Example of Rapid Bus Transit

[emu steve]

Starts Sunday in suburban D.C. [[Arlington/Alexandria) connecting Crystal City and the Braddock subway station.

I was there today and saw the dedicated lane in the middle of the highway surrounded by a median.

To me, this is an excellent bus route which connects passengers to either of several subway stops.

"“A lot of people will be looking to this project as a test concept to find out what lessons they can learn from it,” said Eric Randall, a senior transportation engineer at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. “This is the first BRT in the region. It offers us an opportunity to apply some concepts for the first time — things like off-board fare collection, a design of bus stops with higher platforms and custom design shelters, a new branding and frequency of buses.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/...ve_1.0_strip_3

Here is an older article with maps, etc.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/...584_story.html

[professorscott]

Starts Sunday in suburban D.C. [[Arlington/Alexandria) connecting Crystal City and the Braddock subway station.

I was there today and saw the dedicated lane in the middle of the highway surrounded by a median.

To me, this is an excellent bus route which connects passengers to either of several subway stops.

"“A lot of people will be looking to this project as a test concept to find out what lessons they can learn from it,” said Eric Randall, a senior transportation engineer at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. “This is the first BRT in the region. It offers us an opportunity to apply some concepts for the first time — things like off-board fare collection, a design of bus stops with higher platforms and custom design shelters, a new branding and frequency of buses.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/...ve_1.0_strip_3

Here is an older article with maps, etc.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/...584_story.html

Darn, Steve, if I had known you were there I'd have come over and introduced myself! There were at least 3 Detroit-connected people at the event: you, me, and Tim Roseboom, late of DDOT. It was especially interesting to see how this is being built in two phases rather than all at once - something we may want to consider for longer Detroit projects, now that the RTA apparently actually has a CEO who's agreed to come on board.

[Hypestyles]

hopefully it will be very successful.

[royce]

The biggest problem that I have with a set-up where the bus or light rail vehicle rides in the median of the road is: "How do cars make left turns?"

[emu steve]

The biggest problem that I have with a set-up where the bus or light rail vehicle rides in the median of the road is: "How do cars make left turns?"

With care.

There is also a bus 'symbol' [[lighted) indicating the lane which is for the buses. As there were no buses running, I did not pay attention how the signals were marked and if the signals will 'protect' the bus from a left turning vehicle. I guess that is why we have engineers.

I would hope [[and I didn't check the traffic signals carefully) but there must be a 'protected' left turn for vehicles when they can turn, no bus passing through, and, of course, the other bound vehicles need to be stopped.

A careless automobile driver better not think he is a bus and try to enter that lane.

We also have HOT lanes on our beltway and there was a fatality [[think last month) when someone started to enter the HOT lanes and got confused, stopped and got rear ended badly.

[emu steve]

Professor Scott: I was just driving through, checking it out.

I was actually at Potomac Yards stimulating the Northern Virginia economy and checked out the BRT.

I guess I missed two big events yesterday - the other being Bao Bao's 1st B-Day at the National Zoo. [[most of it was essentially reserved for 'FONZ' - Friends of the National Zoo).

NoVa should be proud. In the last month, our subway system was extended with a new line and now our BRT.

There is [[small) one nearly complete in D.C. and another [[contentious) street car line being debated for Alexandria/Arlington.

Mass transit is part of our culture and one would be hard pressed to find an elected leader who isn't a big fan of mass transit. And we are picky, we want it to be high quality.

[nain rouge]

Oh God, that area is already a nightmare. Between having a subway, bus routes, massive roads, and now a BRT, coupled with an increase in pedestrian amenities, it's just an overload of transportation. If I lived in Crystal City, the second I stepped out the door, I'd be running to the subway as fast as possible. You're only safe from the urban planners underground.

Crystal City, for all its modern engineering, sucks when compared to neighborhoods of similar densities in older cities like NYC, Chicago, and San Francisco.

[ghettopalmetto]

22 stops in 3.3 miles. Can someone explain where the "rapid" comes into play?

[Hermod]

22 stops in 3.3 miles. Can someone explain where the "rapid" comes into play?

Well, "more rapid" in off board ticketing, dedicated lane with no being held up by double parkers, no trying to wedge back into traffic after a stop, and possible traffic signal preemption.

[ghettopalmetto]

Well, "more rapid" in off board ticketing, dedicated lane with no being held up by double parkers, no trying to wedge back into traffic after a stop, and possible traffic signal preemption.

