Do we need to add stops on either side of the road?

[Yash Ganthe]

Hi,

For a given location A, the stop for ongoing and return journeys are on opposite sides of the road. Does this mean we need to have 2 entries in the stops.txt file for the same location?

If I search for transit options for A to B, and I have only one stop for A on one side of the road, will the Google Transit Search correctly show the starting point by the correct side of the road?

Thanks,

Yash

[Ian Weisser]

Generally, yes.

Best practice is to use a different stop_id for each physical location (stop, pull-in bay, platform). Each unique 'bus stop' sign on the street should have a separate stop_id. You may not use that level of detail for your own purposes today, but application writers will use that data in unexpected ways.

For example, some transit providers put the stop_id on each bus stop sign. Applications can identify the stop_id as well as the intersection: "Route #52 will stop at Fresno & Main, stop #1234, in 9 minutes." It's a replacement for less-precise or possibly confusing directional cues ('inbound/uptown/northbound').

A single physical stop that _is_ served by trips in both directions (like a pull-in to a special location) should use a single stop_id. Stop_ids are based on location, not trip.

Google requires that the coordinates of each stop location are quite accurate. Some street widths are wider than Google's data tolerances. Using the same stop_id for both directions also means that your stop may show up in the middle of the street when zoomed in.

On a trip search, an accurate stop location is important to determine if it's close to an origin/destination/transfer. The list of stops serving each trip is important to determine which stops get served by the trip. If those are close enough, then the search will return accurate results.

[Joa]

On Saturday, September 27, 2014 6:20:27 AM UTC-7, Ian Weisser wrote:

For example, some transit providers put the stop_id on each bus stop sign. Applications can identify the stop_id

One comment - traveler facing stop codes are mapped to stop_code, not stop_id. Most agencies which populate stop_code keep stop_id and stop_code identical, but that's not always the case.

[mark.chr...@gmail.com]

I had recently overloaded stop_code to differentiate between railway stations and bus stops, but that's not what it says in the spec is it, so I will just reassign the stop_id to it.
I can use stop_type instead for that, 0 is (bus) stop, and 1 is (railway) station. Bus stations will just be big bus stops. I'll see if I get busted by the feed validator if I then use 2 for ferry stop.

[Steven Judd]

What exactly do you mean by overloading? You can create individual stations (I.e. transit centers, terminals, etc.) that are composed of multiple unique stops(I.e. vehicles serving a unique location at the station, and how you organize them is up to you. Some  googling shows that the stop_type was just a proposal, as stop display is determined by the routes that serve it in route_type in the routes.txt file.

On Oct 10, 2014 1:07 AM, <mark.chr...@gmail.com> wrote:

I had recently overloaded stop_code to differentiate between railway stations and bus stops, but that's not what it says in the spec is it, so I will just reassign the stop_id to it.
I can use stop_type instead for that, 0 is (bus) stop, and 1 is (railway) station. Bus stations will just be big bus stops. I'll see if I get busted by the feed validator if I then use 2 for ferry stop.

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[kipsong...@gmail.com]

Hi,

Stops are not always directly opposite. position of a stop depends on the direction of driving. It would be misleading if the are place directly opposite and may affect drivers or road users judgement.

 Kennedy Rotich