BRT

BRT Primer

•Where we are
•Lessons learned
Sam Zimmerman
Sam Zimmerman
•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
Why are we still arguing
about what BRT is,
“gold standard”
or otherwise??
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
BRT System Elements
Vehicles
Running Ways
Stations & Terminals
Systems
Service Plan
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
•

Without all these basic attributes,
what you have can have lots of benefits
but we may need another name for it,
e.g., Select Bus, MetroRapidBus, BRT
Lite….. (No pejoratives, please)
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
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
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 within physical and operational
constraints, but plan simplicity is a virtue
•By-pass lanes around stations best, but variety
of ways to facilitate passing for skip stop and
express routes
Trunk Service(s)
Extend Beyond Transitway

Extended/Express
HOV Route II

Terminal

Extended/Express
HOV Route I

Terminal

Trunk Portion of Route
Off-Trunk, HOV Portion of Route

All three routes
1.Transitway-only local
2.Express routes

11
Service Planning Easier When
You Have 4-Lane Transitways
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, markings is important
communications device; Cannot overstate
value
V
i
v
a
BRT can be a Positive
Development Tool
• For U.S., thanks to National BRT Institute,
ITDP and others for making solid
information available on 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
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
Station

Station

Or
an
ge

Lin
e

Development
t

Orange Line
“Cleveland Plain Dealer”
Feb. 10, 2008

Cleveland

18
Possibility of Phased Development
is Big BRT Advantage
•May not have enough understanding, public
support or funds early on but in most
developing 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
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 Segment
Opened 2013

Thanks to
York Rapid Transit Corp.
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
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 electronic fare payment
• Deployment of ITS
• bus arrival time
• adaptive traffic signals at intersections

• Phase 2- BRT ‘extension’ to large suburban city
• Management reform
BRT LITE

Phase II
Phase 2 BRT Station Area
Phase II Transitway Construction
BRT Elements: Range of Recent
Applications
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
Among Other Issues, Too Many
Routes Leaving/Entering Busway
at Intersections: Extra Long
Cycle Lengths Result

Times of India
Which Route Do I Take??
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
Cambridge,UK

Transitways

With Guidance

Wikepedia

Rouen
Eugene

LV

James Gast
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
York-Toronto
York

LV

Cleveland
Vehicles:
Massive Changes Afoot
• Variety of sizes through 85 feet (30
meters)
• Profusion of ITS applications
• More and more hybrids, CNG
– Emissions, local and global
– Noise

• All-electric battery vehicles coming
North American BRT Vehicles

York

NABI, CNG

Nova/Volvo
Clean Diesel

LV
Cleveland

LA

Wright ,
Dsl-Elec. Hybrid
Las Vegas

New Flyer,
Guided, Dsl-Elec. Hybrid

36
State of the Art

Van Hool ExquiCity
Hybrid: ~25 meters

Hess-ABB
All Electric, Battery
Quick Charge

Charger

37
BRT Vehicle Interiors

Van Hool ExquiCity

Wright Streetcar
Guidance Options

• Optical, etc.
Iveco

• Mechanical
Guidance, Cleveland:
< $5,000/vehicle

40
State of the Practice; Opened, August 2013

Metronit
Haifa, Israel
Metronit
•40 Route Km.
•90 Vehicles (6 hybrids)
•77 stations,
143 platforms
•~$400m total
implementation cost
•$10m/Km
Stations
NMT
Vehicles

MAN/Merkavim
Running Ways

Metronit
Website
For General
Traffic

ITS Applications
For
BRT

BR

le
hic
e
TV

“Queue Jumper,”
Signal Priority
Pax. Info. In Multiple Languages for
Multi-Cultural Residents,
Tourists

Metronit
Website
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

• Technological advancements will overcome
many issues and constraints, e.g., increasing
capacity and safety, lower emissions, noise

Webinar: Some Observations on BRT in North America… and Elsewhere

  • 1.
    BRT BRT Primer •Where weare •Lessons learned Sam Zimmerman Sam Zimmerman
  • 2.
    •What is BRT?? •Lessonlearned –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 westill arguing about what BRT is, “gold standard” or otherwise??
  • 4.
    BRT: Bus RapidTransit •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 RunningWays 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 thesebasic attributes, what you have can have lots of benefits but we may need another name for it, 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 specialpurpose (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 tendencyto 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 within physical and operational constraints, but plan simplicity is a virtue •By-pass lanes around stations best, but variety of ways to facilitate passing for skip stop and express routes
  • 11.
    Trunk Service(s) Extend BeyondTransitway Extended/Express HOV Route II Terminal Extended/Express HOV Route I Terminal Trunk Portion of Route Off-Trunk, HOV Portion of Route All three routes 1.Transitway-only local 2.Express routes 11
  • 12.
    Service Planning EasierWhen 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, markings is important communications device; Cannot overstate value
  • 14.
  • 15.
    BRT can bea Positive Development Tool • For U.S., thanks to National BRT Institute, ITDP and others for making solid information available on 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 developerproposes 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.
  • 18.
    “Cleveland Plain Dealer” Feb.10, 2008 Cleveland 18
  • 19.
    Possibility of PhasedDevelopment is Big BRT Advantage •May not have enough understanding, public support or funds early on but in most developing 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 Ontario Viva “Quick Start” BRTLite Opened in Sept. 2005 •65 Km, queue jumpers,etc. •+20% PT ridership in corridors •High passenger satisfaction •Beginning development effects First Full-Featured BRT 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 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.
  • 25.
    Phase 2 BRTStation Area
  • 26.
    Phase II TransitwayConstruction
  • 27.
    BRT Elements: Rangeof 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
  • 29.
    Among Other Issues,Too Many Routes Leaving/Entering Busway at Intersections: Extra Long Cycle Lengths Result Times of India
  • 30.
  • 31.
    BRT Running Ways •Moreand 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.
  • 33.
    Stops, Stations andTerminals • 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.
  • 35.
    Vehicles: Massive Changes Afoot •Variety of sizes through 85 feet (30 meters) • Profusion of ITS applications • More and more hybrids, CNG – Emissions, local and global – Noise • All-electric battery vehicles coming
  • 36.
    North American BRTVehicles York NABI, CNG Nova/Volvo Clean Diesel LV Cleveland LA Wright , Dsl-Elec. Hybrid Las Vegas New Flyer, Guided, Dsl-Elec. Hybrid 36
  • 37.
    State of theArt Van Hool ExquiCity Hybrid: ~25 meters Hess-ABB All Electric, Battery Quick Charge Charger 37
  • 38.
    BRT Vehicle Interiors VanHool ExquiCity Wright Streetcar
  • 39.
    Guidance Options • Optical,etc. Iveco • Mechanical
  • 40.
  • 41.
    State of thePractice; Opened, August 2013 Metronit Haifa, Israel
  • 42.
    Metronit •40 Route Km. •90Vehicles (6 hybrids) •77 stations, 143 platforms •~$400m total implementation cost •$10m/Km
  • 43.
  • 44.
  • 45.
  • 46.
  • 47.
  • 48.
    Pax. Info. InMultiple 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 • Technological advancements will overcome many issues and constraints, e.g., increasing capacity and safety, lower emissions, noise