Transit | Bus Lanes

Bicycle facilities are measured by Levels of Traffic Stress (LTS) ranging from 1 to 4.

• LTS 1- Low traffic stress
  Suitable for all cyclists, including children
• LTS 2- Little traffic stress
  Traffic stress is still considered low but requires more attention, especially children.
• LTS 3- Moderate traffic stress
  Suitable for confident bicyclists.
• LTS 4- High traffic stress
  High traffic area. Suitable for confident bicyclists.

Costs are highly variable, depending on service frequency, vehicle size and infrastructure.

• Operating Costs: Typically $100 to $150 per revenue hour. This covers drivers, fuel, maintenance and administration. A comprehensive network can represent a significant recurring annual budget for a municipality or transit agency.
• Capital Costs:
  • Buses: Standard 40-foot diesel bus: ~$550,000; Electric bus: ~$750,000 to $1.2 million.
  • Basic Infrastructure: Bus stops with signage: $5,000 - $15,000; Shelters with benches: $15,000 to $50,000+ each.
  • Enhanced Infrastructure: BRT-lite improvements (signal priority, queue jumps): $1M - $5M/mile; Full BRT: $5 million to $50 million+ per mile (as previously detailed).

Moderate to High Positive Impact.

• Direct Reduction: Each bus trip can replace multiple private vehicle trips, directly reducing VMT. The impact is greatest on high-frequency routes that are a competitive alternative to driving.
• Network Effect: A comprehensive, reliable network encourages households to reduce car ownership ("ridership effect"), leading to greater VMT reductions.
• Foundation for Car-Lite Living: When integrated with safe walking and biking infrastructure, bus transit enables residents to meet daily needs without a car.

Transit Speed & Reliability Improvements
These strategies focus on reducing travel time and making the bus schedule more predictable, which is critical for attracting "choice" riders who have other options. Speed and reliability are often more important than just a low fare.

• Dedicated Bus Lanes: Physically separating buses from general traffic is the single most effective way to improve speed and reliability.
  • Types: Can be curb-running or center-running (often preferred as it avoids conflicts with turning vehicles and parking). They can be full-time or peak-hour only.
  • Implementation: Requires strong political will and public communication but delivers dramatic benefits.
• Transit Signal Priority (TSP): A technology that allows buses to communicate with traffic signals.
  • How it works: As a bus approaches an intersection, the system can either extend the green light or slightly shorten the red light to help the bus pass through without stopping.
  • Benefits: A low-to-moderate cost intervention that can shave significant time off a route without major disruption to general traffic flow.
• Queue Jumps: A short stretch of dedicated lane, combined with a TSP request, just before a traffic signal. This allows a bus to bypass stopped traffic, get to the front of the queue, and get a green light ahead of other vehicles. Very effective at specific bottleneck intersections.
• All-Door Boarding: Allows passengers to board using any door of the bus.
  • Requirement: Needs a proof-of-payment system (where riders validate a ticket or tap a card before boarding, rather than paying the driver).
  • Impact: Dramatically reduces "dwell time" (time spent at stops), which is a major source of delay, especially on busy routes.
• Bus Bulbs (or Boarding Islands): A sidewalk extension that allows the bus to stop in the travel lane instead of pulling over to the curb.
  • Benefits: Eliminates the delay of merging back into traffic. It also improves pedestrian safety by shortening the crossing distance and provides more space for passenger amenities.
• Consolidated Stops: Spacing bus stops further apart (e.g., every 1/4 mile instead of every 500 feet) reduces the number of times a bus must slow down, stop, and accelerate. This must be done carefully to maintain walkable access.

These strategies focus on improving the overall passenger experience, making the system safer, more comfortable, more understandable, and more accessible. This encourages ridership and improves equity.

• High-Quality Passenger Shelters and Amenities: Basic shelters protect riders from the elements, but high-quality amenities signal that the service is valued.
  • Components: Enclosed shelters with seating, real-time arrival signs ("Next Bus" displays), lighting for safety, trash receptacles, and route maps.
  • Impact: Improves perceived wait time and makes the experience more pleasant, especially for occasional riders.
• Real-Time Passenger Information (RTPI): Providing accurate, real-time bus arrival predictions.
  • Channels: Mobile apps, website widgets, and signs at bus stops.
  • Impact: Reduces the stress and perceived wait time for riders, giving them a sense of control and making the system easier to use.
• Level Boarding: Ensuring the bus floor is at the same height as the station platform or curb.
  • Benefits: Drastically speeds up boarding for all passengers, especially those with mobility aids, parents with strollers, and travelers with luggage. A key feature of BRT and a major accessibility improvement.
• Off-Board Fare Payment: As mentioned, allowing payment at the station or via a mobile app before boarding.
  • Systems: Can range from simple validators at stops to full station-style ticketing. Fare capping (where the system stops charging a rider after they hit a daily or weekly fare maximum) is a modern, equitable feature that works well with this.
• Universal Design & Accessibility: Ensuring the entire system is usable by people of all abilities.
  • Elements: ADA-compliant pads and sidewalks, audible announcements on buses, clear wayfinding signage, and wheelchair securement areas.
• Network Redesigns: Periodically evaluating and modernizing the entire route structure to match current travel patterns.
  • Goal: Shift from a coverage-oriented model (serving every street) to a frequency-oriented model (creating a simple-to-understand network of high-frequency routes on core corridors). This often creates a more effective and efficient system.