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3/11/2009
Those empty buses - they just don't go away

I don’t know about these folks proposing trains from Appleton to Green Bay (gosh, think people – do we have the density to make it make sense? Romantic, sentimental yes. Economically sensical in any possible way? – no), but I do know we have a flexible home town bus system here in the Fox Valley. Well, here I included “economic sense” and our very own Valley Transit in the same sentence – that’s not to infer that Valley Transit in any way pays for itself. But it is a social service that we in the Fox Valley – me included – are committed to continuing to provide – responsibly and with continuous, stringent fiscal accountability.

So…. with all that said, I attended one of three “Transit Development Plan” presentations last week. The next one is tonight – downstairs at the Appleton Public Library, 5:30 p.m.

It’s interesting stuff – but not so enthralling that you shouldn’t bring your knitting.

The numbers are abysmal. It’s the reality of demographics – we just aren’t a big-city bus system. (And, we like our cars and there’s plenty of room for them (so far) in the parking ramps and the big parking lots at big offices on the outskirts of town and usually plenty of room for them on our roads and byways.)

I digress. The point is that at least there are numbers. It’s not tough to see this isn’t big-city stuff. How about this – an average of 18 people board every bus every hour of operation. 18 people? Well, you get the idea. When you compare these pretty small numbers with other similar systems/communities, Valley Transit is just not the most efficient. Among 18 ‘peer systems’ in Wisconsin and nationwide, Valley Transit ranked

16th in trips per capita
5th in operating expenses per revenue mile (good!)
12th in operating expenses per revenue hour
13th in passenger trips per revenue mile

You get the idea. Not great. So now these planning types dig in and address the problem. A number of surrounding regional planning commissions and two engineering firms have teamed up to develop a computer simulation model that “uses socioeconomic data and other inputs to forecast auto, truck and transit trips on the transportation network.” It “can test transit routes without putting a bus on the road.” Pretty cool. So you’ll see significant route changes proposed in an effort to increase the efficiency of the system.

Go to the meeting and see how it works. Kind of bus-wonk stuff. You’ll also hear an update on the status of the creation of a Regional Transit Authority. Here’s my take on it in 2007. Discussions have advanced substantially and enabling legislation is included in Governor Doyle’s budget proposal this time around. No telling if it will stay there, but if you’re even one iota interested, now’s the time to stay on top of it.

Call Jason Kakatsch at East Central Regional Planning Commission with any questions about any of this transit/transportation stuff or tonight’s public comment session at the library. (920) 751-4770.

Jo Egelhoff, FoxPolitics.net

COMMENTS

I used to fume about empty buses when driving by at various hours of the day. then my car broke down.

Not being in the position to pay 10/ride across town for a cab I noticed that the bus stops about a half block from where I live. Riding the bus at various times I saw that the buses were not empty all the time-- perhaps just at my hours of being out and about. At the 3:30 afternoon run the city bus is used to transport a bunch of kids from school to the Boys and Girls Club. They are supervised by a teacher and it's good to see them getting some experience on a public conveyance rather than a yellow Bluebird.

Perhaps that is most significant. A group of kids. In Appleton I'll conjecture that the buses are empty those other hours because adults refuse to use them. For the uninitiated adult bus rider reading here, the Appleton metro buses are clean, have conveniences for those who can't step up high and have assistance and accommodations for those in wheel chairs. The bus has a
kneeling feature which allows the wheelchair bound to enter on their own.

But they are big. And there aren't that many in wheel chairs. The routes are quite frequent (on the half hour at peak times during work shift changes) and on time because there are stop points along the route so that the driver can't rush through a run and leave you (or me)
stranded. Assurance is given to transfer users that the bus to transfer is waiting for their ticket by two way radio. Major stops are called out verbally by the driver.

To improve the bus service, newer forms of smaller and more efficient vehicles should be part of the plan. And as Jo says, buses will and always should be subsidized as a public conveyance.

For those not familiar with the bus as a parent or a youngster, I'd suggest that you go for a ride for the experience as you would to the farmer's market or the Children's Museum. Kids who are picked up incessantly from door to door and especially adults have to get past the
kicking and screaming stage of using the bus.

Lon Ponschock (Wed Mar 11 10:46:57 2009)

Ridership will increase very shortly in the future. I and other retirees who can no longer safely drive long distances are truly restricted in travel for medical or entertainment outside of our small town. Past peak oil gas prices will not stay where they are for long. Its a pity to hear someone who seems apparently financially privileged and healthy at this point in her life, dismissing a service that is and will be needed by more and more citizens in the very near future, spout such a sad, thoughtless, inhumane, elitist pile of garbage about this subject.

Don (Wed Mar 11 14:16:59 2009)

I think you must have misread the article Don. It was written expressly to encourage folks in our community to attend tonight's public meeting. The meeting is a place folks can hold Valley Transit accountable - as all responsible taxpayers and residents must. To quote straight from the article you've decided to slam:

... it is a social service that we in the Fox Valley – me included – are committed to continuing to provide – responsibly and with continuous, stringent fiscal accountability.
If you can be polite and constructive, you're welcome to write your own commentary and I'll be glad to post it. That said, you best not assume the financial or health status of anyone you don't know. And do please read my article again, with any chip on your shoulder that might be there, removed.

Jo (Wed Mar 11 16:14:14 2009)

Jo,
Yes, I used to use the Oshkosh bus system quite a lot when I got my first radio job and it didn't pay well enough for me to own a car. I was thankful for the system that was in place then.

But when problems arise with subsidized services or industries, they're subjected to lots of scrutiny by the governing authority...and then – invariably – lots more money is thrown at them to "fix" the problems.

It's the old "tragedy of the commons", and we'll continue to fret about our obligation to provide public transportation forever...and it will never be cost effective. The fact that there's an average of 18 riders per hour on each bus should tell us something: namely, that we have too many buses and too-frequent bus stops.

I live in Neenah. The buses here stop only every hour, not every half-hour as in Appleton. Why, if there are only 18 riders per hour per bus, could the system not cut down its service to once an hour for, say, half the routes?

And trains? Don't get me started! We'd be starting from scratch, hoping against hope that ridership would be massive enough to justify the enormous expense of building this line.

Buses as public transportation I can see. Routes can be modified, split up, added to, subtracted from, etc. But trains? There's the one track. How many trains are going to run each day? Is it one train endlessly cycling? I'm not even going to continue on this track, so to speak, since it's absurd to think about. We've got pavement laid down between every conceivable destination in the Fox Cities. Who the heck needs a train?

And planning? I recommend to you the book, The Best-Laid Plans: How Government Planning Harms Your Quality of Life, Your Pocketbook, and Your Future by Randal O'Toole. I'm only part-way through the section on U. S. Forest Service planning; but O'Toole makes a devastating case against the utter futility, enormous waste, and pollyanna forecasts of central planning.

Steve Erbach, Neenah
http://www.NeenahPolitics.com

Steve Erbach (Wed Mar 11 16:48:23 2009)

Ditto your reply to Don! You are too kind!
Gerry

Gerry (Wed Mar 11 18:37:32 2009)