2013 Subject Index: Public Transportation

• Comparative Analysis of Factors Affecting Transit Bus Crashes and General Traffic Crashes
  Abstract: This paper evaluates different roadway cross-sectional elements and traffic characteristics to crashes involving transit buses and general traffic crashes. The contributing level of each of the elements is compared between the two crash scenarios. One of the elements included in the study is the impact of bus trips per day which haven’t been covered by many previous studies. Zero Inflation Negative Binomial (ZINB) and the standard Negative Binomial (NB) models. The ZINB method was applied to the transit bus crashes analysis due to the presence of many roadway segments with zero crash experiences. As expected, the model results presented a positive coefficient for the number of bus trips which meant that the higher the number of trips per day, the more crashes for that specific roadway segment. Other positive coefficient variables in the bus crashes model include the presence of raised medians, presence of two way left turn lanes (TWLTL), and high posted speed limits. Negative coefficient variables were found to be number of lanes, median width, lane width and shoulder width and the presence of curb and gutter. While most of the variable coefficient signs in ZINB were the same as those in standard NB, their magnitudes and significances varied across these two models. Study findings present safety factors to consider when assigning transit bus routes and scheduling on top of other general traffic safety measures.
  Authors: McCummings, Kiara; Chimba, Deo
  Authors: McCummings, Kiara; Chimba, Deo
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 612
  Paper Number: 13-0109
• High Load Transit Line Passenger Transmission and Productiveness Efficiencies
  Abstract: Performance of urban transit systems may be quantified and assessed using transit capacity and productive capacity in planning, design and operational management activities. Bunker (4) defines important productive performance measures of an individual transit service and transit line, which are extended in this paper to quantify efficiency and operating fashion of transit services and lines. Comparison of a hypothetical bus line’s operation during a morning peak hour and daytime hour demonstrates the usefulness of productiveness efficiency and passenger transmission efficiency, passenger churn and average proportion line length traveled to the operator in understanding their services’ and lines’ productive performance, operating characteristics, and quality of service. Productiveness efficiency can flag potential pass-up activity under high load conditions, as well as ineffective resource deployment. Proportion line length traveled can directly measure operating fashion. These measures can be used to compare between lines/routes and, within a given line, various operating scenarios and time horizons to target improvements. The next research stage is investigating within-line variation using smart card passenger data and field observation of pass-ups. Insights will be used to further develop practical guidance to operators.
  Authors: Bunker, Jonathan Michael
  Authors: Bunker, Jonathan Michael
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 422
  Paper Number: 13-0035
• Artificial Neural Network Travel Time Prediction Model for Buses Using Only GPS Data
  Abstract: The provision of real-time and accurate travel time information of transit vehicles is valuable as it allows passengers to plan their trips to minimize waiting times. The objective of this research is to develop a dynamic artificial neural network (ANN) model that can provide accurate prediction of bus travel time to give real-time information at a given downstream bus stop using global positioning system (GPS) data. The developed ANN model is trained offline and yet used to provide real-time travel time information. To achieve this, care has been given in selecting unique set of input-output combination for the prediction purpose yet maintaining the reproducibility of the model. The results obtained from case study are promising and the model can be used to implement an Advanced Public Transport System. The implementation of this system will improve the consistency of the public transport system, thus attracting more travelers to transit vehicles and helping relieve congestion. The performance of the proposed ANN model was compared with a historical average model under two criteria: prediction accuracy and robustness. It was shown that the ANN outperformed the average approach in both aspects. In conclusion, it is possible to provide bus travel time information reasonably using arrival and departure time information at stops even in the absence of traffic-stream data.
  Authors: Gurmu, Zegeye Kebede; Fan, Wei
  Authors: Gurmu, Zegeye Kebede; Fan, Wei
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 612
  Paper Number: 13-0200
• Computation of Bus Delay at Stops in Beijing Through Statistical Analysis
  Abstract: Delays at bus stops have seriously affected the efficiency of bus operation and the improvement of level of services of public transportation and greatly influenced the probability of choosing bus services for passengers. In this paper, analysis on arriving, dwell and leaving process of buses, the method for calculating bus delays at stops are proposed according to survey data from three bus routes in Beijing. Statistical analysis is also adopted respectively to evaluate average times that buses are docking at curbside and bay-style stops. Moreover, different load factors of passengers in buses have significantly influenced the average boarding and alighting time per person. The effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed methods is illustrated through case studies. This study is crucial and helpful for the engineers and operators to evaluate the efficiency and level of service of urban public transportation.
  Authors: Chen, Shaokuan; Zhou, Rui; Zhou, Yangfan; Mao, Baohua
  Authors: Chen, Shaokuan; Zhou, Rui; Zhou, Yangfan; Mao, Baohua
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 612
  Paper Number: 13-0245
• Managing Dynamic Vehicle Allocation for Carsharing Systems: Stochastic Programming Approach
  Abstract: Carsharing offers innovative mobility solutions and has been gaining in popularity around the world as an environmentally sustainable, socially responsible and economically feasible mode of transport. It allows members to gain the benefits of private vehicle use without the costs and responsibilities of ownership and provides individuals access to a fleet of shared-use vehicles in a network of locations on a short term as-needed basis. This paper seeks to develop a stochastic optimization framework to address the dynamic vehicle allocation problem for carsharing systems, in which the service operator needs to manage and determine the optimal vehicle allocation in both time and space in order to maximize profits. A multistage stochastic linear programming model with recourse, which can account for system uncertainties such as carsharing demand variation, is formulated and solved. Numerical results are discussed and computational insights are presented based upon a seven-stage experimental network pilot study.
  Authors: Fan, Wei; Xu, Yongneng
  Authors: Fan, Wei; Xu, Yongneng
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 818
  Paper Number: 13-0324
• Optimal Bus Scheduling with Dynamic Stochastic Demand: Simulation Framework and Analysis of Results
  Abstract: The paper presents a computer simulation approach into optimum bus scheduling under stochastic dynamic network environment. The primary objective is minimization of total passenger waiting time because headway variability at each bus station is really cumbersome; greatly precluding the passengers’ usage of bus transit and reducing transit operators’ service efficiency. The mean transit demand (Poisson distributed) and travel time (Normally distributed) between neighboring bus stops are taken as given. An example route showing an application of the proposed model is given. A comparison between waiting times under different network scenarios has been made using the example route. The results obtained from the analysis are promising. The method can be implemented as a substitute to real time control strategies as they are relatively expensive. In addition, it will enable transit users to plan their trip in advance so that misleading travel information is reduced.
