The Grand Redesign - Second Thoughts

A brief follow-up on my previous entries (here and here) about the new Madison Metro bus network.

In one of those posts, I noted that we now have automated announcements letting passengers know of connection opportunities. A good idea but I felt the execution was a bit ham-fisted. I noticed this week that these announcements have been changed.

They used to be like:

"Possible connection opportunities: 

route A

route B

route C

route L

route 28"

and so on with "route" being pronounced as "root".

Now the announcements go something like:

"Nearby connections:

routes A, B, C, L, 28"

and so on with "route" being pronounced like "rout".

It's now a more concise announcement and, in my opinion, clearer because the word "route" isn't repeated. I hope it's helping. As for the pronunciation, I find that change to be really odd. I wonder what precipitated that.

Yesterday I stayed a little later at work than I normally do and missed my usual A bus. I've gotta say that it was really nice to have to wait only about 15 minutes for the next one instead of 30 or so minutes as I would have had to before the network redesign.

I mainly take the A and C buses and I feel like I did when I lived in Chicago. I can just show up at a stop (most of the time) and know that a bus will be along in fairly short order instead of worrying that I've got a 30-60 minute wait.

Frequency is freedom.

Lastly, I want to say that I am disappointed in the media coverage of the bus network changes. Prior to the implementation of the changes last month, articles seemed even-handed. Some will benefit, others won't. But now the articles I've read really focus on the latter group. I guess if an industry's motto is "If it bleeds, it leads", then I shouldn't be surprised that the squeaky wheels will get the column space.

The articles I've read have a token happy rider but give prominence to people who complain and go into their situations much more deeply. People do have legitimate complaints, to be sure, and they deserve to be heard. But it seems like the press will note, "Fred likes the changes, but Cheryl hates them and so let's go in-depth into the new burden she must bear with the new bus system." But I never hear about the great burden that was lifted off of Fred's shoulders.

My other gripe is that I don't see a lot being written about the groups whose transit travails were ostensibly the impetus for the new network. When it was being designed, I heard a lot about working class blacks and Hispanics on the south side who had 90 minute commutes with multiple transfers. Has the new system helped them? Their collective plight was the equity component to the redesign, to my recollection, but I never hear their reactions. Instead, I hear about UW Hospital workers who commute from points west.

I see that some minor tweaks are coming next month. It doesn't sound like the changes will take care of my biggest gripe, namely, that the westbound D bus doesn't get to North and E. Wash in more synchronized fashion with the A bus on weekdays. What would be really convenient and handy is denied me and the A doesn't start 15-minute headways until 7 o'clock while the D gets there just as the A would be leaving.

For my part, most of the routes I've used have to traverse a lot of road construction so I am waiting to find out how things go after construction season is over. BRT next year will surely change things again for me.