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Research Project Description
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Bus Rapid Transit/Light Rail Implemented on One Dedicated Lane: Operational Feasibility, Practicality and Systems Analysis
Project Number: 2605Principal Investigator: Dr. Jacob Tsao. Professor, Industrial and Systems Engineering Dept. SJSU, MTI Research Associate Research Project:The ultimate goal of this study is to develop a methodology that can be used to determine if such a one-dedicated-lane BRT or light-rail system would be feasible and practical for any given urban corridor, and, if so, how the one-dedicated-lane BRT or light-rail system should be operated so as to achieve the highest possible performance.
Institution: Telephone Number: Email Address: mti@mti.sjsu.edu Project Objective: This research proposal studies the operational feasibility of using only one dedicated lane to provide two-way Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) or light-rail services at the same or similar service levels as those achievable with two dedicated lanes, along a commute corridor. It also studies the feasibility of such a one-dedicated-lane system for much higher demand levels of the future. Moreover, it studies ways to expand the one-dedicated-lane system to a two-dedicated-lane system in order to accommodate high demand. For ease of discussion, one-dedicated-lane BRT or light-rail systems will be called one-lane systems in the study.
The study will provide two expansion scenarios: expansion with only one-lane right-of-way and expansion with two-lane right-of-way. To avoid the “growing pains,” i.e., the disruption of expansion to the BRT or light-rail operations and to the surrounding traffic, the study will propose ways that can expand the system with minimum disruption.
However, the scope of this proposed project is limited to (a) a preliminary assessment of the performance and practicality of the proposed system, including identification of deployment issues (e.g., operator acceptance, public acceptance and public policy issues), literature search for related existing studies, compilation of related best practices, evaluation of the practicality of the proposed system, and recommendation of worthy future research, (b) developing and specifying a system of operational rules sufficiently detailed for estimating system performance, and (c) conducting a deterministic study of the performance of the proposed system, instead of a stochastic study with computer simulation.
To maximize the realism of the underlying assumptions and hence the value of this study, a particular corridor in California will be used as the reference model, e.g., the corridor currently served by the VTA light-rail system and the El Camino Real corridor of the Santa Clara County.
Abstract: The vast majority of the US urban or suburban areas have been designed at low densities with automobiles as the primary means of people mobility. In many such urban-sprawl areas, the current demand for bus transportation or light-rail is so low that dedicating two full lanes (except at the at-grade intersections) for exclusive use by buses or light-rail trains has led to or would lead to underutilization of the right-of-way, usually amid heavy automobile traffic during the peak commute hours. Such underutilization has led to or would lead to resentment against public transportation by the driving public.
In many urban or suburban commute corridors, right-of-way sufficient for a two-dedicated-lane BRT or light-rail system simply does not exist. In some others, such right-of-way does not exist on a significant portion of the corridor, e.g., in the downtown areas. The proposed concept of one-dedicated-lane BRT or light-rail system provides a real hope for such areas.
In terms of finances, low population density makes public transportation along a commute corridor a money-losing proposition, with much of the capital cost subsidized by the federal government and 75% of the operating costs subsidized by local or state governments, or local taxes. Without public transportation along a corridor, the population density will likely not increase significantly, even if local zoning regulations allow higher-density developments. This constitutes a chicken-and-egg problem. The concept of a one-dedicated-lane BRT or light-rail system has the potential of solving this chicken-and-egg problem. With the presence of a one-dedicated-lane BRT or light-rail system constructed in the absence of severe public resistance, demand for higher-density residential developments may increase gradually and may lead to higher-density developments along the corridor and to public will for dedicating two lanes of right-of-way for expansion of the BRT or light-rail system. With such a potential solution to the chicken-and-egg problem, the transit-oriented development (TOD) concept championed by Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and other transit operators not only may work for corridors already being served by existing light-rail or BRT services but also may achieve its full potential with many new light-rail or BRT systems.
Task Descriptions:
2. Identify Systems Issues 3. Develop Operational Rules 4. Prepare Crossing Station Sketches 5. Evaluate System Performance 6. Develop Two Expansion Alternatives 7. Assess Practicality of the Proposed System 8. Final Report Following submission of the draft final report, the
following actions will occur: Total budget:
Dr. Jacob Tsao. Professor, Industrial and Systems Engineering Dept. SJSU, MTI Research Associate
Co-Principal Investigator: Dr. Wenbin Wei. Assistant Professor, Aviation Dept., SJSU, MTI Research Associate (degree in civil engineering)
SJSU Students: TBD
Technology Transfer Activities:
Potential Benefits of the Project: In many urban or suburban commute corridors, right-of-way sufficient for a two-dedicated-lane BRT or light-rail system simply does not exist. In others, such right-of-way does not exist on a significant portion of the corridor, e.g., in the downtown areas. The proposed concept of one-dedicated-lane BRT or light-rail system provides a real hope for implementation of BRT or light-rail systems on such corridors. TRB Keywords: Primary Subject:
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