  Authors: Fan, Wei; Gurmu, Zegeye Kebede; Liu, Yingshun
  Authors: Fan, Wei; Gurmu, Zegeye Kebede; Liu, Yingshun
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 612
  Paper Number: 13-0325
• Measuring Bus Stop Dwell Time and Time Lost Serving Stop Using London Bus iBus Automated Vehicle Location Data
  Abstract: There is a sizeable amount of research in the literature on the dwell time of buses at bus stops. However there is no agreement in the literature as to the exact definition of what bus stop "dwell time" is. The two common definitions of dwell time are the time the bus is stationary at the bus stop, or the time the doors are open at the bus stop. However these common measures of dwell time fail to take account of the time lost by the bus decelerating and accelerating from a stationary speed to serve the stop.This paper firstly identifies 8 features that are observed when a bus serves a bus stop. It uses these features to propose an exact definition of dwell time. This metric can be used to assess the performance of various ticketing strategies. It then proposes a new metric called "time lost serving stop" which gives the time that would have been saved had the bus stop not been present in the road network. These metrics are then calculated for all bus stops on the route 45 in London using over 50,000 bus stop visit events. It is shown that the time lost arriving (i.e. decelerating) and departing (i.e. accelerating) from the bus stop is typically 11.6 seconds. This is often far more than the time lost with the doors open at the bus stop. It is also shown that buses can lose significant time serving a bus stop even if the doors were never opened.The methods proposed in this paper can be used to allow transit agencies to measure the actual drive time of buses, removing the component of time lost serving the bus stop. This method can also be used to identify bus stops that might need to be re-designed to reduce the time lost arriving and departing from the bus stop.
  Authors: Robinson, Stephen
  Authors: Robinson, Stephen
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 612
  Paper Number: 13-0342
• Influence of Light-Rail Transit on Transit Uses: Exploration of Station Area Residents Along Hiawatha Line in Minneapolis, Minnesota
  Abstract: New rail transit lines replace busy bus corridors. When implying the ridership bonus of a new rail line, previous studies often choose the city/county/region as controls for rail station areas, as opposed to a comparable corridor without rail, and hence tend to overstate its impact. Using the Hiawatha line as a case, this study explores the impacts of light rail transit (LRT) on transit uses. We find that the LRT promotes transit uses of residents who have moved to the corridor before its opening, but it has a limited ability to attract heavy transit users and does not generate significant ridership benefits from residents who moved to the corridor after its opening.
  Authors: Cao, Xinyu; Schoner, Jessica E.
  Authors: Cao, Xinyu; Schoner, Jessica E.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Public Transportation
  Session: 794
  Paper Number: 13-0277
• Assessment of “Last Mile” Shuttle Corridors and Users in New Jersey
  Abstract: “Last Mile” shuttles provide access between transit stations and employment sites. This paper provides an assessment of such shuttles in New Jersey by focusing on services funded by diverse entities. The assessment is made regarding the characteristics of the shuttle corridors, the shuttle users, the employers of the shuttle users, and the work sites. The research involved corridor-level analysis with census block group data and analyses of survey data from shuttle users. The study showed that the “Last Mile” shuttles predominantly serve low-income and carless workers who work for large companies located in highly suburban areas that are not conducive to mass transit. Many of the companies that hire the shuttle users are in the blue-collar sectors such as manufacturing and warehousing. The study shows that the shuttle users are highly dependent on the shuttles despite spending disproportionately longer time commuting than average workers in New Jersey. The research indicates that because of the nature of the employers served and the mismatch between the characteristics of the shuttle users and the areas served by shuttles, there will be a constant need for shuttles, but the services cannot be expected to be self-reliant by raising enough farebox revenue.
  Authors: Deka, Devajyoti; DiPetrillo, Stephanie
  Authors: Deka, Devajyoti; DiPetrillo, Stephanie
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 722
  Paper Number: 13-0421
• Optimizing Dynamic Ride-Sharing Systems
  Abstract: Internet-enabled technologies are becoming more and more used, so that users are constantly connected to the network in every place and daily activity, and can use transportation related features, such as mobile payment systems and GPS connections, or receive real-time information on public transport timetable, traffic congestion, and so on, being then able to plan their mobility at the best.In this framework, in effect, among the innovative mobility systems implemented and developed using these technologies, the new real-time capabilities of dynamic ride-sharing, which is an extended version of the traditional ride-sharing, can play a key role if the relevant performances are improved. In other words, although ride-sharing is not a new idea, recent technological advances should increase its popularity.In this paper, a ride-sharing system is proposed whose dynamic behavior consists of two levels: the first, disaggregate level takes into account the positions and speeds of all the drivers’ vehicles, as well as the dynamics of the traffic flows in which such vehicles “move”; the second level only considers the interactions of drivers/riders with the system manager, and the interactions between drivers and riders. Then, with the aim of optimizing the performances of the above introduced RS system only the second kind of dynamics is considered, designing a pick-up and delivery optimization model able to allocate an empty seat in a vehicle to a rider through an optimal matching problem is proposed also providing, at a time, the expected performances of the system for each user.In particular, the optimization problem finds the best match and path in the considered transportation network that minimize the difference between the desired departure and arrival times, also providing, by means of suitably defined auxiliary variables, the generalized costs of each trip.The paper is organized as follows. First the ride-sharing model is introduced. Then, after the statement of the optimal matching problem and the discussion on its solution and integration with modal choice models, a simulation model is described. Finally, a real-world based case study is presented and discussed.
  Authors: Di Febbraro, Angela; Gattorna, Enrico; Sacco, Nicola
  Authors: Di Febbraro, Angela; Gattorna, Enrico; Sacco, Nicola
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 452
  Paper Number: 13-0450
• Bus Arrival Headway Reliability: Case Study in Hefei, China
  Abstract: Reliability of transit, as a key measurement in transit operation, is important since it affects the mode choice behavior of both current and prospective riders to a great extent, which imposes direct impacts to transit ridership. Therefore capturing this measurement accurately is a key requirement to successfully evaluate whether the transit system is properly operated. However the traditional method of evaluating reliability based on statistical analysis of bus arrival headway has several shortcomings. Specifically the value of reliability using traditional coefficient of variation (CV) is not between 0 and 1, which makes it difficult to explain, and the value of reliability can decrease with the increase of the transit headway. The traditional method also ignores the fact that buses can arrive at stops as a bunch which means the transit service is not reliable. This means the traditional method cannot represent the real operation condition of transit system. But all these shortcomings can be avoided by using the advanced method presented in this paper. Also this study establishes an evaluation framework to assess the reliability of the transit system from different stratification, including stops, routes and network levels. Then the bus operation data of Hefei City is analyzed as a case study. Comparison is conducted to show the improvement made by using the advanced method. Based on the new evaluation measurements, an example of adding exclusive bus lanes to existing bus route was provided to show how well these advanced method can be used to assess the transit operation and benefit the decision making process.
