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Show HN: I built a transit travel time map

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Re: Show HN: I built a transit travel time map

#61

Post by sfink »

ghaff wrote: post #40
akamaka wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There’s not much correlation between density and quality of public transit. If you look at a top 10 list of best transit systems, you’ll see medium density cities like Oslo and Helsinki right beside Tokyo and Hong Kong. Or within the USA, compare Miami to Seattle. The only difference is that one city decided to build mass transit and the other didn’t. It’s entirely possible to build an appropriate transit system for…

Past a certain density point probably. It also helps if there's some degree of concentration where people want to go even if the city as a whole is only medium density. However, things get too spread out and it breaks down--including that transit runs on a sufficiently spaced-out schedule that people with a choice just don't want to take it.

I was just in Paris. It was a major eye-opener for me to observe people on the Métro when there was a train approaching while I was a little ways away from the platform. Very few people rushed to make it! It initially made me doubt that I understood how the train worked—did they know something I didn't, and this train wouldn't actually stop where I needed? But no, it was just that they knew that if they missed the train, they would only need to wait a whole 3 minutes for the next one.

Coming from the SF Bay Area, if you miss a train you'll probably have a minimum 15 minute wait (at least at the stations and times I use), often 2-3x more. People run down the stairs to the platform, shove their way in, and often block the doors from closing if they're squeezing in at the last minute (which extends the last minute, making the train later for the next stop.)

Also, "taking the train" doesn't just mean showing up at the train station. It means checking the schedule and timing it so you show up at the right time. I don't just walk from place to place, using the train as a way of getting around as needed. I plan it out. Or I don't, and use a car instead, which everything subtly encourages.

I agree, frequency makes a huge difference in actual practice.

Re: Show HN: I built a transit travel time map

#63

Post by nashashmi »

benced wrote: post #53
cridenour wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed. It took weeks of researching to find this term when I was looking to optimize travel time search. Once I did, everything became easier! Ended up forking Open Transit Planner, this was back in 2015. Turned 40 minutes real estate searches into 40ms or so.

Wouldn't have helped you back then but LLMs are _spectacular_ at giving you the term that you don't really know what to google for.

Agree. I tried this with figuring out the name of a logical fallacy. And it led to a rabbit hole of info.

Re: Show HN: I built a transit travel time map

#64

Post by nashashmi »

baq wrote: post #16

Public service announcement - these kind of maps are known as isochrone maps and they're anything but new, but are (IMHO criminally) unpopular. They're extremely helpful when house hunting. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isochrone_map

They are also popular when establishing an office space, or when recruiting en masse for job opportunities/

Re: Show HN: I built a transit travel time map

#65

Post by nashashmi »

guessmyname wrote: post #19

I get sad every time I return back to America from Asia because of how small the public infrastructure is in many parts of America compared to Asia. If anyone has lived or at least visited places like Tokyo, Japan or Shanghai, China, you probably understand what I am referring to.

I hope you are not comparing American suburbs to Asian urban communities. This is a common misconception among immigrants that they compare commuting opportunities of suburbia to urban cities in Asia.

Re: Show HN: I built a transit travel time map

#66

Post by notpushkin »

all2 wrote: post #33
cridenour wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed. It took weeks of researching to find this term when I was looking to optimize travel time search. Once I did, everything became easier! Ended up forking Open Transit Planner, this was back in 2015. Turned 40 minutes real estate searches into 40ms or so.

What is this Open Transit Planner and where do I find it?

I believe they're talking about http://www.opentripplanner.org/.

Re: Show HN: I built a transit travel time map

#67

Post by ghaff »

sfink wrote: post #61
ghaff wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Past a certain density point probably. It also helps if there's some degree of concentration where people want to go even if the city as a whole is only medium density. However, things get too spread out and it breaks down--including that transit runs on a sufficiently spaced-out schedule that people with a choice just don't want to take it.

I was just in Paris. It was a major eye-opener for me to observe people on the Métro when there was a train approaching while I was a little ways away from the platform. Very few people rushed to make it! It initially made me doubt that I understood how the train worked—did they know something I didn't, and this train wouldn't actually stop where I needed? But no, it was just that they knew that if they missed the tr…

For all its recent problems, the Boston subway isn't too bad. I certainly don't check schedules.

But the commuter rail out to me only runs about once an hour. I can deal with that for a "9 to 5" work thing where driving would have to deal with horrific traffic anyway. But it's a total non-starter for an evening event where I would have to time my return including possibly dealing with subway variance to a commuter rail station. (And it takes significantly longer than driving at that time of day anyway.)

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