2015 D-STOP Symposium session by Cap Metro's Todd Hemingson. Get symposium details: http://ctr.utexas.edu/research/d-stop/education/annual-symposium/

1. MetroRapid Transit Signal Priority—Using
Technology to Improve Service Quality
UT CTR Annual Symposium– March 2, 2015
Todd Hemingson, AICP
Capital Metro, VP Strategic Planning & Development
Austin, Texas
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2. MetroRapid
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MetroRapid Purpose:
• Provide high-quality, faster,
more frequent and reliable
transit mode for major travel
corridors
Benefits:
• Improved transit time,
reliability, convenience
• Improved transit visibility
• Attract new riders
• Increases efficiency of transit
service

3. MetroRapid To Date
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• More than 1,000,000
trips provided to date
• Almost 10,000 trips per
weekday
But…
• On-time performance
below target
• Travel times longer
than expected

4. MetroRapid and Transit Signal Priority
(TSP)
• During project design, Capital Metro sought to
include as many elements of Bus Rapid Transit as
possible, including TSP
• Coordination with City of Austin required for TSP
• Multiyear effort
– Citywide upgrade from optical system to centralized
system using GPS
– Interagency agreements to jointly fund
– Testing and deployment ahead of MetroRapid launch
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5. Where is TSP used in Austin?
• Along four major
transit corridors
where MetroRapid
service operates
– North Lamar
– South Congress
– Burnet Road
– South Lamar
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6. What is Transit Signal Priority?
• TSP is an operational strategy that facilitates
the movement of transit vehicles through
traffic-signal controlled intersections.
• Objectives of TSP include:
– improved schedule adherence
– improved transit travel time efficiency
– minimizing impacts to normal traffic operations
• It is NOT signal pre-emption!
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7. How Does TSP Work?
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8. TSP has Four Main Components
There is (1) a detection
system that lets the TSP
system know where the
vehicle requesting signal
priority is located.
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9. TSP has Four Main Components
The detection system
communicates with a (2)
priority request generator
that alerts the traffic
control system that the
vehicle would like to
receive priority.
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10. TSP has Four Main Components
There is software that
processes the request
and decides whether
and how to grant
priority based on the
programmed (3) priority
control strategies.
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11. TSP has Four Main Components
And there is software
that (4) manages the
system, collects data,
and generates reports.
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12. So How’s it Working?
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13. So How’s it Working…Really?
• The system is seeing from
2400-3000 vehicle “check-
ins” per weekday
• Under current operating
practices, that results in 275-
450 “green extensions” per
weekday
• Need much more in-depth
analysis!
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14. Where We’re Headed
• Analysis of data on TSP requests (by
route, signal location, individual vehicle,
average time by route, average by
direction, day of week/time of day)
• Analysis of data on TSP activations
(locations where granted, day/time, did
the bus make it through the
intersection?, why denied?, where in the
signal cycle did request occur?)
• Comparison of performance differences
between routes
• End-to-End Dashboard/Reporting
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15. Conclusions
• Successes
– First ever use of TSP in
Central Texas
– System installed, tested
and implemented on-time
and within budget
– System is working to
improve MetroRapid
• Challenges and
Opportunities
– Detailed analysis of
operations lacking
– Resource availability for
analysis and optimization
– Partnership with academic
institutions!?
– And, how to augment TSP
for improved operations?
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16. Thanks!
Todd Hemingson, AICP
Capital Metro, VP Strategic Planning & Development
Austin, Texas
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