  Authors: Chen, Qian; Wang, Xin; Li, Wenquan; Deng, Weiping
  Authors: Chen, Qian; Wang, Xin; Li, Wenquan; Deng, Weiping
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 422
  Paper Number: 13-0698
• Using Cooperative Vehicle Infrastructure System to Improve Bus Schedule Adherence: Predictive Control Strategy and Its Hardware-in-the-Loop Field Tests
  Abstract: The ability of buses to adhere to their advertised schedule is vital to the bus operations. In this paper, an adaptive control strategy is proposed to dynamically adjust bus speed and traffic signal timings along the path of a running bus to improve its schedule adherence. The strategy relies on real-time location and speed information of buses provided by CVIS (cooperative vehicle infrastructure system) and uses key time nodes calculated by back-stepping of planned arrival times to dynamically update signal timing plans to keep the bus running on time. A HIL (hardware-in-the-loop) field test was conducted to evaluate the developed strategy and the results are encouraging.
  Authors: Yin, Wei; TENG, Jing; Yang, Xiaoguang; Zhang, H. Michael
  Authors: Yin, Wei; TENG, Jing; Yang, Xiaoguang; Zhang, H. Michael
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 612
  Paper Number: 13-0648
• Environmental Justice Analysis of Minority and Low-Income PopulationsAdjacent to Goods Movement Corridors in Southern California
  Abstract: Southern California is the largest international trade gateway in the U.S., and the region also generates enormous local and domestic goods movement activity. Given the expected growth in international trade and domestic goods movement in the future, significant growth in truck volumes and rail traffic are anticipated in the region to facilitate reliable goods movement and to support economic growth. As goods movement is a major contributor to local and regional environmental issues, such as air pollution and health risk, it is a regional priority not only to mitigate the environmental impacts of the goods movement system, but also to ensure that there is equity in distribution of environmental benefits and burdens from federally funded goods movement programs and projects pursuant to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Therefore, in order to prevent disproportionately high and adverse environmental effects and health risks on minority and low-income populations from the goods movement system, the Southern California Association of Governments conducted Environmental Justice analyses for the goods movement system included in the Regional Transportation Plan. The objective of this paper is to identify minority and low-income populations, to analyze their spatial distributions along major truck corridors and freight rail corridors, and to address the Environmental Justice implications of the goods movement system in Southern California.
  Authors: Seo, Jung; Wen, Frank; Choi, Simon; Minjares, Javier
  Authors: Seo, Jung; Wen, Frank; Choi, Simon; Minjares, Javier
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Environment; Passenger Transportation; Policy; Public Transportation
  Session: 642
  Paper Number: 13-0701
• An Analytical Approach to Measuring Impacts of Transit Priority
  Abstract: This paper measures the operational performance of a series of transit priority initiatives using an empirical analysis of Automatic Vehicle Monitoring (AVM) data on trams in Melbourne, Australia. Very little previous research has modelled factors influencing the performance of priority schemes and none has explored the relative performance of space (or lane) based measures compared to time (or traffic signal) measures.Simple before-after comparison of space and time priority measures identified reduced run time (by 1.6% and 0.5% respectively) and run time variability (by 10.2% and 1.9% respectively). The larger operational impact of space based measures might be as expected given that space based priority measures studied covered 61% of average route section lengths, while time based measures covered on average 25% of all junctions on each route section studied. More sophisticated regression models explained 85.4% of run time and 54.6% of run time variability. Variables found to be significant were route length, scheduled run time, space based priority, weekday, time based priority, direction of travel and rainfall. When the relative scale of the priority measures was taken into account, results suggest space allocation priority measure results in a 28.3% reduction in run time whereas each unit time priority measure yields a 22.5% decrease in run time. Results also suggest space based priority will reduce run time variability by 40.9% and time priority, by 20.5%.This paper discusses finding implications and explores ideas for further advances in analytical approaches to priority impact measurement.
  Authors: Currie, Graham; Goh, Kelvin; Sarvi, Majid
  Authors: Currie, Graham; Goh, Kelvin; Sarvi, Majid
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Administration and Management; Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 536
  Paper Number: 13-1001
• Exploring the Impact of Crowding and Stop Design on Streetcar Dwell Time
  Abstract: Streetcars are undergoing a renaissance but developers need to plan for efficient stop dwell times to ensure good running time and reliability performance. Research has established that tram stop configuration is a critical factor affecting streetcar dwell times with platform stops having good performance. However research also shows that crowding can act to cause dwell time problems. A major gap in knowledge is that no research has examined crowding and stop design impacts on dwell times.This paper presents the first empirical study to explore the impact of both crowding and tram stop design on streetcar dwell time. A comprehensive dwell time study was undertaken covering busier stops to explore the influence of influence. Two multiple regressions were undertaken to measure the influence of passenger volume, vehicle and stop crowding, tram entrance steps and tram stop design on passenger flow times. Results demonstrate that crowding significantly deteriorates the dwell time benefits which platform stops provide compared to curbside stops. A critical threshold of 14 passenger movements (boardings + alightings) was established, below which platform stop design was preferred and above which curbside stops had better performance. On-vehicle crowding in particular was found to be a significant variable affecting dwell times followed by stop crowding. Crowding effects are more important than the presence of entrance steps in influencing dwell time.The paper discusses the factors influencing these outcomes and suggests areas for future research in this area.
