Thesis: The Architectural Problem

Now that I finally have an ENTIRE day to myself, I think it's about time I started showing this blog some love. This year has been crazy with job and school and more school, and then more school on top of that. This has been such a formative year for me, with my summer experience in Namibia giving real confidence in my ability as a designer. And I just realize that I did not write a single post about it. Dang. Ok. Alright, you know what, fine. I'm releasing everything, this entire thesis. There will be pictures, there will be videos, there will be generalizations and there will probably be a couple of nuggets of social commentary. It's gonna be great. Are you ready? I'm ready.

Shelter

Two bus patrons at Peninsula Towne Center

My thesis all started with me. I'm a college student in Hampton, Virginia with no car. This means that I need to either ask all of my friends with cars for a ride, or ride the bus. Since friends have their own schedules most of the time, I prefer to ride the bus. Based on my previous posts detailing riding the HRT, you can see that it can be a somewhat complicated process, and I consider myself something of an expert user. I've used the bus to go to work, do shopping, go to job interviews, and even dates. But have you ever tried riding the bus in the summer? Most of the stops don't even have benches, and the ones that do have metal, which is like sitting on a stove on a hot summer day. And the shelters are built like green houses, with glass and metal trapping in heat like a microwave. If you were inside you baked, and if you were outside, you still baked. Winter was not much better, with no shelter whatsoever at some stops. The shelters did at least give you the comfort of sitting while you froze. Clearly, these are less than ideal conditions. 

Visibility

Bus stop schedule board in Hampton

Equally important is the aspect of visibility. I have personally waited for over 30 minutes for a bus, only to have it drive right past me. I've had to wait for 45 minutes for a bus, not knowing how soon or late it is coming. And to some, that might not seem like a big deal, but combine that with the conditions I've described above, and the picture becomes, if possible,  even more unpleasant. Making sure that passengers and buses can see each other is very important. A facet of this is safety, as lighting and increased surrounding visibility can reduce crime. There can also be emergency notifications built into the bus stops. You can actually find these systems already on college campuses and in certain retail parking lots. So I feel that visibility is more than just being able to physically see the bus, it's also about being able to see around you, knowing when the buses are coming, and maintaining safe spaces for people to wait. 

At bus stops you expect to see a bus schedule, that will tell you when the next bus is coming. Not so in Hampton. Instead, their schedules tell you how often the buses are coming and their hours of operation. Which can be useful, but only if you know exactly how long ago the last bus was. Without that information, the schedule is completely useless. And in places where buses only  operate every 30 minutes to an hour, people would often rather just leave than have to wait a half hour or more to see if they can catch the next bus. 

You can, of course, check the next bus on your phone. Bus routes can be found at gohrt.com and you can find an entire detailed travel itinerary by using the public transportation option on Google Maps. You can even call H.R.T. to find the next bus at your stop (make sure you know the intersection). However, without a phone, all of that becomes impossible. Phones with internet capabilities are infamous for being battery drainers, and even regular phones can die at inopportune moments. This can leave you stranded mid-trip with no information. Nowadays, people often don't wear watches and keep time using their phones, so even if you knew the bus times from memory, you still wouldn't know how how soon the next bus is once your phone dies. 

Power

But how will you power all these functions? Bus shelters can be very expensive upwards of $3000 per individual shelter. Including these additional but necessary functions of visibility, from schedules, notification systems, and lighting all need electricity to power them. In a move to make these stops more self-sufficient, I am proposing that they be solar powered. We have seen this implemented on a wide scale in San Francisco, with their city-wide shelters coming with solar panels on top. 

Architects and designers from all over the world have come up with innovative concepts, some experimenting with novel forms, others trying to stuff as much tech into it as possible (looking at you, MIT), and then others going for the straight whimsical (looking at you, Japan). But none of these solutions are truly trying to deal with these problems from the three areas of shelter, visibility, and power all combined in one design. And that is what I aim to do with my thesis.

My next post will deal with specific bus stops and solutions from all over, trying to see their successes and failures. 

To Ride or Not to Ride: Hampton Roads Transit Part 2

There are many places you might want to go, for various reasons in Hampton. I am only going to list the really important ones here, as a quick reference for any future trips.