Metro already has a smart card fare payment system, which the rider taps on the farebox upon boarding. It's not universally required [[to my knowledge), but they encourage its use by making the cash fare much higher.

Even with a dedicated lane, there's no way in hell this is "rapid" transit--especially not when there is TRUE rapid transit running parallel to this bus route.

Yes, it's an improvement in service. But these kinds of semantic tricks are what the cheap, lazy, bus proponents want you to believe.

[Patrick]

I live right there pretty much by Braddock Metro...saw several tv crews at the corner of Hume and Jefferson Davis. It was interesting to see the Metro buses swing over on a red light from normal traffic into the dedicated lanes in the center/median. Not sure how much this will help because they are adding a metro station to Potomac Yards in a few years, or so they say.

[emu steve]

I live right there pretty much by Braddock Metro...saw several tv crews at the corner of Hume and Jefferson Davis. It was interesting to see the Metro buses swing over on a red light from normal traffic into the dedicated lanes in the center/median. Not sure how much this will help because they are adding a metro station to Potomac Yards in a few years, or so they say.

few points:

1). My guess is that it could take say five years to put up the subway station. The site hasn't even been selected yet. I think there are many issues because of federal issues.

2). IF the Potomac Yards subway station was built would this BRT been built? Maybe not?

[professorscott]

Commenting on a couple items:

1. Cars turning left - at the streets which go through the BRT line [[which isn't very many), each such intersection is signalized and includes a phase for cars turning left from route 1 onto the cross street.

2. Number of stations: Once you leave, say, Braddock Road, there are only 10 stops to Crystal City. Twenty-two is counting both endpoints, and counting each intermediate station twice [[since there are separate shelters on each side of the busway). Ten stops in 3.3 miles is typical BRT, on the slightly-heavy side. Average would be eight.

3. Potomac Yard Metro Station and this project have been under consideration together for a very long time. They serve different purposes and don't conflict. What the BRT does is provide a better connection from the neighborhoods and shopping center along route 1 to both existing Metro stations.

Hey, and those of you who don't like it: don't ride it! More seats for the rest of us.

[ghettopalmetto]

2. Number of stations: Once you leave, say, Braddock Road, there are only 10 stops to Crystal City. Twenty-two is counting both endpoints, and counting each intermediate station twice [[since there are separate shelters on each side of the busway). Ten stops in 3.3 miles is typical BRT, on the slightly-heavy side. Average would be eight.

Well, let's not jump the gun just yet. There aren't that many bus rapid transit routes in the United States. In fact, there are exactly *none* that match the operating speeds of a light rail line. The sample size is very, very small. So it's a stretch to use terms like "typical".

The existing subway line takes 7 minutes to go from Braddock Road Station to Crystal City. This bus route will eat a good 10 minutes just making the scheduled stops, and not including any travel time. So I'd go pretty easy with the term "rapid transit" at this point. WMATA's published schedule has the Metroway bus taking 19 minutes to travel between Braddock Road and Crystal City Stations--a whopping 10.4 miles per hour operating speed! So again, where's the "rapid transit" component?

By comparison, the DDOT 53 bus on Woodward Avenue has an operating speed of 14.3 miles per hour--nearly 40% faster than this "rapid transit" hoo-hah.

Detroiters deserve to know what their elected leaders and transportation professionals are selling them. So why do you hide this information, professorscott?

[Wesley Mouch]

Well, let's not jump the gun just yet. There aren't that many bus rapid transit routes in the United States. In fact, there are exactly *none* that match the operating speeds of a light rail line. The sample size is very, very small. So it's a stretch to use terms like "typical".

The existing subway line takes 7 minutes to go from Braddock Road Station to Crystal City. This bus route will eat a good 10 minutes just making the scheduled stops, and not including any travel time. So I'd go pretty easy with the term "rapid transit" at this point. WMATA's published schedule has the Metroway bus taking 19 minutes to travel between Braddock Road and Crystal City Stations--a whopping 10.4 miles per hour operating speed! So again, where's the "rapid transit" component?

By comparison, the DDOT 53 bus on Woodward Avenue has an operating speed of 14.3 miles per hour--nearly 40% faster than this "rapid transit" hoo-hah.

Detroiters deserve to know what their elected leaders and transportation professionals are selling them. So why do you hide this information, professorscott?

Is it possible the 53 beats the DC BRT because Woodward runs through a ghost town with very little traffic? Its also very helpful that Woodward is a pretty wide street north of GBlvd, and an absurdly wide street closer to downtown.