  Authors: Currie, Graham; Delbosc, Alexa; Gelfand, Samantha; Sarvi, Majid
  Authors: Currie, Graham; Delbosc, Alexa; Gelfand, Samantha; Sarvi, Majid
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Public Transportation
  Session: 328
  Paper Number: 13-1008
• Forecasting Mobile Ticketing Utilization for Commuter Rail
  Abstract: Several commuter rail systems are beginning to accept mobile payments, in which tickets are purchased and validated on smartphones. Mobile payments may improve the rider experience while reducing costs and simplifying the fare collection process for rail operators. Before investing in this new ticketing technology, rail operators want to understand rider demand for mobile tickets. To assess the potential adoption of mobile payments, stated preference data from an onboard survey on two MBTA Commuter Rail lines (Worcester and Newburyport/Rockport) in the greater Boston area were analyzed. Binary logit was then used to forecast adoption on all commuter rail lines. Based on this model, 26% of Commuter Rail riders in Boston are very likely to adopt mobile ticketing.
  Authors: Brakewood, Candace; Rojas, Francisca; Robin, Joshua K; Sion, Jake; Jordan, Samuel; Block-Schachter, David
  Authors: Brakewood, Candace; Rojas, Francisca; Robin, Joshua K; Sion, Jake; Jordan, Samuel; Block-Schachter, David
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Policy; Public Transportation
  Session: 421
  Paper Number: 13-1244
• Understanding Effects of Systemwide Transit Network Restructuring in a Decentralized U.S. Metropolitan Area on Transit Agency Ridership and Performance: Case Study of StarMetro in Tallahassee, Florida
  Abstract: On July 11th, 2011, StarMetro, the transit agency in Tallahassee, Florida, restructured its entire bus network from a downtown-focused radial system to a decentralized, grid-like system. Transit managers restructured the network to a decentralized grid with several crosstown routes and multiple transfer points scattered throughout the community. They believed this new network design would better align service to the pattern of local development, which is increasingly decentralized and suburban. They believed that doing so would increase transit’s attractiveness to potential riders, which would result in increased ridership and improved service productivity. We use a combination of system-level, route-level, and stop-level data to describe the transit system before and after this major service change and to thus determine whether the network restructuring achieved these objectives. We find that system-level ridership has not increased in proportion to the increase in service deployed as part of the service change, although new ridership has appeared in previously un-served suburban markets. Service productivity has thus declined on a system-level basis, although it is strong in some transit corridors. New riders have emerged in some of the newly served areas, but many of these new areas are served by routes with lower-than-average service productivity. Our analysis suggests that infrequent service (especially longer than originally-planned headways) has affected restructuring’s ability to achieve its stated ridership and productivity objectives. The experience in Tallahassee provides lessons for other small-sized metropolitan areas that are considering the use of major service changes to increase ridership and maintain or enhance productivity.
  Authors: Jaroszynski, Michal A.; Brown, Jeffrey R.; Batuhan, Tuna; Bhattacharya, Torsha
  Authors: Jaroszynski, Michal A.; Brown, Jeffrey R.; Batuhan, Tuna; Bhattacharya, Torsha
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Administration and Management; Public Transportation
  Session: 352
  Paper Number: 13-1170
• A Comparative Analysis of Personal Rapid Transit as an Urban Transportation Mode
  Abstract: Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) is a modern form of transportation that moves people directly from origin to destination. PRT commonly consists of 4 person driverless pods that travel on grade-separate right-of-way at speeds of around 25 mph. Planned PRT systems, with the exception of a system under construction in Amritsar, India, are relatively simple systems that consist of only a few stations on a short route. This paper examines the potential of PRT as a substitute for traditional medium or large-scale urban transit such as bus rapid transit (BRT), light rail (LRT) and modern streetcars. The proposed Purple Line light rail project in the Maryland suburbs of Washington DC is modeled as a PRT system using the BeamEd 1.3.2 simulation tool, although the Purple Line route and station locations are not optimized for PRT. PRT, BRT, and LRT versions of the Purple Line are compared with respect to costs, environmental effects, and system performance. Multiple sensitivity analyses are performed to assess how certain simulation inputs affect PRT system performance. The comparisons between the three alternative modes of the Purple Line favor PRT in terms of total travel times and capital costs, and indicate that PRT could be a viable option as a transportation mode in other urban environments. Risk in implementing a new technology on a grand scale is the largest obstacle hindering wider PRT implementation.
  Authors: Juster, Reuben Morris; Schonfeld, Paul
  Authors: Juster, Reuben Morris; Schonfeld, Paul
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 722
  Paper Number: 13-1186
• Dynamic System Optimal Routing In Multimodal Transit Network
  Abstract: The system optimal routing problem has been widely studied for road network while it is less considered for public transit system. Traditional shortest-path-based multimodal itinerary guidance systems may deteriorate the system performance when the assigned lines become congested. For this issue, we formulate the dynamic system optimal routing model for multimodal transit system. The transit system is represented by a multilevel graph to explicitly simulate passenger flow and transit system operations. A solution algorithm based on the cross entropy method is proposed, and its performance is compared with the method of successive averages in static and dynamic cases. Numerical study on a simple multimodal transit network provides the basis for comparing the system optimal routing and user optimal routing under different congestion levels.
  Authors: Ma, Tai-Yu; Lebacque, Jean-Patrick
  Authors: Ma, Tai-Yu; Lebacque, Jean-Patrick
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 279
  Paper Number: 13-1247
• Investigating The Road Safety Impacts of Bus Rapid Transit Priority Measures
  Abstract: The provision of bus priority is often a major consideration in on-street Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) design. However, previous research is limited and suggests mixed outcomes.This paper explores the road safety impacts of bus priority treatments through an empirical analysis of accident data on BRT routes in Melbourne, Australia was carried out. This includes an aggregate crash frequency analysis accounting for statistical effects and a disaggregate analysis using a safety audit and review of accident types.Overall bus priority treatments reduce accidents with a statistically significant reduction of 14.0%. Importantly the number of fatal and serious incidents dropped considerably (42 to 29 p.a.). The disaggregate safety audit showed reductions in ‘intolerable’ risks but some concerns in the ‘after’ case for interaction of buses and traffic at bus lane setbacks and increasing pedestrian road crossing distances due to bus lanes. However disaggregate analysis of accident type suggests that bus lanes act as a ‘roadside buffer’ reducing collisions with roadside objects and other vehicles. Removing stopping buses from traffic and into a bus lane was also shown to reduce accidents while bus lanes are thought to increase sight distances at un-signalised intersections acting to reduce side vehicle accidents. Some treatments are also thought to increase traffic density acting to slow traffic creating safety benefits.While these findings are statistically robust they are also quite new and exciting because they suggest an entirely new perspective on planning for and justifying bus priority measures is warranted.