Malls

Patrick Henry Mall

Location:12300 Jefferson Avenue, Newport News, VA 23602

Phone: (757) 249-4305

Bus Routes: 107, 111, 113, 116, 119

Since Peninsula Town Center opened up, Patrick Henry has become a lot less of a hot spot. However, it is still good for those mall staples, like Spencer’s, the Food Court, and Auntie Annie’s Pretzel (yum!). Getting a ride here could be a lot more expensive, because of the increased distance. Driving it can take 20 minutes, more if there is traffic. It will admittedly take longer if you take the bus, but since most people go to Patrick Henry with their friends it should go by quickly. Just make sure you know what bus you are taking and which bus you’re using to get back. With buses, lack of information can cost you up to 3 hours of lost time, especially in that area, which is technically Newport News.

You will need at least 2 buses to get there, more if you do it wrong. None of the buses that go to this mall leave from Hampton Transit Center. To get there from Hampton you will need to either take another bus from Peninsula Towne Center, or from the Newport News Transit Center (NNTC). The buses to Peninsula are listed below, and the buses that go to NNTC are the 101, 103, and the 961 from Hampton Transit Center.

From NNTC  you take the 107 to Patrick Henry, which can be 35 minutes and operates daily. It leaves NNTC every hour at xx:15.

From Peninsula Towne Center, you can take the 113 to the mall, which only operates Fri.- Sun. in the evenings and afternoon. Check the schedule for exact times as they vary.

Peninsula Towne Center

Location: 4410 East Clairborne Square, Hampton, VA, 23666

Phone: (757) 838-1505

Bus Routes: 102, 105, 113, 114, 118

Peninsula Towne Center has become a very popular spot for dining, shopping and hanging out. It’s main selling points are the Target, Five Guys, and the Forever 21. They have a little bit of everything. Taking the bus has the added advantage of not having to search for parking. The buses that go there from the Hampton Transit Center are the 102, 114, and the 118. Click on any bus number for a link to its schedule. 

The 102 is pretty much specifically for Peninsula Towne Center with maybe 2 other official stops on the way. It leaves HTC once every hour, at xx:20. When leaving from HTC make sure you give yourself 20 minutes to get there, because nothing sucks more than watching your bus pull away, and having to wait for another 15-30 minutes for the next one. Luckily, there are other Peninsula buses that leave from HTC. 

The 118 also leaves every hour, at xx:15. It will take you 20 minutes to get to the Towne Center, which will be listed on the schedule as Coliseum Square. The 114 bus leaves twice an hour, at xx:20 and xx:50 until 8:00 pm, after which it only runs once an hour at xx:50.

Grocery Stores

Farm Fresh #1: Coliseum Dr. 

Location: 2190 Coliseum Dr., Hampton, VA, 23666

Hours: 6am – Midnight, 7 Days A Week

Phone: (757) 827- 4816

Bus Routes: 118, 102

The 118 and 102 bus both go here. The 118 leaves every hour at xx:15 and the 102 leaves every hour at xx:19. The bus should take around 20 minutes from the Hampton Transit Center. This Farmfresh is right down the street from Peninsula Towne Center on Coliseum Dr. You should request a stop as soon as you see the Farm Fresh come up on your right. For the 102, there is not an official stop for that Farmfresh so you’ll might have to ask the driver to stop when you get to it.

Farm Fresh #2: Phoebus

Location: 608 E Mercury Blvd, Hampton, VA, 23663

Hours: 6am – Midnight, 7 Days A Week

Phone: (757) 723 – 0771

Bus Routes: 120

There are many buses that passby within a block or 2 of this store, but I’d rather give you the most direct bus possible. The only bus that goes right in front of the store is the 120, which leaves HTC every hour at xx:31.

Walmart

Location: 1900 Cunningham Dr., Hampton, VA, 23666

Hours: 24/7, 365 days a year

Phone: (757) 826-6377

Bus Routes: 105, 114, 118

Cheaper than Farmfresh, with great deals on everything you probably shouldn’t be eating in large portions. Conveniently open all the time, which is great for design students in the middle of the night who need supplies and snacks. NO one wants to run out of Sharpies in the middle of a section drawing.


