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We've been pestering DDOT for more details on the two new Circulator routes the city has planned, one that would travel through Adams Morgan, Mt. Pleasant, Columbia Heights, U Street and McPherson Square, replacing the 25 cent 98 bus that used to go between U Street and Adams Morgan, and another that would run from Union Station, through Barracks Row to Nationals Park, replacing the N22 bus. Last week, the Washington Business Journal's Jonathan O'Connell dubbed the new routes "Party Lines,", and offered up a homemade Google map of the proposed Adams Morgan route. But with no official routes or stop listings yet announced by DDOT, only vague dates for when they'll begin running (sometime this spring?), and zero information about them available on dccirculator.com, reliable details on the new Circulator lines are still hard to come by.
But Flickr contributor fritzheier spotted a training Circulator bus traveling down 14th Street NW on Monday, so we bugged DDOT spokesperson Karyn LeBlanc again today. Got any more goods on the new Circulators?
"We are running training on the proposed routes in advance of a launch at the end of March/beginning of April," LeBlanc said.
DDOT still won't release the actual list of stops yet, but LeBlanc did offer us this one little scooplet: Circulator will be launching a new web site around the same time, which will include updated scheduling information.
For more on the future of Circulator tech, read this Greater Greater Washington post on Circulator's plans to adopt a separate application for mobile devices.
We'll be sure to report the official Circulator announcements just as soon as DDOT releases them.
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One other strange Circulator issue I noticed yesterday... the Mass Ave/North Capitol street stop moved from just past north capitol towards 1st street back to its old location right on the corner on the east side. Also, a new stop seems to have appeared on the map at delaware avenue and Mass.
Ciculator lost some points with me when they started going up M st. to G'town instead of using K st. THAT was a nice fast ride. Now you can walk faster.
That's why there was no bus after the movie at the AMC.
I agree, it threw me off too.
As long as the N22 replacement is sorted by the home opener (4/13) - I'm good
This seems cool, but Columbia Rd along a good portion of the Adam's Morgan section is nearly unpassable on the weekends. I highly recommend adding a cow catcher to the front.
This allows the bus driver to exit the bus, punch a Georgetown-student-wearing-a-collar-up-Polo-shirt in the face, without stopping the bus.
I would love to see the G2 come every ten minutes.
uh.... you know the 90 buses already run down 18th st and along U st.
Yeah but circulator's provide more frequent, reliable service, nicer buses and the drivers are less likely to be furry hating ex-felons.
heh, reliable, my ass.
True, I should caveat that. The problems for reliability started when they extended the G'town route, (and probably to a lesser extent when they started going West on M st.) They should have set up two separate routes in G'town. Shorter routes tend to be more reliable.
Last I saw, Jim Graham had proposed putting very few stops on this line, particularly on the 14th Street stretch. The WBJ map doesn't differ very much from that route, though it does include a slight zig up Mt. Pleasant that Graham's route doesn't.
One particular thing I like about Graham's route is that it serves to link the major commercial spots along 14th (McPherson Square, P Street, U Street, and Columbia Heights) without stopping at pretty much every block, like the 52/54/56 buses do. To really effectively serve this purpose, I would probably put one more stop in between P and U (14th and S, perhaps).
If they already have the routes decided and say they're launching within weeks, why won't they release the info? For the routes to be useful, people have to know about them. The sooner you can start getting the word out, the better.
I saw one of those training buses turn left onto Columbia Rd. from Calvert St./Adams Mill Rd., if that offers any clue to the new route.
This new Circulator route replaces the little-used 98 route to some extent, correct?
I wish this new Circulator route would go in a circle, with buses traveling clockwise and counterclockwise, connecting Dupont, Upper Georgetown/Glover Park, Cathedral area, Woodley, Adams Morgan, Mt Pleasant, Columbia Heights, U Street, 14th, back to Dupont. Ya know, just some of the major mixed-use neighborhoods.
That kind of defeats the purpose. One of the advantages of the Circulator is (supposed) to be that they are simple, out and back routes.
I can't count the number of times i've told visitors/tourists variations of "go to K st, and jump on the red bus".
Yeah, but I do think a connection between 14th & U Streets and Dupont Circle is much needed. There's no easy way of doing it, and between Metro-ing and switching lines or busing and switching lines, it's faster just to walk. Which isn't always preferable, given the weather, time constraints, or choice of shoe for the day.
I'm not sure it's profitable to run a bus 6 blocks, if I understand you correctly.
well it obviously needs to connect more places than just that, but 14th street is so heavily traveled by buses already, i don't know why they didn't run this circulator around mt pleasant, columbia heights, u street, and then to dupont instead of down to mcpherson. granted, i see how nice it will be to stop at the activity centers of columbia heights, u street, p street along 14th street without stopping every block. just sayin', parts of it seem duplicative...
Starts: Q/20th
drive down Q to 19th, up 19th to florida, florida over to U
1st Stop: 18th/Florida/U
Down U to 13th
2nd Stop, U/13
head back... there is a straight forward route; it's just not that far to walk...
I'd say Dupont is pretty well served in its access to various parts of the city already, but perhaps you disagree?
Unless you're planning on re-timing the light at 18th & Florida, that route is a recipe for some serious bus bunching.