1. Volvo BRT Center of Excellence 31 October, 2013
Where are we?
Lessons learned
Sam Zimmerman
Volvo BRT Center of Excellence October, 2013
BRT Primer
Sam Zimmerman

2. What is BRT?? Lesson learned The importance of service planning
It takes a village to get it done: Institutions
Communications in all directions, at all levels from beginning of planning, vital
Yes, BRT can make a development difference
Phased, incremental development can work
Trends in BRT’s elements

3. Why are we still arguing about what BRT is, “gold standard” or otherwise??

4. BRT: Bus Rapid Transit
Permanently integrated, high performance system with a quality image, strong ID
Package of elements appropriate to:
Development and transportation vision, objectives
Markets served
Physical, operating environment
Not just another bus route; more LRT than local bus in form, function and attractiveness

5. BRT System Elements Vehicles Running Ways Stations & Terminals Systems
Service Plan

6. BRT: Infinite Possibilities, but with Essential Characteristics:
Integrated, branded system that ensures high speed, reliability, convenience
High frequency all day, week
Simple network structure
Majority of service on dedicated running way
Rapid boarding/alighting
Off-board fare collection
Multiple wide door- vehicles
Minimal gap, floor to platform
Accessible to all
Pervasive, unique brand identity
High over-all system quality

7. Without all these basic attributes, less comprehensive packages of bus system improvements can have lots of benefits but we may need another name for them, e.g., Select Bus, MetroRapidBus, BRT Lite….. (No pejoratives, please)

8. In Developing Cities, Institutional Arrangements for BRT a Big Issue
May not be an existing state-owned operator
Where SOE, may lack BRT expertise and see it as just another conventional bus route
Where there is no SOE but is a regulator of private, informal operators, may not have legal authority or BRT technical expertise
May not be private operators capable of operating and managing BRT system
Irrespective of institutional organization, may be inadequate human resources; Only real local transport expertise may be in roadway design and construction

9. Solutions
Create special purpose (public) agency for BRT set up in way that facilitates evolution into a more complete public transport authority
Hire “project management” contractor” to serve as “shadow” public transport authority staff answerable to government project manager/management unit
Use project manager to obtain necessary skills and build institutions, human resources
Combinations, permutations

10. Service Planning
Still tendency to start with hardware planning and design, then consider market and service plan; Do the reverse
Consider service plan, market together, iteratively
Match services to market, minimize transferring, etc. - all within physical and operational constraints
Service plan simplicity is a virtue
By-pass lanes around stations are best for expresses and skip-stop routes, but there are other ways to facilitate them where there are right of way constraints

11. Extend Beyond Transitway
Trunk Service(s)
Extend Beyond Transitway
Trunk Portion of Route
Off-Trunk, HOV Portion of Route
Extended/Express
HOV Route I
Terminal
Terminal
All three routes
Transitway-only local
Express routes
Extended/Express
HOV Route II

12. Service Planning Easier When You Have 4-Lane Transitways

13. Importance of Communications, Branding
There is continued confusion about what BRT is, what it can look like and what its potential benefits are
Start as early as possible in rectifying situation
Branding, including name, color schemes, graphics, pavement markings, is important communications device; Cannot overstate value

14. V i v a

15. BRT can be a Positive Development Tool
For U.S., thanks to National BRT Institute, ITDP and others for making solid information available on BRT and TOD in North America
More Development for Your Transit Dollar,
Annie Weinstock, Stephanie Lotham, Walter Hook, ITDP, NYC, 2013
Land Use Impacts of BRT, Victoria Perk, Cheryl Thole, NBRTI, CUTR/USF, Tampa 2009
Lots of evidence outside U.S, in addition to Curitiba

16. Warner Center developer proposes 600 apartments on Catalina Yachts property
By Gregory J. Wilcox, LA Daily News Staff Writer; Posted: 01/13/13, 9:00 PM PST |
…….The 615,000 square foot complex fronting the southwest corner of Victory Boulevard and Variel Avenue will feature nine buildings, said attorney Fred Gaines, who is representing Malibu-based Weintraub Real Estate Group…….
"We think it's a fantastic location," Gaines said. "We think that (apartment) demand is high and the project is right across from the Orange Line so transportation is available to other parts of the Valley and the city

17. Station
Station
Orange Line
Orange Line t
Development

18. “Cleveland Plain Dealer”
Feb. 10, 2008
Cleveland

19. Possibility of Phased Development is Big BRT Advantage
May not have enough understanding, public support or funds for full-featured BRT early on but in most developing and fast growing developed cities, something needs to be done ASAP
Start with the doable; add features; extend, build new lines as understanding and success build support for better and more
Lagos, York/Toronto prime examples

20. York Rapid Transit Corp.
York Ontario Viva
“Quick Start” BRT Lite
Opened in Sept. 2005
65 Km, queue jumpers, etc.
+20% PT ridership in corridors
High passenger satisfaction
Beginning development effects
First Full-Featured
BRT Rapidway
Segment
Opened 2013
Thanks to
York Rapid Transit Corp.

