We’ve lived within a mile of Capital Boulevard for a few years now. I’ve developed the ability to tell if a day is a holiday based on the lack of traffic noise coming from the roads. The same applies to school delays. The morning traffic is not nearly as heavy when the schools aren’t open.
That makes me wonder just how much resources are wasted in getting kids to and from school every day. Its got to be enormous. School has a big impact on morning traffic, and to some extent afternoon traffic, too. When kids are bused to schools across town that makes the problem even worse.
If the TTA wanted to gain instant ridership, all it would have to do is build spurs to serve schools. Kids wouldn’t take the bus to school, they’d take the train. Maybe paint ’em yellow for good measure. You wouldn’t need school zones anymore, too.
Of course, nothing beats a local school that kids can walk to. It you’re not going to home school, that is, but that’s a post for a different day.