The silver line being green drives me insane! No! That's not how it works! You don't name a route the "yellow line" and have signage and maps be purple. Imagine if something like that happened on the DC Metro or the L. It's not only inconsistent, but it's also confusing to potential passengers
The first use of a protected busway was the East Side Trolley Tunnel in Providence, Rhode Island. It is 2,160 feet long and was originally built for trolleys in 1914, but the tunnel was converted to bus use in 1948! The tunnel runs under College Hill on Providence's East Side, with its east portal at Thayer Street, the busy commercial district near Brown University, leading to its west portal at North Main Street near the Rhode Island School of Design. The tunnel traverses a 100-foot drop in elevation from its east portal to its west portal, while providing a gentler 4% to 5% grade compared to the steeper 10% grade of the city streets above it, and of course allowing public-transit vehicles to bypass traffic and stoplights. The tunnel allows faster transit access from College Hill to Downtown Providence and the RIPTA transit hub at Kennedy Plaza. Police and fire department vehicles also use the tunnel. You could argue this was the first BRT in the world, though many believe the first BRT system in the world to be the Runcorn Busway in the UK which opened in 1971. 22 km was operational by 1980. Arthur Ling, Runcorn Development Corporation's Master Planner, said that he had invented the concept while sketching on the back of an envelope. The town was designed around the transport system, with most residents no more than five minutes walking distance, or 500 yards (or around 460 m), from the Busway. The busway has a designed speed of 40 mph. The central station is at Runcorn Shopping City where buses arrive on dedicated raised busways to two enclosed stations The Kroc Center at 6:12 is named after Ray and Joan Kroc. In 1998, Joan Kroc donated 87 million to the Salvation Army to build and endow the first Kroc Center in San Diego. The center opened in June 2002. When she died in 2003, she left 1.5 billion as a will to The Salvation Army solely for the purpose of establishing centers of opportunity, education, recreation and inspiration throughout the US. So that's how Grand Rapids ended up with one. Joan was the wife of Ray Kroc, the milkshake mixer salesman famous for purchasing McDonald's in 1961 from the McDonald brothers and is credited with its global expansion. He was its CEO from 1967 to 1973, and after McDonald's, he owned the San Diego Padres. He passed away in 1984.
Another good video! 👍 I was homeless and reliant on The Rapid while the LL was being built, so never got to ride one of the big articulated buses. I think more was expected of the SL because it almost mimicked the #1 line, but by continuing 1 - THAT took riders from SL. A BRT would have been smarter for the #9 Alpine line because many students live in apartment complexes in Walker/Comstock Park. The 9 runs late 7 days and is often packed at 8pm. York Creek is basically a city. Plus - the ballpark would be a logical stop or turnaround out there.
I am jealous. At least there is frequent service. In our larger city with no commuter rail, bus service was fairly recently DECREASED, particularly to the suburbs, in spite of suburban population having greatly increased over the last 20 years. Our area went from three direct route busses each way during commuter hours to one at 6:30AM in one direction and one at 7:30 PM in the other, both requiring transfers with layovers. One would need to get up at 5:30AM or earlier to go to work and then arrive home at 8:30PM or later, allowing an hour or less for all activities at home other then sleeping. If one does not work downtown, transit time is even greater.
The Laker Line was helpful for getting to and from downtown for school purposes, but it has also been really great for getting me to and from work in the medical mile, coming from Allendale.
@@anthonywarrener1881 I mean in my eyes they look quite cramped, dark, cheap, and outdated inside, like something you'd see in a European bus 15-20 years ago. Still they're probably some of the best on the North American market. At least until we see Solaris supply buses for North America soon enough. That will probably feel like a quantum leap ngl.
@ I was not aware that Solaris buses have been ordered for operation in the United States. Solaris, now owned by CAF of Spain, are very successful in Europe, and it will be very interesting to see Solaris buses in the U.S !