The 118 leaves HTC at xx:15 every hour, starting at 6:15, and arrives at the Pine Chapel Rd. and Freeman stop at xx:29, with the last bus arriving at 10:29 pm. 
The 105 is a special bus that I'm guessing is specifically for those working the early shift at Walmart. it only arrives at 6:12 am on weekdays. It leaves the Newport News Transit Center at 5:40 am also on weekdays only.
The 114 is another special bus, but with a few more drop off times. This bus appears to be picking up the graveyard shift at Walmart. Instead of going to the NNTC, it goes to the HTC at 5:53, 6:23, and 6:53 am. 
For all the Walmart buses, the stop should either be Pine Chapel Rd. and Barrack St., Pine Chapel Rd. and Freeman, or something with Pine Chapel in it. If you need further directions, ask the bus driver. 

To Ride or Not to Ride: Hampton Roads Transit

Why don’t more HU students ride the bus? Is it because it’s dirty, unreliable, and confusing? Yes, yes, and yes. Is it cheap, gets you where you’re going eventually, and cheap? Yes, yes, and yes again. For easy perusing I shall break this down into separate sections. By using the bus you can save a lot of money, and by planning in advance, you can save time too.

Don't let this be you.

Bus Stops

There are 2 main bus stops that HU students can use, as well as a secondary stop at the Veterans Hospital. The first main stop is the bus stop by the Burger King. This stop is only serviced by 2 buses, the 117 bus that goes to HU and the Veteran’s Hospital, and the 961 express bus. Make sure that if you take the 961 that you stand on the opposite side of the street, or you’ll find yourself in Norfolk really quickly. In reality, you should only take the 961 in an emergency since they charge you $3.00 one-way.

The second main stop is the Hampton Transit Center, which is actually a 15-20 minute walk away from campus. However, if you’re traveling with friends, which I highly recommend you do, the trip seems much shorter. Not to mention that it can take longer to wait for the bus than to just walk to the transit Center. It will also cost you $1.50, in addition to the $1.50 to get to your final destination, just to get to the Transit Center, which is where the 117 bus goes to anyway.

Fares

Your typical one-way bus fare will cost you $1.50. This is way cheaper than one of your friends with a car charging you for gas money, especially considering today’s gas prices. Keep in mind that you can buy your tickets with a credit card at the bus station, or with cash, but know that once you’re on the road and trying to get on another bus, they will only take cash, and if you have more than enough, they will not give you change. This is why I usually suggest getting the all day pass, formally known as the GO 1-Day Pass.

The GO 1-Day Pass costs $3.50 but is still much cheaper than getting a ride or getting a taxi. It is also very helpful if you get lost, because if you get on the bus, and don’t have change, you will be out of luck. Unfortunately, this has happened to me more times than I want to remember. Learn from my mistakes. 

Once you become really good at riding the bus, you might only need to take one bus each way, in which case you can just buy 2 one-way cards to save 50 cents. I know, penny-pinching, but if you ride the bus regularly, the nickels and dimes start to add up. I keep a special jar just for change in my room, so I will always have extra change for the bus. 

Additional Information

HRT website: http://www.gohrt.com/

Hampton Roads Transfer Center

Location: 2 W. Pembroke Ave, Hampton, VA 23669

Phone: (757) 222-6100

Newport News Transfer Center

Location: 150 35th St. Newport News, VA 23607

Phone:  (757) 222-6100


Important Tips

When in doubt, ask the bus driver. If you're in doubt about anything at all, ask them before you leave the bus. Doing so can be the difference between getting to your destination and being stranded in Newport News. Good questions to ask are:

• When is the last bus leaving here?
• How long before the next bus?
• Where does this bus go?
• Is there a different stop for coming back?
• Will this bus get me to my destination? 

Asking questions is very important! Many things can potentially go wrong. Just asking these questions can stop you going in the wrong direction. The HRT websites also has additional useful tips and tools.

I know what you're thinking. "Suzy this is all really helpful, but where can I go? Stay tuned for my post on Thursday, giving you specific instruction for getting to malls, grocery stores, and shopping centers.