2013 Session: 712

• Bus Operator Perceptions of Safety Risks
  Abstract: This paper presents the results of a survey of TriMet bus operators addressing safety risks in their work. Surveyed risk factors were organized into five categories: vehicle design and condition; route layout; operating conditions; fatigue; and stress. Operators perceived fatigue and stress to be the greatest sources of safety risk, with split shifts, schedule pressures, passenger distractions, and negligence of other roadway users being the primary contributors to these conditions. Operators were also surveyed on the frequency and nature of “close calls,” with two-thirds of the operators indicating that such incidents occurred at least weekly and most often involved being cut off by other roadway users. Operators endorsed high visibility enforcement initiatives to improve safety, focusing primarily on negligent behavior. Other operator-recommended changes addressed scheduling practices and the need for more public information and outreach on safety risks.
  Authors: Strathman, James; Callas, Steve; Kwon, Sung Moon
  Authors: Strathman, James; Callas, Steve; Kwon, Sung Moon
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 712
  Paper Number: 13-0564
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Improve Rail Station Access Via Feeder Bus Network Optimization And Mode Shifts
  Abstract: In this study, an improved Feeder Bus Network Development Problem (FBNDP) model is presented. The proposed solution approach consists of three main components: Initial Solution Generation Procedure (ISGP), Network Features Determination Procedure (NFDP), and Solution Search Procedure (SSP). Tabu Search (TS) is used as a metaheuristic method in SSP to search a superior solution according to a given feasible solution. The inputs of the new FBNDP model are street network, demands from origins to the suburban rail station, and related parameters. The outputs are a feeder bus network system and service frequencies for each route. The complexities considered in this study include the consideration of various alternative modes, costs, more effective and efficient frequency determination methods, a multiple feeder bus route development process, and stop determination during the optimization procedure.
  Authors: Huang, Zhaodong; Liu, Rongfang
  Authors: Huang, Zhaodong; Liu, Rongfang
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 712
  Paper Number: 13-2328
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Transit Assignment Model Incorporating Dwell Time
  Abstract: The transit assignment problem with consideration of bus dwell time is analyzed in this paper. The links in a transit network can be classified into four types: on-board links, alighting links, boarding links and dummy links reflecting the bus dwelling behavior at the bus stations. Accordingly, the travel time functions on these links can be analyzed. This paper first proposes a new equation for the bus dwell time at each bus station, which is the maximum value between the passengers¡¯ boarding time and alighting time. Then, a dynamic programming based approach is used to describe the equilibrium passenger flow in the transit network. A gap function is subsequently proposed to formulate the equilibrium passenger flow, which is convenient to be solved by the Revised Optimal Strategy Algorithm and the Method of Successive Average. Finally, two numerical examples are adopted to validate the proposed methodology, where the bus dwell time function is calibrated using real survey data.
  Authors: Sun, LeiLei; Meng, Qiang; Liu, Zhiyuan
  Authors: Sun, LeiLei; Meng, Qiang; Liu, Zhiyuan
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 712
  Paper Number: 13-2485
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• A Model for the Optimal Location of Bus Stops and its Application to a Public Transport Corridor in Santiago
  Abstract: The location and number of bus stops are key to the operational efficiency of the services that use them, affecting commercial speed, reliability, and passenger access times. In defining the number of stops, a tradeoff arises between reduced access time, which widens a route’s coverage area, and both the operational speed of the route and users’ in-vehicle travel time.The objective of this paper is to present the development of a model for optimally locating stops, and applying it to a public transport corridor in the city of Santiago, Chile. The proposed model employs a continuous and multiperiod approximation of corridor demand, allowing for the determination of the density of stops which minimizes the sum of operator costs and total costs to passengers. The model simultaneously solves for the optimal stop density and the headway between successive buses.The proposed model was applied to the Grecia Avenue corridor (in Santiago, Chile). Finally, the actual stop locations were compared with the optimal locations suggested by the model, and many similarities were found.
  Authors: Medina-Tapia, Marcos; Giesen, Ricardo; Munoz, Juan
  Authors: Medina-Tapia, Marcos; Giesen, Ricardo; Munoz, Juan
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 712
  Paper Number: 13-3186
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Bus Operator Perceptions of Safety Risks
  Authors: Strathman, James
  Authors: Strathman, James
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 712
  Paper Number: 13-0564
• Improve Rail Station Access Via Feeder Bus Network Optimization And Mode Shifts
  Authors: Liu, Rongfang
  Authors: Liu, Rongfang
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 712
  Paper Number: 13-2328
• Transit Assignment Model Incorporating Dwell Time
  Authors: Meng, Qiang
  Authors: Meng, Qiang
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 712
  Paper Number: 13-2485
• A Model for the Optimal Location of Bus Stops and its Application to a Public Transport Corridor in Santiago
  Authors: Giesen, Ricardo
  Authors: Giesen, Ricardo
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 712
  Paper Number: 13-3186