Problems and Solutions
I'm ruminating over the most recent Dutchess County Legislature Board meeting. Over 12 hours since I left the chamber my brain keeps turning certain comments, and the responses I desperately wish I could deliver face to face, over and over. If you're wondering what the big deal is: The legislature voted on approving applying for a grant for matching federal and state funds for transit improvement. And the improvement is for fare collection.
I don't know how many months I used my three minutes of public speaking opportunity to address the elected body and share the many failings of the bus system, but it's more than half the calendar year. I wasn't alone; easily 30 minutes worth of each month's public speaking portion were individuals advocating for fare-free buses. Like most transit nerds, I'm agnostic on fare-free buses: there's no conclusive evidence this makes them faster, or improves the passenger experience. But local community organizers point to Ulster County, our high-achieving sibling across the river: their ridership increased by just a little under 50% when they went fare-free. When ridership meets a certain threshold, the funding starts flowing.
So, a grant to improve fare collection seemed, er, tone-deaf at best, and spiteful at worst. Some members of the legislature were, and are, just as frustrated as I am that they must vote "yay" on this resolution because the funding is tied to things like bus shelters, which I really really do want. In the weirdness of government financial allocations that make sense to only some really special people, not applying for this grant would require Dutchess County to repay some federal financial aid? Okay, I get it, necessary evils and all that.
Some other members of the legislature seemed to take issue with my tone of addressing the chamber. David Whalen, newly confirmed acting commissioner of the Department of Public Works said that, although some commenters (me) had some complaints, the department is proud of the bus system. There's plenty of passengers who are really quite happy!
You know, real talk, I hear that. It's not a great feeling to hear some random crazy hippy lady shred the hard work your department is doing. They’re trying to metaphorically make bricks without straw, while my statement necklace is tinkling away into the microphone like the most agitated wind chime.
Everyone's so ready to criticise without ever providing any solutions, so, here's mine:
Since Market Street is a one way street, all these buses must take the same route to stop at the Transit Hub. It doesn't matter if they serve the North East corner of the county, or Route 9 South, they're funneling along the same street, and then out the same street to have the same exact approach to the train station on Main Street in Poughkeepsie. This doesn't make sense. Currently 12 routes serve the Poughkeepsie Train station, one of which also stops at the Beacon Train station (why??!!)
There should be, at most, 5 approaches to the Train Station: North and South from Route 9, West from Main Street, North West from the City of Poughkeepsie, and South East also from the City of Poughkeepsie.
There will still be some overlap, but this can be used to make the train station a transit hub, one of many I’d like to see in the county (coming up in solution 2).
5 individual routes cover almost the exact same stretch of Route 9 South. It’s like they’re trying to scoop up all the possible population along the way, and the way they’re doing it is twisting themselves into very confusing, very redundant knots. Wouldn’t it make more sense to have one bus that runs South along Route 9 from Poughkeepsie, with connecting lines running East and West?
One bus line shouldn't be doing all the things, that's just silly.
More locally to me there's no bus service to Spratt Park and its pool on Wilbur Blvd; there's no service to Boardman Road Library; the only bus service to the elementary, middle, and high schools of the Spackenkill school district is school buses, and there's no service to Dutchess County's main BOCES campus on the Salt Point TPK. It doesn't bother anyone that to access further education, or recreation we have to drive an automobile? If teenagers/children want to use the pool and/or library they have to get their parents or a trusted, licensed, and insured adult to transport them there. Aren't parents bothered by this? Isn't independent exploration of one's community a major milestone of growing up?
If I just missed the bus I know another one will be along in 10-15 minutes. That's soon enough to prevent me from making alternative plans like hailing an Uber/Lyft. Currently the most heavily utilized route, the L in Poughkeepsie, services 2 main grocery stores every 60 minutes. That's not frequent enough for work shifts, or shopping trips. Like I said, every 10-15 minutes means if I have a hankering for something from Adam's cheese counter (not an impossibility), that hankering can be put into action quickly. It's a win for Adam's, the transit operator, and me.
Even the regional shuttles I proposed in solution 3 should operate a minimum of every 60 minutes, and ideally every 30. The dream is they would actually be regional rail, but one thing at a time. Can you imagine how much opportunity and connectivity that would open up amongst residents all over the County if you were guaranteed a ride every hour or every half hour? When I was attending Arlington High School I lived in the Town of Poughkeepsie, but my friends lived in Lagrange, Pleasant Valley, and Poughquag.
The stroady stretch of Route 9 from Hyde Park through Wappingers Falls must be absolutely nightmarish as a passenger because the bus drops you off at parking lot after parking lot. If they tried door service going in a single direction on Route 9 would take all day.
