Comments on: GTA Trip Planner Follow Up – PART in the Picture http://voteshell.com/gta-trip-planner-follow-up-part-in-the-picture/ Wed, 07 Oct 2009 21:52:46 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Less than 9% of GSO Bus Stops have Shelters | Vote Shell.com http://voteshell.com/gta-trip-planner-follow-up-part-in-the-picture/comment-page-1/#comment-174 Less than 9% of GSO Bus Stops have Shelters | Vote Shell.com Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:38:25 +0000 http://voteshell.com/?p=395#comment-174 [...] before a shelter is considered. In my eyes I would like to see more people use GTA so that we can advance the system. If we are not making it an attractive form of transportation, part of which is providing shelters [...] [...] before a shelter is considered. In my eyes I would like to see more people use GTA so that we can advance the system. If we are not making it an attractive form of transportation, part of which is providing shelters [...]

]]> By: Andrew http://voteshell.com/gta-trip-planner-follow-up-part-in-the-picture/comment-page-1/#comment-94 Andrew Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:16:49 +0000 http://voteshell.com/?p=395#comment-94 Ryan: I definitely think implementing a trip planner, and creating a more user friendly website for GTA will certainly increase ridership. If GTA has any hopes of attracting a significant number of choice riders, it must make the transit experience as convenient as possible. You correctly point out that GTA's current website is neither functional nor user friendly. A really well designed website is especially important because most GTA bus stops are only designated by a route sign that only displays the route number. Anyone new to public transit would see this, and I imagine, be too intimidated. Giving residents the option to plan a trip before they leave their house, or even on the go if they have internet access through a blackberry or iPhone, would lessen the intimidation factor. I'm pretty sure that GTA could secure federal funding to help pay for a new website. If not, I've suggested that they pursue grant funds from the Weaver Foundation and other community organizations. Improving ridership and increasing use of public transit seems to fit well with their stated goals of environmental protection and improving the lives of disadvantaged residents. Kind of tied into the topic of attracting new ridership, I just wrote a new post about implementing a downtown circulator service and how it could help attract new GTA riders, not to mention help ease traffic and parking congestion downtown. http://standupgreensboro.com/many-birds-one-stone-the-benefits-of-a-downtown-circulator PS. The GDOT newsletter (below) touted late last year that Google Transit would be up and running in March. And everyone I'd spoken with earlier this year gave me a March/April roll out timeline. I don't know what happened. For some reason, I get the feeling that GTA doesn't seem inspired to be better than ordinary. Having attended the Board meeting back in April, most members appeared as if they could care less about GTA and improving mobility in Greensboro. http://www.greensboro-nc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/7E184637-2921-4046-B943-8B948D08BD21/0/TrafficZoneWinter0809.pdf Ryan:

I definitely think implementing a trip planner, and creating a more user friendly website for GTA will certainly increase ridership.

If GTA has any hopes of attracting a significant number of choice riders, it must make the transit experience as convenient as possible. You correctly point out that GTA’s current website is neither functional nor user friendly.

A really well designed website is especially important because most GTA bus stops are only designated by a route sign that only displays the route number. Anyone new to public transit would see this, and I imagine, be too intimidated. Giving residents the option to plan a trip before they leave their house, or even on the go if they have internet access through a blackberry or iPhone, would lessen the intimidation factor.

I’m pretty sure that GTA could secure federal funding to help pay for a new website. If not, I’ve suggested that they pursue grant funds from the Weaver Foundation and other community organizations. Improving ridership and increasing use of public transit seems to fit well with their stated goals of environmental protection and improving the lives of disadvantaged residents.

Kind of tied into the topic of attracting new ridership, I just wrote a new post about implementing a downtown circulator service and how it could help attract new GTA riders, not to mention help ease traffic and parking congestion downtown.

http://standupgreensboro.com/many-birds-one-stone-the-benefits-of-a-downtown-circulator

PS. The GDOT newsletter (below) touted late last year that Google Transit would be up and running in March. And everyone I’d spoken with earlier this year gave me a March/April roll out timeline. I don’t know what happened. For some reason, I get the feeling that GTA doesn’t seem inspired to be better than ordinary. Having attended the Board meeting back in April, most members appeared as if they could care less about GTA and improving mobility in Greensboro.

http://www.greensboro-nc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/7E184637-2921-4046-B943-8B948D08BD21/0/TrafficZoneWinter0809.pdf

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