BUS RAPID TRANSIT ON URBAN FREEWAYS USING TRAFFIC SURVEILLANCE AND CONTROL

RUSH HOUR FREEWAY CONGESTION PREVENTS "EXPRESS BUSES" FROM EFFECTING MODAL DIVERSION. REGULATION OF ENTRANCE RAMP VOLUMES BY MEANS OF FREEWAY SURVEILLANCE AND CONTROL, THOUGH PROVEN SUCCESSFUL FOR GENERALLY IMPROVING FREEWAY FLOW, HAS NOT YET BEEN APPLIED TO FACILITATE BUS RAPID TRANSIT OPERATIONS. THE BUS-FREEWAY SYSTEM DESCRIBED HERE IS A RAPID TRANSIT SYSTEM IN WHICH THE BUSES WOULD OPERATE IN MIXED TRAFFIC ON A SUBURBAN FREEWAY UNDER THE STRICT SUPERVISION OF A TRAFFIC SURVEILLANCE AND CONTROL SYSTEM. THE CONTROL SYSTEM WOULD BE OPERATED TO PROVIDE THE MAIN- LINE SPEED DESIRED FOR BUS TRANSIT OPERATIONS. UNDER THE MOST HIGHLY CONTROLLED CONDITIONS, THE OPERATION WOULD BE A TRUE RAPID TRANSIT SYSTEM IN WHICH PRIVATE VEHICLES WOULD UTILIZE THE "UNUSED CAPACITY" BETWEEN THE TRANSIT VEHICLES. EXCLUSIVE RAMPS WOULD PROVIDE BUSES WITH AN UNDERLAYED FREEWAY ENTRY; AUTOMOBILES WOULD BE METERED ONTO THE FREEWAY BY RAMP CONTROL. THE METERING RATES WOULD BE REGULATED TO MAINTAIN THE VOLUME ON EACH FREEWAY SECTION AT OR BELOW THAT NECESSARY TO ACHIEVE THE DESIRED LEVEL-OF-SERVICE; AUTOMOBILES WOULD BE STOPPED AT THE ENTRANCE RAMPS AND ALLOWED TO ENTER THE FREEWAY ONLY WHEN THEIR PRECENCE WOULD NOT JEOPARDIZE THE DESIRED LEVEL-OF-SERVICE. ALTHOUGH AUTOMOBILES WOULD BE DELAYED ON THE ENTRANCE RAMPS, THE DELAY WOULD NOT EXCEED THAT EXPERIENCED WITH FREEWAY CONGESTION UNDER UNCONTROLLED CONDITIONS. BUSES WOULD HAVE A GREATLY REDUCED TERMINAL-TO-TERMINAL TRAVEL TIME, AND THIS IMPROVED LEVEL-OF-SERVICE FOR BUSES SHOULD GENERATE SUFFICIENT PATRONAGE TO EFFECT A SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE IN THE PASSENGER MOVEMENT CAPABILITY OF THE FREEWAY. THE FUNCTIONAL CONTROL REQUIREMENTS OF THE BUS-FREEWAY SYSTEM ARE TECHNICALLY FEASIBLE; HOWEVER, FOR THE SYSTEM TO IMPROVE BOTH THE LEVEL-OF-SERVICE AND THE PASSENGER MOVEMENT CAPABILITY OF THE FREEWAY, THERE MUST BE A MINIMUM PASSENGER DIVERSION FROM FREEWAY AUTOMOBILES TO BUSES. /UMTA/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • PROJ NO TRD-14
• Corporate Authors:

  Texas Transportation Institute

  Texas A&M University System, 1600 E Lamar Boulevard
  Arlington, TX  United States  76011
• Authors:
  • Stover, V G
  • Glennon, J C
• Publication Date: 1969-1

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Buses; Express buses; Freeways; Interchange ramps; Modal diversion; On ramps; Public transit; Ramp metering; Strategic planning; Traffic control; Traffic surveillance
• Old TRIS Terms: Freeway ramps
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Public Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00226488
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Urban Mass Transportation Administration
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Oct 23 1972 12:00AM