It is always going to be difficult for a fixed route bus service to operate in Pleasant Valley, as their residential areas seem designed very purposefully for sprawl. Fine, it takes all kinds. But what about when kids want to get together after school, learn gymnastics, take a pottery class, or go get a soda pop with Archie?
I don't know how many months I used my three minutes of public speaking opportunity to address the elected body and share the many failings of the bus system, but it's more than half the calendar year. I wasn't alone; easily 30 minutes worth of each month's public speaking portion were individuals advocating for fare-free buses. Like most transit nerds, I'm agnostic on fare-free buses: there's no conclusive evidence this makes them faster, or improves the passenger experience. But local community organizers point to Ulster County, our high-achieving sibling across the river: their ridership increased by just a little under 50% when they went fare-free. When ridership meets a certain threshold, the funding starts flowing.
So, a grant to improve fare collection seemed, er, tone-deaf at best, and spiteful at worst. Some members of the legislature were, and are, just as frustrated as I am that they must vote "yay" on this resolution because the funding is tied to things like bus shelters, which I really really do want. In the weirdness of government financial allocations that make sense to only some really special people, not applying for this grant would require Dutchess County to repay some federal financial aid? Okay, I get it, necessary evils and all that.
Some other members of the legislature seemed to take issue with my tone of addressing the chamber. David Whalen, newly confirmed acting commissioner of the Department of Public Works said that, although some commenters (me) had some complaints, the department is proud of the bus system. There's plenty of passengers who are really quite happy!
You know, real talk, I hear that. It's not a great feeling to hear some random crazy hippy lady shred the hard work your department is doing. They’re trying to metaphorically make bricks without straw, while my statement necklace is tinkling away into the microphone like the most agitated wind chime.
Everyone's so ready to criticise without ever providing any solutions, so, here's mine:
1) Reduce Repetitive Bus Routes
With very few exceptions, all bus routes within Dutchess County stop at the Transit Hub, a corral of bus shelters in front of a parking deck on Market Street, Poughkeepsie.There should be, at most, 5 approaches to the Train Station: North and South from Route 9, West from Main Street, North West from the City of Poughkeepsie, and South East also from the City of Poughkeepsie.
There will still be some overlap, but this can be used to make the train station a transit hub, one of many I’d like to see in the county (coming up in solution 2).
5 individual routes cover almost the exact same stretch of Route 9 South. It’s like they’re trying to scoop up all the possible population along the way, and the way they’re doing it is twisting themselves into very confusing, very redundant knots. Wouldn’t it make more sense to have one bus that runs South along Route 9 from Poughkeepsie, with connecting lines running East and West?
2) More Transit Hubs
I don't hate the transit hub, but there should be more of them. To have one for the length of Dutchess County, and to have it just in the county seat is a disservice to passengers, and communities. Schools should be transit hubs; libraries, hospitals, grocery stores, the malls, government offices should all have bus lines converging on them from every point of the map. These should be exchange points for residents of all ages and abilities to access services they need, and recreation they want.
3) Separation of Routes
I reference one particular route often: Route C (Poughkeepsie-Tivoli). This bus has a terminating stop in the village of Tivoli, in the North West Corner of the County. It travels South on Route 9, making stops in Red Hook, Rhinebeck, Hyde Park, and points in the Town of Poughkeepsie.
This is one bus route, that also services Tivoli, Red Hook, Rhinebeck, Staatsburg, and Hyde Park
These loops, plus traveling half the length of the county, take 2 hours. So it’s challenging for any passenger intending to use this route to get to a medical appointment, or an employee in an office in the hospital.
I'd like to see routes like this function more as a shuttle from community to community; so starting at the limits of Tivoli, traveling Southward as it does, and making limited stops at points along Route 9, with the route terminus being just at the edge of the City of Poughkeepsie, and sure that could be MidHudson Regional Hospital. But just as I say in solution 2, the hospital should be serviced as a transit hub with multiple routes servicing the space. A passenger traveling from Tivoli would be able to get off the bus, and hop on another one to go further South on Route 9, or maybe East to LaGrange, or just other points in the City. Likewise, a resident of the City of Poughkeepsie should have more than one option for a bus route to their hospital.
Yes, this means passengers have to transfer like they do everywhere else. It also means bus arrival and departure times have to be sequenced. I don't deny this can be complicated, but we can do hard things, right?
It then does so many loop-de-loops within the City of Poughkeepsie, that the transit design website, Metro Dreamin’ couldn’t handle it and I just decided to use the screenshots from the SPOT app to show the madness.
