7.03.2007

Metro Routes

I admit I'm no city planner. If I were in charge, I wouldn't know the first thing about making the trains run on time. However, I suspect that I have an idea how bus routes are supposed to work. One would imagine that these buses should take major roads. Smaller buses for smaller routes (like Tenleytown's N8 and M4) can take the back roads. All other buses should stick mostly to roads that are named after letters, numbers, or states.

So the H3 completely baffles me. I've been traveling a bit to and from Mount Pleasant and this bus is an absolute disaster. Why is a major bus going down small roads like Veazey Street? This road is in the middle of a residential neighborhood with street parking. In other words, there's really only one lane available for driving. Every time the bus reaches opposing traffic, we have to wait for the driver of the other car to book it in reverse and get out of our way. This takes forever when we hit more than one car. It costs both the bus and the passenger valuable time.

I have never seen a person board the bus on Veazey or get off on Veazey. The H4 covers the same general area but takes Wisconsin Avenue. Doesn't that make more sense? I mean, four lanes of traffic is more suitable for a bus. It's not rocket science.

I'm sure there are a few bus routes that are as senseless as the H3 that I don't ride and therefore don't know about. I'd love to hear about them in the comments.

13 comments:

  1. Mount Pleasant seems like a terrible place to drive anything, let alone a bus.

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  2. Because it's easier to run over small children that way.

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  3. AnonymousJuly 03, 2007

    Why do you think Mt. Pleasant is a terrible place to drive? I've lived in a few neighborhoods in DC, and this is the first time I've been able to reliably find parking within walking distance of where I'm actually trying to go.

    I've never seen a traffic jam, I've never seen an accident... What's the problem?

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  4. taylor st ne is not that tiny of a road(it's two lanes in each direction at the point of my story). nor is it townhome residential like capitol hill.

    still, the H8 always manages to precariously hug the line, no scratch that, drive in both damn lanes and narrowly miss my car by quarter-inches.

    i do not know how many times i have braced myself for impact/been edged over the line of oncoming traffic by that bus barrelling down the middle of the road.

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  5. Amen Brother -- I live on Veazey -- I don't use the bus, but it sure wakes me up every morning whether I want to or not.

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  6. oh...

    the driving in the city has less traffic than the surrounding suburbs

    much of the traffic problems come from outsiders not knowing how to behave in their cars

    that said
    there are plenty of drivers from the city that do not know how to drive either

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  7. AnonymousJuly 04, 2007

    I'm frankly too scared to ride a bike in a city like DC.

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  8. AnonymousJuly 05, 2007

    do the DC busses run all night, or shut off like the subway?

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  9. AnonymousJuly 05, 2007

    No -- the subway stays open all night. The metro shuts off.

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  10. They probably follow some of the old street car lines. It was the same in Pittsburgh where they had a very extensive street car system once upon a time. I agree that buses should be on main streets as well.

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  11. AnonymousJuly 09, 2007

    "Outsiders", eh? because you were born and raised here and own the place, right?

    Or is it that Virginia is oh so frighteningly far away for you great urban dwelling lords who are SO incredibly hip that you cannot possibly bring yourselves to imagine life outside of a 10x10 mile box (85% of which you label "the ghetto" or "Anacostia", thinking the terms are interchangeable), that anyone and anything coming from it is alien?

    Get over yourself. The nature of living in an urban center is that it is a CENTER, meaning that people come from other places to do things. Lots of things. You wouldn't want to live someplace that doesn't attract "outsiders" because you enjoy living in an urban center (plus you like to lord your "insider" status over everyone you meet). If you DON'T like "outsiders" taking over "your city", move!

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