A couple years ago I had a Saturday morning job down in the Bear area. It involved teaching a class at a set time. Being just a little late wasn't an option. A lot of people work on Saturdays, and being tardy isn't an option for them, either, assuming they want to keep their jobs. Many of these folks ride a bus to the Rodney Square transit hub, and then make a transfer to another bus that takes them to their workplace, which is what I did.
This kind of weekend commuting tends to involve a LOT of waiting time. Buses run less frequently on the weekends. It was also my observation that they were even less likely to run on time on Saturdays, which really doesn't make sense given lighter weekend traffic. However, I've been told that weekend bus drivers tend to be inexperienced, the newer hires. So maybe that's it. But I found I needed to get to my bus stops really early, because sometimes the bus would arrive as much as 15 minutes ahead of schedule... or be behind schedule by as much or more. And I had to allow at least 20 or 30 minutes for a transfer at Rodney Square, for the same reasons. Fortunately, I was never late for those Saturday classes. But I had to allow over four hours for the round-trip commute, about 13 miles each way, to a two-hour job assignment. (Google Transit gives a 1-hour trip time, but because they allow only a very unrealistic 5 minutes for the Rodney Square transfer, that would almost never work.)
Now, if you are just coming into town on Saturday to shop or go to the office, downtown road closures and bus re-routing won't affect you much. You may have to get off at a different stop and walk a little farther. But if you need to change to another bus, it can be a nightmare trying to find your bus and make your transfer so as to get to work on time.
This is how DART's e-mail alert for this weekend read, in part:
DART Bus Route 2, 21 & 35 will be on detour. Also notices at affected Friday bus stops will instruct passengers to board on Broom Street at 20th Street or on 18th Street at Van Buren Streets. For the 18th, most transfers will take place on Shipley Street between 10th Street and 9th Street. Notices will be posted to direct passengers to which bus stops oard (sic) dring the detour.
Clear as mud, eh? Notice the lack of any precise information a rider could use to plan his trip, and decide whether he needs to allow more time and come in on an earlier bus? Notice how it sounds as if in some cases riders will need to go to their original stop to find a redirection notice, and then walk an unknown distance to another location, adding time to the commute that cannot, based on information provided by DART, be estimated in advance? Notice the lack of any kind of map showing temporarily re-located stops and routes?
I am heartily in favor of siting these types of events downtown. The races, parades and festivals add vibrancy to our city, provide local and low-cost entertainment for city residents, and undoubtedly bring a lot of money to local restaurants and shops. I would be the last person to suggest eliminating them or moving them.
BUT... the disruption of the local transit hub at Rodney Square is a big hardship to a lot of Saturday commuters. DART's lack of precise information about relocation of routes and stops makes things even worse for its riders.
I think it's high time for DART and Wilmington city leaders to begin the planning for moving the transit hub to a nearby area that will be more accessible and less prone to disruption during downtown events. The train station area has always been cited as the logical location for a comprehensive transit hub, and I agree. It's past time, guys.
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