These loops, plus traveling half the length of the county, take 2 hours. So it’s challenging for any passenger intending to use this route to get to a medical appointment, or an employee in an office in the hospital.
I'd like to see routes like this function more as a shuttle from community to community; so starting at the limits of Tivoli, traveling Southward as it does, and making limited stops at points along Route 9, with the route terminus being just at the edge of the City of Poughkeepsie, and sure that could be MidHudson Regional Hospital. But just as I say in solution 2, the hospital should be serviced as a transit hub with multiple routes servicing the space. A passenger traveling from Tivoli would be able to get off the bus, and hop on another one to go further South on Route 9, or maybe East to LaGrange, or just other points in the City. Likewise, a resident of the City of Poughkeepsie should have more than one option for a bus route to their hospital.
Yes, this means passengers have to transfer like they do everywhere else. It also means bus arrival and departure times have to be sequenced. I don't deny this can be complicated, but we can do hard things, right?
One bus line shouldn't be doing all the things, that's just silly.
4) More Routes
There is no service East of Millbrook. Milan, Standfordville, Pine Plains, Smithfield, Amenia, Millerton, and Dover Plains are on their own. So, if you're my 92 year old aunt, living in Millerton, and you can't drive, but you'd like to visit a friend in Millbrook, just down Route 44You Can't.
I mean, you can schedule a dial-a-ride, or flex service, or book an Uber or Lyft. But spontaneity is reserved for residents West of Millbrook (and private vehicle owners, obviously). Hopefully that impulsive interest lasts until your scheduled chariot shows up.
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| Dutchess County really says "Figure it out" to residents to the right of the red line |
More locally to me there's no bus service to Spratt Park and its pool on Wilbur Blvd; there's no service to Boardman Road Library; the only bus service to the elementary, middle, and high schools of the Spackenkill school district is school buses, and there's no service to Dutchess County's main BOCES campus on the Salt Point TPK. It doesn't bother anyone that to access further education, or recreation we have to drive an automobile? If teenagers/children want to use the pool and/or library they have to get their parents or a trusted, licensed, and insured adult to transport them there. Aren't parents bothered by this? Isn't independent exploration of one's community a major milestone of growing up?
5) Higher Frequency of Service
Especially in high density communities like the Cities of Poughkeepsie, and Beacon. While we don't yet have the population to support a frequency of a bus every 5 minutes, every 10-15 minutes would be ideal. At that frequency there's an expanded and more consistent ridership because it satisfies impulsive and spontaneous outings (like going to Millbrook).If I just missed the bus I know another one will be along in 10-15 minutes. That's soon enough to prevent me from making alternative plans like hailing an Uber/Lyft. Currently the most heavily utilized route, the L in Poughkeepsie, services 2 main grocery stores every 60 minutes. That's not frequent enough for work shifts, or shopping trips. Like I said, every 10-15 minutes means if I have a hankering for something from Adam's cheese counter (not an impossibility), that hankering can be put into action quickly. It's a win for Adam's, the transit operator, and me.
Even the regional shuttles I proposed in solution 3 should operate a minimum of every 60 minutes, and ideally every 30. The dream is they would actually be regional rail, but one thing at a time. Can you imagine how much opportunity and connectivity that would open up amongst residents all over the County if you were guaranteed a ride every hour or every half hour? When I was attending Arlington High School I lived in the Town of Poughkeepsie, but my friends lived in Lagrange, Pleasant Valley, and Poughquag.
School was the only place I was guaranteed to see them because, short of my mother being really nice and driving me all over the place, we had no other way to get together. A bus service that comprehensively connected a school district would have been huge for me and my friends!
As an adult, if it were possible to walk out my front door, walk the 2 blocks to Main Street, and within 10-15 minutes catch a bus to, I dunno, Upstate Theater in Rhinebeck, I'd be there every month.will be a significant drain on that paycheck. Fuck it, let’s stop beating around the bush: that paycheck is going to be wiped out by the cost of owning a car. If the bus service permitted workers to get to their jobs for $1.75/ride or a $40 monthly pass that would be a game changer in the affordability conversation every elected official is having these days.
Out of 13 routes, 8 don't run on Sundays, and none of them run on public holidays. This needs to change. Unless all grocery stores, the mall, assisted living facilities, and hospitals are also going to suspend service for Memorial day, buses can't. Limit service, sure, but halting it all together shows a lack of understanding about what public transportation's role is.
