[sustran] Re: Busway Operation

[Alan Howes]

Very interesting indeed.

I may post more later when I have the time, but just for now - 

My interest in all this is mainly in relation to India (specifically Mumbai), where conditions are a mixture of South American and European.  You have the high loadings and economic constraints of SA, but a fair bit of public control and ownership of bus services.

When I say "open", I mean open to buses not captive to the system - not open to any bus operator who wishes to use it.

Alan


--
Alan Howes
Associate Transport Planner
Colin Buchanan 
4 St Colme Street
Edinburgh      EH3 6AA
Scotland
email:  alan.howes at cbuchanan.co.uk
tel:      (0)131 226 4693 (switchboard)
           (0)7952 464335  (mobile)
fax:     (0)131 220 0232
www: http:/www.cbuchanan.co.uk/


-----Original Message-----
From: sustran-discuss-bounces+alan.howes=cbuchanan.co.uk at list.jca.apc.org [mailto:sustran-discuss-bounces+alan.howes=cbuchanan.co.uk at list.jca.apc.org] On Behalf Of Gmenckhoff at worldbank.org
Sent: 13 September 2006 00:24
To: whook at itdp.org
Cc: Transit-Prof at yahoogroups.com; Global 'South' Sustainable Transport
Subject: [sustran] Re: Busway Operation

This has been an interesting exchange on busway operations, especially (to me) this morning's contribution on Ottawa.

   Perhaps it is worthwhile differentiating between the systems in North
   America, Europe and Australia on one side, and those in developing countries
   on the other.  With the latter, (a) passenger volumes are much higher, (b)
   financial resources are more constrained, and (c) bus services are often
   provided by private operators without strong Government control.  At this
   stage, most developing-country experience comes from Latin America.  Here are
   some observations from that Region regarding the "open" versus "closed"
   operations.  In some cases, these complement the points already made by
   Walter Hook.

   Experience with traditional "open" busways in Brazil, Bogotá (pre-2000) and
   Lima has demonstrated that it is difficult to control trunk-line operations
   under an open system, with bunching of vehicles occurring along the busway,
   which can severely reduce commercial speeds.  In the planning of most recent
   BRTs, it was thus concluded that the transfer time penalty incurred under the
   closed system would be more than offset by the higher commercial speed along
   the busways.  Even in Santiago and São Paulo?s passa-rápido system, which
   operate under an open system, most trunk line buses terminate at outlying
   terminals where passengers can transfer to local bus services (interestingly,
   São Paulo has central busway platforms, and therefore had to install doors on
   both sides of many buses; Santiago has all platforms on the right side).

   In the Latin American context, restricting access to a limited number of bus
   companies has been as much a technical as a political issue.  Without a
   deliberate control on the number of buses, busways will congest just like
   regular streets do when there are too many cars.  Bus bunching will
   drastically affect commercial speeds and operating efficiency.  GPS-aided
   operation would be impossible if bus access were not controlled.  There is
   little doubt that the high speeds and passenger volumes observed in Latin
   American BRTs (over 40,000 pphpd on a 2+2 lane busway in Bogotá, 14,000 -
   20,000 pphpd on 1+1 lane busways in Bogotá and elsewhere) could not have been
   reached with open systems.

   I agree with Walter that some open operation makes sense, especially with
   high-level platforms in the center of the busway, and normal operation in
   regular streets.  As he and Alan say, this requires buses with high-level
   doors on the left, and normal step-down doors on the right.  Such systems are
   now being implemented in two Colombian cities, Cartagena and Bucaramanga.  In
   both cases, some of the trunk-line buses will go beyond the busway to serve
   corridors with a relatively low passenger demand.

   As somebody said:  BRT is a flexible concept, not "one size fits all".

   Gerhard







                                                                                
             "Walter Hook"                                                      
             <whook at itdp.org>                                                   
             Sent by:                                                        To 
             sustran-discuss-bou         "'Global 'South' Sustainable           
             nces+gmenckhoff=wor         Transport'"                            
             ldbank.org at list.jca         <sustran-discuss at list.jca.apc.org>     
             .apc.org                                                        cc 
                                         Transit-Prof at yahoogroups.com, 'Peter   
                                         Lutman' <lutman at globalnet.co.uk>       
             09/11/2006 11:35 AM                                        Subject 
                                         [sustran] Re: Busway Operation         
                                                                                
              Please respond to                                                 
               Global 'South'                                                   
                 Sustainable                                                    
                  Transport                                                     
             <sustran-discuss at li                                                
               st.jca.apc.org>                                                  
                                                                                
                                                                                




Your interpretation is correct.

Of course, it depends...

Many of the capacity constraint issues do not become problems until you are trying to reach capacity levels that developed country cities will rarely need to reach.  Low floor buses tend to hold fewer passengers because the wheel wells occupy a lot of space inside the bus.  The buses also tend to be more expensive.  These issues are not so important in first world cities like Ottawa.  What is the capacity in Ottawa?

You can have pre-paid curb-side boarding stations like in Curitiba, and low platforms meeting low floor buses, but that means you need two stations instead of one for each station stop, which generally consumes more right of way or ends up with very narrow stations, and hence more difficulties in finding the right of way to put in a passing lane.  The lower platform height constitutes less of a barrier to illegal entry to the station.  It is only marginally more expensive to put doors on both sides of the bus, and the operational advantages of having the bus stop in the central median shared by both directions of traffic generally justify the additional bus expense, but of course there will be exceptions, like if the buses operate in mixed traffic only on one way streets, or conformity with ADA regs is an issue, etc.