Ah yes, the Silver Line (looks inside)... *G R E E N B U S E S.* The 3-2-1 Penguins clip at 4:32 got me, that took me back to my childhood! Used to watch that on Qubo alongside Babar, Pecola, Marvin the Tap-Dancing Horse, Pippi Longstocking, Theodore Tugboat, VeggieTales, Mighty Machines, Jane and the Dragon and Jacob Two-Two...shame Qubo ended smh. Mighty Machines was where I first learned about the concept of a transitway (they showed Ottawa's Transitway) and learning that there was a "highway" just for buses blew my kid mind. Yeah, it's a shame that they changed the way you pay on the Silver Line. Because a key feature of a good BRT is fare prepayment so it leads to faster boarding as mentioned. But when you're taking that feature away....all you're doing is building a fancy bus shelter and calling it a day. Then it's just another bus route. Especially when there's no signal priority...let alone that sole bus signal you mentioned! Sure there's the bigger spacing for a faster journey, but that's cancelled out by no signal priority and not great frequencies. And yeah, if you're aiming to spur development along a corridor, developers will be more interested if it's a train/tram/light-rail corridor than a bus route. That's exactly what happened in Hudson County, NJ. Jersey City has experienced a housing boom because developers know people want to live near HBLR stops and PATH stops, not to mention the NY Waterway docks and the fact there are Citi Bike stations placed at PATH and HBLR stops so people can also bike if they want. NJ Transit gave BRT a try. They introduced "go bus 25" in 2008, and "go bus 28" in 2009. The "go bus 25" only runs during peak periods as a fast, shorter version of the 25. The Go Bus 25 runs half-hourly during peak periods on weekdays between Irvington Bus Terminal and Newark Penn Station, along the Springfield Ave corridor. The Go Bus terminates at the Irvington Bus Terminal, while the ordinary 25 doesn't. The bus also serves Newark's Four Corners (intersection of Market and Broad Sts; once the busiest intersection in the US) and the Essex County Courthouse. Go Bus 28 on the other hand is a full-time bus that operates between Newark Liberty International Airport's terminals, Newark's central business district, Lincoln Park, Government Center, Branch Brook Park, the Roseville neighborhood, and Bloomfield station on the Montclair-Boonton Line. The route also stops at Newark Broad Street, so there are connections to the Morristown Line, Gladstone Branch, Montclair-Boonton Line, and the Newark Light Rail, as well as other connections to the Newark Light Rail like at Grove Street, Military Park, and Bloomfield Ave. In 2011, NJT introduced devices for real-time locating to their entire fleet, so shelters later had "next bus" scheduling information. Now, NJ is creating a transitway in time for the 2026 FIFA World Cup for the Meadowlands. This is another option to serve those coming from Secaucus Junction and supplement the Meadowlands Rail Line. The transitway in its initial phase utilizes the eastern and western spurs of the NJ Turnpike with a bus-only connector at NJ Route 7. But after the World Cup, the transitway will use the former Boonton Line alignment (abandoned since the Montclair Connection opened in 2002) and will share it with the Essex-Hudson Greenway state park. NJ purchased this ROW from Norfolk Southern for 65 million. Using this alignment, the transitway will extend westward to Montclair and Newark, and eastward to serve Jersey City.
You should do one on the c&j bus. They run from as far north as dover new Hampshire to Boston Massachusetts. They even have ones that go all the way to New York City. I have been on it a lot of times, but I really want to know what you think about it.
ottawa! it does bus rapid transit in a very different way from most other cities. they're like core trunk lines that all buses uses and get full prioritisation over cars, bicycles, and pedestrians, and then the buses branch and run on regular streets (sometimes with bus lanes and signal priority, sometimes not). It focuses basically exclusively on travel speed and dwell times, and very little on the other BRT features like level boarding or unique brandjng. It makes it basically feel completely different from something like these!There aren't any dedicated BRT buses in Ottawa, but because of how many services converge onto the BRT corridors, frequency is essentially every couple seconds/minutes.
Really cool to see you go through GVSU's bus system, I used it daily as a student, both to get to class and to an off campus job, it also did the trick for nights out and GR. If more busses were like the laker line I'd probably take them more, although I really dream of a train line that runs along the current laker line route.
Good video showcasing how to do a BRT right and wrong. You have to have destinations or at least so.e being built plus a little dedicated infrastructure for it to work
A few years ago, I kind of overhauled my ala Mater's bus system. Main issues is that it is unidirectional so If I am at the Business College Building and want to go somewhere on the boulevard (maybe the far commuter lot lets say), you have to go through the main road through the northern part of the main campus. It should probably be more peripheral longer term since they want to move the creative arts majors into their own corner kind of away from everything else, at least that was the plan before the Pandemic. Since I graduated a semester behind, I should've had 1-2 semesters in the new building and heard nothing about it actually being built in my time there. But hey, there's a new lab science building (the backside is in my review of the existing service on my channel, I did go inside the day I filmed that tho-It just feels like the music department, but less dingy because windows) that doesn't match the existing architecture because its more of a grey brick vs the traditional reds, but I guess its supposed to transition with the modern Hollypointe freshmen dorms that have a steel facade with brown and gold (school colors) accents
7:46 i think what brings new businesses is good local economic climate, well-educated workforce, low taxes, local government that doesn’t squander tax revenue, low crime, growing regional GDP, and overall a healthy community. The idea that BRT or LRT will bring businesses by itself, just because there’s a marginally quicker transit, is a sad misunderstanding by local governments.
As someone into videos on infrastructure, public transit, urbanism etc I'm so happy to see one on my hometown GR. Ive spent a lot of time on the buses there back when I was younger. It's far from perfect but I do believe GR is trying to improve in legato making the city less car dependent.
