December 2009 Observations

[79MetroExtraMD]

3766 at Montgomery
<vehicle id="3766" routeTag="null" dirTag="null" lat="39.046017" lon="-77.1079479" secsSinceReport="61" predictable="false" heading="-4"/>
http://www.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=39.046017,+-77.1079479&sll=41.883876,-87.653046&sspn=0.288321,0.617294&ie=UTF8&ll=39.045486,-77.1069&spn=0.009399,0.01929&z=16

[Tritransit Area]

These 37 footers may be fine running on the route due to the holiday season, but...

Wasn't one of the MAJOR problems with the Q2 that the high floor 40 foot buses were generally overcrowded?  Artics were regularly used on this route.  I can't imagine that so many people have stopped taking the bus to warrant 37 footers on the new Q line.

[NewFlyer9736BCT]

These 37 footers may be fine running on the route due to the holiday season, but...

Wasn't one of the MAJOR problems with the Q2 that the high floor 40 foot buses were generally overcrowded?  Artics were regularly used on this route.  I can't imagine that so many people have stopped taking the bus to warrant 37 footers on the new Q line.

artics were not really used regularly on the Q2, it was mostly the Y line. although it wasn't unusual either, but now that a lot of Montgomery's artics moved to Bladensburg and the Y line is hogging all the new 5400s, it's harder than before to find an artic. now with the new Q line, even if it's supposed to help with overcrowding, 37 footers shouldn't be used, but at least it's better than no bus at all.

[C40LF_2464]

5446 on the B30 today. Seems like they gonna gonna be there for a while.

[79MetroExtraMD]

I think 3766 might be in between Northern and Montgomery runs. It's on the H8 right now, but I'm still wondering why its on a Montgomery run in the evening.

[Scrabbleship]

These 37 footers may be fine running on the route due to the holiday season, but...

Wasn't one of the MAJOR problems with the Q2 that the high floor 40 foot buses were generally overcrowded?  Artics were regularly used on this route.  I can't imagine that so many people have stopped taking the bus to warrant 37 footers on the new Q line.

artics were not really used regularly on the Q2, it was mostly the Y line. although it wasn't unusual either, but now that a lot of Montgomery's artics moved to Bladensburg and the Y line is hogging all the new 5400s, it's harder than before to find an artic. now with the new Q line, even if it's supposed to help with overcrowding, 37 footers shouldn't be used, but at least it's better than no bus at all.

As I've said before, WMATA should have looked for some second-hand artics to use in the interim rather than working the 5200's to death and creating an artic crunch until they can finally run the 60BRT's on the X2.

I wonder what the viability of borrowing a few 60-BRT's from Bladensburg and allowing them to fuel at Ride On's Gaithersburg division would be. They'd have to be limited to the Q's for logistical reasons, but it might be a good stopgap rather than providing excess capacity to the U8 and in off hours to the R's.

[79MetroExtraMD]

3766 C2 MC62
<predictions agencyTitle="WMATA Washington" routeTitle="C2 GBLT-TWINBROOK" routeTag="C2" stopTitle="University Blvd + New Hampshire Ave">
?
<direction title="East to Greenbelt Center">
<prediction seconds="87" minutes="1" epochTime="1262120266465" isDeparture="false" dirTag="C2_C2_1" vehicle="6192" block="MC59"/>
<prediction seconds="2334" minutes="38" epochTime="1262122513354" isDeparture="false" dirTag="C2_C2_1" vehicle="3766" block="MC62"/>

[C40LF_2464]

3766 C2 MC62
<predictions agencyTitle="WMATA Washington" routeTitle="C2 GBLT-TWINBROOK" routeTag="C2" stopTitle="University Blvd + New Hampshire Ave">
?
<direction title="East to Greenbelt Center">
<prediction seconds="87" minutes="1" epochTime="1262120266465" isDeparture="false" dirTag="C2_C2_1" vehicle="6192" block="MC59"/>
<prediction seconds="2334" minutes="38" epochTime="1262122513354" isDeparture="false" dirTag="C2_C2_1" vehicle="3766" block="MC62"/>

WTF? I would hate to be on that bus now. Oh yeah Ken can you track what's on the B30?

[OrionFlyer]

3766 C2 MC62
<predictions agencyTitle="WMATA Washington" routeTitle="C2 GBLT-TWINBROOK" routeTag="C2" stopTitle="University Blvd + New Hampshire Ave">
?
<direction title="East to Greenbelt Center">
<prediction seconds="87" minutes="1" epochTime="1262120266465" isDeparture="false" dirTag="C2_C2_1" vehicle="6192" block="MC59"/>
<prediction seconds="2334" minutes="38" epochTime="1262122513354" isDeparture="false" dirTag="C2_C2_1" vehicle="3766" block="MC62"/>

You got to be kidding me. I've been on this route multiple times (from Wheaton to Greenbelt). The last thing this route needs is 35ft buses.

