TCRP is Good for Transit Operations Stephan A. Parker Senior Program Officer Transportation Research Board of The National Academies Washington, DC The Role of Research in Transit Operations: How to access and interpret applicable research Wednesday, October 2, 2013
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Senior Program Officer Transportation Research Board … · TCRP is Good for Transit Operations Stephan A. Parker Senior Program Officer Transportation Research Board of The National
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TCRP is Good for Transit Operations
Stephan A. Parker
Senior Program Officer
Transportation Research Board
of The National Academies
Washington, DC
The Role of Research in Transit Operations: How to access and interpret applicable research
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Transit Cooperative Research Program
• Applied research on practical problems common to transit agencies (proposed in TRB Special Report 213)
• Established under FTA sponsorship in July 1992
• Proposed by the US DOT, TCRP was initially authorized as part of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA)
TCRP Products Help Improve Transit Operations
• Bus Safety
• Scheduling
• Rail Safety
• Paratransit
• Alternative Fuels
• Maintenance
TCRP Products Help Improve Transit Operations: Bus Safety
• Toolkit for Transit Operator Fatigue (TCRP Report 81)
• Effective Practices to Reduce Bus Accidents (TCRP Report 66)
• Guidebook for Mitigating Fixed-Route Bus-and-Pedestrian Crashes (TCRP Report 125)
TCRP Report 81
Toolkit for Transit Operator Fatigue
• Training: National Transit Institute courses
• Implemented: Santa Clara Valley Regional Transit Authority
• “Cornerstone” for the Greater Cleveland RTA Fatigue Awareness Training Program
TCRP Report 112 / NCHRP Report 562
Improving Pedestrian Safety at Unsignalized Crossings
• Co-funded with National Cooperative Highway Research Program
• Approved by the National Committee; next version of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices will include changes in the areas of Pedestrian Beacon and Pedestrian Signal Warrant
• Implemented: New York State DOT used it to determine treatments for unsignalized pedestrian crossings, including those associated with transit bus stops
TCRP Products Help Improve Transit Operations: Scheduling
• Controlling System Costs: Basic and Advanced Scheduling Manuals (TCRP Report 135)
• Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Manual (TCRP Report 100, 165)
• A Guide for Implementing Bus on Shoulder (BOS) Systems (TCRP Report 151)
• Bus Rapid Transit Practitioner’s Guide (TCRP Report 118)
TCRP Report 135
Controlling System Costs: Basic and Advanced Scheduling Manuals
• MTA New York City Transit
• Metro Transit, Minneapolis
• Capital Area Transportation Authority, Lansing, Michigan
• San Francisco MUNI
• Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA)
• LACMTA
TCRP Report 100
Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Manual: Assessments
• All Florida Metropolitan Planning Organizations(MPOs)
• Transit agencies in Atlanta, Birmingham, Broward County (FL), DuPage County (IL), San Antonio, New Orleans, Oakland (CA), Seattle, Washington DC, San Francisco, MTA New York City Transit, LACMTA, Adelaide (Australia), Dublin (Ireland)
BUS ON SHOULDER EXAMPLES
• San Diego freeway application
• Twin Cities freeway and arterial network application
• Virginia Dulles Access Road queue jump application
• Left side shoulder applications – Cincinnati and Chicago
• New Jersey arterial street application
TCRP Report 151
SAN DIEGO BOS RIGHT SHOULDER
TCRP Report 151
MINNEAPOLIS - ST PAUL BOS
TCRP Report 151
MINNEAPOLIS - ST. PAUL BOS NETWORK
TCRP Report 151
MINNEAPOLIS - ST. PAUL OPERATIONS
• 35 MPH threshold speed
• 15 MPH maximum delta speed
• Buses yield to traffic at conflict points
• Use shoulder only at driver’s discretion
• 20 years experience
• Nearly 300 miles of BOS
• Team Transit website – www.dot.mn.us/metro/teamtransit
TCRP Report 151
MNDOT TEAM TRANSIT WEBSITE VIDEO CLIPS http://www.dot.state.mn.us/metro/teamtransit/
• Travel time savings is perceived at 2 to 3 times actual savings
• Many riders enjoy bypassing slow traffic and encourage bus drivers to use the shoulder
• Ridership gains are difficult to isolate from other factors
TCRP Report 151
BUS DRIVER OPINIONS
TCRP Report 151
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Congestion is a Problem Shortens Trip Improves Scehedule Times Good Idea
San Diego
Miami
Twin Cities
Columbus
New Jersey
ADVANTAGES
TCRP Report 151
• Passenger Benefits
– Reduced run times
– Improved reliability
– Market visibility
– Station stopping service
• Implementation
– Low cost
– Quick
BASIC REQUIREMENTS
• Presence of buses – usually at least 4 per hour
• Congestion on corridor highway
• Minimum 10 foot wide shoulders
• Avoidance of high volume entry and exit ramps (more than 1,000 vph)
• Willingness of transit agencies, DOTs, and other stakeholders to work together
• Ability to obtain FHWA approvals
TCRP Report 151
CONCLUSIONS
• Bus priority treatments have operated successfully for more than 50 years
• Bus on Shoulder operations have more than 20 years of successful experience
• Bus passengers save time and gain more reliable commute trips, while general traffic is unaffected
• Safety experience has been excellent
• Bus on shoulder operations are low cost and low impact means of improving corridor mobility
TCRP Report 151
TCRP Products Help Improve Transit Operations: Rail Safety
• Warning Device for Rail Rapid Transit Personnel for Approaching Trains (TCRP IDEA Project 55)
• Improving Pedestrian and Motorist Safety Along Light Rail Transit Alignments (TCRP Report 137)
TCRP IDEA Project 55
Warning Device for Rail Rapid Transit Personnel for Approaching Trains
• Tested at MTA New York City Transit, Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA)
• NTSB staff demonstration
• Implemented: Chicago Transit Authority, Los Angeles County MTA, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, Santa Clara Valley Transit Authority, Sound Transit (Seattle), GCRTA, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, Maryland Transit Administration