-----Original Message-----
From: sustran-discuss-bounces+whook=itdp.org at list.jca.apc.org
[mailto:sustran-discuss-bounces+whook=itdp.org at list.jca.apc.org] On Behalf Of Alan Howes
Sent: Monday, September 11, 2006 10:59 AM
To: Global 'South' Sustainable Transport
Cc: Transit-Prof at yahoogroups.com; Peter Lutman
Subject: [sustran] Re: Busway Operation

Must have a look at that website, Walter -

But is your statement that "it requires a bus with doors on both sides of the bus" based on the premise that buses captive to the system will have high floors and platform-level loading on the off-side, while the "intruders" will have low-level boarding on the nearside?  This is one way of doing it, but not the only way.  All buses could have low floors and nearside boarding - the Ottawa Transitway is not closed, and AFAIK the buses have doors on one side only.  (Not sure it has any captive buses though, and you may not consider it BRT.)

In general, I see what you are driving at and agree - but one of the merits of BRT is that it is a flexible concept, not "one size fits all".
If you want max capacity then you need mega-buses that will have problems on ordinary roads - but if you are prepared to sacrifice some capacity then a mix of bus sizes is fine.

>From my [armchair] experience, I have concluded that the main 
>constraint
on capacity is actually the stations, particularly in a CBD or the like where large proportions of the pax on a bus are getting on or off.

Alan


--
Alan Howes
Associate Transport Planner
Colin Buchanan
4 St Colme Street
Edinburgh      EH3 6AA
Scotland
email:  alan.howes at cbuchanan.co.uk
tel:      (0)131 226 4693 (switchboard)
           (0)7952 464335  (mobile)
fax:     (0)131 220 0232
www: http:/www.cbuchanan.co.uk/


-----Original Message-----
From:
sustran-discuss-bounces+alan.howes=cbuchanan.co.uk at list.jca.apc.org
[mailto:sustran-discuss-bounces+alan.howes=cbuchanan.co.uk at list.jca.apc.
org] On Behalf Of Walter Hook
Sent: 11 September 2006 15:27
To: 'Global 'South' Sustainable Transport'
Subject: [sustran] Re: Busway Operation

Dear Jonathan,

It is quite possible to design a busway with buses entering and leaving the busway which has as high a capacity as a closed busway.  However, it requires a bus with doors on both sides of the bus, it requires still having off board ticket collection along the corridor, (which implies some duplication of ticketing systems) and platform level boarding.  It also requires that the streets where the normal buses operate can handle larger buses (if they are required).  The problem is that this requires replacing a very large bus fleet, which is very expensive.  By the way, no system like this has yet been designed, to my knowledge, but we are working on just such a system in Guangzhou.

However, it is important that the system is 'closed' in the sense that not any bus can use the system, only buses conforming to a required technical specification and under a specific management authority.  By this definition, this is still a 'closed' system, even if the routes involve some that operate both on trunk lines and some in mixed traffic.


If you need to see the details for calculating capacity, you can for now go to a non-linked part of the itdp web site, and check the to operations chapters, at www.itdp.org/brt_guide.html.  I hope to have the fully formatted new version up in a few weeks, but this will probably have the information you need.

Walter

-----Original Message-----
From: sustran-discuss-bounces+whook=itdp.org at list.jca.apc.org
[mailto:sustran-discuss-bounces+whook=itdp.org at list.jca.apc.org] On Behalf Of Jonathan E. D. Richmond
Sent: Sunday, September 10, 2006 3:32 AM
To: Sustran List
Subject: [sustran] Busway Operation


If anyone is an expert in busway implementation and operation and can help with the following question, could they please be in touch with me.
The specific question I am trying to answer is "What is the difference in capacity and operational viability and efficiency of an open as against a closed busway." On an open busway, buses may enter and leave at various points. With a closed busway, buses are isolated on the busway itself, and do not enter or leave for distribution at teh residential or city centre end. Thanks! --Jonathan!


-----
Jonathan Richmond
Transport Adviser to the Government of Mauritius Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Land Transport and Shipping Level 4 New Government Centre Port Louis Mauritius

1 (617) 395-4360 (for voicemail)

e-mail: richmond at alum.mit.edu
http://the-tech.mit.edu/~richmond/
--------------------------------------------------------




--------------------------------------------------------
IMPORTANT NOTE to everyone who gets sustran-discuss messages via YAHOOGROUPS. 

Please go to http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/listinfo/sustran-discuss to join the real sustran-discuss and get full membership rights. The yahoogroups version is only a mirror and 'members' there cannot post to the real sustran-discuss (even if the yahoogroups site makes it seem like you can). Apologies for the confusing arrangement.

================================================================
SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries (the 'Global South'). 

........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
DISCLAIMER

This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to which they are addressed. Unless you are the named addressee, or authorised to receive it for the addressee, you may not copy or use it, or disclose it to anyone else. If you have received this email in error please contact the sender by replying to this email.

Any views expressed by an individual within this email which do not constitute or record professional advice relating to the business of Colin Buchanan, do not necessarily reflect the views of the company. Any professional advice or opinion contained within this email is subject to our terms and conditions of business.

We have taken precautions to minimise the risk of transmitting software viruses. We do not accept liability for any loss or damage caused by software viruses.