These Remind me of the Rapid Rides and Swift Lines (the Two BRT systems in the Seattle Metropolitan area which have a Total of 11 lines, 8 Rapid Rides and 3 Swifts) they vary a lot tho from line to line, the E line and Blue both run along SR-99 and have Extremely High Ridership due to higher speeds whereas the F line is extremely slow, Frequency on most lines is Every 10 minutes except for the G line which has every 5 minutes do it's shorter length and Dedicated Bus lanes Also Thom i think you mightve done a video on the Rapid Rides however the Swift systems has become notable lately due to the Lynnwood Extension connecting the Blue and Orange lines
Fascinating video. I should feel glad that the Metropolitan Transit Agency in Fort Worth is expanding and improving service. Your complaint about separated bus stops at intersections reminds me of intersections in Southern California wher I have missed more than one connection waiting to cross to the stop for my next bus. I could tell some horror stories.
A 3-2-1 Penguin Reference in a transit video was not on my bingo card for today but I'll take it 😆😆😆 The Laker Line reminds me of the some of MTD Lines in Champaign Urbana, Illinois which service the University of Illinois.
M-45 (the state highway the Laker Line uses) is a very "fast" road, so there isnt a bunch of backed-up traffic and congestion like you get with south Division. I used to take the precursor of the Laker Line to GVSU in the 90s, and that was just as fast, but the Laker Line is obviously more refined. The Silver Line southernmost point is literally across the street from my old elementary school in the 80s. Back then it was still a rural area with tractors going down the street! I just dont think anyone that far south is interested in a bus to downtown Grand Rapids, but it would have been great back in the 80s to have had the old GRATA go that far!
To me (an Indonesian) a BRT system is a bus system with dedicated lanes and covered/raised bus stops with off vehicle boarding. Here we don't have signal priority (for obvious reasons) tho. There are a bunch of other "BRTs" around Indonesia that are just bus system with covered raised bus stops just like grand rapids😂
I've been to a surprising number of cities that missed the opportunity to wrap their "special" buses in the color of the line. I do like the idea of automatically stopping at every station. Far too many alleged "BRT" lunes still make you pull a cord or push a button to stop. That makes things very difficult for tourists or others who are new to a city. I'm curious why they did away with proof of payment fares on the silver line. While I've not been to Grand Rapids in many years, my bet would be that like far too many cities they rarely enforced POP, and that in turn encouraged far too many people to ride for free.
I have subconsciously come to think of green whenever I see the word “silver” thanks to seeing this line every day! And your assessment of the two lines is spot on. The silver line is pretty useless, Laker line is pretty good, and both could benefit from more brt features like enforced separate lanes and signal priorities.
Amazing video on the two BRT lines in Grand Rapids. It is clear that the Laker Line wins out. As for the Silver Line, the lack of off-board fare payment is appalling.
I dont even know how the Silver Line can be referred to as "BRT" at all. It's literally just nicer bus stops and a simplified route (which are great to have, but should just be considered a standard amenity).
Thom, you are so right. If a transit organization REALLY had a BRT as good as a rail line, that would be great. But they never are. Maybe they start out that way. But then they compromise in ways a rail line would not.
Maybe you could do a video about how Grand Haven, Mi. absolutely destroyed their transit system by implementing an app for ordering rides. Their previous system was to simply call for a ride, it worked perfectly, but now the hassle and bother isn't worth it. I just drive myself.
First of all, this is a great video because I love learning more about buses in the US. However, I am surprised that this is a special offer when buses every 15 to 20 minutes in my city is a normal elevated service and a bus every 5 minutes on a still is not a BRT (with elevated stops of course).
GR resident here, They don't seem to enforce the bus lane laws at all. I can see the lot at 60th street daily and it has never been full. Maybe if they had installed it a mile further south where all of the dense multifamily homes are...
Michigan would be a lovely state if it actually had functional mass transportation instead of our obsession with cars and freeways. I live here, but if you’re not in a car then it’s not great.
In Luzern switzerland we also have some kind of BRT. We have high capacity, double articulated trolleybuses with5 doors for a fast passenger boarding, high frequency (10 / 20 min depending on the line), but we barely have any separated lanes and as far as I can tell no signaling priority. Therefore, travel times are uncertain, there are gaps in the schedule and in the evening you are probably faster walking through the city center than taking the bus. But still, ridership is pretty high.
You know, many American buses are so bad that your recent bus videoes look like self-tortures😂 I am glad that the later part of this one does not seem to be the case.
My region's transit agency (Spokane Transit Authority) started a new "BRT" line last year that operates very much like the Laker Line. Definitely not true BRT but an improved service that does get a few things right.
Your city’s bus station downtown looks far better than Tacoma and Tacoma is a little larger and denser. We also don’t have any BRT but do have rail downtown.
Yes just barely though. GR is at 200k T is at 225k our density is at close too but we have slightly more density. The main station is awesome and I like the way buses can go down the middle. The Laker Line is awesome looking and here they tried it but we ended up with just Express Bus along Pacific Ave.
