Module 4, Lesson 3

1. Module 4, Lesson 3 Route Level Planning and Design Concepts

2. Learning Objectives • Describe scheduling concepts that impact running time • Express the basic principles and usage of ridership projections • Examine route level resource allocation and constraints

3. Fundamentals of Transit Running Time

4. A Day in the Life of a Bus • Block – the daily assignments of a single bus • Run – the daily assignments of a single driver • Trip – the one-way operation between two terminal points on a route

5. Start from the Garage • Deadhead is non-revenue travel: • From the garage to the start of the route • From the end of the route back to the garage • From the end of one route to the start of another

6. Travel Speed Topics • Travel time and speed factors • Running speed • Flow interruptions • Stopping patterns • Bus travel speed estimation Why is travel time important to transit agencies? To transit users?

7. Some Types of Speed • Travel – “from A to B” • Running – when in motion; sometimes “when in full motion” • Spot – at one instant; e.g. measured by radar • Average – of spot speeds of many vehicles; also average running speed of one vehicle

8. Running Speed Factors • Running speed depends on: • Bus vehicle performance • Roadway design • Traffic volume and congestion on facility • Depends on location – slower downtown • Depends on time – slower during rush hour

9. Interrupted Flow • Vehicles often experience interruptions: • Traffic signal timing and spacing • Is there an exclusive bus lane? Is it enforced?

10. Traffic Signal Timing • If buses must wait for a green light after all passengers have been served, fewer buses can use the stop during a given time • Capacity reduction is related to the g/C ratio – the length of the green interval for the bus’ direction, divided by the signal’s cycle length Example:

11. Stopping Patterns • All transit types are affected by: • Stop spacing and location • Average dwell time • Increasing stop spacing; decreasing dwell times improves travel speeds

12. Typical Bus Stop Spacing

13. Travel Speed Summary • Increasing travel speeds improves transit competitiveness and efficiency • Dwell time and stop spacing are important speed factors for all bus facilities • Signal timing and traffic congestion are also important factors for interrupted-flow facilities • Consider trade-offs: Actions to improve capacity may have speed and quality of service implications

14. Dwell Time Albuquerque, New Mexico

15. Dwell Time • Three main components of dwell time: • Door open and close time, and time waiting to depart once the doors close • Passenger flow time • Time the doors remain open after passenger flow ceases • Dwell time is frequently dominant factor in determining the minimum headway and line capacity • The stop with the highest passenger volume (the “critical stop”) often controls line capacity

16. Dwell Time Factors • Dwell time is directly related to the passenger demand at a stop • Reducing dwell time typically involves reducing the time to serve boarding & alighting passengers Passenger Demand On-Board Circulation Fare Payment Method Vehicle Type/Size Door Open/ Close Time Bus Stop Spacing

17. Dwell Time Factors • Simplifying fare payment reduces service time for boarding passengers • Tickets, tokens, passes • Pre-paid fares, pay-on-exit • Smart cards Passenger Demand Fare Payment Method On-Board Circulation Vehicle Type/Size Door Open/ Close Time Bus Stop Spacing

18. Dwell Time Factors • Boarding times increase when passengers are standing in the aisle • Exiting through the front door delays passengers waiting to board Passenger Demand On-Board Circulation Fare Payment Method Vehicle Type/Size Door Open/ Close Time Bus Stop Spacing

19. Dwell Time Factors • The number of doors and their width determine how many people can board and alight at the same time • Boarding & alighting times are faster for low-floor buses than high-floor Passenger Demand On-Board Circulation Fare Payment Method Vehicle Type/Size Door Open/ Close Time Bus Stop Spacing

20. Dwell Time Factors • Trade-off: reducing the number of stops vs. increasing walking distances to stops • Reducing boarding volume at the critical stop increases facility’s capacity Passenger Demand On-Board Circulation Fare Payment Method Vehicle Type/Size Door Open/ Close Time Bus Stop Spacing

21. Dwell Time Factors Passenger Demand On-Board Circulation Fare Payment Method • Fixed value, ranges from 2 to 5 seconds Vehicle Type/Size Door Open/ Close Time Bus Stop Spacing

22. Other Dwell Time Considerations • Wheelchair loading and securement • Bicycle rack loading and unloading • Timepoint holding (if running ahead of schedule) • These often are infrequent, random events • Difficult to plan unless it is a regular occurrence • Addressed by: • Dwell time variability for capacity purposes • Recovery time for scheduling purposes

23. Dwell Time Variability Minneapolis, Minnesota

24. Dwell Time Variability • Some buses will dwell longer than the average • Capacity will be lower than if all buses dwelled the same amount of time • This variability is measured by the coefficient of variation of dwell times (cv) cv = Standard deviation Average • Typical range from 40% to 80% (60% default)

