PPT of Bus Stop Routing and Design from UTM

UTMUNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MALAYSIA

DR.ANIL MINHANS

Bus lane routing and Bus

stop design

Introduction Key Questions

Q1: What are factors governing the determination of bus lane

routing ?

Q2: What are factors governing the determination of bus stop

location?

Q3: What are different types of bus stops?

Q4: What are the design guidelines for bus-stops?

Q5: How are the bus priority treatments conducted for buses?

Determination of Bus Lane Routing

Philosophies

“ to provide the maximum of service (i.e. Coverage,

frequencies etc) to the areas served, with the minimum

possible final cost* to operation.”

“ to provide the maximum of service (i.e. Coverage,

frequencies etc) to the areas served, within the

resources (including subsidies available).”

* final cost= Overall operating costs for the line- expected receipts.

Suggested Criteria

- Existence of minimum passenger demand,

- Creation of “Straight” lines,

- Avoidance of “overlapping” between bus lines,

- Other criteria

Existence of minimum passenger demand

- Justification in terms of revenues, minimum passenger

demand is necessary,

- Basic rule- at least cover the costs of its operation,

- Exceptions, if specific social or planning objectives are

important, should be restrained as possible,

- Trip rates x popln.=total daily no. of trips, modal split is

applied to determine the number of trips by bus or transit,

- Alternative method- empirical estimation of generated

demand,

- Simple cost allocation models for estimation of costs,

- Rough rule of thumb: 1,800-2,000 passenger in both

directions, route cannot be justified – for full day operation,

but peak hour possible only when > 250 passenger per

hour.

Creation of “Straight” routes/lines

- No major change of direction in the form of loop or circle or

G, generate impression of wasting time,

- The max. Bus travel time in deviations ≠>10 min. incl.stops,

- Length of deviation ≠> 20%-30% length of trip by car,

- Average travel time per passenger ≠ increase more than

25%,

- Restrict the number of deviations to preferably one and

absolute maximum two,

- a deviation should be preferably placed at either end of the

route and not in the middle.

Avoidance of “Overlapping” b/w Bus Lines

- Indicate waste resources, overlapping considered for central

areas, more than 1 for suburbs and non-central areas,

- Decision rules when overlapping is accepted and when not:

a. Central or densely populated areas

b. Headway of the arriving buses irrespective of the line is >

than 3 minutes in peak, 6-8 minutes in off-peak, otherwise

reduce the no.of lines that overlap

c. Average bus occupancy rates > 60% of max. occupancy.,

d. Length of the section on which the overlapping occurs #>

50 % of the total route length.

The above considerations avoid serious congestion and delays

due to extreme cases of one bus stop serving more than 30

bus lines.

Other Criteria

- Adequately surfaced, their geometric characteristics should

allow a comfortable movement of buses incl. possibility of

overtaking stopped vehicles, existence of adequate turning

radius (12-15 mts.),

- At least 3 mts of lane width available, adequate width of

sidewalks( 2mts) to support bus stops,

- Total travel time (in both directions) #> 2 hrs, 2.5 hrs max,

- Two directions of travel for the same route are not further

than 300-400 metres from each other,

- Highly recommended that the routing of bus lines goes

through urban centre instead of terminating there to avoid

congestion and other harmful effects.

Density of a Bus Network

- For urban areas with high densities of development, the

max. distance b/w “parallel” bus routes #> 800 mts., that

gives 400 mts walking distance or 5 min. walking time,

- For urban areas with low densities or in suburbs, acceptable

walking distances are usually greater and can reach 1600

mts. or more,

- Above distances are indicative only, depends on local

conditions such as topography, climate, walking

environment, safety etc.,

- Frequency of bus service, in general, to serve given level of

passenger demand, it is preferable to run smaller number of

lines with higher frequencies than more lines with low

frequencies of service,

- 70-75% popln within 400 mts. walking distance from a bus

stop,

Density of a Bus Network

- In sub-urbs, 50-60% popln within 800 mts of bus stop,

- length of a bus network/ m2

* Total population over total area of urban area.

* * Total length of roads over which buses run (not total length of

bus lines)

Population Density (*) Density of bus network

(persons/sq.km) (network kms (**) /sq.km)

> 4600 2.50

3900-4600 2.00

3000-3900 1.65

2300-3000 1.25

1500-2300 1.00

750-1500 0.60

<750 0.30

Bus Stop Location

Bus Stop LocationSpacing of bus stop (stops/km, av.distance between stops)

Important element of bus network- affects av. walking

distance, also travel times, delays etc.