Yeah Tacoma has about 250,000 People but it's in Pierce County which is run by Anti Transit Republicans (inshallah that changes in the coming Election) hence why it lacks BRT like King and Snohomish Counties with their Rapid Ride and Swift services with 11 lines between them and 5 more in Planning
Yeah the Silverline looks downright awful. But the Lakerline, while arguably not full BRT is still a great bus service that gets many of the BRT-lite aspects down really well! Id hope it gets extended to the other side of downtown too so it forms a good crosstown trunk route.
Gotta give the laker line an edge. My belief is that it carries more to a longer distance. I’d like to see both lines extend their services further. Silver to Rockford and the Laker Line to Grand Haven.
@@Thom-TRA 28th is every 18 minutes. Yeah weird. This would be awesome as a new line: BRT that came from the airport to Woodland Mall (Kentwood station) and then ran express all the way to division where it could join up and use all the silver line stops. Running it down 44th St would not be as useful, since there aren't as many destinations, and it wouldn't take advantage of the transfers to 6 different routes available at woodland station. And joining the silver line North of 28th Street makes more sense since this is where the majority of silver line ridership exists. This would also make it easier to argue for better enforcement of bus only lanes north of 28th Street. Running this new BRT every 30 minutes would give the area north of 28th 10 minute frequency. Running it every 15 minutes would give it effectively 8 minute frequency.
Honestly, the silver line feels like a bit downgraded version of the ORBT in Omaha. ORBT has some buns lanes downtown that are also right turn lanes and a single priority signal, but does have the advantages of the bus lanes being permanent bus lanes instead of just rush hour, most stops have ticket machines so the line is off board paying, busses run every 10-20 minutes, the park and ride at the end of the line is also a living mall, and the ORBT actually keeps its orange branding consistent
The B-roll on this is rough to watch. Nobody at the stations and nobody on the bus. Looks like a total money sink. Seems like the Silver Line will be useless unless they massively upzone around stations. Grand Rapids is the type of place where you need a car to survive, and there’s not enough traffic on the roads for car owners to choose to switch modes to BRT
I know I'm being picky, but none of those 2 lines are exactly BRT. They're more bus routes with some enhancements. But indeed the Laker line provides good service
GVSU pays The Rapid a lot of money for their bus services. It was definitely a great benefit as a GVSU student.
The silver line being green drives me insane! No! That's not how it works! You don't name a route the "yellow line" and have signage and maps be purple. Imagine if something like that happened on the DC Metro or the L. It's not only inconsistent, but it's also confusing to potential passengers
I’ve never understood the logic, but it is funny in a sad way
Well at least the seat color is consistent with the line name😂
@ true true
And the buses are not even green...
@@canardeur8390 yes they are lol
The first use of a protected busway was the East Side Trolley Tunnel in Providence, Rhode Island. It is 2,160 feet long and was originally built for trolleys in 1914, but the tunnel was converted to bus use in 1948! The tunnel runs under College Hill on Providence's East Side, with its east portal at Thayer Street, the busy commercial district near Brown University, leading to its west portal at North Main Street near the Rhode Island School of Design. The tunnel traverses a 100-foot drop in elevation from its east portal to its west portal, while providing a gentler 4% to 5% grade compared to the steeper 10% grade of the city streets above it, and of course allowing public-transit vehicles to bypass traffic and stoplights. The tunnel allows faster transit access from College Hill to Downtown Providence and the RIPTA transit hub at Kennedy Plaza. Police and fire department vehicles also use the tunnel. You could argue this was the first BRT in the world, though many believe the first BRT system in the world to be the Runcorn Busway in the UK which opened in 1971. 22 km was operational by 1980. Arthur Ling, Runcorn Development Corporation's Master Planner, said that he had invented the concept while sketching on the back of an envelope. The town was designed around the transport system, with most residents no more than five minutes walking distance, or 500 yards (or around 460 m), from the Busway. The busway has a designed speed of 40 mph. The central station is at Runcorn Shopping City where buses arrive on dedicated raised busways to two enclosed stations
The Kroc Center at 6:12 is named after Ray and Joan Kroc. In 1998, Joan Kroc donated 87 million to the Salvation Army to build and endow the first Kroc Center in San Diego. The center opened in June 2002. When she died in 2003, she left 1.5 billion as a will to The Salvation Army solely for the purpose of establishing centers of opportunity, education, recreation and inspiration throughout the US. So that's how Grand Rapids ended up with one. Joan was the wife of Ray Kroc, the milkshake mixer salesman famous for purchasing McDonald's in 1961 from the McDonald brothers and is credited with its global expansion. He was its CEO from 1967 to 1973, and after McDonald's, he owned the San Diego Padres. He passed away in 1984.
Might go get a shake now…
THE BITTER END!!! Omg what a great coffee shop 13:26
GR’s coffee scene is truly unmatched
I love the GR. worked the meijer business for dr pepper for 7 years. only downside is the endless dark cold snowy winter.
