Regional Priority Bus Transit Conference

www.drpt.virginia.gov

Regional Priority BusTransit Conference

June 24, 2009

Northern Virginia BRT Studies

I-66 and I-95/395 Corridors Coordinated with Technical Advisory Committee

– All local operators– All local jurisdictions

BRT Station concepts with park & ride lots BRT system regional performance modeling Infrastructure improvements in the short and medium term BRT Strawman

– Definitions of the premier service– Includes ITS

Bus Priority/BRT Provide service frequency, speed and

reliability comparable to that of rail lines Mimic rail headways, includes express bus

operations Bypass traffic congestion with use of

HOV/HOT and exclusive ROW improvements or signal priority

Access to accurate information about next arrivals and provides for comfortable, weather-protected stations

Quick boarding with fare prepayment technologies

www.drpt.virginia.gov

I-66 Transit/TDM Study

Commonwealth and Congressional members acknowledged need to advance findings from previous studies and address local requests for multi-modal corridor studies

Goal: Address local concerns of transit / transportation demand management (TDM)

– Identify more transportation choices through transit and TDM enhancements that will increase mobility in the I-66 Corridor

– Recommend a plan for short- and medium-term transit and TDM service improvements in the I-66 Corridor

The Study

Study Team Conducted by DRPT in coordination with a Technical Advisory

Committee (TAC)– TAC reviews and provides comments on study scope and all deliverables

TAC Members• Arlington County• City of Fairfax• City of Falls Church • City of Manassas• District of Columbia• DRPT • Fairfax County• Loudoun County

• Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG)

• Northern Va. Transportation Commission (NVTC)• Prince William County• Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation

Commission (PRTC)• VA Department of Transportation (VDOT)

• Virginia Railway Express (VRE)• WMATA (Metro)

Study Corridor Map

HOV Lanes Metrorail service Virginia Railway Express commuter rail Park and ride lots Buses Vanpools Slug (casual carpool) pickup locations Rideshare/commuter service programs Telework centers

Existing Transit/TDM Servicesin the Study Corridor

Short and medium term improvements may include:

– TDM information and financial support initiatives for carpooling, vanpooling and slugging

– Modifications to existing transit routes to serve new markets

– New local feeder buses

– Neighborhood circulators/shuttle buses

– Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) infrastructure and services

– Improvements to transit stations, including bike and ped access

– Improvements to park and ride lots

– In-line and direct access transit stations at major activity centers

– Operating buses on shoulder lanes, queue jumpers, etc.

Potential Transit/TDM Improvements

Data Collection– Data Collection Report - available on DRPT’s Web Site:

www.drpt.virginia.gov/activities/I66study.aspx

– Park-and-Ride Lot SurveyBaseline Development

– Evaluate transit and TDM options such as buses, Bus Rapid Transit, vanpools, carpools, and park-and-ride facilities

Market Demand Analysis– Examine potential markets for enhanced transit/TDM services– Forecast future market demand

Outreach– Market Research Surveys– Stakeholder Interviews– Public Information Meetings

Study Activity

BRT Definition and Station Sketch Planning– BRT Northern Virginia Strawman– Describe and evaluate options for potential BRT service– Define general footprint, operating characteristics, and type of stops/stations

Evaluation of Alternatives– Travel demand forecasting and modeling of transit alternatives– Transportation Demand Management (TDM) analyses– Sensitivity analyses

Financial Projections– Cost estimates (capital, operations, maintenance)– Revenue sources

Document Results/Findings

Study Activity (continued)

Study Schedule and Milestones

Activity

Current Conditions and Needs

Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Meetings

Data Collection

Define Current Conditions

Develop Transit Alternatives/ TDM Strategies

Public Information Meetings

Evaluate Alternatives

Identify Potential Revenue Sources

Develop Transit/ TDM Recommendations

Final Report

Month2009

TAC MeetingTAC Meeting Regional Commission/ Authority MeetingsRegional Commission/ Authority Meetings

Feb Mar May Jun Jul AugApr Sep Oct Nov

www.drpt.virginia.gov

I-95/I-395 HOV/Bus/HOT Lane Project

BRT Operational Analysis

Initial StudyInitial Study

I-95/I-395 Transit/TDM Study

Final ReportFEBRUARY 29, 2008

Project Lead: Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation

Developed by:I-95/I-395 Transit/TDM Technical Advisory Committee

Recommended Transit/TDM Improvements Included:

TDM initiatives to increase carpooling, vanpooling and slugging Modifications to existing routes to serve new markets New bus services         Fixed guideway/rail

           - Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)           - Enhanced VRE/Amtrak

Other capital improvements such as:    - Improvements to transit stations,

           - New/improved Park and Ride lots,           - In-line transit stations at major activity centers

BRT Analysis

In-Line or Direct Access Station Features

Operating Methodologies

Approaches to Incorporating BRT

Northern Virginia BRT Strawman

Station Area Refinements

In-line versus Direct or In-Direct Access

Mode of Access Discussions– Quality of pedestrian and bike connections can greatly

influence ridership– Need to consider all modes – changing modes in corridor

Operators’ Perspective

TYSONS CORNER

Routes TO Stations

Station Facility

New Pedestrian Connection

AM PEAK

I-495 Peak Direction

TYSONS 123 Metrorail Station

TYSONS East Metrorail Station

I-

495

RT 123

I-9

5

Station Facility

New Pedestrian Connection

AM PEAK

I-95 Peak Direction

Route TO Station

Route FROM Station

PRTC TRANSIT CENTER

Park and

Ride

DALE BOULEVARD (OPITZ STATION LOCATION)Alternative #2b

I-9

5

Franconia-Springfield Parkway

(FRANCONIA-SPRINGFIELD METRO)Alternative #1

THIS HOT RAMP FOR BUS ONLY

Franconia-

Springfield Station

Total deviation from I-95 Corridor approx. 2 ¼ mile

Route TO Station

Route FROM Station

BRT Station Facility

AM PEAK

I-95 Peak Direction

Parking

Next Steps

Modeling Runs – Macro, Corridor Wide

Refinement of Stations As Needed

Microsimulation VISSIM Analyses

Refinement of Station Concepts / Identification of Priority Treatments

Recommendations

[email protected]

804-786-4440