No. of stops per km

Tra

ve

l T

ime

Time in bus

Total travel time door to door

Walking time to bus stop

Minimum

Bus Stop Location

- Amount of urban space within acceptable walking distance.

This “coverage” or “area of influence”, for each bus stop is

denoted by contour around it , which defines walking

distance of, say, 400 mts on the existing network.

Bus Stop Location

- Other criteria, type and density of land uses along the line,

the location of points of high concentration of demand and

potential traffic effects from the operation of a bus stop.

- Initial selection: near a major concentration of passenger

movements (shopping ctrs, hospitals, schools etc.)

- Near points where two or more bus lines intersect (to

promote transfers),

- Near parking lots (to promote park-n-ride),

- Others

Bus Stop Location with regard to Intersection

“Far-side” – After the intersection,

“Near-side” – Before the intersection,

“Mid-block” – at the middle of the building block.

BUS STOP LOCATIONS

MID-BLOCK NEAR-SIDE FAR-SIDE

Far-side Bus Stops

- Preferable where sight distance or signal capacity problems

exist, also where heaving right and left turns are observed

Advantages

Reduce conflicts between right turning

vehicles and stopped buses,

Provide additional intersection capacity

by making the curb lane before the stop

line available to traffic,

eliminate sight distance deficiencies for

pedestrian crossing,

encourage pedestrian crossing at the

rear of the bus,

Shorter maneuvering distances for the

buses to enter and leave moving traffic,

When traffic lights are red, re-entry into

traffic stream is easier.

Disadvantages

Stops at narrow street or moving lane

may block traffic on both the bus route

and cross street,

Obscures the sight distance to the right

of driver entering the bus street from the

right,

Where the bus stop is too short for

occasional heavy demands, the overflow

will obstruct the cross street.

Near-side Bus Stops- Located at intersections where,

- Transit flows are heavy but traffic conditions are not critical

- Good for drivers to re-enter the traffic stream

Advantages

Minimum interference on approach side

of intersection,

Passenger board bus close to

crosswalk,

Less accident prone than farside,

Street lightening conditions are better in

nearside bus stop location,

Driver has better view of approaching

passengers from left and right, compared

to farside front view only except the

indirectly by mirrors, passengers are less

likely to be missed out,

Disadvantages

Heavy vehicular right turns can cause

conflict,

Obscures STOP signs, traffic signals

and other control devices, as well as

pedestrian crossing in front of the bus,

obscures the sight distance of the

driver entering the bus street from the

right,

Where the bus stop is too short for

occasional heavy demands, the overflow

will obstruct the cross street.

Mid-Block Bus Stops- Located in downtown areas,

- Traffic, physical & environmental conditions prohibit FS/NS,

- Major passenger generators exist

Advantages

Buses create a minimum of interference

with sightdistance of both vehicles and

pedestrians,

Waiting passengers assemble at less

crowded sections of the sidewalk

Disadvantages

Removal of considerable curb parking

may be required and in reality due to

space constraints, parking restriction not

strongly enforced,

Patrons from the cross street will have

to walk further to board the bus- increses

the total travel time,

Pedestrian jay-walking is more

prevalent thereby increasing the vehicle

friction, congestion and accident

potential.

Points to Consider

Through-bus movements

Locate the bus stop at far-side of

intersection,

If Far-side impractical due to curbs, use

near-side,

If near-side is impractical, move to mid-

block.

Turning-bus movements (right)

Establish near-side stop prior to turn,

If right turns are heavy, far-side or mid-

block should be considered.

Turning-bus movements (left)

Establish far-side stop aftar turn,

If impossible, establish mid-block stop

prior to turn

Features of Bus Stop Environment

Bus Stop Layout Objectives

Design Guidelines for Bus Stops

AIM: Fast and safe service of buses and passengers with minimum

of obstruction to the rest of traffic.

Entails determination of three main design elements

- the geometric characteristics,

- its placement with regard to the rest of traffic flow on the

street and,

- the traffic arrangements (including road signs and markings)

in its vicinity.

Types of Stops

Three main types of stops acc. to position of the stop in relation

to the rest of the traffic:

- At curb side, at the side of the street without any change in

the existing road or pedestrian walk,

- At a lay-by, at a recess from the street,

- At a bus bay, in the separate stopping area adjacent to the

main traffic stream.

