Bus stop balancing is fast, cheap, and effective • Hacker News Board

Re: Bus stop balancing is fast, cheap, and effective

#41

Post by renewiltord » Wed, Feb 25, 2026, 5:15 PM UTC

pavel_lishin wrote: post #13

renewiltord wrote: post #3

The United States needs a regulatory innovation that allows broad benefit actions that nonetheless have specific losers.

Can you be more specific?

Yep. I think the common thread between NIMBY success, bus stops everywhere, and an 8 hour planning meeting to decide if there are too many ice cream shops in the Mission are that we need unanimity to get going.

By contrast, AVs are in production on the streets of SF despite local opposition because we decided these decisions are made at the state level.

I’m looking for a legislative mechanism that moves things from the former to the latter.

Re: Bus stop balancing is fast, cheap, and effective

#42

Post by bluGill » Wed, Feb 25, 2026, 5:15 PM UTC

petcat wrote: post #28

bpodgursky wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't wanna be rude but when someone spends months researching an issue, which systems work and which don't, you should probably give some level of grace and understand how they came to those numbers rather than spit out your first mindless critique.

I ride the bus and I can tell you right now that I would be pissed if this guy took away my bus stop. That's my critique. I think it's perfectly valid.

Only because you know your loss but cannot imagine your gains in time.

Re: Bus stop balancing is fast, cheap, and effective

#43

Post by npinsker » Wed, Feb 25, 2026, 5:15 PM UTC

petcat wrote: post #28

bpodgursky wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't wanna be rude but when someone spends months researching an issue, which systems work and which don't, you should probably give some level of grace and understand how they came to those numbers rather than spit out your first mindless critique.

I ride the bus and I can tell you right now that I would be pissed if this guy took away my bus stop. That's my critique. I think it's perfectly valid.

Would it outweigh you having to stop half as often?

Re: Bus stop balancing is fast, cheap, and effective

#44

Post by indymike » Wed, Feb 25, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC

pavel_lishin wrote: post #4

> Bus stop balancing saves riders’ time. Riders save between 12 and 24 seconds per stop removed. I wonder if this savings includes the additional time to walk further to a stop. Especially in light of this quote: > In England, where 28 percent of all bus passengers are on concessionary fares for age or disability

By doubling the walk, increasing the trip time for riders by 5 minutes and potentially making bus untenable in bad weather.

Re: Bus stop balancing is fast, cheap, and effective

#45

Post by varispeed » Wed, Feb 25, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC

The dilemma. Bus takes me about the same time where I want to go if I was just walking, assuming the bus spawns at the bus stop as soon as I get there. Last time I had to take a bus from place of work to home and took about 3 hours. Most of the time sitting in traffic and bus stops. I made the same journey with a cab in less than an hour. I think bus in busy town is only useful if you have mobility issues, carry a lot of shopping and have no funds for other means of transport. In my city also buses are typically occupied by feral youth, covered in dirt and smell of weed. You have to always check if the seat doesn't have fresh bubble gum on it or worse. Joys of London.

Re: Bus stop balancing is fast, cheap, and effective

#46

Post by bluGill » Wed, Feb 25, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC

miltonlost wrote: post #33

As someone who rides the bus: it's payment that causes slowdowns. Waiting for everyone to get on the front of the bus and tap often takes multiple traffic cycles. If we wanted to treat public transit as a true public good (as it ought to be), it should be funded from taxes and free at point of service, and then front and back can be used. But that'd be too much efficiency and cost the rich too much. This article feel…

There are a lot of other ways to speed up payment. they are better as well imho

Re: Bus stop balancing is fast, cheap, and effective

#47

Post by unyttigfjelltol » Wed, Feb 25, 2026, 5:17 PM UTC

Bluecobra wrote: post #22

I'm for all for less bus stops, but how do you make it equitable for people who can't walk longer distances if they are disabled or have an underlying health condition? Run a separate paratransit line?

The answer is to keep the same number of stops but run two or more vehicles simultaneously. Or open more doors. Or expedite fares.

The authors get mixed up equating count of marked stops with dwell time. Running leapfrogging vehicles , or numerous other strategies, reduces dwell time because one boards passengers and the other disembarks at any given stop or vice versa.

In fact, I’d argue bus fare gates, steps, 1-door loading and traffic signal/stop interactions are far more significant than stop count.

Re: Bus stop balancing is fast, cheap, and effective

#48

Post by skywhopper » Wed, Feb 25, 2026, 5:18 PM UTC

heyitsmedotjayb wrote: post #26

I think this kind of thing is a bigger problem than people realize. I take a regional commuter bus to and from my local international airport when I fly. The huge bus has to slowly and carefully enter my local universities 'bus loop', making several tight turns through traffic lights to get to the bus stop, and then make the journey out again. It takes 10-15 minutes in traffic to move the bus ~200feet from the boulev…

This sounds more like that the stop is just very poorly designed than that there need to be fewer stops.

Re: Bus stop balancing is fast, cheap, and effective

#49

Post by sensanaty » Wed, Feb 25, 2026, 5:18 PM UTC

boplicity wrote: post #16

Give buses signal priority and their own lanes. This would dramatically speed up bus service. However, nobody wants to slow down cars, hence buses will always be a worse option.

This is how it works in NL, separate lanes with separate signals that may be used only by buses (and other public transportation, including taxis). Works great!

Re: Bus stop balancing is fast, cheap, and effective

#50

Post by johannes1234321 » Wed, Feb 25, 2026, 5:18 PM UTC

miltonlost wrote: post #33

As someone who rides the bus: it's payment that causes slowdowns. Waiting for everyone to get on the front of the bus and tap often takes multiple traffic cycles. If we wanted to treat public transit as a true public good (as it ought to be), it should be funded from taxes and free at point of service, and then front and back can be used. But that'd be too much efficiency and cost the rich too much. This article feel…

That's the argument Mamdani makes to argue to make busses free. Taking the payment away would produce a lot more of reliability.

Over here in my European town this isn't an issue as we have a "trust based system" where tickets are only checked infrequently by spot inspections on the running bus and most people have a monthly pass. So it's just hop on and off.