http://www.tbd.com/blogs/tbd-on-foot/2011/03/national-mall-circulator-may-stop-circulating-9239.html (http://www.tbd.com/blogs/tbd-on-foot/2011/03/national-mall-circulator-may-stop-circulating-9239.html)
Ending the service, now only running on weekend days during the Spring and Summer, would allow Circulator to expand Navy Yard/Union Station service further in the evening and to (non-Nats game) Saturdays.
Personally, I can't say this is a bad idea at all to be honest given how it's the easiest way to get from Union Station to the southern part of Capitol Hill/Eastern Market since the roundabout Metro ride is competitive with walking timewise.
This makes sense. I hope they would have a last "hoo-rah!" so I could grab a picture of this Circulator route.
http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/9870/ddot-proposes-circulator-fare-hike-route-changes (//http://)
On the table: Raising the fare to $2 cash/$1.50 Smartrip cancelling the National Mall route, mothballing the Southwest Waterfront route until development progresses, adding (non-Nats game) night/weekend service on the Union Station/Navy Yard route, and an assortment of new routes/extensions including:
- Union Station/Navy Yard extensions north to New York Ave and south to Congress Heights (Alabama Ave Giant)
- Rosslyn-Georgetown-Dupont Circle extension up 18th Street to U Street & Howard University
- A second Georgetown-Union Station route via Jefferson Drive (north side of The Mall)
- An Arlington Cemetery-Union Station route via Madison Drive (south side of the Mall)
- A Northwest-Southeast connector beginning at Dupont Circle, going on the west side of the Mall, then going to the Southwest Waterfront and ending at Navy Yard.
Someone needs to sit down and decide what the purpose of the Circulator is going to be. When Circulator was launched, the idea was to have short, frequent routes that would complement the existing bus service. It now looks like they might be creating a second bus network within DC providing limited stop routes. My question is why isn't WMATA developing those sorts of routes, which was supposed to be their job as I understand it? The value of the Circulator goes down in my opinion when you have routes going from Rosslyn to Howard University or from New York Avenue to Alabama Avenue.
I've been an advocate of bringing the Metrobus system out of the 70s and into the modern day in terms of its route structure. The latest Circulator proposals should only make that a higher priority IMO.
According to the 3/30/2011 edition of THE WASHINGTON POST, "The D.C. Department of Transportation has scheduled a public meeting Thursday (3/31/2011) to discuss development of the Circulator bus program and routes over the next decade." "Thursday's meeting is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. in the Ohio room of the Capital Hilton at 16th and L streets NW."
Quote from: WMATAGMOAGH on March 30, 2011, 04:42:56 AM
Someone needs to sit down and decide what the purpose of the Circulator is going to be. When Circulator was launched, the idea was to have short, frequent routes that would complement the existing bus service. It now looks like they might be creating a second bus network within DC providing limited stop routes. My question is why isn't WMATA developing those sorts of routes, which was supposed to be their job as I understand it? The value of the Circulator goes down in my opinion when you have routes going from Rosslyn to Howard University or from New York Avenue to Alabama Avenue.
I've been an advocate of bringing the Metrobus system out of the 70s and into the modern day in terms of its route structure. The latest Circulator proposals should only make that a higher priority IMO.
That was exactly my thought when I read the Post article. Metrobus is enough of a mess already without having to compete for resources with the District itself.
Is it time to rethink WMATA? Should one agency run Metrorail and maybe express commuter buses across the metro area, and have the district and each county run their own bus systems?
Hasn't this issue been brought up before? The whole idea of a regional transportation system is coordination not disjunction. Privatization was brought up before, but it is not always as it seems and service still isn't guaranteed to improve if a contractor operates the modes. Things have to change from the inside out. I do agree Metro needs to be brought to a modern standard of public transportation, but chopping up things isn't the best solution. Of course, each jurisdiction has their own transportation needs, but it fits into being a regional system. Political boundaries should not be concrete barriers to transportation where you have to get off one thing and get on another just to continue a trip out into Virginia or Maryland or coming into the District.