Saturday Bus Ride

I rode the bus yesterday for the first time in over a week. Being on vacation is nice, but it's been so hot I haven't wanted to go out much, certainly not stand for who-knows-how-long on a sweltering street corner waiting for the bus that is always late. I've done some shopping on foot, in the morning before it gets very hot.Still not ideal, but the weather is what it is.

But duty called yesterday, and I had to travel to the library to teach my Saturday afternoon class. We didn't meet last week. Usually I walk... it's about 25 minutes. But yesterday... no way!

So I caught the route 6 bus which was only 5-10 minutes late. I'm very lucky that my closest inbound stop on Lincoln is shaded by a nice, big leafy green tree. I always go 10 minutes early, because very occasionally the bus runs early! So I waited about 20 minutes in the heat, but in the shade and with a decent breeze. Weather can certainly make commuting without a car into a bit of a trial, can't it? I felt for the folks waiting on hot, unshaded corners.

I always like riding DART on Saturdays. There's a whole different feel to it. Although some people are going to or from jobs, there's still a weekend feel to things. Different drivers, too, with lots of variation. I'm  told weekend drivers are usually new, with lower seniority. Yesterday's driver was a very cheerful woman, happy and engaged. How nice! Sometimes you get the ones who clearly don't like what they are doing, glum and sometimes even hostile. The worst are the power-mongers who think that now they have the wheel of a bus, they can lord it over all the riders at their mercy. I could tell some good stories!

So it was a nice, short Saturday ride. The library was well-chilled, of course. New bus schedules out in the lobby stand, so I finally stocked on those for all my usual routes. And I decided to walk home, which was hot but ok. I needed to stop at the 7-11 for some milk, anyway. One thing I've learned is that when you don't use a car, it's a good idea to be efficient, and get as much done with each trip as possible. So I got my milk... plus a pint of Ben and Jerry's... who could resist ice cream when the temperature was at the 100 degree mark? It was good, too. I'm glad to see the forecasts showing a break in this heat!

Route 6: Expect Evening, Early-Morning Delays on Kirkwood Highway

Watch out, Route 6 passengers. Tonight, July 6, will be the start of evening construction work along Kirkwood Highway in the Elsmere area. If you ride Route 6 in the evening, be prepared for delays, as there will be lane closures and shifts.

Projects like this usually also involve some intermittent lane closures. If construction cleanup is delayed, as in my experience it sometimes is, there could be some early-morning slowdowns, too. Remember, even if you are not riding through Elsmere, delays can affect the entire route. From The Delmarva Town Crier:

"The Department of Transportation (DelDOT) announces nighttime lane and shoulder closures on Kirkwood Highway between Route 7 to Prices Corner for a pavement and rehabilitation project. The project will begin on Wednesday, July 6 and end in mid-November. The work hours will be from 7:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m., Sunday through Thursday. All work will occur at night to decrease impact on commuter traffic. The contractor may use Fridays as a make up day. 

The closures are needed for the removal of the old road surface, patching, and hot-mix overlay. Motorists are advised to use caution when traveling through the area and to expect lane shifts. A-Del Construction Company Inc., submitted a bid of $2,059,450 the lowest of seven bids received."

4th Street Bus Detours This Weekend

4th Street at Van Buren will be torn up this weekend while a leaking water main is repaired. Until Monday morning at 6:00 a.m., riders of buses that use 4th Street will be detoured around the repair area. This will affect those who board or exit buses in the construction area. My guess is that this will delay buses that use 4th Street, Routes 4 and 24. I'd allow extra time if you need to transfer or be somewhere on time.

DART has announced that outbound (westbound) riders who usually use the stop at 4th and Van Buren will need to board at 4th and Harrison. That's one bock west (uphill).

Inbound (towards Rodney Square) riders who usually board at the 4th street stops at Van Buren, Jackson, Adams, and Monroe will need to board at Harrison or Jefferson Streets for the interim. Jefferson is 2 blocks east of Monroe.

I'd be prepared for this detour to extend beyond Monday at 6:00 a.m., if it were me.