MBTA Buses & Infrastructure

It's out:


Lots of really interesting stuff in here. You can definitely see the push and pull of the competing ideas and visions.
 
Some good stuff - 87 and 89 restored in Somerville, 39 back to Copley, 47 readded at high frequency and extended to Union Square

Some bad - several existing low-frequency routes restored, removed direct service from Waltham Center to the D Branch
 
Some good stuff - 87 and 89 restored in Somerville, 39 back to Copley, 47 readded at high frequency and extended to Union Square

Some bad - several existing low-frequency routes restored, removed direct service from Waltham Center to the D Branch
My very preliminary reaction is a bit less negative on the restoration of some of those lower freq services. Comparing the maps side by side, the May version looks a bit more threadbare, while this version definitely offers more for the “low-freq one-seat” rider — folks who are willing to wait longer/plan around a low-freq schedule in order to avoid transfers. I’m also seeing good (maybe better, idk) coordination of trunk vs branching services — the May version seemed allergic to routes overlapping at all, but overlaps have their place and what I’m seeing in this version looks better on that front.

One challenge: apparently this redesign would require a 50% increase in bus drivers.

 
Yea, a lot more low frequency routes. The loss of the 65 being high frequency definitely sticks out this round compared to the May 2022 version where the 65 was high frequency (as the T15 bus). Same goes for West Lynn, although Saugus doesn't have the density or land use for anything more than hourly service.
 
The breakdown of positive and negative feedback by region is amazing. The general sense in Somerville was: “Well they know that we’re gonna complain about it, so we might as well go hard.

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The breakdown of positive and negative feedback by region is amazing. The general sense in Somerville was: “Well they know that we’re gonna complain about it, so we might as well go hard.

View attachment 30067

That definitely lays the neighborhood vs. neighborhood tradeoffs here pretty bare, though some of that could simply be people complaining that poor bus service would not be improved, rather than that good service would be lost.
 
The breakdown of positive and negative feedback by region is amazing. The general sense in Somerville was: “Well they know that we’re gonna complain about it, so we might as well go hard.

View attachment 30067
I guess Somerville was lumped in with Charlestown because of Sullivan but it seems more natural to group it with Cambridge, Thats a huge number of comments from those two towns.
I'm happier anyway!
 
Am I missing something on that proposed Route 61? North Waltham to Market Place Dr/Market Basket is useful for very few people. It must be through-routed with something else, but losing connection to 70, 505, and Central Waltham is disappointing. If it's through routed it should really be signed as alternate routing like the old 70A. The original proposal kept the existing 61 basically intact.
 
Malcolm X Blvd is proposed to have all-day frequencies of at least 24 buses per hour per direction. The right-of-way is wide enough to accommodate center running bus lanes a la Columbus Ave. This should be BTD’s next focus. That corridor could be great.
 
Am I missing something on that proposed Route 61? North Waltham to Market Place Dr/Market Basket is useful for very few people. It must be through-routed with something else, but losing connection to 70, 505, and Central Waltham is disappointing. If it's through routed it should really be signed as alternate routing like the old 70A. The original proposal kept the existing 61 basically intact.
I imagine it's gotta be interlined with something ..... maybe the random route that is labeled "Market Place Drive to Watertown and Newton" in the Remix Map. but it's weird that it's not interlined with the 70 - the traditional "trunk"
 
Current MBTA frequent network as of Fall 2022 vs. Oct. 2022 proposed expanded frequent network over Greater Boston urbanization and human settlement density levels.

Black lines denote served areas. Gray lines either denote extended ares of no stops on subway lines (Edgeworth, Neponset), or non-frequent branches (116/117). Blue lines denote new, proposed, frequent lines. The Medford Branch of the GLX is marked blue as it is not operational yet.

The 111 between the Tobin Bridge and Causeway St. in North End is not marked. Personally, I find it extremely misleading when the 111's line is drawn through Charlestown, since there are no exits on the Tobin Bridge, and there is no City Sq. bus stop on the 111. The 111 should be marked with an arrow from the on-ramp on Chelsea, and an arrow on the No. Washington St. bridge, and display "Runs express to/from North End/Haymarket and Chelsea"

Data source: EU Global Human Settlement Layer

Current MBTA frequent network, rapid transit and key bus routes (Fall 2022, 2022-08-28) (excludes Medford Branch GLX)
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Proposed frequent bus network and Medford Branch GLX (2028 or later)
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Some things stick out to me. Eastern Medford and Edgeworth in Malden remain underserved by the current network, as well as the Neponset areas.

Both Neponset and Brighton got the short end of the stick in the Oct. 2022 revision. Brighton has infrequent crosstown connection with the 86 and the 65. Neponset will only see hourly bus service compared to every 30 mins in the May 2022 version. In east Medford, the 134 is routed away from Fellsway and the 100 downgraded to hourly (every 30 mins right now).

The northern suburbs are extremely spread out low density, and areas south and southeast of Quincy Center (note large green and blank space gaps between orange settled areas in the map). So it makes sense that they remain at hourly bus service, although commuter rail improvements is a good move, but high frequency bus service doesn't make sense (sub 30 minute wait times) in low density areas, given the need for higher frequency (sub 10 minute wait times for buses) in urban areas. Not sure why Saugus is seeing 30 minute frequencies. Although, downgrading Saugus to hourly service means less service to West Lynn, which got cut in the Oct. 2022 revision. The 77 to Arlington Heights stays put, and makes sense, RL extension past Lexington Center is hard to justify. Existing 62 bus to Lexington will stay put at hourly service, but will add Sunday service in the proposal.

Areas in Newton currently serviced by the 550 bus series, and the Newton Commuter Rail stations, will continue to be relatively underserved by transit, given relative density. A bus running Newton Corner - Waltham Center via West Newton Commuter Rail station, running every 30 mins would've made sense, but is not planned in the proposal.

The current, fall 2022 network leaves a lot to be had. Charlestown, Everett, much of Somerville, Medford, South Boston, and West Roxbury, have no frequent service, and all of these locations will see improvements, although it is at least 6+ years away from now (October 2022). Somerville/Charlestown is going to have massive improvements in the future from where it's at now.
 
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They're gonna end up with a bunch of BEBs and nowhere to charge them at this rate. The BEB RFP they have out right now has deliveries starting a year from now, but I assume that will be adjusted.

My cynical/MBTA PTSD brain thinks they're waiting for the 4100s to be off the property before announcing a similar delay at North Cambridge -- if not outright cancellation.
 
I fully expect they will unload the North Cambridge property as surplus.
They've already said they're going to do that when Charlestown goes electric, but that Charlestown is going to be one of the last conversions.
 
They're gonna end up with a bunch of BEBs and nowhere to charge them at this rate. The BEB RFP they have out right now has deliveries starting a year from now, but I assume that will be adjusted.

My cynical/MBTA PTSD brain thinks they're waiting for the 4100s to be off the property before announcing a similar delay at North Cambridge -- if not outright cancellation.
No! Whatever gives you the idea that the T might not be forthright? Oh yeah, everything they do and say
 

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