics game and watch how far people with Celtics jerseys ride. Take the...

What do you estimate is possible under a theoretical future where South Station Expansion is complete, Providence-Boston Traction Power Upgrades are complete, the third track from Readville to Canton is complete, South Attleboro is rebuilt, Ruggles and Back Bay improvement projects are complete...

This is a godsend. Personally, I'll use this to cycle for transportation regularly. Prior to construction, that stretch is a no-go zone on a bicycle, to be avoided like the plague, and I have a very (VERY) high risk-tolerance compared to most cyclists. Due to Hammond Pond Parkway's status as a...

Thanks! I know I’m coming off as nit-picky, but that isn’t quite sufficient either. The 61 now runs part of the old 70A route, so it isn’t a clean 2 -> 1 swap. I honestly recommend not including the 70 in the “COVID recovery” analysis. Anyways, keep up the good work fellow transit data nerd.

Thanks for the follow-up. I recommend removing the 70 from those findings of “recovery.” Through fall of 2019, the 70 was only one half of the service on the corridor, so its “recovery” is severely bolstered by the fact that it took over for the 70A in December of 2019.

Thanks for posting these! Sorry if I missed it, but what/when is your data source? You questioned the inclusion of the 71 and 73 as key bus routes, but it’s important to recognize that if your data is from this decade, things are different from when the key bus routes were designated. As a...

Thank you for the thoughtful responses, but they don’t quite address my inquiry, with the exception of this: I’ll ask it more specifically. The minimum and 10th percentile travel times over the span that was closed were faster in the overwhelming majority of the days leading up to the...

So far, there have not been improvements overall as a result of the recent Green Line closures, according to transitmatters’ data. Does anyone know why? It’s super early, so this post is not meant to be a complaint or an act of despair. Just curiosity, given that the Ashmont Branch closures saw...

Orange Line trains at seven minute peak headways is such great news. To put it in perspective: This will be the first regularly scheduled headways <8 minutes since June, 2022, when there were still old 01200s running on the line. Ridership is bouncing back in a big way, so the demand is there...

Let’s break this down. Classifying a bus route based on distance from “Downtown Boston” is a misnomer, given that Boston’s ‘central business district’ includes both Downtown Boston and Back Bay. In measuring proximity, one could use Copley Square instead of Downtown Crossing, but in reality, it...

I agree with your thesis, but with some disagreement on details. This stretch is less of a super-block situation that the recent B-Branch consolidation stretch of Comm Ave, with much more porous access from side streets. If one wanted to remove Dean Rd, you could shift Englewood Ave to be just...

These accessibility upgrades present the perfect opportunity for stop consolidation. Between the major stops (Cleveland Circle, Washington Square, Coolidge Corner, St Mary’s St), I’m hoping to see a movement from 3 -> 2 stops. For the Cleveland Circle - Washington Square segment, that should...

In my estimation, the biggest thing a governor can do with respect to the MBTA is appoint a GM. Baker appointed Poftak, which in and of itself was a hostile move to the MBTA. On that assignment, worth a big portion of your grade, Baker gets an F. Other governors post-Dukakis get D and C range...