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Designer proposes T map based on trip time

Time map

Modern subway maps are far from geographically accurate, and the MBTA's is no exception (compare the spacing between Copley/Back Bay and Heath/Forest Hills). Peter Dunn wondered if he could come up with a true hub-and-spoke T map that provides a more useful metric for riders: The time it would take them to get from A to B:

Riders need to know which line serves which station, and where to transfer to get there, but actual mileage or accurate compass directions aren't necessary to navigate the system. A time-scale map agrees, but adds a bit of information that the rider does care about: travel time. Stations are spaced according to travel time between them. (That's the average scheduled travel time; your results will vary.)

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Comments

What jumps out is that Riverside is geographically twice as far from Park Street as Boston College, yet their respective branches take the same time.

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What you really need to do is make an inverse-average-velocity scale map where distance AND time are taken into account.

If you map out times, but then divide by the distance covered, you would find things like the Allston St Station on the B Line (4 miles from Park St) is no longer close to equivalent to the Braintree Red Line spur (12 miles from Downtown Crossing to the end).

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I do like how it shows the discrepancy of time needed to reach Reservoir and/or Cleveland Circle, with both stops being fairly much in the same place.

Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com

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or how long/slow the mattapan line is compared the the suburban extension of the red line to Braintree. While they take the same time on this map, a train going to Braintree goes much further than Mattapan, but also much faster.
The commonality between these two examples is that trains that stay in Boston are much inferior than ones that serve the burbs (Newton in the case of the D line, Braintree for the red). I guess we should be happy that there is service at all, look at the difference in how far the orange line goes north into the burbs versus it stopping partway through Boston at Forest Hills.

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There are twice as many stops on the branch to Mattapan as the Braintree line. I don't suppose that has anything to do with it.

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Don't forget.
You have to switch to the trolley. The trolley built in the 40's running on a track from the 20's.
So there's that.

And, FYI, Mattapan line services some very nice neighborhoods in Dorchester and Milton.

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One has to change modes of transportation at Ashmont. I expect waiting time is figured in? The trolley isn't always there to speed you on your way immediately.

Anyway, the total time given is about one minute between stops from Butler on, isn't it? That's about right - even less, in some instances.

Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com

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I want the version that lets riders select the epicenter and plots the rest of the system from that perspective.

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Whoa, so the Orange Line to Forest Hills is inferior to the D-line to Newton (and the D-line goes faster?). I'm not sure that I can make myself believe that.

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It shows Forest Hills as being time-equivalent to just before Brookline Village.

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Considering Green Line delays and the need to wait for the Riverside branch vs catching any train to/from Forest Hills.

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That's really comparing apples & oranges, though. Of course an express line can cover more distance faster than a local line. The D line operates more like a commuter rail line, with a dedicated track that doesn't interact with street traffic, and has fewer stops along the way. The B line has 5 more stops, and operates on city streets, subject to traffic lights.

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But given the debacle with traffic light priority along Beacon Street, it's clear the T has no desire to speed up the surface Green Lines. Imagine if trains got priority when approaching traffic lights about to turn red. Imagine if there was pre-payment or true proof-of-payment. Then maybe it would not take 40 minutes to go all of six miles.

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It shows that one line is an apple and the other is an orange. That's the valuable information.

Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com

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Should we walk, or do we have time to take the T?

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that map is freaking me out dude! has anyone fallen in yet?

Alright, Peter, just listen. Everything is going to be fine. You're very high right now. You will probably be that way for about five more hours. Try taking some vitamin B complex, vitamin C complex.. if you have a beer, go ahead and drink it..

Just remember you're a living organism on this planet, and you're very safe. You've just taken a heavy drug. Relax, stay inside and listen to some music, Okay? Do you have any Allman Brothers?

I'm against drug use myself, but I'm not going to lay that on you right now. Just mellow out the best you can, okay?

(dan aykroyd as jimmy carter)

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I keep seeing the big bird from the Nazca lines....and hearing Leonard Nimoy's voice.

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Since we're supposed to pretend the Silver Lines are rapid transit, let's get them on there as well.

26 minutes from South Station to Terminal E, versus 21 minutes from GC to Wonderland on the Blue Line.

19 minutes from DTX to Dudley, which on the Orange Line gets you all the way to Forest Hills.

