Well, the Super Stops along the Columbia Pike corridor are gonna be a reality. I remember seeing the plans for them a year or so back and liked the idea. Free WiFi, realtime information (when Nextbus comes back online), and a snazy design. I've seen pics of similar stops abroad and like the idea of having some here. Also, has anyone been to the new Shirlington Station yet?
I've been to SS...sort of reminds me of Tysons-West*Park. The routing for many routes to get into the station is pretty roundabout, adding run time while still passing the old stop...some more innovative operators have found their own routes in instead of following Central.
Quote from: Tristan on July 15, 2008, 07:58:47 PM
I've been to SS...sort of reminds me of Tysons-West*Park. The routing for many routes to get into the station is pretty roundabout, adding run time while still passing the old stop...some more innovative operators have found their own routes in instead of following Central.
Isn't that what the left right sheets and route training is for? I think from most of the maps I've seen of the routes that serve Shirlington, I think they are supposed to loop around Randolph Street and come back down .
Let me be more clear -- the routing that Metro has provided is circuitous, so some drivers have invented their own...at least one westbound 23 has been seen going up Quincy, into the transit center with the eastbound stops, then making a U-turn out of the station to serve the westbound stop.
Quote from: Tristan on July 16, 2008, 10:31:29 AM
Let me be more clear -- the routing that Metro has provided is circuitous, so some drivers have invented their own...at least one westbound 23 has been seen going up Quincy, into the transit center with the eastbound stops, then making a U-turn out of the station to serve the westbound stop.
Some of the VA routes themselves are confusing. The maps try to get it clear but the routing is still very confusing. I guess Metro might have to pull an MTA with having directional signs put in place to guide operators :)
They make more sense on the ground than a map could ever portray. Some areas are just built weird (Parkfairfax, Fairlington, all of Fairfax County), and the routes have to follow the weird streets. I can't blame Metro for that one, as many things as they do do wrong.
Quote from: Tristan on July 16, 2008, 11:15:28 AM
They make more sense on the ground than a map could ever portray. Some areas are just built weird (Parkfairfax, Fairlington, all of Fairfax County), and the routes have to follow the weird streets. I can't blame Metro for that one, as many things as they do do wrong.
That's true. I remember riding the 17 line a few times and wondered how in the world the operators navigate thru the maze of streets in the Kings Park area. The 18 line is no better. If they need some sense of direction, maybe include some type of references in the L-R sheets such as stop signs, places of interest, etc. At least something for better reference. A few months back, I had to help an operator along the 15K going toward Rosslyn. The route is easy enough until you get to Tysons and the L-R sheet does no justice around Towers Crescent. The routing on the map is too compact to distinguish the individual turns for the eastbound routing. When is Google Street View gonna come into place for the DC area. That might help a little.