How Madison Metro Transit Redesigned Its Network Differently
Justin Stuehrenberg has increased ridership 15% in Madison, WI with a hub and spoke model
The “Houston Model” for redesigning transit networks based on a grid system has worked well across North America to align networks with where and when people travel.
But what if you don’t have a grid in the first place?
When Justin Stuehrenberg and his team started to implement their plan to redesign their network from a transfer point system to something better for riders today, they knew they could only apply the spirit of the Houston Model. Madison doesn’t have a nice, easy grid you layout across the city. Unlike a lot of fast-growing cities, Madison is growing in density within the city and less outwards towards suburbs. Which changes how you look at ridership and which routes are more important than others.
Madison, WI also has some pretty unique geography. Right in the middle of the city there is an narrow strip of land between two lakes, creating a choke point between two parts of the city.
So the result is something more like a hub and spoke model that still focuses on getting people to where they want to go and leans heavily on new bus rapid transit (BRT) lines being developed now.
Learn all about it in this week’s episode plus how Justin moved from working on airplane engines for Rolls-Royce to public transit.
Next week is a very special episode for us here at Transit Unplugged. It’s our 300th episode!
For seven seasons Paul has toured the world learning from leaders and riding different transit systems. To celebrate we have a special CEO Roundtable recorded at ThinkTransit in Tucson with Frank White, III (Kansas City Area Transportation Authority), Tiffani Scott (Paratransit, Inc.), David Scorey (Keolis North America), and Jameson Auten (Lane Transit District).
????What would you visit first in Kansas City?
There’s a lot to see and do in Kansas City. You have:
- World-famous music venues
- Union Station
- Gates Bar-B-Q
- The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
- All the fountains in the city
It would be hard to decide what to do first. At least there’s no question of how to get around! RideKC from KCATA and KC Streetcar!
