Monday, January 11, 2016

Mount Pleasant Could Lose Bus Stops Under Proposal

WMATA bus stop at 16th and Newton Sts NW
First, I want to emphasize that DDOT has not yet made final decisions on what to do with transit on 16th Street NW. And since Metrobuses are administered by WMATA, ultimately the transit agency will have final say about what happens on buses, bus routes, and at bus stops. It's a partnership. However, the DDOT has been studying bus service on this major thoroughfare for a while now. At this point there several alternatives that have the potential to better serve bus riders, pedestrians, and basically everyone living and traveling on 16th Street, especially from the White House to Arkansas Ave NW.

Read more: 16th Street NW Transit Priority Planning Study (DC DDOT)

The S bus routes that traverse 16th Street have a daily ridership of 20,000+ people. That makes the S line / 16th St corridor one of WMATAs busiest. And like other busy transit corridors with heavy ridership, there are some built in issues. You can probably imagine some: bus bunching, late buses, early buses, full buses, etc. This basic overview (PDF) of the state of the S line sums up some of the existing conditions as well as the objectives of the planning studies.

One of the alternatives to current service involves eliminating some stops along the S routes in order to improve service by reducing bus bunching and overall, speeding commutes. Two stops serving Mount Pleasant, Newton Street, and Lamont Street could be eliminated. Others stops considered for consolidation or elimination are V, Riggs, Q, and L Streets NW. Again, these are just proposals from DDOT. 






















Any final changes and adjustments will need to undergo a formal review process by WMATA. So, again, none of this is final. However DDOT is having a final public meeting specifically regarding the 16th Street NW Transit Priority Planning Study, at which they will give an overview of the study and discuss the the alternatives. Bus stop consolidation is just one component of the overall plan. The meeting is next week. Details, from DDOT:

Thursday, January 21, 2016
3:30 pm – 8 pm | Presentations at 4 pm and 7 pm (same information will be presented)
Washington DC Jewish Community Center | Ina and Jack Kay Community Room
1529 16th Street NW
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