Yep, the winter is brutal. Though Chicago's, with the icy wind, is almost worse.
Another good video! 👍
I was homeless and reliant on The Rapid while the LL was being built, so never got to ride one of the big articulated buses.
I think more was expected of the SL because it almost mimicked the #1 line, but by continuing 1 - THAT took riders from SL.
A BRT would have been smarter for the #9 Alpine line because many students live in apartment complexes in Walker/Comstock Park. The 9 runs late 7 days and is often packed at 8pm. York Creek is basically a city.
Plus - the ballpark would be a logical stop or turnaround out there.
I hope you are well!
I am jealous. At least there is frequent service. In our larger city with no commuter rail, bus service was fairly recently DECREASED, particularly to the suburbs, in spite of suburban population having greatly increased over the last 20 years. Our area went from three direct route busses each way during commuter hours to one at 6:30AM in one direction and one at 7:30 PM in the other, both requiring transfers with layovers. One would need to get up at 5:30AM or earlier to go to work and then arrive home at 8:30PM or later, allowing an hour or less for all activities at home other then sleeping. If one does not work downtown, transit time is even greater.
What city is this again?
The Laker Line was helpful for getting to and from downtown for school purposes, but it has also been really great for getting me to and from work in the medical mile, coming from Allendale.
Great video, and I really like the New Flyer articulated buses !
I wish my route in DC would have the articulated!
@@Thom-TRA dang thats rough most my local routes all use them although the Suspension on the New Flyer Buses arent very Good on newer buses
@@anthonywarrener1881 I mean in my eyes they look quite cramped, dark, cheap, and outdated inside, like something you'd see in a European bus 15-20 years ago. Still they're probably some of the best on the North American market. At least until we see Solaris supply buses for North America soon enough. That will probably feel like a quantum leap ngl.
@ I was not aware that Solaris buses have been ordered for operation in the United States. Solaris, now owned by CAF of Spain, are very successful in Europe, and it will be very interesting to see Solaris buses in the U.S !
@@anthonywarrener1881 depends New Flyer has a Near Monopoly here
Ah yes, the Silver Line (looks inside)... *G R E E N B U S E S.* The 3-2-1 Penguins clip at 4:32 got me, that took me back to my childhood! Used to watch that on Qubo alongside Babar, Pecola, Marvin the Tap-Dancing Horse, Pippi Longstocking, Theodore Tugboat, VeggieTales, Mighty Machines, Jane and the Dragon and Jacob Two-Two...shame Qubo ended smh. Mighty Machines was where I first learned about the concept of a transitway (they showed Ottawa's Transitway) and learning that there was a "highway" just for buses blew my kid mind. Yeah, it's a shame that they changed the way you pay on the Silver Line. Because a key feature of a good BRT is fare prepayment so it leads to faster boarding as mentioned. But when you're taking that feature away....all you're doing is building a fancy bus shelter and calling it a day. Then it's just another bus route. Especially when there's no signal priority...let alone that sole bus signal you mentioned! Sure there's the bigger spacing for a faster journey, but that's cancelled out by no signal priority and not great frequencies. And yeah, if you're aiming to spur development along a corridor, developers will be more interested if it's a train/tram/light-rail corridor than a bus route. That's exactly what happened in Hudson County, NJ. Jersey City has experienced a housing boom because developers know people want to live near HBLR stops and PATH stops, not to mention the NY Waterway docks and the fact there are Citi Bike stations placed at PATH and HBLR stops so people can also bike if they want.
NJ Transit gave BRT a try. They introduced "go bus 25" in 2008, and "go bus 28" in 2009. The "go bus 25" only runs during peak periods as a fast, shorter version of the 25. The Go Bus 25 runs half-hourly during peak periods on weekdays between Irvington Bus Terminal and Newark Penn Station, along the Springfield Ave corridor. The Go Bus terminates at the Irvington Bus Terminal, while the ordinary 25 doesn't. The bus also serves Newark's Four Corners (intersection of Market and Broad Sts; once the busiest intersection in the US) and the Essex County Courthouse. Go Bus 28 on the other hand is a full-time bus that operates between Newark Liberty International Airport's terminals, Newark's central business district, Lincoln Park, Government Center, Branch Brook Park, the Roseville neighborhood, and Bloomfield station on the Montclair-Boonton Line. The route also stops at Newark Broad Street, so there are connections to the Morristown Line, Gladstone Branch, Montclair-Boonton Line, and the Newark Light Rail, as well as other connections to the Newark Light Rail like at Grove Street, Military Park, and Bloomfield Ave. In 2011, NJT introduced devices for real-time locating to their entire fleet, so shelters later had "next bus" scheduling information. Now, NJ is creating a transitway in time for the 2026 FIFA World Cup for the Meadowlands. This is another option to serve those coming from Secaucus Junction and supplement the Meadowlands Rail Line. The transitway in its initial phase utilizes the eastern and western spurs of the NJ Turnpike with a bus-only connector at NJ Route 7. But after the World Cup, the transitway will use the former Boonton Line alignment (abandoned since the Montclair Connection opened in 2002) and will share it with the Essex-Hudson Greenway state park. NJ purchased this ROW from Norfolk Southern for 65 million. Using this alignment, the transitway will extend westward to Montclair and Newark, and eastward to serve Jersey City.
