How to Develop Bus-Stop Time Models in Dense Urban Areas

[marmar]

How to Develop Bus-Stop Time Models in Dense Urban Areas
SOURCE: MINETA TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE (MTI) AUG 19, 2015


A new model for bus transit reliability can help operators improve planning and scheduling in urban areas. This study defines a new reliability variable, Total Bus Stop Time (TBST), which includes “dwell time” (DT) and the time it takes a bus to safely maneuver into a bus stop and then re-enter the main traffic stream. The newly released study, Development of Bus-Stop Time Models in Dense Urban Areas: A Case Study in Washington, D.C., is published by the Mineta National Transit Research Consortium (MNTRC). The authors are Stephen Arhin, PhD, and Errol Noel, PhD. The report is available for free download.

“The report’s proposed regression models have a high explanatory power over the observed data,” said Arhin. “The models can therefore be used to adequately predict DTs and TBSTs at various bus stops and by time of the day with 95 percent confidence.”

The report recommends that:

• For bus stops near intersections, buses should spend no more than 43, 47, and 67 seconds TBST (from exiting the stream of traffic to successfully reintegrating with it) during the morning, midday, and evening peak periods, respectively.

• Similarly, buses at midblock bus stops should spend no more than 36, 33, and 31 seconds TBST for the morning, midday and evening periods, respectively.

Noel noted, “Thirty bus stops located at intersections and thirty midblock bus stops were used for this study. All were in heavily traveled routes within Washington DC. Due to potential changes in traffic patterns and land uses near bus stops, these models should be updated and validated on a 3- to 5-year cycle.” ...................(more)

http://www.masstransitmag.com/press_release/12104768/how-to-develop-bus-stop-time-models-in-dense-urban-areas

[drm604]

1. Seems like an obvious variable.

I would have assumed that this variable was already being used.

[JimDandy]

2. Yes...astounding it hadn't been.

[happyslug]

3. No it isn't, it goes back to the replacement of streetcars with buses.

One of the reasons buses were considered "better" then streetcars was streetcars were in the center of the road and had to stop in the center to pick up passengers (the passengers stood on "Safety Islands" that cars had to drive around) but buses could pull over to the curb. The problem was getting back into to traffic, since streetcars NEVER left the main lane, they never had to get back into that lane, but buses had to. Thus Streetcars did not have the delay in getting back into the lane of traffic. The bus's advantages of pulling over to the side of traffic to pick up passengers did not off set the loss of time in buses getting back into the lane of traffic. Thus if you considered that factor, it favored retaining streetcars, but since the goal was to get rid of streetcars this problem was ignored and dismissed as "minor".

Here is an old photo of a "Safety Island", through it should be noted this island still exists and is used by the Light Rail system that replaced the old Streetcar system in Pittsburgh:



http://www.jtbell.net/transit/Pittsburgh/PCC/

[happyslug]

4. It was not, for it favored streetcars over buses

See my previous post above for details.