Stops at the Curbside

Advantages

Easy to set up, no major construction

except road signs and markings,

Disadvantages

Major drawback-Obstruction to traffic

Conditions

Parking is prohibited at 5-15 m from either end,

Parking prohibited upto 20 m exactly opposite,

in near-side, its 5 mts,

Serious attention to width of sidewalk (at least

2m, desirable 3 m),

35 moving passengers per minute, add 0.8m

for every additional 35 moving passengers,

Proper signing and road markings are

mandatory, also physical restrictions of access

to other vehicles (either parked or otherwise),

Stops at the Curbside

Advantages

Easy to set up, no major construction

except road signs and markings,

Disadvantages

Major drawback-Obstruction to traffic

1 2 3 1 2 3

Bus

Length

(m)

10.0 16 13 20 27 23 30

12.5 20 16 27 33 29 38

18.0 27 23 33 46 41 52

Note: 1 Bus stop before intersection

2 Bus stop after intersection

3 Bus stop at mid-block

One bus Two buses

Minimum stopping space at bus stop (m)

Stops at the Lay-bys/”recessed bus bay”/”turnout”

Advantages

Reduces obstruction, movement of

passengers and bus safe,

Waiting passengers assemble at less

crowded sections of the sidewalk

Disadvantages

Moving traffic doesn„t give way (delays),

Bus drivers do not observe them

considering the above fact,

Increased space requirements,

Cannot be applied in urban dense

environments,

Conditions

High traffic volumes and speeds, excessive

delay due to any obstruction,

High no.of waiting passengers,

High dwell time (25-30 sec) per stop,

Low number of buses using lay-by (10-15

buses/hour) in peak hour,

Existence of adequate width and prohibition of

parking.

Stops at the Lay-bys/”recessed bus bay”/”turnout”

Design Parameters

Based on the approach speeds,

gradient, entry and exit widths, total

length of the lay-bys etc.,

Radii of curb curves depends on the

approach speeds,

Entry and exit widths depends on

approach speeds,

Parameters for 30 kmph are almost

double.

Stops at the Bus bays

Advantages

Reduces obstruction, movement of

passengers and bus safe,

Bus stopping areas are physically

seperated from the main traffic stream by

an island or structureDisadvantages

Cost and resource intensive,

Needs space

Conditions for all types

Effective enforcement of parking restrictions is

a pre-requisite,

Delineation, bus stops should be clearly signed

for parking, stop location, pavement marking

should be clearly visible,

Maximum safety and convenience to

passengers, kerbs should be of constant height,

wheel chair ramps should be provided at

designated bus stops on all accessible bus

routes to promote mobility of the differently-

abled.

Other Design Elements

Kerb heights

Recommended minimum kerb height is

160 mm, 220 mm kerbs can provide a

level access but are prone to damage by

buses, standard length of a unit kerb is

900 mm,

Ramps on footways

Recommended ramp gradient is 1:20,

maximum acceptable gradient is 1:12,

Recommended lengths of raised

kerbs

4 metres at lightly used or alighting only

stops,

7 metres at single bus stops where only

one bus is scheduled to arrive at any one

time and a standard shelter is provided,

16 metres at a double bus stop,

26 metres at a double bus stop used by

articulated buses,

Recommended lengths of bus

stop markings

Min.length of bus boxes-23 m (5m exit

taper, 18 m straightening and entry),

For articulated buses, min. length 35( 5

m exit taper, 30 m others),

Position of yellow bus-box-middle,

painted 5 m downstream from pole,

Other Considerations

Other Considerations

Keep kerb height to 140 mm to obtain normal step height, ramp gradient, and

the kneeling step height for mobility-disabled people.

BUS TERMINALS

– Linear

– Angle berths

– Drive-through berths

– Shallow saw tooth berths

Linear berths

Linear berths are not as efficient as the

other types and typically are used when

buses occupy a berth for only a short time

(for example, at an on-street bus stop).

Sawtooth berths

Sawtooth berths allow independent

movements by buses into and out of

berths and are commonly used at bus

transfer centers.

Angle berths

Angle berths, which require buses to back

out, typically are used when a bus

occupies a berth for a long time (at an

intercity bus terminal).

Drive through berths

Drive-through berths allow bus stops to be

located in a compact area, and also can allow

all buses to wait with their front destination

signs facing the direction from which

passengers arrive (from a rail station exit).

Bus Priority Treatments

Why?

buses operate in mixed traffic,

reducing sources of delay, increasing

bus speeds,

the total change in person delay.