My favorite episode was the complaining carnival. Sometimes I still get that song stuck in my head!
Random boat in an empty parking lot is peak Michigan land use
Pure Michigan
You should do one on the c&j bus. They run from as far north as dover new Hampshire to Boston Massachusetts. They even have ones that go all the way to New York City. I have been on it a lot of times, but I really want to know what you think about it.
Thanks for the suggestion!
ottawa! it does bus rapid transit in a very different way from most other cities. they're like core trunk lines that all buses uses and get full prioritisation over cars, bicycles, and pedestrians, and then the buses branch and run on regular streets (sometimes with bus lanes and signal priority, sometimes not). It focuses basically exclusively on travel speed and dwell times, and very little on the other BRT features like level boarding or unique brandjng. It makes it basically feel completely different from something like these!There aren't any dedicated BRT buses in Ottawa, but because of how many services converge onto the BRT corridors, frequency is essentially every couple seconds/minutes.
I go to GVSU and i like the laker line a lot. considering how many people get on and off during peak times it's still pretty fast
Really cool to see you go through GVSU's bus system, I used it daily as a student, both to get to class and to an off campus job, it also did the trick for nights out and GR. If more busses were like the laker line I'd probably take them more, although I really dream of a train line that runs along the current laker line route.
Good video showcasing how to do a BRT right and wrong. You have to have destinations or at least so.e being built plus a little dedicated infrastructure for it to work
Thanks 😊
A few years ago, I kind of overhauled my ala Mater's bus system. Main issues is that it is unidirectional so If I am at the Business College Building and want to go somewhere on the boulevard (maybe the far commuter lot lets say), you have to go through the main road through the northern part of the main campus. It should probably be more peripheral longer term since they want to move the creative arts majors into their own corner kind of away from everything else, at least that was the plan before the Pandemic. Since I graduated a semester behind, I should've had 1-2 semesters in the new building and heard nothing about it actually being built in my time there. But hey, there's a new lab science building (the backside is in my review of the existing service on my channel, I did go inside the day I filmed that tho-It just feels like the music department, but less dingy because windows) that doesn't match the existing architecture because its more of a grey brick vs the traditional reds, but I guess its supposed to transition with the modern Hollypointe freshmen dorms that have a steel facade with brown and gold (school colors) accents
7:46 i think what brings new businesses is good local economic climate, well-educated workforce, low taxes, local government that doesn’t squander tax revenue, low crime, growing regional GDP, and overall a healthy community. The idea that BRT or LRT will bring businesses by itself, just because there’s a marginally quicker transit, is a sad misunderstanding by local governments.
4:56 Where I live in Israel, the busses don’t have something to pull. We have buttons.
Yeah, the cord thing is kind of an American thing. I know buses in Europe and Japan use buttons too.
As someone into videos on infrastructure, public transit, urbanism etc I'm so happy to see one on my hometown GR. Ive spent a lot of time on the buses there back when I was younger. It's far from perfect but I do believe GR is trying to improve in legato making the city less car dependent.
These Remind me of the Rapid Rides and Swift Lines (the Two BRT systems in the Seattle Metropolitan area which have a Total of 11 lines, 8 Rapid Rides and 3 Swifts) they vary a lot tho from line to line, the E line and Blue both run along SR-99 and have Extremely High Ridership due to higher speeds whereas the F line is extremely slow, Frequency on most lines is Every 10 minutes except for the G line which has every 5 minutes do it's shorter length and Dedicated Bus lanes
Also Thom i think you mightve done a video on the Rapid Rides however the Swift systems has become notable lately due to the Lynnwood Extension connecting the Blue and Orange lines
Fascinating video. I should feel glad that the Metropolitan Transit Agency in Fort Worth is expanding and improving service.
Your complaint about separated bus stops at intersections reminds me of intersections in Southern California wher I have missed more than one connection waiting to cross to the stop for my next bus. I could tell some horror stories.
Oh I bet. I’ve taken the bus in LA a few times and especially in Hollywood I found it so hard to find the stops.
have you ever seen a busy non LL bus in Grand Rapids, ive never seen it in your videos other then the Laker line ofc.
Yeah, I tend to film during quieter parts of the day
The busses after school get WILD. I take the 11 at 3 every day and it hits max capacity every time
A 3-2-1 Penguin Reference in a transit video was not on my bingo card for today but I'll take it 😆😆😆
The Laker Line reminds me of the some of MTD Lines in Champaign Urbana, Illinois which service the University of Illinois.
