Comments on: Public Meeting Tonight About “G Street Bus Depot”

By: Cheryl

Cheryl — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 16:34:44 +0000

Yes, where is the bus stop now?

By: Tim

Tim — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:24:49 +0000

At some point, I’d like to hear what was determined, or at least discussed at the public hearing; if anyone knows.

By: Anon

Anon — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 03:29:51 +0000

The distilled argument was that a bus depot is inappropriate in front of a residential building. DC does have laws against buses in front of residences. Jack Evans attended the meeting and agreed with the residents — needless to say, the MegaBus and the BoltBus will be moved to a new location in time for Inaugural activities.

DDoT will continue to draft regulations to control the gypsy bus services and get them off of public spaces and into private terminals or leased locations.

By: Bus guy

Bus guy — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 20:06:35 +0000

In response to Flipperman75, I realize that many companies pick up in various locations, which is not a good idea because it puts street side pickup in everyone’s backyard whether in DuPont or Chinatown. An actual bus station provides shelter, security, and customer service compared to curbside pickup/dropoff. The online fares for Greyhound/Peter Pan are the same as Bolt, Mega, and Wash Deluxe. I wouldn’t worry about the Chinese bus companies (smugglers)they aren’t worried about us. Centralization is a key function of transportation. Delta and United don’t have separate airports for their airlines…neither should bus companies.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 19:46:42 +0000

What unmitigated nonsense by washingtonydc. S/he has obviously surrendered any claims to quality of life by moving into the city, but maybe we haven’t watched the same movies.

Living in the city does not inherently require that one accept bring mugged or assaulted, being hit by a vehicle, sub-standard education, bad water, unbridled noise or buses in front of your residence spewing pollution.

The only difference between living in the city and outside of it is density. In itself, density means nothing more than more people living in less space. I’ve lived in many suburbs, and they have many of the same problems as cities, sometimes more. How would you like the police in Prince George county in Maryland “protecting” you in DC? Many of these thugs would have been star performers in, say, Iraq when before Saddam was ousted.

There has to be a balance achieved in areas of high density — nobody’s calling for the downtown fire department to be relocated, are they? — but waving a white flag for anything but bus drivers seeking shelter in a lobby is ridiculous. While we’re speaking of the latter, why object to that? After all, it’s the city. Right?

By: MVTResident

MVTResident — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 18:37:49 +0000

I have had buses park illegally across from my condo and they are so loud that they create a roar inside my unit. It is a crazy loud sound. That is why the folks at Mather are probably so incensed. They have just discovered that idling is a real problem. I don’t think that folks are out of line asking for a solution that works. I have heard no one ask for the buses to leave downtown just locate better and be considerate. That being said, there are some uses that should not be next to residential buildings.

Also, the folks waiting for the buses on 5th Street at H rarely move so I can have a piece of the sidewalk when I am walking by. The bus companies need to control their crowding on the sidewalks as they are using the public space. We should all work together to make this work instead of labelling folks as bad people for raising a legitimate issue.

By: Biv

Biv — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 18:10:37 +0000

First, last I checked the buses sparking this debate (Megabus and, I think, Bolt) did not have a stop directly in front of the fancy new condos. Instead the stop is located across the street in front of the library. The travellers do not keep people from getting into their condos and are not loud. Second, I doubt that any of the business owners in the area are complaining about more people hanging out downtown. Want more shops downtown to stay open? Don’t get rid of people. Third, since I live downtown I personally like the convenience of not having to go to Union Station or the sketchy Greyhound station to get on a bus to NY. Fourth, I also checked the Master Transportation Plan (thanks Anon) and unless I missed it, it doesn’t seem to address this sort of issue. Finally, I hear what Bus Guy is saying about a centralized bus terminal, but if it means the Chinatown bus companies have another expense, I could see it destroying low-cost, long-distance bus companies. I can’t imagine their margins are that great and I can only surmise what an extra cost would do to them.

By: Flipperman75

Flipperman75 — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 21:13:05 +0000

The buses don’t all stop at one location, so I’m not sure I understand the statement about the “usual” location being relocated. In any event, is it really that much of a problem? There are already rules about idling–just enforce them, if that’s an issue. And as far as crowds of people go, I see the passengers lined up in various places almost every day, and I have yet to see much of a disturbance. They’re a hell of a lot more orderly and quiet than the screaming mentally ill folks, screaming hooligan kids, etc. that we put up with every day. What would be the point of concentrating all the stops into one? I think it’s almost better that the various companies pick up/drop off at different locations. Spread things out.

Oh, and by the way, most of the buses we’re talking about here (Chinatown buses, Megabus, Bolt Bus, Washington Deluxe, etc.) don’t go to the Port Authority. They stop on the street up there just like they do here.

By: dogma

dogma — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 20:26:56 +0000

I second what “Bus guy” suggested. It’s reasonable to centralize the bus transportation. So called NIMBY shouldn’t even be an issue in this case. These buses don’t belong in anyone’s neighborhood. They belong in areas where other transportation is available (Union Station, another good idea).

It’ a free-for-all where it is now. Try driving down that part of G Street these days. What was DDOT thinking?

By: David

David — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 20:25:31 +0000

Last time I checked all NYC buses dumped folks off at MSG… which is probably better than right in front of a brand new condo.