Priority @ traffic signals

- Simplest form of priority treatment, adapting to signal timing

and phasing to decrease the delay of approaching buses,

Interaction of on-coming buses with

lights

Priority to buses at pre-calculated

signal plans

Radio transmitter on bus & detector on the

control box, Signal phasing is adjusted

accordingly to ensure green period until the

bus has passed. Alternatively if the signal

is red, the green phases is recalled ASAP.

Area-wide traffic control, fixed time

programs, depending on the time of the

day or the level of traffic. Several programs

are available for determining the best

signal settings. E.g. Signal programs

derived form BUS TRANSYT method have

been applied to a network of about 100

signals in the central area of Glasgow, UK.


Treatment Description

Adjust cycle length Reduce cycle length at some intersections

Split phases Apply multiple phases while maintaining cycle lengths

Areawide timing plans Preferential progression of buses through signal offsets

Bypass metered signals Buses use special reserved lanes, special signal phases, or are

re-routed to non-metered signals

Phase extension Increase phase time

Early start Reduce other phases time

Special phase Addition of a bus phase

Phase suppression Skipping non-priority phases

Preemption (non-

conditional)

Bus phase begins when all the intervals are satisfied

Preemption(conditional) Conditions are used to determine when the bus phase should

begin


Active priority – intersection operate less than capacity,

Changes to signal timing do not worsen the intersection

LOS,

Automated systems that do not require bus driver

intervention are preferable,

Two-way data communication and automatic vehicle location

(AVL) equipment.

Priority @ Intersections

Queue Bypass

Allow buses to avoid queues of vehicles at

signalized intersections or ramp meters by providing

a special lane.

Queue Jump

Queue jumps allow buses to move past long queues of vehicles at signalised intersection

Use left-turn lanes or long off-line bus stops.

Other Priority to Buses

Exclusive Bus Lanes, Bus bays or HOV vehicles

lanes


Boarding Islands

Significant parking activity, stopped delivery

vehicles, heavy left-turning traffic volumes, and

other interferences often slow traffic in the left lane

of a street with multiple lanes in the same direction,

In these situations, buses might be able to travel

faster in the lane to the right.


“With-Flow” Bus lanes- Most common form of bus-priority measure, bus lanes reserved

for bus travelling in the same direction,

- Requires continuous and vigorous enforcement,

- They cut off access by commercial vehicles to curbside

properties (so restrict to peak hours only),

- Complicate drivers to take actions at intersections,

- Difficulties to the taxis as they are not allowed to stop for

passengers using bus lanes.

- Severe complications during congestion and peak hour periods,

non-priority vehicles use neighbouring streets and spread

congestions to these street which impact with-flow bus lanes

drastically


“Median” Bus lanes- Passengers cross lanes that have moving traffic, dangerous

and inconvenient,

- Need space of approx.3m and median pedestrian refuge 1.5m

- Requires separate median for both loading and unloading of

passenger , if both directions are allowed,

- Can increase traffic congestion, if aligned on busy streets, and

the journey times of non-priority vehicles increase,

- Disruption of normal traffic is minimal, if properly planned, they

act as queue jumping devices at bottlenecks and traffic signals,

- Unlike “with-flow” lanes which allow use of other vehicles during

non-peak periods, “median” bus lane is mostly used by bus and

thus questions are raised to justify the capacity of such lanes.


“Contra-flow” Bus lanes

+ Such lanes allow buses to travel in the opposite direction to that

of normal traffic, usually in an one-way street system,

+ Easier and automatically enforced,

+ Saves operating time and costs,

+ Allows buses to pick up and drop off passengers at point of

greatest convenience, thus, saving passengers walking time,

− May complicate junctions in one-way system,

− Traffic-conflicts are created, traffic control becomes mandatory,

− Signal progression is compromised in order to give reasonable

progression in the opposite direction,

− Problem of loading and unloading of delivery vehicles may be

difficult to solve and create more safety hazards.


Signal ProgressionThe green wave for one direction is achieved by

postponing the green time of the succeeding

intersection by exactly the arithmetic travel time from

one stop line to other stop line at the intersections as

shown in time-distance diagram


Parking restrictions,

Parking restrictions during peak

hours,

Bus stop relocation

Bewohnerparken

Bewohnerparken

15.00 - 9.00 Uhr

Zufahrtskontrollen

Stellplatzeinschrän-

kungssatzung

P

P P

P90%

70%

50%30%

Parkleitsystem

Dom/Römer

45 freie Plätze

Alte Oper

15 freie Plätze

Zeil

0 besetzt

weniger Parkstände

im Straßenraum

P P

P

P

PP

P PX X

X

Park + Ride

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