M-45 (the state highway the Laker Line uses) is a very "fast" road, so there isnt a bunch of backed-up traffic and congestion like you get with south Division. I used to take the precursor of the Laker Line to GVSU in the 90s, and that was just as fast, but the Laker Line is obviously more refined.
The Silver Line southernmost point is literally across the street from my old elementary school in the 80s. Back then it was still a rural area with tractors going down the street! I just dont think anyone that far south is interested in a bus to downtown Grand Rapids, but it would have been great back in the 80s to have had the old GRATA go that far!
To me (an Indonesian) a BRT system is a bus system with dedicated lanes and covered/raised bus stops with off vehicle boarding. Here we don't have signal priority (for obvious reasons) tho. There are a bunch of other "BRTs" around Indonesia that are just bus system with covered raised bus stops just like grand rapids😂
I've been to a surprising number of cities that missed the opportunity to wrap their "special" buses in the color of the line.
I do like the idea of automatically stopping at every station. Far too many alleged "BRT" lunes still make you pull a cord or push a button to stop. That makes things very difficult for tourists or others who are new to a city.
I'm curious why they did away with proof of payment fares on the silver line. While I've not been to Grand Rapids in many years, my bet would be that like far too many cities they rarely enforced POP, and that in turn encouraged far too many people to ride for free.
Yeah they never gave a reason, which makes me think fare evasion is why they did it
Interesting video, when/ if you come to the uk you must try London superloop brt system!
I hope to!
You should come see Madisons BRT line that just opened. I'd be curious where that ranks.
Also are like no other lines named after colors. Just use a 3 digit code for them for 101 Division express and 102 Laker or whatever
That cute-as-a-bug's-ear intro was so sweet! Buses R Awesome indeed.
I have subconsciously come to think of green whenever I see the word “silver” thanks to seeing this line every day!
And your assessment of the two lines is spot on. The silver line is pretty useless, Laker line is pretty good, and both could benefit from more brt features like enforced separate lanes and signal priorities.
I did the same thing in my head!!!
Amazing video on the two BRT lines in Grand Rapids. It is clear that the Laker Line wins out. As for the Silver Line, the lack of off-board fare payment is appalling.
Not Convienant Enough To Get People To Stop Driving😊😊 But I'm No Expert😊 Outstanding Video As Usual 😊
Build it and they will come. But no, our state would rather waste its money on expensive, disgusting car infrastructure.
I dont even know how the Silver Line can be referred to as "BRT" at all. It's literally just nicer bus stops and a simplified route (which are great to have, but should just be considered a standard amenity).
Yep exactly
Thom, you are so right. If a transit organization REALLY had a BRT as good as a rail line, that would be great. But they never are. Maybe they start out that way. But then they compromise in ways a rail line would not.
I think the ability to “compromise” is what makes it so appealing to planners…
GR MENTIONED
Maybe you could do a video about how Grand Haven, Mi. absolutely destroyed their transit system by implementing an app for ordering rides. Their previous system was to simply call for a ride, it worked perfectly, but now the hassle and bother isn't worth it. I just drive myself.
That’s sad
Used to live in Grand Rapids up until I was 6 years old. It’s a great city.
A Grand video, Thom! Too bad the Rapid isn't always rapid. ☹
First of all, this is a great video because I love learning more about buses in the US. However, I am surprised that this is a special offer when buses every 15 to 20 minutes in my city is a normal elevated service and a bus every 5 minutes on a still is not a BRT (with elevated stops of course).
Yeah even in DC many routes are way more frequent and useful
Madison, WI is trying!
I love Madison!
@@Thom-TRA Can you do a video on the new system sometime?
@ that would require me going to Wisconsin and I was just there lol
Hell yeah we are.
I think the reason you have to pay the fare on the bus now is the same reason with Cleveland RTA HealthLine. Fare evaders
So the Laker Line in Grand Rapids that I featured last week demonstrates a great way to combat that
GR resident here, They don't seem to enforce the bus lane laws at all. I can see the lot at 60th street daily and it has never been full. Maybe if they had installed it a mile further south where all of the dense multifamily homes are...
What a revolutionary, smart idea. Which means that’s probably why they didn’t do it 😭
Michigan would be a lovely state if it actually had functional mass transportation instead of our obsession with cars and freeways. I live here, but if you’re not in a car then it’s not great.
Why GR-Detroit rail isn’t even being talked about, let alone actually being planned, BAFFLES me.
The route of the silver line is strage. Wouldn‘t it be better if the bus went to central station first and than looped around downtown?
I think the destinations it serves first are more popular so that’s why they do it this way
Grand Rapids is nice except for two things, Amway and the DeVos family.
And US-131
Thank GOD I don’t have to take US-131 (for now), every decision made in the creation of that road is a disaster.
Some good close kerbside/curbside stopping action there #mindthegap ♿️ ❤
Great video
Thanks!
