IMPROVING EXPRESS BUS TRAVEL TIMES IN PEAK HOURS BETWEEN DOWNTOWN WASHINGTON AND FRINGE PARKING SITES. VOLUME 2: TRAFFIC IMPROVEMENTS TO SPEED EXPRESS BUS OPERATIONS

THIS VOLUME PRESENTS A STUDY OF METHODS OF IMPROVING EXPRESS BUS SERVICE IN THE WASHINGTON METROPOLITAN AREA. THE STUDY IS PREPARATORY TO A PLANNED DEMONSTRATION OF A COORDINATED BUS LOOP SERVICE TRANSPORTING INNER-CITY INHABITANTS TO CENTERS OF EMPLOYMENT IN THE SUBURBS, WITH EXPRESS COMMUTING SERVICE FROM SUBURBAN SHOPPING CENTERS TO THE DOWNTOWN AREA, ON THE SAME VEHICLE. WAYS OF IMPROVING EXPRESS BUS TRAVEL TIMES BY MEANS OF TRAFFIC IMPROVEMENTS ON STREETS AND HIGHWAYS ARE EXPLORED. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT EXPRESS BUS TRAVEL TIME CAN BE REDUCED TO LEVELS ATTRACTIVE TO COMMUTERS BY GIVING THESE BUSES PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT ON CERTAIN PARTS OF THE HIGHWAY SYSTEM. THIS PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT INCLUDES SUCH THINGS AS PARKWAY ROUTES EXCLUSIVE USE OF SECTIONS OF PARKWAY NOW UNUSED, USE OF 'WRONG-SIDE' LANES AT PARTICULAR INTERSECTIONS, BUS DRIVER-ACTUATED TRAFFIC SIGNALS, AND SIGNAL PROGRESSION. THE TIME SAVINGS FROM THESE TECHNIQUES CAN BE AS HIGH AS 20 MINUTES OR 50% OF THE TOTAL TRIP TIME, FOR SOME ROUTES AND MAKE POSSIBLE THE USE OF THE SAME VEHICLES FOR 'REVERSE-COMMUTE' RUNS. SIX VEHICLES CAN MAKE EIGHT INBOUND AND EIGHT OUTBOUND TRIPS DURING THE PEAK HOUR, WITH SCHEDULES ATTRACTIVE TO PATRONS IN BOTH DIRECTIONS.

• Corporate Authors:

  SIMPSON & CURTIN

  PHILADELPHIA, PA  United States 
• Publication Date: 1969-1

Media Info

• Serial:
  • Clearinghouse Fed Sci & Tech Info
  • Publisher: National Association of Housing & Redeve

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Express buses; Parkways; Peak hour traffic; Productivity; Travel time; Work trips
• Uncontrolled Terms: Time savings
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00225529
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 92 pp
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Oct 21 1994 12:00AM