21. Lagos: BRT ‘LITE’ in Operation: March 2008
22Km, 65% segregated
150,000+ daily trips
30% reduction in passenger travel times
High initial passenger satisfaction
Thanks to LMATA for Material

22. Success of “ BRT Lite” Enables Migration to ‘full featured’ BRT, Expansion of Coverage
Upgraded infrastructure and facilities
Introduction of fully segregated and by-pass lanes
Semi-low-floor, multiple wide door buses
Introduction of electronic fare payment
Deployment of ITS
bus arrival time
adaptive traffic signals at intersections
Phase 2- BRT ‘extension’ to large suburban city
Management reform

23. BRT LITE
Phase II

25. Phase 2 BRT Station Area

26. Phase II Transitway Construction

27. BRT Elements: Range of Recent Applications

28. BRT Service Plans
Seeing more and more multi-route, on/off trunk service plans (e.g., Guangzhou, Brisbane)
Can be good but exercise care
Major passenger information needs
Moving vehicles into/out of transitway safely difficult
May require large terminal in CBD (Porto Allegre) or wide cross-section, wide and long stations (Guangzhou)
Passenger confusion on platforms
Bus-on-bus congestion issues
Need to brand off-transitway stations, all vehicles using system

29. Among Other Issues, Too Many Routes Leaving/Entering Busway at Intersections: Extra Long Cycle Lengths Result
Times of India

30. Which Route Do I Take??

31. BRT Running Ways
More and more colored pavement treatments, separated running “pads” or “tracks” for variety of reasons, e.g., easier enforcement
As costs come down, likely to see more automated operation/guidance

32. LV Cambridge,UK Transitways With Guidance Rouen Eugene James Gast
Wikepedia
Rouen
Eugene LV
James Gast

33. Stops, Stations and Terminals
General improvement in size and quality everywhere as more and more places try to use BRT as tool to induce and serve sustainable, walkable TOD

34. York-Toronto
York LV
Cleveland

35. Vehicles: Massive Changes Afoot
Variety of sizes through almost 30 meters
Profusion of ITS applications
More and more hybrids, CNG
Emissions, local and global
Noise
All-electric battery vehicles coming

36. Contemporary BRT Vehicles in Operation in North America
Mexico City
Volvo Euro 4
27 Meters Long
Wright ,
Dsl-Elec. Hybrid
Las Vegas LV
Cleveland
New Flyer,
Guided, Dsl-Elec. Hybrid
NABI, CNG LA

37. All Electric, Quick- Charge Battery
State of the Art
Barcelona
Van Hool ExquiCity
Hybrid: ~25 meters
Charger
Hess-ABB
All Electric, Quick- Charge Battery

38. BRT Vehicle Interiors
Van Hool ExquiCity
Wright Streetcar

39. Guidance Options
Optical, etc.
Mechanical
Iveco

40. Guidance, Cleveland: < $5,000/vehicle

41. State of the Practice; Opened, August 2013
Metronit Haifa, Israel

42. Metronit 40 Route Km. 90 Vehicles (6 hybrids)
77 stations, platforms
~$400m total implementation cost
$10m/Km

43. Stations

44. NMT

45. Vehicles
MAN/Merkavim

46. Running Ways
Metronit
Website

47. Median to Curb Lane Operation
ITS Applications
For General
Traffic
For
BRT
BRT Vehicle
Signal Priority
Facilitates Move from
Median to Curb Lane Operation

48. Pax. Info. In Multiple Languages for Multi-Cultural Residents, Tourists
Metronit
Website

49. Closing Emphasis Points
BRT coming into its own as rapid transit mode with potential (150+ applications Worldwide)
More attention needs to be paid to “soft side”
Institutions
Communications
Service-planning
Land-use integration as planning objective
Technological advancements will overcome many issues and constraints, e.g., increasing capacity and safety, lower emissions, noise