This document discusses various aspects of transit route planning, including route location, stop location, and scheduling. Some key points covered include: 1. Route location involves decisions about overall network configuration and spacing of routes, with the goal of maximizing access within 0.4 km of passengers. 2. Stop spacing balances walking distances and bus travel time. There should be 3-4 stops per mile with no more than 7-8. 3. Scheduling aims for uniform headways to make the system easier for passengers to use. Headways vary based on demand and operating costs.

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Transit operations
Route planning: it is a dynamic process that involves constant
reexamination of the detail of
1. route location
2. stop location
3. route schedules
Changes to bus service are made at
1. periodic interval
2. Or at irregular intervals to face public pressure or construction of new
traffic generation sources that demand regular bus service or changes
in transportation systems.
Route location: it is the process involves the decisions about the overall
configuration of the transit network, including
1. Spacing of the route
2. Detail location.
Configuration of transit systems are classified as
 Radial-concentric
 Grid
 Multi-centered
 A combination of these systems is inevitable.
Route spacing is based on the maximum walking distance for passengers

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A common standard is that no passenger walk more than 0.4 km which lead
to a spacing of about 0.8 km for route buses. But, in reality this standard is
constrained by the road network.
Detailed route location: the location is selected by considering
Areas with high concentration of possible transit users: The location
should be selected to provide the closest possible to known concentration of
transit users. The bus-stops are located as close as possible to large user
concentrations.
Large user concentrations include
 Apartment buildings
 Areas with high percentages of elderly or poor resident,
 Schools
 Stadiums
 Major employment areas
The suitability of streets involved for bus traffic: Streets needs to be
evaluated in-term of
1. Geometric conditions
2. Structural characteristics
3. Traffic conditions
Geometric conditions: These conditions include
 Horizontal curve radii:: it is recommended that buses remain in single
lane at all times; at intersection, the main consideration is the edge
radii which should be sufficient to accommodate buses.
 Grades: maximum allowable grade depends on the type of bus being
used; it is always recommended to avoid steep slopes

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 Street width: the width particularly at curves should be sufficient to
accommodate turning vehicles (widening is necessary that takes into
consideration the size of the most frequent bus in the neighborhood.
 Intersection geometry: Turning radius and lane width should be
suitable for buses
Structural characteristics concerns adequacy of the pavements and the
limit imposed for bridges and other structures. Pavements in urban areas
may not be adequate for buss traffic, particularly at bus-stop (bus remain at
the same point for a period) since they have not be designed for such a
purpose. Normally, Portland cement concrete pads are provided at bus-stops
Traffic and traffic- control related issues:
 Traffic congestion
 Adverse traffic conditions: include prohibited turns, restricted bus-
stop location, lack of protected traffic signal for some movements,
one-way streets (passengers recognition of route is lower)
 Provision of bus preference measures: they are intended to give buses
an advantages in congested traffic
 Special lanes: They are provided by dedicating the curb-lane for
an extended distances (parking is prohibited during peak
periods). They also provided so as to get the bus around the
queue at signals; they are common on freeways, exclusive street,
 Signal override, when busses are equipped with special device
that enable the buses to block the green at traffic light signals)
Concentration of transfers: the route should be selected so as to concentrate
transfers where possible, so as to reduce the total number of transfer.

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Stop location:
Detailed route planning includes the determination of the exact of all stops.
Issues involved in stop location includes
1. Approximate spacing of stops on the route.
2. Exact location of each stop
3. Size of each stop
Stop spacing is a trade off between walking distances for passengers and the
increase in bus travel time (hence operating costs) that occurs each time the
bus is stopped.
Stop times consist of
 Clearance time: the time spent in decelerating and accelerating the
vehicle and in opening and closing the door.
 Dwell time: The time spent loading and unloading passengers, which
depends on:
1. number of passenger boarding
2. number of passenger get off
Positioning time increase more or less linearly with the number of stops
actually made (buses are sometimes do not stop at all stop station since there
no passengers boarding or getting-off). However, the number of actual stops
made does tend to increase with the number of designated stop locations,
which increase the travel time.
Rules of thumb on route for actual route planning states that
1. There should be no more than 7 or 8 stop per mile (4 to 5 km)
2. The minimum number of stops per mile is 3 to 4 (2 per km)

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Location of bus-stop: Several factors are considered
 The relationship of the stop to intersection in the vicinity; three
possibilities exist
I. near side stops
II. Far side stops
III. Mid-block stops only used if major mid-block traffic
generators exist
Stop locations.
There is no large difference on bus operation between the
nearside or farside location. However, the advantage of
neaside is that it provide the possibility for other traffic to
use the location to turn right if no buses are presented.
 Provision of access to user concentrations
 Safety, particularly in the absence of safe pedestrian crossing for
passengers when then get-off.
 Convenience for transferring passengers
 Handicapped person accessibility

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Sizing of bus stop: v
Two issues are involved
 The size of single berth, which depends on the size of equipment
being used
 The number of berths required, which depends on
I. the number of buses being served
II. The time they remain stopped
III. The extent to which the stop is accessible to the buses
The overall capacity of single berth according to HCM is
DCgt
RCg
C
c
v



)/(
3600)/(
Cv= Berth capacity
G/C= ratio of green time to total time for traffic signals
R= Reductive factor to compensate for dwell and arrival variations
Tc=clearance time
D=Dwell time
 R depends on the probability of being queuing, which could varies as
follows
R-value queuing probability
0.4 0.01
0.667 0.1
0.83 0.3
(The capacity condition of the berth
 Clearance time is 9 to 20 seconds

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 Dwell time depends on the number of doors and fare collection
procedure
 Unloading takes 1.5 to 2.5 second per passenger but under
unfavorable conditions it can reaches to 6 seconds per passenger.
 Boarding through signal door rakes 1.5 to 2.5 second passenger if
fares are prepaid and it can take 2 to 3.00 if the passenger single coin
are used (token). Exact fare system involved change may take 3
second.
 Multiple door reduce the time but not to very large extent.
 In the case of multiple berths, the efficiency tends to decline.
 If two buses can pass each other at the berths the capacity of the
second berth will be 85% of the first berth, while the third is 75% of
the first. If overtaking is not allowed, then the capacity will decline to
75% and 50% of the first berth for the second and the third berth
respectively.
Route schedules
 Route schedules or timetables give the times that successive buses
pass point called time points.
 Route schedules are most commonly constructed by maintaining
approximately uniform headways among successive vehicles during
periods of time known as schedule blocks.
 The aim of providing uniform headway is that it is easier for
passengers to remember that irregular timetable.

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 Schedule blocks include morning, evening peaks, midday service,
night or late night service. Separate schedules are operated in week-
ends and holidays.
Headway
Headway is the time between successive vehicles as they pass a point on a
lane or a roadway.
They are influenced by the demand for service, shortest headways are
provided during busiest periods.
 At high demand route, service provided is the capacity headway,
which is the headway that vehicles are just filled at the maximum load
point on the route. It is based on the average load factor (ratio of
passengers to seats) at the maximum load point. This represents the
maximum limit of crowding.
 Al light traveled route and off-peak times, bus operator provide policy
headways (the maximum head that intended to provide the minimum
level of services, expressed in terms of service frequency)
 The third possibility is provide headways that minimize the sum of
operating costs and the value of time spent by passengers waiting for
the service.