Its OK to hate BRT. But unrealistic to bend the facts to speed your dream of a wonderous world of subways under your feet.

I'll take something just a bit better now please. Leave perfection for the future.

[Patrick]

Well, let's not jump the gun just yet. There aren't that many bus rapid transit routes in the United States. In fact, there are exactly *none* that match the operating speeds of a light rail line. The sample size is very, very small. So it's a stretch to use terms like "typical".

The existing subway line takes 7 minutes to go from Braddock Road Station to Crystal City. This bus route will eat a good 10 minutes just making the scheduled stops, and not including any travel time. So I'd go pretty easy with the term "rapid transit" at this point. WMATA's published schedule has the Metroway bus taking 19 minutes to travel between Braddock Road and Crystal City Stations--a whopping 10.4 miles per hour operating speed! So again, where's the "rapid transit" component?

By comparison, the DDOT 53 bus on Woodward Avenue has an operating speed of 14.3 miles per hour--nearly 40% faster than this "rapid transit" hoo-hah.

Detroiters deserve to know what their elected leaders and transportation professionals are selling them. So why do you hide this information, professorscott?

Depends on the day. I ride it daily from Braddock to Rosslyn and lately, the timing has been all over the place. I think it has a lot to do with the addition of the Silver line and working out all its kinks. The longest stretch between any of the stops from Braddock to say, Foggy Bottom is between Braddock and DCA. I can't see a lot of people using bus down Jefferson Davis, accept maybe to use the shopping center at Potomoc Yards. Keep an eye out for developments on Columbia Pike wit that whole streetcar plan.

[emu steve]

Commenting on a couple items:

1. Cars turning left - at the streets which go through the BRT line [[which isn't very many), each such intersection is signalized and includes a phase for cars turning left from route 1 onto the cross street.

2. Number of stations: Once you leave, say, Braddock Road, there are only 10 stops to Crystal City. Twenty-two is counting both endpoints, and counting each intermediate station twice [[since there are separate shelters on each side of the busway). Ten stops in 3.3 miles is typical BRT, on the slightly-heavy side. Average would be eight.

3. Potomac Yard Metro Station and this project have been under consideration together for a very long time. They serve different purposes and don't conflict. What the BRT does is provide a better connection from the neighborhoods and shopping center along route 1 to both existing Metro stations.

Hey, and those of you who don't like it: don't ride it! More seats for the rest of us.

I really like point #3.

The goal for many riders in that corridor is to get from their homes to a Metro subway station using the BRT. [[cars won't work - there isn't parking at those Metro stations).

So someone going to D.C. and living say 1 mile north of the Braddock station, might take BRT SOUTH for a mile and go to Braddock Metro station.

I assume that area is pure gridlock during week day rush hours. The 'it took me 20 minutes to go two miles bit."

Lot of the buses in the D.C. area are designed to feed into the subway stops.

[DetroitPlanner]

Grand Rapids should be opening the one along Division this week.
http://fox17online.com/2014/08/25/si...-grand-rapids/

It is a BRT 'light' system.

[emu steve]

If I've done this right, I have an attachment which show the BRT in Alexandria, Va.

It shows the median lane, the traffic signals for vehicles and for the bus as well as a bus shelter and a number of apartments going up [[on the left side of the street).

The left side of the street is part of a very large area full of apartment, condo and town house development. [[pricey stuff). [[this is a very low resolution image. The gray units do not have their facade, brick, done yet).

[emu steve]

This is a closer shot of the traffic signals.

I could see some confusion as to right of way for the bus in the median lane and the other traffic.

I guess a green arrow mean okay for regular traffic to make a left turn.

If the bus has the right to proceed its light should be green and the arrow [[for other vehicles) should be red.

I assume we could have a 'green light' for the bus and green lights for cars [[but a red left turn signal).

[professorscott]

This is a closer shot of the traffic signals.

I could see some confusion as to right of way for the bus in the median lane and the other traffic.

I guess a green arrow mean okay for regular traffic to make a left turn.

If the bus has the right to proceed its light should be green and the arrow [[for other vehicles) should be red.

I assume we could have a 'green light' for the bus and green lights for cars [[but a red left turn signal).

The red/green signals are only for the vehicles in the automobile lanes. The bus signal is the lower one on the post, and it's always white. Horizontal white line means stop for the bus lanes, vertical white line means go, and white triangle appears to be the equivalent of a yellow light.

The police, for several days, have been enforcing the prohibition against regular traffic in the bus lanes.

[Detroitnerd]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXDAIBvI48w