MS372: TRANSPORTATION

PLANNING
RESOURCE PERSON: Mr. Nazam Ali (nazam.ali@umt.edu.pk) 1

Lecture 08

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

In continuation of previous discussion, this lecture will cover

1. Designing routes

2. Street-side factors influencing Bus Operations

 Placement of Bus Stops

 Bus stop zone design types

3. Bus Stop Components

4. Principles of supporting access infrastructure design

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 Major service changes, including

 the addition or subtraction of routes,

 changes in route frequency, and

 changes in the service span of a route

are generally worked on by agency service planners.

 Ridership data generated either from schedule checkers, who manually ride every route and record all ons

and offs, or from Automated Passenger Counter (APC) systems, is extensively used by planners to ensure

that agency resources are deployed in the most efficient way possible.

 In addition to ridership data, planners also use demographic and geographic data, often viewed through

cartographic software such as ESRI to identify opportunities for new routes. 3

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 Placement of the Bus Route

A. Route In New Area

B. Route in existing area

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 Proper route placement is the key to success of a given bus line.

 It is essential to have a complete understanding of the

(i) Existing route structure, and

(ii) Demographic makeup of the service area

 for placement of new route.

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 Refer to transit systems service standards, which dictate that a certain

percentage of the service area's population and employment be a certain

distance from the nearest bus stop, usually 1/4 mile. For example:
 OC Transpo of Ottawa, Ontario ensure that 95% of the Ottawa population lives within 1/4 mile of a bus

route.

 While there are likely to be certain parts of the service area that are without

transit coverage, make sure sufficient density exists to support service.

 For example, the Denver, Colorado RTD service standards mandate regular service for areas that

have 12 or more residents and jobs per acre. 7

 Once an area that needs new transit service is identified, the first thing to do is

determination of the terminus locations.

1. Route termini need to, as much as possible, be significant trip generators. For
example: downtown areas, hospitals, universities, malls, and transfer centers.

Sometimes the demographic data referenced above can identify areas that have
robust housing or employment but are not obvious trip generators.

2. At least one end of the route should have adequate layover facilities, including
access to at least restrooms for the operators, and preferably refreshment
opportunities.
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 Once the two terminus locations are identified, selection of the route follows.

1. As much as possible, the route should follow the shortest road distance between the two end
points.

2. Deviations to serve important trip generators are possible, but the ridership generated by
the deviation should be a greater percentage of the overall ridership than the additional
running time needed to serve the deviation is of the total running time.

For example, if a route which has a running time of 60 minutes includes a deviation which
takes 6 minutes of that time, then the total ridership generated by the deviation should be
greater than 10% of the total.

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3. Take into consideration the presence of other routes nearby and the type of street the bus will
travel upon. For example:

Except in very dense areas, parallel bus routes should be no closer than 1/2 mile to each other
(grid street networks makes this condition easy to follow).
Type of Street:
i. A pedestrian friendly mid-major street should be picked if available.
ii. Major arterials with speeds of 45 mph or greater should be avoided unless there is no other choice due to the
problems with bus stop location and bus stop access.
iii. Streets with traffic calming measures such as speed bumps, speed humps, or traffic circles should also be
avoided.

In the end, the judgment of the transit planner will have to come into play to make the best of a
bad situation.

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 Planning of new bus routes operating in areas with existing coverage are

often limited stop or express versions of existing local routes. Sometimes

new local routes are created which provide direct service between two
trip generators that currently require a transfer to access.

1. In areas with existing service, the performance of existing routes is the

paramount concern in route planning. Make sure that corridor demand

can support robust frequencies on both the limited and local routes.

For example, in American standards, 15 minutes transit service is considered frequent.

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2. Express or limited stop services should not be operated
unless a significant amount of running time is saved when
compared with the local service.
In general, express or limited stop services should not be
operated unless the travel time savings when compared with
the local service is 10% or greater.

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 Street-side factors include those factors associated with the roadway

that influence bus operations.

