OFFICIAL: Troost MAX

[DaveKCMO]

kcata has posted some new troost MAX construction pix on facebook. go to page 2 of the photo album.

[DaveKCMO]

full end-to-end BRT service has slipped to probably january of 2011 due to delays on the troost bridge.

[dangerboy]

Looks like the are also installing the MAX-style shelters on some of the intersecting routes.  The #31 and #39 already have the new shelters at their Troost stops.

[GRID]

The Troost local isn't going away is it?

[dangerboy]

The Troost local isn't going away is it?

No.

[enough]

kcata says official first day of troost max service is january 1, 2011.  they have to re-design the schedule to accommodate the troost bridge construction re-route so the real-time signs display good information.  (i know, the signs on main don't always do that now.)  the troost bridge closed this month but they have to wait until traffic patterns stabilize to re-design the schedule.  january instead of november because they only make schedule changes quarterly.

[KCMax]

Service to begin January 1.

http://www.kansascity.com/2010/09/30/22 ... ne-on.html

[enough]

troost max is one of the "sustainable success stories" to be honored by marc on december 2 at the kauffman foundation.  the event (8 am to 11:30 am) is free but marc requests that you rsvp.  http://bit.ly/g6idIM 

troost buses currently detour past the kauffman foundation entrance on rockhill road during reconstruction of the bridge over brush creek, but they do not stop there.

[ignatius]

Will the Troost line have any additional capabilities over the first MAX line?  IE, control the stop lights?

The original MAX design called for controlling stop lights but it never happened.  Two issues with MAX is the lack of that ability and lower frequency nights/weekends.  To be a 'rapid' bus, if it can't have a dedicated path it needs to keep the lights green all the way through... and ideally would run every 10 minutes or better nights/weekends as well.  Sounds like Troost will have more frequency than the Mainstreet line night/weekends.  Any plans to improve nights/weekends for first MAX line as well?

[DaveKCMO]

Will the Troost line have any additional capabilities over the first MAX line?  IE, control the stop lights?

The original MAX design called for controlling stop lights but it never happened.  Two issues with MAX is the lack of that ability and lower frequency nights/weekends.  To be a 'rapid' bus, if it can't have a dedicated path it needs to keep the lights green all the way through... and ideally would run every 10 minutes or better nights/weekends as well.  Sounds like Troost will have more frequency than the Mainstreet line night/weekends.  Any plans to improve nights/weekends for first MAX line as well?

don't plan on any of this happening anytime soon. the #1 priority is fixing the funding issue before KCATA exhausts their reserves.

[trailerkid]

Has this been mentioned anywhere:

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1sqPGe/ww ... unced//r:t

Pretty good PR for KC and the KCATA if nothing else.

[enough]

^^^ troost max is supposed to have signal priority, just as max on main already does.  the problem on main has been that max doesn't have signal priority at downtown intersections, and the rules that govern when an approaching max bus can prolong a green light at other intersections -- e.g., how late the bus has to be and whether another max bus has already gotten priority at that intersection within a set number minutes -- have not been very helpful.  signal priority on troost is going to be critical if they expect to avoid bunching up due to heavy passenger loads and short headways. 

[DaveKCMO]

signal priority on troost is going to be critical if they expect to avoid bunching up due to heavy passenger loads and short headways. 

speaking of bunching... i saw three westbound #25 buses arrive at the 11th & main MAX stop in the six minutes i waited for an actual MAX bus tonight.

[DaveKCMO]

troost MAX is now operating! a friend was on the first run early this morning and sent these tweets while riding.

[trailerkid]

troost MAX is now operating! a friend was on the first run early this morning and sent these tweets while riding.

Can't wait to try it out. Hopefully it helps mainstream Troost a little more in the eyes of locals. Hundreds of awesome historic homes just waiting for new owners with easy access to Troost MAX.

[Stockton]

The service frequency seems a little low in the evenings and on Sundays.

The way the schedules of the Troost MAX and local route interact is kind of confusing.

Does it really make sense for the MAX limited-stop, "express" service to run more frequently than local service?

[trailerkid]

Does it really make sense for the MAX limited-stop, "express" service to run more frequently than local service?

labeling it as an "express" bus is a little misleading. i guess i'd use the CHI analogy saying it's more like an L train than a Metra train (which I consider a true "express" public transit).

high frequency does matter matter when you're serving local stops .5 miles apart. I'd even go on to say that high frequency is probably the most important thing to any form of transit.

[enough]

i rode the entire route yesterday afternoon.  they ran extra buses, anticipating heavier first-day ridership.  my major impression -- aside from the fact that troost looks much better than its reputation implies -- is that the ride is a lot smoother than main street max, due to new buses (which haven't developed older-bus rattles yet) and a lot of new concrete and asphalt paving along the way. 

troost max is the single greatest thing to happen to troost in half a century.  let's make sure the city and community organizations along the way capitalize on it.  we have first friday in the crossroads.  maybe a first-something-or-other on troost....

[DaveKCMO]

let's make sure the city and community organizations along the way capitalize on it.  we have first friday in the crossroads.  maybe a first-something-or-other on troost....

i was thinking about this a lot today. it seems the key would be marketing to midtown and UMKC for right now, since the key destination is downtown.

[Stockton]

labeling it as an "express" bus is a little misleading. i guess i'd use the CHI analogy saying it's more like an L train than a Metra train (which I consider a true "express" public transit).

high frequency does matter matter when you're serving local stops .5 miles apart. I'd even go on to say that high frequency is probably the most important thing to any form of transit.

Yes, high frequency does matter along local stops. If I lived in the Troost corridor and were out and about on the bus, I would want to be able to just hop on the bus at any bus stop without having to think about the schedule, which the old Troost route did fairly well. Now I would have to be sure to get to a MAX stop in order to use the high frequency service, likely missing a bus as it whizzes past me to its far flung stops. The MAX, however, makes more sense for me if I am making a long distance trip, such as if I worked downtown, which for me, those trips would be more planned and less random, which is why I'm confused as to whether it really makes sense having the MAX run every 10 minutes and the Troost local only every 30 minutes.