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From page 48... ... 48 This chapter is the first of four toolbox chapters presenting potential strategies for improving bus speeds and reliability. The strategies presented in this chapter are ones that transit agencies can implement on their own, with relatively little coordination needed with roadway agencies beyond that normally required for siting bus stops. Read the entire page →
From page 49... ... Bus Operations Strategy Toolbox 49 Purpose Buses serving near-side bus stops at signalized intersections frequently fall out of any traffic signal progression provided to traffic along the street. That is, the traffic signal is green when the bus arrives, but by the time the bus is finished serving passengers, the signal may have turned red and the bus must then wait for the next green signal before it can proceed. Read the entire page →
From page 50... ... 50 A Guidebook on Transit-Supportive Roadway Strategies • Ability to provide passenger amenities (e.g., shelters, electrical connections for bus arrival displays) ; • Presence of bicycle facilities (see Appendix C) Read the entire page →
From page 51... ... Bus Operations Strategy Toolbox 51 Delay Benefits: Near-Side Stops In some instances, near-side stops can result in delays that are similar to or less than those of far-side stops (Furth and SanClemente 2006, Feng et al. 2015, Cesme et al. Read the entire page →
From page 52... ... 52 A Guidebook on Transit-Supportive Roadway Strategies Near-side stops located at the intersection stop bar typically produce less delay than far-side stops with: • Short traffic signal cycle lengths (e.g., 60 s) ; • Bus lanes that prohibit other motorized vehicles, especially those making turns; • Intersections with one-way streets where right turns are prohibited; or • Bus stops located at a stop sign. Read the entire page →
From page 53... ... Bus Operations Strategy Toolbox 53 • Door opening and closing time. Stopped time before and after passengers board and alight. Read the entire page →
From page 54... ... 54 A Guidebook on Transit-Supportive Roadway Strategies • LACMTA (Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority) found that bus running times for its first two BRT routes, which operated limited-stop service in conjunction with existing local bus service on the same corridors, were 23% to 29% shorter relative to the local route, two-thirds of which was attributed to stopping less frequently (Skehan 2001) Read the entire page →
From page 55... ... Bus Operations Strategy Toolbox 55 • San Francisco, California; and • Spokane, Washington (Boyle 2013, Kittelson & Associates et al. Read the entire page →
From page 56... ... 56 A Guidebook on Transit-Supportive Roadway Strategies • TCRP Report 165: Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Manual, 3rd Edition (Kittelson & Associates et al. Read the entire page →
From page 57... ... Bus Operations Strategy Toolbox 57 Benefits The time saved by eliminating route diversions and reducing delays caused by extra turns can be used to offset travel time increases due to traffic congestion or increased route patronage, to provide more schedule recovery time at the end of a route to combat reliability problems, to extend the route to provide more coverage with the same number of buses, or -- when service is frequent and the time saved is large enough -- to reduce the number of buses required to serve the route. These options are discussed in detail in Appendix B Read the entire page →
From page 58... ... 58 A Guidebook on Transit-Supportive Roadway Strategies time benefit for passengers or setting a maximum value for the route mileage divided by the straight-line distance from end to end. Having and following a route design policy can make it easier to justify and explain route design changes to passengers affected by changes. Read the entire page →
From page 59... ... Bus Operations Strategy Toolbox 59 Applications Off-board fare payment is often a feature of BRT service but can also be considered for any route or stop experiencing high passenger volumes. When having bus drivers check the fare of every passenger is a transit policy or public relations necessity, it can still be possible to provide fare machines at the busiest bus stops, thereby shifting the most time-consuming part of the boarding process (purchasing the fare) Read the entire page →
From page 60... ... 60 A Guidebook on Transit-Supportive Roadway Strategies require interacting with a farebox increase with (1) increasing complexity of the transaction (e.g., inserting multiple bills) Read the entire page →
From page 61... ... Bus Operations Strategy Toolbox 61 may be required at high-volume stops or for redundancy when no onboard fare payment option is provided. Additional centralized hardware may be required for a complete system. Read the entire page →
From page 62... ... 62 A Guidebook on Transit-Supportive Roadway Strategies extent that passengers switch to the new technology from a slower fare payment method; technologies that are convenient to use and offer a financial incentive for their use will be more attractive to passengers. The entire system will benefit to some degree. Read the entire page →
From page 63... ... Bus Operations Strategy Toolbox 63 circulation at stops. Seats can also be selectively removed to provide storage areas for strollers, luggage, and so forth (Boyle 2013) Read the entire page →
From page 64... ... 64 A Guidebook on Transit-Supportive Roadway Strategies • Low-floor buses. Boarding and alighting takes an average 0.5 s less per passenger on low-floor buses compared to high-floor buses (Kittelson & Associates et al. Read the entire page →
From page 65... ... Bus Operations Strategy Toolbox 65 Anticipating the future use of different types of buses than those currently used when planning new maintenance facilities greatly facilitates the eventual introduction of those buses since the facilities do not require expensive modifications at a later date (Hemily and King 2008) Read the entire page →

From page 48...

... 48 This chapter is the first of four toolbox chapters presenting potential strategies for improving bus speeds and reliability. The strategies presented in this chapter are ones that transit agencies can implement on their own, with relatively little coordination needed with roadway agencies beyond that normally required for siting bus stops.