  Authors: Goh, Kelvin; Currie, Graham; Sarvi, Majid; Logan, David
  Authors: Goh, Kelvin; Currie, Graham; Sarvi, Majid; Logan, David
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 612
  Paper Number: 13-1129
• Effects of Fare Payment Types and Crowding on Dwell Time: Fine-Grained Analysis
  Abstract: Dwell time, the time a transit vehicle spends stopped to serve passengers, contributes to the total reliability of transit service in several respects. Dwell time can be affected by many factors, such as passenger activity, bus crowding, fare collection method, driver experience, time of day, and others. The types of impacts crowding can have on dwell time is debatable, due to its interaction with passenger activity and its inaccurate calculation. Different payment methods also, debatably, impact dwell time. These debates can be linked to the absence of appropriate data that can actually capture the real impacts of these variables. This research attempts to determine the influence of crowding and fare payment on dwell time, through manual data collection. The study is conducted along three heavily used bus routes in the TransLink transit system of Vancouver, BC. Multiple regression models are performed using a traditional model and a new expanded model with the additional details that manually collected data provides. The traditional model overestimated dwell times due to lack of detail in fare payment and crowding. While the expanded model shows that crowding positively affects dwell time after reaching approximately 60% of bus capacity. The different fare payment methods had various positive impacts on dwell time, with different magnitudes. This research can help public transit planners and operators in developing better guidelines for fare payment methods as well as policies associated with crowding.
  Authors: Fletcher, J. Grant; El-Geneidy, Ahmed M.
  Authors: Fletcher, J. Grant; El-Geneidy, Ahmed M.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Policy; Public Transportation
  Session: 822
  Paper Number: 13-1102
• An Overview of Shared Bicycle/Bus Lanes in the United States
  Abstract: As urban areas continue to grow in population and traffic congestion increases, more cities are looking for ways to improve multimodal mobility within constrained right-of-way. Where there are at least two through lanes for general traffic in each direction, one option is to designate the outside lanes for shared use by bicycles and buses only. A study was conducted for the Florida Department of Transportation to identify where shared bicycle/bus lanes are presently operating in U.S. cities, describe their design and operational characteristics, identify the benefits and barriers to implementing such facilities, and develop recommendations to consider their use on the Florida State Highway System. The review found that few states and municipalities have design standards for shared bicycle/bus lanes, and that primary issues for design and operation include lane width, operating speed, passing procedures, conflict with right-turning vehicles, and enforcement.
  Authors: Hendricks, Sara Jane; Hillsman, Edward; Koos, Mary Anne; Fiebe, JoAnne
  Authors: Hendricks, Sara Jane; Hillsman, Edward; Koos, Mary Anne; Fiebe, JoAnne
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Planning and Forecasting; Policy; Public Transportation
  Session: 347
  Paper Number: 13-1217
• Unbanked Transit Riders and Open Payment Fare Collection
  Abstract: Several transit agencies are considering accepting contactless credit and debit cards directly at turnstiles and bus fareboxes. By using the expertise and scale economies of the payments industry, agencies may reduce fare collection costs and improve regional interoperability and ease of use. One issue with bankcard-based fare collection systems is how to serve transit riders who do not have or do not want to use contactless bankcards. Based on Chicago data, we estimate discrete choice models of the likelihood of transit users to have credit and debit cards or to use alternative financial services such as currency exchanges. A significant fraction of transit riders in Chicago do not have credit or debit cards, and they come from groups with lower incomes, lower levels of education, and minority ethnicities. To meet the needs of this unbanked group of transit users, agencies may accept cash fares, agency-issued cards, or payment industry-issued prepaid cards that can be loaded with cash at retail locations or in rail stations. These options serve unbanked riders to varying degrees and with different costs to the agency.
  Authors: Brakewood, Candace; Kocur, George
  Authors: Brakewood, Candace; Kocur, George
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Policy; Public Transportation
  Session: 822
  Paper Number: 13-1248
• Applying Structured Scheduling to Increase Performance in Rural Demand-Response Transportation
  Abstract: Many rural demand response transportation systems have increased ridership to a level that the systems feel they need technology or increased scheduling and vehicle capacity. Instead of adding resources, capacity can be expanded and performance can be increased by applying a scheduling structure. The scheduling structure proposed in this research applies directly to systems that share specific geographic characteristics. For these areas, trips are assigned to runs based on time and location, which results in increased performance and vehicle utilization. The structure enables trips to be scheduled during the booking process using simple and easy to understand rules that allow the customer to select the appropriate route.This research explains how to establish structured rural demand response transportation service and enumerates its benefits through a case study consisting of actual service data. The case study shows a reduction in service miles by 27% due to implementation of structured scheduling.
  Authors: Monast, Karl Crawford; Worthy, Joshua
  Authors: Monast, Karl Crawford; Worthy, Joshua
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Public Transportation
  Session: 797
  Paper Number: 13-1272
• Modeling Gender-Based Differences in Mode Choice Considering Time-Use Pattern: Analysis of Bicycle, Public Transit, and Car Use in Suzhou, China
  Abstract: Activity-travel behavior differs between women and men. Previous researches dealing with gender differences mainly pay attention to travel itself, but few focus on the interaction between time-use pattern and travel mode choice. Based on the activity-travel survey data of Suzhou, China, data processing, gender-based descriptive analysis and rigorous significance tests are conducted. Then, multi-group structural equation modeling is adopted to explore the reason of gender-based differences in mode choice through comparing the interactions among socio-demographics, time-use pattern and mode choice for men and women. The results indicate that gender-based differences do exist in mode choice. Women prefer bicycle while men prefer traveling by car in Suzhou, and men¡¯s mode choice is not so easily to be affected by other travel mode as women¡¯s. Besides, gender-based differences exist in the magnitude or the sign of the interrelations among socio-demographics, time-use pattern and mode choice. It is better to explain gender-based differences in mode choice by including time-use pattern endogenously than through socio-demographics alone. Furthermore, the study shows that by examining the direct, indirect and total effects in the model system simultaneously, we are able to better capture the differences in mode choice across gender, and further understand the reason of those differences. Finally, some dedicated suggestions are presented for planners and government to ensure a healthy transportation system.