 Bus stop placement

a) Stop spacing

b) General Considerations

c) Far-Side, Near-Side, and Midblock Stops

 Bus stop zone design types

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 The determination of bus stop spacing is primarily based on goals that are

frequently subdivided by development type, such as residential area,

commercial, and/or a central business district (CBD).

 Another generally accepted procedure is placing stops at major trip

generators.

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 Bus stops for express routes should be placed every 1/2 - 1 mile

depending on intersecting bus routes and traffic generators.

 In general, the placement of bus stops spacing should be approximately

one-quarter mile apart from each other.

 In areas of higher density bus stops can be placed more frequently, but

never nearer than one-eighth of a mile apart.

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 Adopting guidelines which allow for wider stop spacing offers several

advantages to the transit system.

 First, fewer stops will definitely increase your operating reliability and possibly your

operating speed as well. Customers are likely to view the route as much faster than one
with more stops even if the travel time is the same.

 Second, fewer bus stops will result in lower maintenance costs for the company, as there

will be fewer stops to clean.

 Third, fewer stops makes it more likely the company will have the budget to construct

stop amenities such as benches, shelters, and real-time arrival information at each stop.
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i). Operating:
 Adequate curb space for the number of buses expected at the stop at one time

 Impact of the bus stop on adjacent properties

 On-street automobile parking and truck delivery zones

 Bus routing patterns (i.e., individual bus movements at an intersection)

 Directions (i.e., one-way) and widths of intersection streets

 Types of traffic signal controls (signal, stop, or yield)

 Volumes and turning movements of other traffic

 Width of sidewalks

 Pedestrian activity through intersections

 Proximity and traffic volumes of nearby driveways

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 Another most critical factors in bus stop placements are safety and avoidance of conflicts that would otherwise

impede bus, car, or pedestrian flows.

ii). Safety:
 Passenger protection from passing traffic

 Access for people with disabilities

 All-weather surface to step from/to the bus

 Proximity to passenger crosswalks and curb ramps

 Proximity to major trip generators

 Convenient passenger transfers to routes with nearby stops

 Proximity of stop for the same route in the opposite direction

 Street lighting
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 Determining the proper location of bus stops involves choosing among far-side, near-side, and

midblock stops. The following factors should be considered when selecting the type of bus
stop:
 Adjacent land use and activities

 Bus route (for example, is bus turning at the intersection)

 Bus signal priority (e.g., extended green suggests far side placement)

 Impact on intersection operations

 Intersecting transit routes

 Intersection geometry

 Parking restrictions and requirements

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 Passenger origins and destinations

 Pedestrian access, including accessibility for handicap/wheelchair patrons

 Physical roadside constraints (trees, poles, driveways, etc.)