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The thing that jumped out to me was the time per mile on the Green Line vs. the Orange Line and Red Line (I don't think that the Blue is long enough for a comparison).

I don't have the numbers, but I'd be willing to bet that the ridership of the C and D lines has the highest average income per rider (North side of the Red Line might be close, but as I say, I don't have nor do I know where I could find such numbers).

In any case, I think that if we measured the distance from DTX to Forest Hills on the Orange Line, and then found the stations on the C and D branches with the same distance from Park St., I think that we'd be able to say pretty clearly what I said in the subject line.

If this verified, it would be an interesting reversal of how things usually go.

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If it's true higher income areas are less well-served by public trans, would they come if we built it?

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Green Line:

B Branch
While all categories were represented, incomes of B Branch riders were
skewed toward the low end of the scale with 37% of the riders reporting
household incomes of less than $30,000. This pattern reflects the prevalence of
student riders. The mean household size for the branch was 2.34.

C Branch

One-third (32%) of C Branch ridershad household incomes of $100,000 or
more; 11% had household incomes less than $20,000. The remainder were
relatively evenly distributed among the other six categories. A similar pattern
existed at most branch segments on the line. The mean household size for the
branch was 2.17, the smallest of the Green Line branches.

D Branch

Over one-half (55%) of D Branch riders had household incomes over $75,000
with 39% in the $100,000 plus category. Eleven percent had incomes under
$20,000. Notable were the stations where more than 50% of the riders had
household income of $100,000 or more: Newton Centre (53%), Newton
Highlands, (51%), Eliot (65%), and Waban (61%). Stations where at least 10%
of the riders had household incomes less than $20,000 included Fenway (19%),
Brookline Village (13%), Beaconsfield (10%), Reservoir (16%), and
Woodland (10%). The mean household size for the D Branch was 2.59.

E Branch

Over a quarter (27%) of E Branch riders reported household incomes of less
than $20,000. Because of the large concentration of students, nearly half (45%)
of the riders at the Northeastern stop had household incomes of less than
$20,000. At other stops, percentages in this income category ranged from 17%
between Heath Street and Fenwood Road to 30% at Museum of Fine Arts.
Except at Northeastern, 24% to 30% of the riders at each stop or branch
segment reported household incomes of $100,000 or more. The mean
household size for the branch was 2.58.

Orange Line:

North Side
Of the income check-off choices provided on the survey form, the one checked
by the largest group of north side riders was “$100,000 or more,” at 32%
overall. North Station, where many of the entering riders transfer from
commuter rail, had the highest percentage in this range, at 44%.
Malden station
had the lowest percentage of riders in this range, at 22%.
Incomes in the ranges under $50,000 were reported by 30% overall. The
highest percentages of riders with incomes in these ranges were reported at
Community College (48%), Malden (40%), and Haymarket (35%).

The high concentration of reported incomes in the “$100,000 or more” range
suggests that the question’s check-off choices did not include enough higher
ranges for 2008–09 incomes. The typical maximum was not determined. A
significant number of respondents did not answer the income question.

South Side

Of the income check-off choices provided on the survey form, the one checked
by the largest group of south side riders was “$100,000 or more,” at 27%
overall. Back Bay Station, where many of the entering riders transfer from
commuter rail, had the highest percentage in this range, at 46%. Jackson
Square Station had the lowest percentageof riders in this range, at 9%.
Incomes in the ranges under $50,000 were reported by 37% overall. The
highest percentage in these ranges (60%) was reported at Jackson Square, and
the lowest at Back Bay (16%). The only other south side stations with lower-than-average percentages of income under $50,000 were Forest Hills through
Stony Brook.

Red Line:

Northern Segment
At each of the northern segment stations, the highest percentage of respondents
checked the top household income range of “100,000 or more.” At Alewife
Station, which attracts much of its ridership from suburbs to the west and
northwest, 56% of riders were in this category. At the other stations,
percentages of riders in the “$100,000 or more” category ranged from 33% at
Central and Davis to 43% at Porter.
Percentages of riders with household incomes under $20,000 were highest at
Central (10%) and Harvard (9%) and ranged from 4% to 8% at the other
stations. For the northern segment overall, the mean household size was 2.40;
this number ranged from 2.32 at Central to 2.62 at Alewife.