We often talk about access to necessities, like grocery stores, hospitals, schools etc; But as Democratic Socialists know, the people need bread and roses. In this case roses equals night life: Would there be more of it in the area if there was also reliable, effective, and safe public transportation to access it? Would bars see an uptick in drink sales if people didn't need to drive to and from the bar? Would the live music scene be more substantial? Would the young'uns get to go to more dances, participate in creative and athletic activities after school if bus lines around here didn't pack it in once the sun went down? Let's find out!
There's only so much transit operators can do to speed up bus times when the bus has to detour through 4 parking lots, each the size of a football field. Route E (Poughkeepsie-Pawling) has to make a funny little jiggity-jog at Arlington High School because Top's Supermarket is down a ways on Stringham Rd.
As an adult, if it were possible to walk out my front door, walk the 2 blocks to Main Street, and within 10-15 minutes catch a bus to, I dunno, Upstate Theater in Rhinebeck, I'd be there every month.
6) Expanded Service Times
Let's go back to the L Route for another example: The last bus for weekday evening departs the Transit Hub at 7:15pm, and arrives at Stop'n'Shop at 7:44pm. But Stop'n'Shop closes at 11pm Monday thru Saturday, 10pm on Sundays. What should employees do if their shift ends at or after close? What if they work a night shift? There's no public service to access those jobs; and at a hiring wage of $15/hour purchasing, fueling, insuring, and maintaining a vehicleOut of 13 routes, 8 don't run on Sundays, and none of them run on public holidays. This needs to change. Unless all grocery stores, the mall, assisted living facilities, and hospitals are also going to suspend service for Memorial day, buses can't. Limit service, sure, but halting it all together shows a lack of understanding about what public transportation's role is.
We often talk about access to necessities, like grocery stores, hospitals, schools etc; But as Democratic Socialists know, the people need bread and roses. In this case roses equals night life: Would there be more of it in the area if there was also reliable, effective, and safe public transportation to access it? Would bars see an uptick in drink sales if people didn't need to drive to and from the bar? Would the live music scene be more substantial? Would the young'uns get to go to more dances, participate in creative and athletic activities after school if bus lines around here didn't pack it in once the sun went down? Let's find out!
7) Transit Infrastructure
If there's a pattern to deciding which bus stop gets a shelter, my autistic brain has yet to discern it. The bus stop I use to board the bus to work doesn't have one, but the opposing stop does. The stop I use to board the bus home doesn't have a shelter, but the opposing bus does.
Why do bus shelters matter? Well, it helps to indicate just what the hell this collection of rando's are doing, as they stand for 5-35 minutes on one specific patch of sidewalk. I can't tell you the number of drivers at the corner of Collegeview, and Fairmont who are trying to be kind and let me cross: they can't see I'm waiting for a bus! Bus shelters provide a bench for passengers who need to sit while waiting for their ride, and also, this is New York; we have weather.
Signage is also critical public transit infrastructure. Good signage orientates habitual users, and first time users (visitors, new residents, college students) to the transit system's operation. It tells them the basics, like, you know, WHAT ROUTE SERVICES THIS STOP.
In recent years there's been a baffling resistance to printed, physical information posted at bus stops and it's not just Dutchess County. Local transit authorities lurve handing over money to subscribe to shitty transit apps because "you can track buses in real time." I can't explain why this irritates me so much; I think part of it is because I cannot see the benefit of seeing the bus I mean to take, on my screen. Yes, I know there's a bus coming. That's why I'm at the bus stop. Yes, I see the bus is blocks away from me, and it's running late, but the app doesn't give me any further information than that. It doesn't say why the bus is late. More than once the app has given conflicting information: The bus says it's arriving at 5:47, the bus stop says it's arriving in 25 minutes, and it's 5:36. What am I supposed to do?!
On this issue I conducted a very scientific poll (I asked on r/fuckcars) what people liked about the app. Many people said they appreciated that the transit app their local transit operator subscribed to helped them navigate transfers not just across bus routes, but also other modes, like trains or streetcars. Some said theirs had in-app ticket purchases. Some people said they didn't have an app, but that you could just text a number and it would respond with the ETA of the next bus at the stop. I want to be clear: the app Dutchess County subscribes to cannot do any of that. Passengers cannot purchase tickets in app (although that might change), and they cannot just tell the app "I want to go to Hannaford's. How do I get there?" There's no signage at any of the bus stops that there even is an app for the bus system, so you know, what is the point of it?
Some responders echoed my thoughts that it's not ideal to completely abandon one mode of information to go all in on another. There should still be printed signage in the event that a passenger doesn't have data, or their phone just died. To rely on smartphones as means of system navigation is just as foolish as to rely on individual automobiles to move people around.
