Need to go from geographic points to time zone identifiers in @clickhouse.com? With @evansiroky.bsky.social's time zone boundary shapefiles and ClickHouse's support for polygon dictionaries, it's fast and easy: kurtraschke.com/2026/04/clic...
A picture of an older SacRT light rail train with a headsign that reads "Watt / I -80".
In closing, here's a bonus pic of a Blue Line train saying it's going all the way to Watt / I-80 when in reality there's a bus bridge that isn't included in the GTFS Schedule data.
Hopefully there will eventually be more and more data products that answer these questions at analysis.dds.dot.ca.gov.
In an reporting sense, how would a drop-off-only situation be cataloged? Probably still revenue service, but for riders that haven't yet boarded, it would appear as a cancelled trip to them. Reporting should include stats that includes missed boardings on revenue service.
On the data quality front, while I was able to physically go spend 30 minutes observing this specific instance, could these detours be detected with GTFS-RT vehicle position data? How else could this analysis be expanded in a more statewide fashion?
Lots of other questions remain. When exactly did the Route 11 change course? Is it a temporary detour? Are there other scenarios like the Route 11 happening elsewhere? Does SacRT have software that could show detours? Does SacRT have the staff available to produce temporary GTFS updates?
In thinking about this whole experience, there are a number of takeaways:
- User reports of transit data quality errors are very helpful
- Data and online materials don't always reflect reality
- The information provided in-person probably would help riders figure things out most of the time
A Route 11 bus turning left onto a street.
Eventually the next Route 11 bus shows up and also turns left and stops at I & 8th. So, it's pretty clear that in real life the Route 11 does in fact stop at I & 8th instead of 8th & I.
A bus showing up that says "DROP OFF ONLY".
A screenshot of Transit App showing a vehicle on the start of a detour.
Sure enough the bus turns left and skips 8th & I and instead drives west on I Street. During this time, someone is using Transit's GO on this vehicle. An icon of the bus briefly shows the start of the "detour" before dropping off the map entirely.
The next Route 11 bus is late - so late that the following trip is right behind it. Eventually, I see the Route 11 bus coming 2 blocks away at the previous stop. At the previous stop, the bus changes its headsign to say "DROP OFF ONLY". The bus still appears as active in the Transit App after this.
A bus stop sign that says the stop is closed, but there is a duct-taped sheet of paper saying it is where Route 11 stops now.
Over at I & 8th there is another bus stop sign. The permanent sign says the stop is closed, but again another sheet of paper is duct-taped to the sign saying that I & 8th on I St is where people should catch Route 11.
A picture showing a bus stop with a shelter and signpost. Attached to the signpost is a folding sign on the ground. Duct-taped to the folding sign is a sheet of paper saying that the bus stop is closed.
When I roll up to 8th & I, there is actually a sign about the Green line being closed. Also a sheet of paper is duct-taped to the Green Line closure sign saying that it is true that this bus stop is actually closed. The sign says the closure is as of yesterday.
The GTFS data also said 8th & I should be where Route 11 stops.
So, a pretty clear signal from multiple online channels that 8th & I is where someone should go catch the 11 heading to Natomas.
I checked SacRT's website. It shows on both the system map and the route-level map that Route 11 should stop all along 8th until turning left on F Street. No service alerts were present on the website mentioning the stop should be closed or changes to Route 11 service.
Some screenshots claiming that a bus route has moved to a different nearby stop, but Google Maps is still showing that the bus should stop at the supposedly closed stop.
I learned of a possible transit data quality problem that I decided to go investigate in person yesterday.
Because it doesn't match a certain regex pattern.
The plans for the Sacramento Station District look really cool: www.cityofsacramento.gov/content/dam/...
timezone-boundary-builder and node-geo-tz have been released with 2025c data.
Nope, not backwards compatible
View from a chairlift with snowy weather
Solid storm this weekend
I'm wondering whether the Asia/Hanoi timezone needs to be constructed using Open Historical Map data.
New Year: New Job?
I'm hiring two Transit Data Scientists to work on SB125 and other transit programs with me at CalSTA
calcareers.ca.gov/CalHrPublic/...
I have said this before, but I do wish one prominent tech YouTuber would do a BTS tour with a transit agency, showing off all the tech that makes its stuff work. Even just the various systems on a bus today is wild. It'd go a long way to help the image of public transit.
timezone-boundary-builder milestone: 1000 GitHub stars
City Councilman Unearths Magical Zoning Amulet
City Councilman Unearths Magical Zoning Amulet
theonion.com/city-co...
The WA House just approved SB 5501, which prohibits employers from requiring driver's licenses as a condition of employment, unless driving is an essential function of the job. It passed 61-36. This bill is headed to the Governor's desk!
app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary/...
I feel like Santa Cruz has so many examples. Most recent being a group uses CEQA to delay wharf restoration and then wharf collapses before repairs can finish: www.mercurynews.com/2024/12/28/p...
Sad state of affairs in transportation safety.
