Potential future Circulator routes/extensions revealed

[Scrabbleship]

GGW article. Click if you must.

Proposed new routes:
Waterfront-Dupont Circle via the Mall & Farragut Square
U Street-H Street NE via Florida Ave & North Capitol Street
Anacostia-Minnesota Avenue (probable as an east-of-river link was promised for 2011)
"a Brookland-Tenleyrown link via Hospital Center/McMillan, Petworth, Columbia Heights, Adams Morgan, Connecticut Avenue, and Van Ness."

Proposed Extensions:
Rosslyn-Georgetown-Dupont to 14th & U
Southwest Waterfront to Nationals Park
Navy Yard-Union Station to the New York Ave Metro

I think a lot of these are good ideas, but the boat is being missed on some gimmes (Georgetown-Union Station to Glover Park, Woodley Park-McPherson Square up past the zoo to Cleveland Park, then closing the loop like the old H5/H7) and I think that the Union Station/Navy Yard route can use night and weekend service on non-game days. Anyone agree?

[NewFlyer9736BCT]

The Brookland to Tenleytown line would definitely work seeing as it already exists today as the H3/H4, assuming it would replace said lines.
As for the others, an extension to Nats Stadium is a good idea if you ask me, everything else is probably trial and error, not sure what those changes would bring.

[Scrabbleship]

The Brookland to Tenleytown line would definitely work seeing as it already exists today as the H3/H4, assuming it would replace said lines.
As for the others, an extension to Nats Stadium is a good idea if you ask me, everything else is probably trial and error, not sure what those changes would bring.

I think if they did a route that duplicated the H's, it'd be a limited stop route. Assuming the NIMBY's on Yuma St, Van Ness St, and Reno Rd got their way to not add service to the status quo, I think such a service could work if it stopped at the following:

Tenleytown Station
Porter St & Wisconsin Ave
Connecticut Ave & Porter St
Park Rd & Mount Pleasant St
16th St & Irving St/Columbia Rd or Park Rd
11th St & Irving St/Columbia Rd
Georgia Av & Irving St/Columbia Rd
[Insert stop or stops near the hospital complex if necessary]
North Capitol St & Michigan Ave
A stop near the Trinity campus
A stop near the CUA Campus
Brookland Station

I think running the westbound trip via Park Road the entire way rather than dealing with Mount Pleasant Street could differentiate it from the H's running via Columbia Road though the constant construction there hasn't helped any (the H8 still is detouring westbound). Serving the hospitals could be a benefit as it'd reduce running time and would keep a niche for the H's as the detour through the complex adds to running time. I can't see how you could add Van Ness to this route given how all the ways between there and Tenleytown are NIMBY central.

[WMATAGMOAGH]

I don't think the Hs are so busy that they warrant tons of extra service in that corridor.  Perhaps they ought to just increase the existing service there and then see if there is demand.  Also, say what you want about the people living in Cleveland Park, but streets like Van Ness, Veazey, and Porter (west of Reno) are really narrow to the point where I'm sure the people living there resent all through traffic of all sorts.  I understand why they don't want huge buses running there all the time.

I also can't see the H5/H7 having success as a resurrection in Circulator form, IIRC the routes never performed well (though they also never operated outside of rush hour).  Especially now that the Woodley Park-McPherson Square Circulator goes via Columbia Heights, do they really need a similar route from Cleveland Park too?

Some of the ideas in the report seem off the mark to me.  Circulator was started to complement Metrobus and Metrorail.  The routes were meant to be fairly short, run frequently, and easy to figure out.  If the routes become too long or everyone starts riding them, the allure of Circulator might be lost.  For example, if the Georgetown-Union Station bus goes to the Cathedral, the route is just getting to be way too long.  I say leave the Dupont-Georgetown-Rosslyn route alone.  I'm in favor of extending the 7th Street line over to the ballpark, but I'm not in favor of interlining it or merging it with the former N22.  I like the idea of routes connecting Takoma and Fort Totten to Walter Reed and Brookland to nearby commercial districts, as examples.  But Circulator plus the 30s on Wisconsin Avenue?  No thanks...

[Scrabbleship]

I also can't see the H5/H7 having success as a resurrection in Circulator form, IIRC the routes never performed well (though they also never operated outside of rush hour).  Especially now that the Woodley Park-McPherson Square Circulator goes via Columbia Heights, do they really need a similar route from Cleveland Park too?

The areas that the H5 and H7 serve have seen quite a bit of change in the time since it was discontinued and I think the hole is there. I also think that the Woodley Park route could be extended to the zoo, the only problem is there are no turnarounds for a bus between Woodley Park and Van Ness unless you cut down Porter to Columbia Heights.

Some of the ideas in the report seem off the mark to me.  Circulator was started to complement Metrobus and Metrorail.  The routes were meant to be fairly short, run frequently, and easy to figure out.  If the routes become too long or everyone starts riding them, the allure of Circulator might be lost.  For example, if the Georgetown-Union Station bus goes to the Cathedral, the route is just getting to be way too long.  I say leave the Dupont-Georgetown-Rosslyn route alone.  I'm in favor of extending the 7th Street line over to the ballpark, but I'm not in favor of interlining it or merging it with the former N22.  I like the idea of routes connecting Takoma and Fort Totten to Walter Reed and Brookland to nearby commercial districts, as examples.  But Circulator plus the 30s on Wisconsin Avenue?  No thanks...

I think that two factors are in play: Neighborhoods not close to Metro want better bus service to Metro (Glover Park is the loudest with this) and that DDOT might not trust WMATA and might want to take them on direct to take over more of WMATA's routes. The "H on 'roids" proposal screams of something not being right.