@Thom-TRA your welcome
In Luzern switzerland we also have some kind of BRT. We have high capacity, double articulated trolleybuses with5 doors for a fast passenger boarding, high frequency (10 / 20 min depending on the line), but we barely have any separated lanes and as far as I can tell no signaling priority. Therefore, travel times are uncertain, there are gaps in the schedule and in the evening you are probably faster walking through the city center than taking the bus. But still, ridership is pretty high.
You know, many American buses are so bad that your recent bus videoes look like self-tortures😂 I am glad that the later part of this one does not seem to be the case.
Yeah I do this all out of love for you guys
So excited for this video!! And I haven’t even watched it yet 😂
I knew you would be!
Do they do rider studies before deploying these routes?
Yes
Weirdly in your summing up at the end there was a red brick building that looked like a London Underground Leslie Green station 💚
yeah thats not the silver line thats the oxidiced copper line
Finally a chemist sets the record straight
My region's transit agency (Spokane Transit Authority) started a new "BRT" line last year that operates very much like the Laker Line. Definitely not true BRT but an improved service that does get a few things right.
And sometimes that’s all we need
Oh yeah that thing not nearly as good as the Rapid Rides here in Seattle although some of the Rapid Rides suck cough F line Cough
Your city’s bus station downtown looks far better than Tacoma and Tacoma is a little larger and denser. We also don’t have any BRT but do have rail downtown.
I didn't realize Tacoma was larger than GR
Yes just barely though. GR is at 200k T is at 225k our density is at close too but we have slightly more density. The main station is awesome and I like the way buses can go down the middle. The Laker Line is awesome looking and here they tried it but we ended up with just Express Bus along Pacific Ave.
Yeah Tacoma has about 250,000 People but it's in Pierce County which is run by Anti Transit Republicans (inshallah that changes in the coming Election) hence why it lacks BRT like King and Snohomish Counties with their Rapid Ride and Swift services with 11 lines between them and 5 more in Planning
Only real trains are awesome fan's know that thom used to live in grand rapids
You a real one
@Thom-TRA yes
Yeah the Silverline looks downright awful. But the Lakerline, while arguably not full BRT is still a great bus service that gets many of the BRT-lite aspects down really well! Id hope it gets extended to the other side of downtown too so it forms a good crosstown trunk route.
Gotta give the laker line an edge. My belief is that it carries more to a longer distance. I’d like to see both lines extend their services further.
Silver to Rockford and the Laker Line to Grand Haven.
What route would you give it to Rockford?
Man. Where hasn't Tom lived?
Working on my visa for Antarctica right now, but penguin bureaucracy is slow
swing that line east to the airport after 28th and you would have something.
Maybe after 44th, 28th street is way too congested
@@Thom-TRAMore effective transit on 28th would be great.
@ yeah the 28 is every 15 minutes right? It would be great if you didn’t have to cross huge parking lots to get from the bus stop to stores.
@@Thom-TRA
28th is every 18 minutes. Yeah weird.
This would be awesome as a new line: BRT that came from the airport to Woodland Mall (Kentwood station) and then ran express all the way to division where it could join up and use all the silver line stops.
Running it down 44th St would not be as useful, since there aren't as many destinations, and it wouldn't take advantage of the transfers to 6 different routes available at woodland station. And joining the silver line North of 28th Street makes more sense since this is where the majority of silver line ridership exists. This would also make it easier to argue for better enforcement of bus only lanes north of 28th Street.
Running this new BRT every 30 minutes would give the area north of 28th 10 minute frequency. Running it every 15 minutes would give it effectively 8 minute frequency.
A Tale of Two Buses
Yep
Thumbnail looks like a basketball ref calling an intentional foul. Second, check out BRT in Utah.
That was the idea
Honestly, the silver line feels like a bit downgraded version of the ORBT in Omaha. ORBT has some buns lanes downtown that are also right turn lanes and a single priority signal, but does have the advantages of the bus lanes being permanent bus lanes instead of just rush hour, most stops have ticket machines so the line is off board paying, busses run every 10-20 minutes, the park and ride at the end of the line is also a living mall, and the ORBT actually keeps its orange branding consistent
The B-roll on this is rough to watch. Nobody at the stations and nobody on the bus. Looks like a total money sink.
Seems like the Silver Line will be useless unless they massively upzone around stations. Grand Rapids is the type of place where you need a car to survive, and there’s not enough traffic on the roads for car owners to choose to switch modes to BRT
But, Grand Rapids is growing insanely fast. It will only be a matter of time.
I know I'm being picky, but none of those 2 lines are exactly BRT. They're more bus routes with some enhancements. But indeed the Laker line provides good service
So you’re kind of agreeing with the conclusions of this video, basically
First
Congrats
Second
Good job
Third
Amazing
the silver line having horrible ridership??? 😭😭😭
atp they need to get rid of it