  Authors: Li, Dan; Wang, Wei; Yang, Min; Chen, Xuewu; Hua, Xuedong
  Authors: Li, Dan; Wang, Wei; Yang, Min; Chen, Xuewu; Hua, Xuedong
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Policy; Public Transportation; Society
  Session: 594
  Paper Number: 13-1445
• New Insights on Transit Network Performance Using Innovative GIS Animation
  Abstract: Conventional route and link based performance measures using tables of numbers are not an easy means of understanding performance of on-road transit on a network wide basis. Yet commonly issues of on-roqad transit performance are caused by road congestion issues which are contiguous to sections of routes. New techniques for mapping network performance using GIS techniques have been developed, however they have proven difficult to interpret when contrasting performance between sequences of maps.This paper presents an innovative new visualisation technique using animation ‘morphing’ technology to create moving images of transit network operational performance changes over time. An innovative aspect of the paper is that animations have been incorporated into the paper itself and can be played if the paper is read on screen on a computer. The technique has been shown to be highly effective in illustrating changes in performance which might otherwise be missed in static maps. It is also a highly engaging means of displaying data which leaves planners, regulators and the public fascinated by the patterns illustrated. It has great potential as a communication tool for demonstrating performance outcomes in many contexts. Future opportunities for the development and application of the approach are discussed.
  Authors: Currie, Graham; Mesbah, Mahmoud; Sarvi, Majid
  Authors: Currie, Graham; Mesbah, Mahmoud; Sarvi, Majid
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Administration and Management; Public Transportation
  Session: 352
  Paper Number: 13-1454
• Toward Equitable Transit: Examining Transit Accessibility and Social Need in Toronto, Canada, 1996-2006
  Abstract: The location of transit infrastructure distributes publicly-funded benefits to residents throughout a region. However, these benefits are not always distributed equally among different population groups. This research seeks to determine whether the benefits of Toronto’s public transit system are equitably distributed, and how these benefits change from 1996 to 2006 after the implementation of several transit projects in the region. We develop a methodology using a social indicator based on census tract level socio-economic characteristics to measure the relationship between social disadvantage and accessibility to jobs and transit travel time in the Toronto region over time. Transit equity is examined at three levels: spatially, temporally, and by job type. We find the range in accessibility and transit travel time narrows over the 10 year period. In addition, the most socially disadvantaged census tracts have statistically significantly better accessibility and lower transit travel times relative to the rest of the region in both 1996 and in 2006. Our findings show that Toronto has a generally equitable transit system that benefits those in social need, who are likely to gain the most from transit. The methodology proposed presents a useful way to bring issues of social equity directly into the land use and transportation planning process.
  Authors: Foth, Nicole; Manaugh, Kevin; El-Geneidy, Ahmed M.
  Authors: Foth, Nicole; Manaugh, Kevin; El-Geneidy, Ahmed M.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Policy; Public Transportation; Society
  Session: 350
  Paper Number: 13-1731
• Analytical Procedures for Estimating Capacity of Weaving Sections for Median Exclusive Bus Lanes on an Urban Expressway
  Abstract: The installation of the exclusive bus lane (XBL) on an urban expressway will likely cause multiple turbulences of traffic flow in weaving sections near the exit/entrance, which exhibits more complexities than the configuration without an exclusive bus lane. However, an analytical procedure for estimating the capacity of weaving sections for exclusive bus lanes on an urban expressway is no existent. This paper attempts to present a micro-simulation approach for developing the analytical procedure for the capacity of weaving sections with an exclusive bus lane. First, with a thorough analysis of the operation of weaving sections, three factors that influence the capacity are identified. Then, a VISSIM based micro-simulation framework is developed. The regression analysis of factors influencing the capacity is conducted for the median XBL. Further, simulation experiments are designed. Finally, the analytical model on the Capacity Reduction Factor (CRF) is established, which considers the impact of both roadway allocation from XBL and more complex weaving behavior due to the installation of XBL. A randomly chosen weaving section along the third ring road in Beijing was used to validate the proposed model. Because there has not been an XBL installed on the expressway ring road, a simulation model is developed for this chosen weaving section, in which the median XBL is installed and the capacity is calculated by the proposed model. The results are compared with those from the simulation model, demonstrating that capacities obtained from the proposed model are close to the simulated ones with small relative errors. Thus, the proposed model is shown to provide a reliable capacity estimation for weaving sections of the median exclusive bus lanes on an urban expressway.
  Authors: Chen, Xumei; Yu, Lei; Jia, Xianchao; Gong, Huibo
  Authors: Chen, Xumei; Yu, Lei; Jia, Xianchao; Gong, Huibo
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 592
  Paper Number: 13-1752
• Sight Distances for Disabled Pedestrians at Crossings: Methodology Comparison with Other Modes
  Abstract: ABSTRACTWhen crossing at and near intersections and bends with restricted visibility pedestrians, particularly disabled people, need to estimate safe gaps in vehicular traffic -- as typically required when crossing straight highway segments. Restricted visibility crossings occur in urban areas and in rural places such as trail crossings where horizontal and/or vertical alignments reduce sight distances. Pedestrian crossing times in current UK and USA practice are based on crossing speed and crossing distance. But pedestrians also require an initial observation-reaction time, consideration of the crossing unit’s length (up to 2 m) and a safety margin – all totalling 30% or more greater total crossing time. These elements are identified in the paper relative to sight distances, assuming a pedestrian’s perceptions of what determines his or her safety instead of being based on vehicle stopping distance. The conceptual elements of a crossing pedestrian are then examined to draw selected methodological parallels in collision avoidance analysis. Specifically, human factors involved in drivers’ crossing major roads and negotiating railroad crossings provide common features of comparable human factors and physical trajectories. Similarities and differences with a disabled person crossing a road are then highlighted and illustrated in time/space diagrams. The conclusions are that pedestrian observation-reaction time, the crossing unit’s length, and safety margin, all currently not considered, may benefit from further examination in order to accurately determine actual crossing times for design purposes, thereby improving disabled people’s mobility. Current guidance is compared with the findings, lea
  Authors: Schoon, John G.
