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PUBLICATION
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 MTI Report-01-13
Implementation of Zurich’s Transit Priority Program
The objective of this research was to describe transit
priority techniques in Zürich and understand how the city implemented its
program. Most transit priority improvements are relatively simple and
inexpensive; however, they have proved to be difficult to implement and sustain. The
research effort consisted of a case study with interviews and surveys. We
interviewed many persons associated with the development and implementation
of Zürich’s transit priority program. A survey to evaluate support of
transportation decision-makers in Santa Clara County, California,
illustrated transit improvements in a typical U.S. city. The data was compared
to a similar survey in Zürich. The findings help us to understand how elected
officials think about transit improvements.
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ABSTRACT
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Zürich is famous for the quality of its public transit
system and it has one of the highest levels of per capita transit ridership in the world. This is because its
transit service is fast, frequent, reliable, and inexpensive, due in large part to its transit priority program. The
research describes transit priority techniques implemented in Zürich and discusses the relevance of the
Zürich experience to other cities interested in developing similar systems, highlighting the unique
benefits and challenges of a transit priority system. Transit priority improvements are relatively low-cost ways
to make a transit system work better by reducing vehicle delays. Specific improvements fall in the
following categories: roadway improvements and traffic regulations, traffic signal preemption,
exclusive transit lanes, transit malls, transit system operations, transportation system improvements, major
transit facilities, and bus rapid transit. Zürich’s experience offers valuable insight to the process of
developing and sustaining a transit priority system. These insights include: the importance of public support,
planning land use to support transit use, implementing improvements comprehensively,
interdepartment
coordination, leveraging institutional change, and adopting appropriate technology. Ultimately,
what is important is that Zürich’s transportation system is a major contributor to the city’s
high quality of life and livability. Cities interested in implementing transit priority systems can
learn much from Zürich’s experience and be encouraged by its success.
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS
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Andrew Butler Nash, P.E., is an independent
transportation planning and engineering consultant. He is the former Executive
Director of Transportation Planning for the San Francisco County Transportation
Authority. Nash formerly served as a Project Manager for Caltrain and as
a Manager at the Santa Clara County Congestion Management Agency. He is a
registered professional civil engineer and obtained his Master of
Engineering and Master of City Planning degrees at the University of
California, Berkeley, where he focused on transportation policy. He also has a Master
of Science in Civil Engineering from Northeastern University, where he
specialized in transit operations.
Nash has been active in several San Francisco area
nonprofit organizations, including serving as President of the Bay Area’s
Greenbelt Alliance and as a Director of the San Francisco Planning and Urban
Research (SPUR). Nash ran for election to the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART)
District Board of Directors in 1992.
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TECHNICAL
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Principal
Investigator: Andrew Butler Nash
Published: October 2001
Keywords: Congestion, policy, Rapid transit, Roadway improvements,
Traffic, Traffic regulations, Transit, Transit lanes, Transportation.
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MTI
Report-01-13
Implementation of Zurich’s Transit Priority Program
Principal Investigator: Andrew Butler Nash
Published: October 2001
Keywords:
Congestion, policy, Rapid transit, Roadway improvements, Traffic,
Traffic regulations, Transit, Transit lanes, Transportation.
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