Linking Planning and Operations for BRT: A Microscopic Traffic Simulation Study for the Chicago Loop

Traffic congestion has become a threat to many U.S. cities, including the City of Chicago. As a promising alternative, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) may improve level-of-service (LOS) of the bus network; however, the real challenge addressed in this paper is how to evaluate the impacts of such policies on different stakeholders (i.e., auto-drivers and bus-riders) prior to implementation. This study relies on the preparation of a microscopic traffic simulation model for the Chicago Loop area, aided by the utilization of a geographic information system (GIS) traffic network, traffic counts, traffic signals and the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) bus service data. This study proposes three sets of indicators for the evaluation of the proposed schemes: 1) bus travel speed, 2) automobile travel speed, and 3) bus travel time and reliability. These performance indicators will serve to compare the current base case to the proposed bus improvement scenarios. Based on the evaluation of three scenarios, this study provides recommendations on how to improve bus LOS in the Chicago Loop area.

• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Jiang, Shan
  • Murga, Mikel
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 89th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2010-1-10 to 2010-1-14
• Date: 2010

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: DVD
• Features: Figures; Maps; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 17p
• Monograph Title: TRB 89th Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers DVD

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bus rapid transit; Bus transit operations; Bus transportation; Geographic information systems; Level of service; Public transit; Traffic counts; Traffic simulation; Traffic speed
• Geographic Terms: Chicago (Illinois)
• Subject Areas: Operations and Traffic Management; Public Transportation; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01154297
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 10-1441
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Apr 14 2010 7:14AM