 Potential patronage

 Presence of bus bypass lane

 Traffic control devices

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 Advantages
 Minimizes conflicts b/w right turning
vehicles and buses
 Provides additional right (left) turn
capacity by making curb lane
available for traffic
 Minimizes sight distance problems
on approaches to intersection
 Encourages pedestrians to cross
behind the bus
 Creates shorter deceleration
distances for buses
 Results in bus drivers taking
advantage of gaps in traffic flow
created at traffic signals
Disadvantages
 May result in intersections
being blocked during peak
periods by parked buses
 May obscure sight distance
for crossing vehicles
 May increase sight distance
problems for pedestrians
 Can cause a bus to stop far-
side after stopping for a red
light
 May increase number of rear-
end accidents since drivers
do not expect buses to stop
again after a red light
 Could result in traffic queued
into intersection
Where recommended?
 There is a high volume of
turns
 Route alignment requires left
(right) turn
 Complex intersections with
multi-phase signals or dual
turn lanes
 Traffic is heavier on the near-
side
 Existing pedestrian conditions
are better on far-side
 Traffic conditions and signals
may cause delays if near-side
 Intersections have transit
signal priority treatments
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 Advantages
 Minimizes interference when traffic is heavy
on the far side of the intersection
 Allows passengers to access buses closest
to the crosswalk
 Results in the width of the intersection being
Near-side
available for the driver to pull away from the
curb
 Eliminates double stopping
 Allows passengers to board and alight while  May block the through lane during
the bus is stopped at a red light
 Provides driver with opportunity to look for
oncoming traffic
Disadvantages
 Increases conflicts with right-turning
vehicles
 May result in stopped buses
 obscuring curb-side traffic control
devices and crossing pedestrians
 May cause sight distance to be
obscured for cross vehicles stopped
to the right of the bus
peak period with queuing buses
 Increases sight distance problems for
crossing pedestrians
Where recommended?
 Traffic is heavier on the far-
side
 Existing pedestrian conditions
are better than on the far-side
 Pedestrian movements are
safer on near-side
 Bus route continues straight
through the intersection
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 Advantages
 Minimizes sight distance
 problems for vehicles and
 pedestrians
 May result in passenger
Mid-block
waiting areas experiencing
 less pedestrian congestion
Disadvantages
 Requires additional distance for  When the route alignment
no-parking restrictions
 Encourages jaywalking
 Increase walking distance
 for patrons crossing
 intersections
Where recommended?
 requires a right turn and
 curb radius is short
 Problematic traffic conditions
 at the intersection
 Passenger traffic generator
 is located mid-block
 Compatible with corridor
 or district plan
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Location Factors
 Ideally curb-side bus stops are placed in locations where:
 Travel speed is less than 40 mph
 Access can be provided for passengers with disabilities
 Major trip generators nearby
 Connections exist to pedestrian facilities
 Street lighting exists
 Adequate curb clearance is present to accommodate bus stop zone
 Nearby major intersections are signalized
 Passengers are not forced to wait, board, or alight in a driveway

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 Advantages Disadvantages
 Provide easy access for bus drivers and  Can cause traffic to queue behind
results in minimal delay to bus stopped bus, thus causing traffic
Curb-side

 Is simple in design and easy and congestion

inexpensive for a transit agency to install  May cause drivers to make unsafe
 Is easy to relocate maneuvers when changing lanes in order
to avoid a stopped bus

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Location Factors

 These are also sometimes referred to as curb extensions or nubs, sidewalk extensions, or bulb-outs. Bus

bulbs should be located:

 In areas where curb-side parking is critical

 In areas with limited curb clearance

 In areas where buses experience delays in re-entering the traffic lane

 In areas where traffic calming is desired

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 Advantages Disadvantages
 Removes fewer parking spaces for the bus  Costs more to install compared with curb-
stop side stops
 Decrease the walking distance (and time)  See curb-side disadvantages
for pedestrian crossing the street
NUB

 Provides additional sidewalk area for bus

patrons to wait
 Results in minimal delay for bus

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Location Factors

 This type of stop is sometimes called a bus bay, turn-out, or berth. The following locations should be

considered for bus bays:

 Traffic speeds exceeds 40 mph

 Average peak-period dwell time exceeds 30 seconds per bus

 Buses are expected to layover

 History of vehicles colliding into back of bus

 Multiple buses serve the stop at the same time

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 Advantages
 Allows patrons to board and alight out of
the travel lane
 Provides a protected area away from
Bus-bay
moving vehicles for both the stopped bus
and bus stop patrons
 Minimizes delay to through traffic
Disadvantages
 May present problems to bus drivers when
attempting to re-enter traffic, especially
during periods of high roadway volumes
 Is expensive to install compared with curb-
side stops
 Is expensive and difficult to relocate
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 Advantages Disadvantages
 Allows the bus to decelerate as it  See bus-bay disadvantages
Open Bus-bay

moves through the intersection

 See bus-bay advantages

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 Advantages Disadvantages
 Allows buses to bypass queues at a  May cause delays to right-turning
Queue Jumper

signal vehicles when a bus is at the start of

 See Open Bus Bay advantages the right turn lane
 See bus-bay disadvantages

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