25. Clearance Time • The time it takes a bus to close its doors and depart a stop • The loading area is not yet available for use by the next bus • Two parts • Travel own length – Time for a bus to start up and travel its own length, clearing the stop • Re-entry delay – When a bus stops out of traffic (off-line), it must wait for a suitable gap in traffic

26. Yield-to-Bus Laws Denver, Colorado Portland, Oregon

27. Failure Rate • How often a bus should arrive at a stop only to find all loading areas occupied • Downtown – rate of 7.5% to 15% recommended • Outside downtown – rate of 2.5% recommended

28. Operating Margin • Operating margin is the maximumamount of time that an individual bus dwell time can exceed the average without causing failure for the next buses scheduled to use the stop

29. Trade-Offs… • … Between Failure Rate and Operating Margin • Lower operating margins increase failure rate • Lower operating margins increase loading area capacity • Failure increases as service frequency increases • Failure increases as stops are more densely spaced • Lower failure rates improve schedule reliability

30. Layover Every Trip • Two reasons for layover: • Recover any time lost to ensure the next trip starts on time • Rest for the operator • Typical range is 10-20% of trip time • Where should the layover take place?

31. Bus Stop Design

32. Locating Bus Stops – Choices Close stops Stops farther apart Every 1/4 mile or more Longer walk distances Faster bus trip • Every block to 1/4 mile • Short walk distances • Slower bus trip

33. On-line vs. Off-line Stops On-line BUS Off-line BUS

34. On-street Bus Stop Locations

35. Far-side Locations • Advantages • Minimizes conflicts between right-turning vehicles and buses • Provides additional right-turn capacity lane • Minimizes sight distance problems on intersection approaches • Encourages pedestrians to cross behind the bus • Creates shorter deceleration distances for buses • Allows buses to enter traffic gaps created by signalized intersections • Facilitates bus signal priority operation Bus

36. Far-side Locations Disadvantages • Could result in traffic queued into intersection when a bus stops in the travel lane • May obscure sight distance for crossing vehicles • May increase sight distance problems for crossing pedestrians • Can cause a bus to stop far side after stopping for a red light, interfering with both bus operations and all other traffic • May increase the number of rear-end crashes since drivers may not expect buses to stop again after stopping at a red light Bus

37. Mid-block Locations Advantages • Minimizes sight distance problems for vehicles and pedestrians • May result in passenger waiting areas experiencing less pedestrian congestion Bus

38. Mid-block Locations Disadvantages • Requires additional distance for no-parking restrictions • Encourages passengers to cross street mid-block (jaywalking) • Increases walking distance for passengers crossing at intersections Bus

39. Near-side Locations Advantages • Minimizes interferences when traffic is heavy on the far side of the intersection • Allows passengers to access buses close to crosswalk • Intersection width available for bus to pull away from the curb • Eliminates potential for double stopping • Allows passengers to board and alight while bus stopped for red light • Allows driver to look for oncoming traffic, including other buses with potential passengers Bus

40. Near-side Locations Disadvantages • Conflicts with right-turning vehicles • Buses obscure curbside traffic control devices and crossing pedestrians • Sight distance obscured for side street vehicles • Increases sight distance problems for crossing pedestrians • Complicates bus signal priority operation, • Difficulty merging into traffic Bus

41. Loading Area Designs • Linear • Typical curb-side stop • First bus to arrive stops at first loading area • Buses may be blocked by buses in front • Non-linear • Buses have assigned stops • Buses move independently • More efficient usage

42. Bus Stop Design Options

43. Bus Bus L L L L S S F L = loading area, S = bus stop, F = bus facility Loading Areas, Stops, and Facilities

44. Bus Stops and Loading Areas • Bus stops may contain multiple loading areas • Linear designs are not 100% efficient • Loss of efficiency is measured by the number of effective loading areas • Non-linear designs are 100% efficient Chicago, IL

45. Linear Loading Area Efficiency • Fourth and fifth loading areas add little additional capacity • Measures that decrease average dwell times may have a greater capacity benefit than adding loading areas Source: TCRP, Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Manual. 2013.

46. Bus Stop Size Constraints • Block lengths • On-street parking and other community needs • Passenger walking distance • Driveway locations • Ability of buses to maneuver around each other at stop

47. Basics of Demand Forecasting

48. Why Forecast Demand? • Determines ridership and revenue for new projects and major service changes • Helps select appropriate level of service for a route • Creates basis for ordering needed equipment and facilities • Assists the long-range strategic planning process • Enhances political and community support for transit investment

49. When to Use Demand Forecasting • Estimate overall demand for a new transit route • Estimate changes in demand based on changes in service levels or pricing

50. Forecasting Topics • Trial implementation • Comparisons • Elasticities • Network modeling • Discrete choice methods