8) Include Transit in Future Planning
There's only so much transit operators can do to speed up bus times when the bus has to detour through 4 parking lots, each the size of a football field. Route E (Poughkeepsie-Pawling) has to make a funny little jiggity-jog at Arlington High School because Top's Supermarket is down a ways on Stringham Rd.
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| Just enough of a detour to be tantalizingly close, but completely useless for both Arlington High School, and LaGrange Middle School. |
Obviously, we can't demand they now move to be on Route 55, but it's a shame that, when the building was proposed, no one said "you know, wild idea here: what if the front doors were at the street for a bus drop off??"
Premier Medical Group's Urology Center in Eastdale can't receive door to door bus service. No one even considered patients would want/need to take the bus to their appointment, because it's parked at the very end of that twee, Disney-Land styled Main Street.
Premier Medical Group's Urology Center in Eastdale can't receive door to door bus service. No one even considered patients would want/need to take the bus to their appointment, because it's parked at the very end of that twee, Disney-Land styled Main Street.
The stroady stretch of Route 9 from Hyde Park through Wappingers Falls must be absolutely nightmarish as a passenger because the bus drops you off at parking lot after parking lot. If they tried door service going in a single direction on Route 9 would take all day.
It is always going to be difficult for a fixed route bus service to operate in Pleasant Valley, as their residential areas seem designed very purposefully for sprawl. Fine, it takes all kinds. But what about when kids want to get together after school, learn gymnastics, take a pottery class, or go get a soda pop with Archie?
They will be dependent on the licensed adult in their life to permit these connections until they can become licensed to drive themselves. But it’s not just a car and a driver’s license: it’s gas money, its car maintenance and repairs, it’s insurance, and as NPR Lifekit reported, adding a teenager to your insurance policy can increase your monthly payment by 50-100%!!
No, we can't go back in time and slap the suburban sprawl out of previous local governing boards. On the other hand, these governing boards can now work to prevent the sprawl from continuing by forcing new development to fill in the gaps and connect residential areas with commercial corridors. When proposals cross their desk I beg for these local elected officials to ask themselves and the applicants: how does this proposal fit in with a bus route?
Effective transit benefits 3 key population groups: senior citizens, workers, and the youth. Or as I think of them: Voters, voters, and future voters. So I cannot begin to understand why, worldwide, election hopefuls aren't tripping over each other in a mad rush to associate their name with accessible, effective public transit.
I think certain members of the legislature and department of public works hear the frustration in my voice and interpret it as impatiently demanding some kind of luxurious service. But if I were seeking luxury, I definitely wouldn’t be talking about public transit. Cars are a luxury, and through very intentional efforts from many profiteering sectors, they’ve been made necessary for everyday life. It’s as though Dutchess County is annoyed that I have the audacity of wishing, and needing to participate in society, while committing the sin of being poor. How very dare I.
But what I dare to hold in my head as fact is that every resident of this county, regardless of age, ability, or date of residency, deserves the opportunity to fulfill necessary obligations, manage their health, and to sustain and grow their emotional connections, to explore their communities. This is not political; this is recognition of self-evident truths: we are endowed with certain unalienable rights, and among them are: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Note that the Framers of the Constitution did not specify we are endowed with these rights only if we have a car.
No, we can't go back in time and slap the suburban sprawl out of previous local governing boards. On the other hand, these governing boards can now work to prevent the sprawl from continuing by forcing new development to fill in the gaps and connect residential areas with commercial corridors. When proposals cross their desk I beg for these local elected officials to ask themselves and the applicants: how does this proposal fit in with a bus route?
Effective transit benefits 3 key population groups: senior citizens, workers, and the youth. Or as I think of them: Voters, voters, and future voters. So I cannot begin to understand why, worldwide, election hopefuls aren't tripping over each other in a mad rush to associate their name with accessible, effective public transit.
I think certain members of the legislature and department of public works hear the frustration in my voice and interpret it as impatiently demanding some kind of luxurious service. But if I were seeking luxury, I definitely wouldn’t be talking about public transit. Cars are a luxury, and through very intentional efforts from many profiteering sectors, they’ve been made necessary for everyday life. It’s as though Dutchess County is annoyed that I have the audacity of wishing, and needing to participate in society, while committing the sin of being poor. How very dare I.
But what I dare to hold in my head as fact is that every resident of this county, regardless of age, ability, or date of residency, deserves the opportunity to fulfill necessary obligations, manage their health, and to sustain and grow their emotional connections, to explore their communities. This is not political; this is recognition of self-evident truths: we are endowed with certain unalienable rights, and among them are: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Note that the Framers of the Constitution did not specify we are endowed with these rights only if we have a car.
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