  Authors: Schoon, John G.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation; Safety and Human Factors
  Session: 690
  Paper Number: 13-1478
• Impact of Concessionary Bus Travel on Well-being of Older and Disabled People
  Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of the concessionary bus pass scheme for older and disabled people in Britain. The scheme currently offers those aged 61 and over and those with disabilities free off-peak local bus travel across the country. The scheme has evolved from ad hoc local schemes through half-price local travel and free local travel. It costs the taxpayer over £1 billion ($1.6 billion) a year. There have been calls for the scheme to be abolished or reduced in scope in order to save public expenditure. However, the scheme is very popular with those who hold Concessionary Travel Passes (CTPs) and more generally. The paper commences with a brief description of the scheme, then the take-up rate is considered and how it has increased over time. The effects on the travel behavior of older and disabled people are then discussed in terms of changes in trip patterns, trip purposes and modal usage. The paper examines the evidence on the benefits that CTPs offer their holders in terms of quality of life, health, social inclusion, the process of ceasing to drive and access to local services, all of which contribute to wellbeing. The paper also considers the wider benefits to society of CTPs and the value placed upon them. Whilst it is not possible to put a monetary value on all the benefits, it is clear that they are large and need to be considered in any discussion about abolishing or amending the scheme.
  Authors: Mackett, Roger
  Authors: Mackett, Roger
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Safety and Human Factors
  Session: 306
  Paper Number: 13-1369
• Coordinating School and Public Transportation: Assessing Opportunities in New Jersey
  Abstract: As transportation costs rise, and tax relief and aid diminish each year, school districts are under increasing pressure to consolidate, reduce or eliminate bus services for students. However, school districts are not the only transportation providers facing constrained resources. Public transit agencies face their own financial squeeze to efficiently deliver quality transportation services to meet growing demand while facing rising costs.School bus and public transportation agencies face similar economic obstacles, yet they have distinct operating characteristics and scheduling needs, and they are restricted by differing regulations and policies. However, the potential exists for improved efficiencies, cost savings, and retention and expansion of mobility through transportation coordination between school districts and public transit agencies. Under a “quick response” project sponsored by the TCC/FTA Research Program, The Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center researched the current state of the practice of coordination nationally and its potential feasibility in New Jersey. The research examined successful national models and determined potential barriers and strategies for pursuing transportation coordination within the state of New Jersey. Examples of coordination in New Jersey are limited but suggest that more communities could pursue these arrangements to their benefit. The benefits of coordination between school districts and public transit agencies must override the potential barriers including loss of local control and legal restrictions for school bus use, as well as outperform alternative arrangements with coordinated transportation service agencies that currently assist schools with transportation consolidation and efficiency. Some successful strategies in operation in New Jersey, such as utilizing public transit for high school and some middle school students, implementing administrative coordination as well as exploring innovative coordination, may prove replicable for communities statewide.
  Authors: Meehan, Sean; Sanchez, Trish; Bull, Catherine
  Authors: Meehan, Sean; Sanchez, Trish; Bull, Catherine
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Administration and Management; Public Transportation
  Session: 352
  Paper Number: 13-1399
• Modeling the Practical Capacity of Escalators Using a Rule-Based Microsimulation of Pedestrian Behavior
  Abstract: Escalators are an essential mode of public transportation, enabling people to travel vertically within a facility at a continuous, high flow rate. Despite the importance of these people movers, little systematic analysis of pedestrian capacity on escalators has been conducted within the field of transportation engineering. This study presents a method of calculating the practical capacity of escalators using a simulation based on pedestrian behavioral rules.Traditionally, the capacity of an escalator is defined only as a function of speed using capacity curves defined by manufacturers or in empirical studies. These methods do not consider pedestrian behavioral patterns and preferences like following distance, passing aggressiveness, or other local factors. A rule-based model provides the flexibility to analyze conditions in a variety of public facilities and to answer hypothetical research questions. This study reports three major findings. First, the practical capacity of escalators in casual public facilities like shopping malls is significantly lower than the maximum capacity that would be observed in a commuter facility like a transit station, at only 20-40% of what is generally reported by the manufacturers, in order to provide for freedom of movement and pedestrian comfort. Secondly, the model shows that prohibiting walking on escalators can streamline operations in emergency scenarios because it reduces the variability in the system and increases flow, particularly during peak periods. Finally, contrary to some claims in the literature, uphill flow on escalators operates at a lower capacity than downhill flow due to the presence of a “facial ellipse”.
  Authors: Kauffmann, Peter; Kikuchi, Shinya
  Authors: Kauffmann, Peter; Kikuchi, Shinya
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 722
  Paper Number: 13-1586
• Toward People’s Cities Through Land Use and Transport Integration: Review of India’s National Urban Investment Program
  Abstract: Between 2005 and 2012, India’s Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM) has invested US$20 billion in urban infrastructure and basic services to the urban poor. The transport program under JnNURM is a very important advance, as it helps the cities with policies and funding for moving people, not vehicles. Nevertheless, it has not sufficiently shifted investment in the urban transport sector from road widening and road expansion to sustainable transport. Based on interviews with several stakeholders, a literature review on JnNURM, and consideration of the urban characteristics and transport needs of Indian cities, the authors suggest key improvements in Indian urban transport policy: i) Reinforce the link between land use and transport in the urban transport policy vision. This will allow the preservation of “people’s cities” in the existing urban areas and development of new accessible, dense and mixed used developments around the existing cities; ii) Advance the preparation and implementation of the Comprehensive Mobility Plans (CMPs), in close connection with the Master Plans and JnNURM budget allocations, to transform them from simple lists of projects and good will, to effective planning and monitoring instruments; iii) Introduce performance measurement of key transport indicators at the city wide level: people served, modal share, travel time, traffic fatalities and transport tailpipe emissions; and iv) Develop capacity building programs for project planning and delivery at the city level and for evaluation and monitoring at the state and national level. The recommendations for India are applicable to other rapidly urbanizing and motorizing countries. The authors do not claim that road expansion is not needed, but that it should not be the only focus of public investments in the transport sector.
  Authors: Hidalgo, Dario
  Authors: Hidalgo, Dario
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: International Activities; Environment; Public Transportation
  Session: 831
  Paper Number: 13-1589
• Variation in Bus Transit Service: Understanding the Impacts of Various Improvement Strategies on Transit Service Reliability
  Abstract: Transit agencies wishing to offer reliable service with less variability face several challenges, encouraging them to employ various strategies. While previous research has considered the effects of various strategies on running time, there has been little effort to understand their impacts on reliability of service. This article examines the impacts of various improvement strategies on running time deviation from schedule, variation in running time, and variation in running time deviation from schedules. These strategies include implementation of a smart card fare collection system, operation of a reserved bus lane, introduction of limited-stop bus service, use of articulated buses, and operation of transit signal priority (TSP). This study conduct this examination using data obtained from the Société de Transport de Montréal (STM)’s automatic vehicle location (AVL) and automatic passenger count (APC) systems, in Montreal, Canada, at the bus route segment level of analysis. The introduction of a smart card fare collection system increased bus running time and service variation. Articulated buses, limited-stop bus service and reserved bus lanes have mixed effects on variation in comparison to the running time changes, while TSP had no significant effect. This study offers transit agencies and schedulers a better understanding of the effects of various strategies on different aspects of service variation, which are important components of transit service reliability.
