Transit in Snow

Since it snowed overnight in the Quad Cities, this felt like a good time to talk about what makes good transit in snow--even if there isn't likely to be that much more snow this year until winter. This is similar to my points about bad weather and driving, but more related to what transit can and should do.

Basically, I think there are a few principles that can help transit thrive, or at least work, in snow; and I'll use the big snowfall a bit over a year ago in Chicago as an example, since I'm not talking about the tiny amount that actually fell here today (any transit agency should be able to deal with that).

Still only a little snow -- but important to deal with.

1. Cover things

Basic as it gets, but the easiest way to clear snow is to not have it get on things (other than roofs) in the first place. If you can make sure that your waiting areas for passengers, service areas for vehicles, routes, etc. are covered, you'll be in a better situation to ride out a storm.

Sometimes this isn't possible (L tracks are not covered) but the closer you can get the better. 

As you can see here, the tracks have snow, but the waiting areas were easier to clear. 

This means that for all I love the L and tolerate the Metra, I'm a big fan of subways in snowy climates.

2. Fixed and separated routes are your friends

Trains obviously help here, but I'd suggest a good busway can too. The key point is that if you know where your vehicles will go, and you have priority or sole access to the space, you can do a lot more prep and a lot more aggressive work to keep the snow at bay. 

Chicago sometimes burns things on the tracks of the L in snow and extreme cold; you can't do that if you don't know exactly where vehicles will be, or if private cars might be in the same space acting unpredictably.

This means that I would prioritize this kind of grade separation even where demand alone might not seem to justify it. That doesn't mean "build a subway for a thousand people," but it does mean I'm a big fan of the way some Latin American cities have prioritized BRT with separation from regular traffic for minimal cost. 

3. Walkshed matters

Who can actually get through the snow to your transit? Well, how far do they need to go to get to it? Will the sidewalks be passable? The spacing of stops and the degree of coverage will make a huge difference to the city's experience of snow and transit. 

The Sears/Willis Tower area here is going to have a lot easier time accessing transit than the area with giant empty spaces and no transit stops. 

So beyond physical design of spaces in which the vehicles operate and the people wait, the routing of the transit system and the city's urban design they're embedded in will make a huge difference. 

But it doesn't mean prioritizing coverage over frequency--because people also won't walk in the snow if they think they'll have to wait an hour or more in bad conditions. It's a balancing act, as all of these are: snow really just accentuates all the elements of transit design. You need good infrastructure and good design for any transit system to work optimally; the potential presence of snow just stresses the system and makes those things even more important.