I think one thing that puts people off using Auckland’s public transport system – and in particular puts people off using the bus network – is how utterly complicated it is. A case in point:
While this map shows a heck of a lot of information – in many respects far too much information – it also misses out a lot. Which routes are frequent, which routes only run once a day, which routes connect well with other routes and so on. We just don’t know from the map above, and the route specific maps tend to not be any help either in answering those questions.
If we take the map above and apply a filter to the routes that have a certain level of service, the result is quite interesting. The map below shows routes on the Auckland isthmus that operate at 15 minute or better frequencies during the inter-peak weekday period:
Of course along many of these routes it’s not a single service that operates at high frequencies, but rather the result of many low frequency services coming together on Great North Road, Great South Road and many others. When those services are operated by different bus companies, the high number of buses can be pretty misleading in terms of how long you’re actually going to have to wait for a bus that you can use.
It would be interesting to see something like the map above played around with, stylised and simplified down a bit, and for those core high frequency routes to be perceived as a system in and of themselves. You could effectively set a standard for anything to be on the map: at worst 7 minute peak frequencies, 15 minute interpeak, 20 minute Saturday & early evening, 30 minute Sunday and late evening. Over time that standard would hopefully be “tightened up” a bit, but at least you’d have some routes that immediately meet the grade to end up “on the map”. Couple this map with the rail network and the Northern Busway (plus obviously similar maps for north, south and west should there be services good enough to warrant inclusion) and you’d really have the start of a true “network map” of Auckland’s bus routes.
One thing the map above highlights is how useless Auckland’s higher frequency bus routes operate as a network. Every single route seems to travel to or from the CBD. This shows that while Auckland does have cross-town bus routes, they’re generally run at such poor frequencies as to be pretty useless, except for timetable-based peak-time commuting trips.
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How about the location specific ‘spider maps’ which Transport for London use?
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/gettingaround/maps/buses/pdf/charingcrossquad-2048.pdf
Charing Cross one as an example.
These are located at bus shelters to help people get to specific places, and block out peripheral information. But arguably, Auckland’s CBD is small enough that there aren’t hugely separate areas people might take a bus between?
They are nice and clear though. Another thing London has done over the past few years is get rid of duplicate bus routes, and those using X or A to denote a difference, and school/shopping/peak only routes have been cut in favour of consolidation and frequency rises. It’s much simpler now.
Those “spider maps” are pretty cool.
that looks suspiciously like Aucklands former tram network…
I guess whole city map would be rather bare apart from the busway, Onewa Road, Great South Road to Manurewa and Great North Road to Henderson. Shows how far we have to go in the suburbs to sort things out.
Shouldnt be too hard to make a map as proposed with a GIS coupled with the route list as on http://www.tranzinfo.net.nz/other/maxx_route.php
Indeed it is extremely similar to the old tram routes. So much for the huge advantages of “flexibility” offered by buses over trams.
It’s also interesting to see that all the train lines are well-serviced bus routes. Is that desirable?
as long as they don’t duplicate the whole route thats OK, they serve a different catchment. For example going from Avondale to Mt Albert easier to catch a bus as they are more frequent off-peak and always will be.
The silly services that need to be knocked on the head are the Auckland – Papakura and Auckland to Henderson and Swanson via New Lynn services. These shouldn’t be cancelled outright however split into several pieces and redesigned to feed rail not compete.
It’s obvious that these maps, like most other decisions and information released by MAXX and ARTA, are created by people who don’t actually rely on public transport (and likely never even use it on occasion). Maybe customer surveys are used to inform some of what they do, but you can guarantee that if anyone even remotely senior within ARTA / ATA actually took a bus or a train, the service and amenities would be worlds different.
It might be obvious but is it true? I agree that you actually need people who use these services to be involved in running them. Should Auckland Transport make it compulsory for their staff (at least their PT related staff) to use PT to travel to work every so often?
In ancient Greece, they probably would have. It would certainly be strange to somehow write this into an employee’s contract. The effect could probably be simulated if the opposite suddenly stopped being true: if government transport agencies stopped offering “free” cars and parking to mid and senior level executives as part of their employment packages. Enough would suddenly find religion and begin taking public transport – probably to the benefit of us all.
People have to do all sorts of stupid things for their job — team building exercises, for example. It wouldn’t need to be written into the contract, it would just be made clear that it is part of their job.
One thing that really jumps out is that Greenlane/Balmoral/St Lukes Rd isn’t on that map. It’s got one of our premier parks, the major out-patient facility for Auckland’s DHBs, and a certain shopping mall whose name shall not be mentioned, but it doesn’t even get sub 15-minute bus frequencies.
Integrated ticketing cannot come soon enough for buses. It’s quite ridiculous watching people stand at a bus stop as a bus goes past because they don’t have a card for that company. Particularly noticeable around GSR north of Harp of Erin.
It can be quite telling that if the maps are over complicated then the routes are also overcomlicated.
Previous councils and ARTA had to compete not only against the bus companies but also the A-Team (Shore) and Banksie the puppet.
But public transport needs to be a very high priority and all the councillors and local board memebrs i’ve spoken to (or heard from) so far agree.
Considering Auckland Transport has only existed for 11 days and don’t even have a logo, I think we can cut them a little slack, for now.
Politicians appear to be reading your blog, so keep it up because we need a ground swell to sort this mess out.
As Jarrett Walker as pointed out, a typical ‘plate of spaghetti’ bus route map, with no information about frequencies or span of hours, is a bit like publishing a street directory in which all roads are shown identical and no attempt is made to point out the highways.
having read that NZTA report on what makes effective public transport it’s quite incredible how closely this map resembles the type of radial network they identify as being less efficient. I guess in some ways though there is not really much point us shifting towards a more grid like network until we have an electric integrated ticket right? Otherwise the high cost of transfers will stop people using a grid like network, even if it is in place.
However it would only take a bit of rationalisation and two or three circumferential lines to sort it out.
Auckland’s network has 2/3rds of the makings of a classic polar grid, and the other 1/3 wouldn’t be too hard.
I’m still griping about how all the buses go over Symonds St though, it’s been a very long time since Symonds St was the only place a tram could cross the gulley!