Central Segment

At each of the central segment stations, the highest percentage of respondents
checked the top household income range of “100,000 or more.” At South
Station, where a majority of riders transferred from commuter rail, commuter
buses, or intercity buses, 45% of riders were in this category. At the other
stations, percentages of riders in the “$100,000 or more” category ranged from
29% at Downtown Crossing to 40% at Broadway.
Percentages of riders with household incomes under $20,000 were highest at
Downtown Crossing (13%) and lowest atSouth Station (4%), and ranged from
8% to 11% at the other stations.
For the central segment overall, the mean household size was 2.39. This
number ranged from 2.02 at Charles/MGH to 2.62 at South Station.

Dorchester Branch

Average incomes varied much more among stations on the Dorchester Branch
than among those on the northern and central segments or the South Shore branch. Riders with household incomes under $20,000 were the largest group
at JFK/UMass (21%) and Andrew (22%), but at both stations, the group with
incomes over $100,000 were not far behind (20% at each station). Riders with
incomes of $100,000 or more accounted for the largest groups at Savin Hill
(36%), Shawmut (26%), and Ashmont (23%). At Fields Corner, the largest
income group was $30,000-$39,999 (18%). For the Dorchester branch overall, the mean household size was 2.68. This
number ranged from 2.46 at Andrew to 2.85 at Ashmont.

South Shore Branch

At each of the South Shore branch stations, the highest percentage of
respondents checked the top household income range of “100,000 or more.” At
Quincy Adams and Braintree, where the majority of riders originate at
locations outside of Quincy or Braintree, riders in the “100,000 or more”
category accounted for 46%, and 35%, respectively, of total entries. At the
other three stations, where over 75% of trips originated in Quincy, 21% to 36%
of riders were in this income category.
The percentage of riders with household incomes under $20,000 was highest at
Wollaston and Quincy Center (8% each) and lowest at Quincy Adams (3%).
For the South Shore branch overall, the mean household size was 2.56. This
number ranged from 2.33 at Quincy Center to 2.79 at Quincy Adams.
Mattapan High-Speed Line
At most of the individual stations on the Mattapan High-Speed Line, the
number of survey responses was too low to provide reliable information on the
household incomes of riders. For the line overall, the largest group (26%)
reported incomes of “100,000 or more.” Incomes under $20,000 were reported
by 12%. Both figures were somewhat higher than the percentages in the
corresponding categories for riders boarding the Red Line at Ashmont without
transferring from the High-Speed Line. The mean reported household size for
High-Speed Line riders was 2.85.

Blue Line:

The results regarding household income varied considerably among stations.
The stations with the highest percentages of incomes in the $100,000-or-more
range were Aquarium (47%), Wonderland (37%), and Bowdoin (29%). The
stations with the lowest percentages in this range were Revere Beach (8%),
Maverick (15%), Government Center (20%), and Beachmont (20%). At Revere
Beach, 25% reported household incomes of under $20,000.
At all of the stations except Revere Beach, the $100,000-or-more range had a
larger percentage than any other individual range. This result could be skewed,
as a significant number of riders elected not to answer the household income
question.
It might be expected that household incomewould be related tosome extent to
household size, which was asked for in the survey (not asked for was the
number of household members who were employed). However, the results
were somewhat mixed. Overall, Blue Line riders with household incomes of
$100,000 or more had an average household size of 2.7, while those with
household incomes of under $20,000 had anaverage household size of 2.4.
However, Aquarium, which had the lowestaverage household size (2.15), also
had the highest percentage of household incomes in the $100,000-or-more
range. Revere Beach, which had the highest average household size (2.69), had
the lowest percentage of household incomes in the top range.

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What's all this from?

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See a couple posts up

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You even went through the bother of extracting the relevant pieces from the citation you provided and some idiot had to go and ask where you got it from...jeez people are stupid...oh, wait...
thanks.

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I'd say you'd also have to figure in how that speedy Orange line from DTX to Forest Hills got there in the first place -- it was taken from one working class neighborhood and put into the blasted wasteland that had been another working class neighborhood which was plowed under for a highway (that didn't get built). I think these folks paid their transit dues for that Orange Line that is slowly rotting away (and don't mention the Silver Li(n)e to that other n'hood, unless you want an earful).

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An interesting variation might also integrate average train frequency, as it is different on every line/branch.

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