FACTORS TO CONSIDER IN DESIGNING A JOINT BUS-LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT MALL

Cities are turning more and more to bus and LRT transit mall solutions primarily because the costs of building a transit mall for servicing downtown areas are between $15 and $30 million per mile (1981 dollars) whereas building a subway would cost between $60 and $120 million per mile in a CBD environment. Ongoing energy, maintenance, and security costs are also much less with a transit mall than with a subway station alternative, and pedestrian access is much quicker and easier, particularly for elderly and handicapped persons. This paper identifies and describes key design factors considered in the development of a joint bus-light rail transit mall for the downtown area in San Jose, California. Other light rail mall designs researched for this paper include recent projects in San Diego, Buffalo, Calgary, Denver, Portland, and Sacramento. Secondary design considerations are also addressed, as are detailed design elements. A unique design solution was developed for the downtown San Jose transit mall to maximize its potential benefits. This solution utilizes a wide median island from which transit passengers can board either buses or light rail vehicles while maintaining separate lanes for each mode and maintaining auto access to all properties. The two one-way bus-LRT transit malls have thus been designed to interface effectively with three major modes of transportation: light rail transit, buses, and automobiles.

• Record URL:
  • http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/sr/sr195/sr195-038.pdf
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/0360859X
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper appeared in Transportation Research Board Special Report No. 195, Light Rail Transit: Planning, Design, and Implementation. Papers presented at the Conference on Light Rail Transit, March 28-30, 1982, San Diego, California, sponsored by Urban Mass Transportation Administration. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Minister, R David
  • Clarke, D J
• Conference:
  • Conference on Light-Rail Transit
  • Location: San Francisco California, United States
  • Date: 1982-3-28 to 1982-3-30
• Publication Date: 1982

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 156-161
• Monograph Title: LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT: PLANNING, DESIGN, AND IMPLEMENTATION
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Board Special Report
  • Issue Number: 195
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0360-859X

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Design; Innovation; Interfaces; Intermodal transfer; Joint use; Light rail transit; Shopping centers; Transfers
• Uncontrolled Terms: Design criteria
• Geographic Terms: San Jose (California)
• Old TRIS Terms: Concepts; Joint facilities
• Subject Areas: Construction; Design; Finance; Freight Transportation; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00371635
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Apr 29 1983 12:00AM