Does Consolidating Bus Stops Speed Up Buses?

"As part of its big bus service re-organization, now called the Strategic Bus Network Plan (SBNP), Metro is proposing 'stop thinning,'" reports Joe Linton. Stop thinning, as Linton describes it, "basically means eliminating numerous bus stops that are too close to each other."

Linton goes on to describe both sides of the debate about the value of stop thinning. On one side, he cites Jarrett Walker, who wrote, "if you can get people to gather at fewer stops, you get a faster service," in a 2009 post on the subject. On the other side, Linton cites a recent article by D.J. Waldie that offers a thoughtful and thorough critique of the SBNP's early, draft form.

Linton concludes the article by describing a few of the very few bus stop thinning precedents, such as efforts in San Francisco, Long Beach, and Santa Monica, and offering his opinion on the matter.