[Scrabbleship]

I think 3766 might be in between Northern and Montgomery runs. It's on the H8 right now, but I'm still wondering why its on a Montgomery run in the evening.

Maybe Montgomery needs to borrow buses from Northern since they seem to have gotten nothing in return for the artics they gave Bladensburg.

[Tritransit Area]

These 37 footers may be fine running on the route due to the holiday season, but...

Wasn't one of the MAJOR problems with the Q2 that the high floor 40 foot buses were generally overcrowded?  Artics were regularly used on this route.  I can't imagine that so many people have stopped taking the bus to warrant 37 footers on the new Q line.

artics were not really used regularly on the Q2, it was mostly the Y line. although it wasn't unusual either, but now that a lot of Montgomery's artics moved to Bladensburg and the Y line is hogging all the new 5400s, it's harder than before to find an artic. now with the new Q line, even if it's supposed to help with overcrowding, 37 footers shouldn't be used, but at least it's better than no bus at all.

It sure is better than no bus.  Did they even boost the amount of service along Viers Mill Road with the new Q structure, though?  I've been taking this change as a better allocation of resources as well as a way to save the $$.

[Tritransit Area]

By the way, about that C2, I highly agree!  Hopefully there's a C4 directly behind it, preferably with a Flx E or Orion V.

Did Montgomery give up all of their NABIs?

[ChristopherF]

RIDE ON:
975400 on the 8 (Wheaton)
035900 on the 48 (Rockville)
035909 on the 48 (Wheaton)
025600 on the 34 (Friendship Heights)
065300 on the 34 (Wheaton)
075309 on the 9 (Silver Spring)
095338 on the 10 (Twinbrook)
5363 on the 10 (Hillandale)

FAIRFAX CONNECTOR:
9776 on the RIBS 1
9780 on the RIBS 2
9784 on the RIBS 3
7909 on the RIBS 4
9763 on the 401 (Franconia- Springfield)
9700 on the 401 (Tysons West*Park)
9720 on the 950 (Reston Town Ctr via Herndon- Monroe P&R)
7810 on the 505 (West Falls Church Metro)

METROBUS:
6107 on the NH1
4400 on the NH1
6349 on the 36
4073 on the C8 (College Park Station)
4086 on the K6 (Ft Totten)
4092 on the C8 (College Park Station)
4100 on the J2 (Montgomery Mall)
4200 on the 86 (Calverton)
4300 on the S2 (Federal Triangle)
4321 on the C8 (White Flint Station)
4331 on the K6 (Ft Totten)
4382 on the F4 (New Carrollton)
2073 on the 1A (Ballston Station)
2077 on the J2 (Silver Spring Station)
2086 on the K6 (White Oak)
2088 on the Q4
2092 on the C8 (White Flint Station)
2100 on the S4 (Silver Spring Station)
2130 on the S2 (Silver Spring Station)
2200 on the 36
6013 on the F8 (Cheverly Station)
6015 on the K6 (Ft Totten)
6023 on the Z8 (Silver Spring Station)
6029 on the K6 (White Oak)
6034 on the C4 (Twinbrook Station)
6130 on the NH1
6168 on the F4 (New Carrollton Station)
6195 on the Z6 (Silver Spring Station)
6200 on the K6 (Ft Totten)
6339 on the S4 (Federal Triangle)
6372 on the C8 (College Park Station) with an M block
6391 on the K6 (White Oak)
6400 on the 1A (Ballston Station)
6417 on the F4 (Silver Spring Station)
6444 on the S9
5444 on the 70 (Archives)
2600 on the 38B (Ballston Station)
2539 on the 23A (Tysons Corner Westpark)
2589 on the 23A (Crystal City)
2563 on the 38B (Farragut Square)
5422 on the R2 (Calverton)
5402 on the R2 (Ft Totten)
2300 on the 86 (Rhode Island Avenue Station)
2413 on the R2 (Calverton & then to Ft Totten)
2356 on the R4 (Brookland Station)
2358 on the R3 (Ft Totten)
2448 on the R3, freshly rehabbed & repainted in silver/red
2363 on the R2 (Calverton & then to Ft Totten)
2301 on the R2 (Calverton)

[Scrabbleship]

By the way, about that C2, I highly agree!  Hopefully there's a C4 directly behind it, preferably with a Flx E or Orion V.

Did Montgomery give up all of their NABIs?

No. They still have some. Saw a couple on the Y's this morning and another on the Q2.

[79MetroExtraMD]

5439 T2 MT06 @ Rockville