Bus Rapid Transit is an Oxymoron

The Herald's front page story today about the Silver Line’s problems is worth reading if you're interested in transit. The article details several problems including dedicated bus lanes blocked by snowbanks, parked cars and regular street traffic.

"This is not bus rapid transit," said Roxbury activist Bob Terrell, referring to the term T officials use to describe the Silver Line. "All they did was take a diesel bus, change the engine, paint it silver and run it down the street through traffic."

Now, I have never regularly driven to work in my life. I consider myself somewhat of a connoisseur of public transit, having weathered commutes by bus and subway not only in Boston, but also San Francisco and New York City. If there is one thing I have learned it is that buses suck in congested areas. Heck, sometimes it takes me a half-hour just to go the two miles from my house to Harvard Square on the 71. There may be places where bus rapid transit (BRT) can provide better service than regular buses, but it's not going to be in Boston where the rush hour traffic is always a nightmare, drivers don't particularly care about things like 'dedicated lanes', and the streets are too narrow to separate the transit traffic from the street traffic. It does not take a genius to figure this out.

Also in the article is this choice quote:

When the Silver Line was introduced, T officials promised to keep the dedicated lane clear with rigorous police patrols. But one bus driver on the route said he rarely sees officers issuing tickets.

"We try to get people to move and they just give us the finger," he said.

Well, MBTA, that's how we riders feel when you raise fares while simultaneously lowering the quality of the service. I can't say as I feel much sympathy.

UPDATE: BadTransit.com has a much more thorough post on the Silver Line mess. Check it out.