Public Transportation

Bus Operations in Santa Clara County, Potential Uses of AVL, and Framework for Evaluating Control Strategies

Chira-Chavala, T.
Gillen, David
Klieman, Lee
Marshall, Amy
1999

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), which provides public transportation to citizens of Santa Clara County, California, operates buses, light rail, and paratransit service. The VTA is currently installing automatic vehicle location (AVL) equipment on its bus fleet. This report presents the results of Phase 1 research, which examines the various performance and operational characteristics of the fixed-route bus system operated by the VTA. The purpose is to identify performance characteristics of the bus system that should and could be improved with and without utilizing...

Smart Parking Management Pilot Project: A Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) District Parking Demonstration

Shaheen, Susan
Rodier, Caroline
Eaken, Amanda M.
2005

In almost every major city in the U.S. and internationally, parking problems are ubiquitous. It is well known that the limited availability of parking contributes to roadway congestion, air pollution, and driver frustration and that the cost of expanding traditional parking capacity is frequently prohibitive. However, less research has addressed the effect of insufficient parking at transit stations on transit use. In the San Francisco Bay Area, parking has recently been at or near capacity at many of the 31 Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) District stations with parking facilities. Smart...

Stated And Reported Diversion To Public Transportation In Response To Congestion: Implications On The Benefits Of Multimodal ATIS

Khattak, Asad
Le Colletter, Emmanuel
1994

The objective of this study is to evaluate the potential benefits of a multimodal Advanced Traveler Information System (ATIS). The propensity of auto commuters to switch to public transportation in response to unexpected traffic congestion is investigated using a detailed survey undertaken in the Golden Gate Bridge corridor in 1993. A stated preference analysis tied to the situation for which the commuting behavior was reported is used to estimate the propensity of travelers to divert to transit under a multimodal ATIS.

Land Development Impacts of BRT in a Sample of Stops in Quito and Bogotá

Rodriguez, DA
Vergel-Tovar, E
Camargo, WF
2016

Despite the growing popularity of bus rapid transit (BRT), little is known about its impacts on land development. In this paper we examine the land development impacts of BRT in Bogotá and Quito, two cities that have made a variety of BRT investments over the last two decades and with Curitiba, they have been world pioneers of BRT. Relying on 10 years of data, we use a quasi-experimental research design to quantitatively examine changes in land development in both cities. Outcomes include land market characteristics such as built area added per year (both cities), units added (Quito...

Lane Assist Systems for Bus Rapid Transit, Volume III: Interface Requirements

Bu, Fanping
Zhang, Wei-Bin
Dickey, Susan
Shladover, Steven E.
Tan, Han-Shue
2007

Vehicle Assist and Automation (VAA) systems enable lane assist, precision docking and longitudinal control of transit vehicles. They offer the opportunities of providing high quality transit service within reduced lane widths. Transit vehicles in North America are mostly manufactured based on individual transit agencies’ customized requirements. The interfaces between VAA components and the mechanical, electrical and electronic systems on the existing transit vehicle, if not defined properly, can be an impediment to large scale deployment of VAA technologies. This report summarizes a...

Evaluation of Cost-Effective Planning and Design Options for Bus Rapid Transit in Dedicated Bus Lanes

Li, Jing-Quan
Song, Myoung Kyun
Li, Meng
Zhang, Wei-Bin
Miller, Mark
2009

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems with dedicated lanes have shown advantages over traditional bus systems and have attracted more transit riders. However, it is not always possible to build BRT systems with two dedicated lanes due to physical and cost constraints. A BRT system with a single dedicated lane is more practical and desirable in such situations. In a single lane configuration, buses approaching from opposite directions share the same road section and can overtake or pass each other only at the bus stops. We propose an optimization model to describe the synchronization requirements...

Definition and Measurement of Transportation System Performance

Dahlgren, Joy
1998

Performance measures are needed to inform decisions regarding the overall level of resources to devote to transportation, where to allocate these resources, and how best to use them. The first two types of decision require regular monitoring of the system to reveal problems, which present opportunities for improvement. A few, easily measured indicators of the major benefits and costs of the system are appropriate for this task. For the third type of decision, how to best address a specific problem, a more comprehensive set of benefits and costs must be considered. Indicators must be found...

Benchmarking Best Practices of Demand Responsive Transit Systems

Dessouky, Maged
Palmer, Kurt
Abdelmaguid, Tamer
2003

Over the past 10 years, operating expenses for Demand Responsive Transit have more than doubled as demand for this mandated service has expanded. Many advanced technologies and management practices have been proposed and implemented to improve the efficiency of the service; but, evidence for the effectiveness of these actions has been based upon projections or small pilot studies. We present the results of a nationwide study involving 62 large transit agencies and 13 small transit agencies. We evaluate the impact of implemented technologies and practices upon productivity and operating...

Neighborhood Sociodemographics and Change in Built Infrastructure

Hirsch, JA
Green, GF
Peterson, M
Rodriguez, DA
Gordon-Larsen, P
2016

While increasing evidence suggests an association between physical infrastructure in neighborhoods and health outcomes, relatively little research examines how neighborhoods change physically over time and how these physical improvements are spatially distributed across populations. This paper describes the change over 25 years (1985–2010) in bicycle lanes, off-road trails, bus transit service and parks, and spatial clusters of changes in these domains relative to neighborhood sociodemographics in four US cities that are diverse in terms of geography, size, and population. Across all...

Improving Mobility Through Enhanced Transit Services: Review of the Literature for Transit Taxis

Factor, Rachel J.
Miller, Mark A.
2006

This report, an interim deliverable for Task Order 5408: “Improving Mobility through Enhanced Transit Services”, reviews the literature on the background and current potential for transit-taxi services in the United States and abroad. It documents the early tasks of a project aimed at improving the mobility of people during off-peak, low demand times of the day through innovative and alternative public transport services. To identify optimal transit-taxi concepts, we have designed a classification system defined by combinations of three service design options–fixed route, fixed-route with...