  Authors: Diab, Ehab Ismail; El-Geneidy, Ahmed M.
  Authors: Diab, Ehab Ismail; El-Geneidy, Ahmed M.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Administration and Management; Public Transportation
  Session: 352
  Paper Number: 13-1665
• Unraveling the Travel Behavior of Carsharing Members from GPS Traces
  Abstract: As carsharing becomes increasingly popular over the world, it is interesting to better understand the underlying characteristics of the trips made by the members when they use the cars. Up to this day, few studies reported on the details of trips. This paper presents a methodology that can be used to analyse three components of a carsharing member journey: the locations of its stops, the attributes of its trips and the characteristics of trip chaining. The method is based on the processing of GPS traces collected aboard carsharing vehicles. It uses a 5-minute stop identification criterion to cut the trip chains into separate trips. The case study is the Communauto system in the Montreal area, Canada. The study shows that carsharing members will make more trips during their trip chains than typical car owners. However, carsharing trips are shorter and often conducted for utilitarian purposes (shopping, visits) and not for work. Members tend to optimize the use of the cars during their rental time (up to 50% of the time in movement for short trip chains, 30% for longer duration).
  Authors: Leclerc, Benoit; Trepanier, Martin; Morency, Catherine
  Authors: Leclerc, Benoit; Trepanier, Martin; Morency, Catherine
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 491
  Paper Number: 13-1705
• Optimizing Stop Spacing and Headway for Feeder Bus Route Considering Stochastic Vehicle Arrivals
  Abstract: Stop spacing and headway are key elements in transit service planning. The trade-offs between increasing service accessibility and reducing travel and wait time shall be carefully considered. The objective of this study is to optimize bus stop spacing and headway considering stochastic vehicle arrivals, which yields the minimum total cost. It is found that both of the optimized stop spacing and headway significantly increase compared to the situation without headway variance. A case study considering a bus route in Newark, New Jersey indicates that the optimized total number of stops decreases about 15% when there is 1-min2 headway variance increment per stop. Furthermore, the increase of dispatching headway variance and headway variance increment per stop also leads to decreased stop spacing.
  Authors: Chien, I-Jy; Zhao, Liuhui
  Authors: Chien, I-Jy; Zhao, Liuhui
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 612
  Paper Number: 13-2091
• Minimizing waiting times at transitional nodes for public bus transportation in Greece
  Abstract: Scheduling of transit networks is one of the most addressed problems at the mathematical optimization science, due to the increase of public transportation in the last decade. Researchers have introduced various formulations to address the problem of timetabling, using different objectives like bus synchronization and passenger demand. In this paper we present two mixed-integer linear programming models with the objective of minimizing passenger waiting times at transitional transfer nodes, taking into consideration high passenger demand that occurs at certain times.
  Authors: Saharidis, Georgios K.D.; Dimitropoulos, Charis; Skordilis, Erotokritos
  Authors: Saharidis, Georgios K.D.; Dimitropoulos, Charis; Skordilis, Erotokritos
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 612
  Paper Number: 13-2474
• Energy-Efficient Operation of Subway Systems
  Abstract: To reduce the operation cost and then improve the operational efficiency, people are paying more and moreattention to the energy-efficient operation of subway systems. In this paper, we present and compare to twoalgorithms to optimize the energy-efficient speed profile for trains of subway systems, which can reduce theenergy consumption of train operations. Firstly, we formulate a mixed integer linear programming (MILP)model to get the optimal trajectory for trains. Secondly, we present an integrated algorithm for optimizingthe timetable for the entire route together with the speed profiles between successive stations, which is calledas integrated timetable. Finally, we give some numerical examples to illustrate the validity of the algorithmsbased on the data from the Beijing YiZhuang subway line in China.
  Authors: Su, Shuai
  Authors: Su, Shuai
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 279
  Paper Number: 13-2451
• Modeling and Estimation of Bus Dwell Time Using Methods Based on Artificial Intelligence
  Abstract: A great proportion of transit travel time contributed by dwell time for passengers boarding and alighting. Accurate estimation of bus dwell time can help to improve the accuracy of bus travel time prediction that could enhance the efficiency and reliability of public transportation system. This paper assesses nine different Artificial Intelligence (AI) based approaches alongside traditional Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) method to model and estimate bus dwell time based on data collected from Auckland, New Zealand. The AI based methods include five different Artificial Neural Network (ANN), Support Vector Machine (SVM), Gene Expression Programming (GEP), Decision Tree (DT) and Tree Boost (TB). These methods are widely used in engineering as well as other disciplines, while they have not been applied for bus dwell time modelling and estimation. These methods have been also used to address deficiencies in MLR models, such as, dealing with multicollinearity, interactions between explanatory variables and violation of the normal random error assumption between dependent and independent variables. The study results revealed strengths and weaknesses of these methods for bus dwell time modelling and estimation. Among them, DT and GEP performed reasonably well to model bus dwell time and to overcome problems of MLR models.
  Authors: rashidi, soroush; Ranjitkar, Prakash; Balemi, Andrew; Hadas, Yuval
  Authors: rashidi, soroush; Ranjitkar, Prakash; Balemi, Andrew; Hadas, Yuval
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 612
  Paper Number: 13-2495
• Users’ Experience and Evaluation of New Southern Masha’er Metro Line in Makkah, Saudi Arabia
  Abstract: Each year during the 9th month of the Muslim lunar calendar, more than 2 million Muslim pilgrims from around the world travel to the Holy City of Makkah in Saudi Arabia to perform Pilgrimage. A significant milestone in the effort to improve the existing transport system in the Holy City has been the introduction of the Southern Masha’er Rail Line during the 2010 pilgrimage season. In its first year of operation, the line operated at only 35% of its full capacity, before full implementation in the following year when the line operated at full capacity of 72,000 passengers per hour. This paper presents the results of a users’ survey that aimed at assessing the performance of the rail line from the perspective of its users. The analysis revealed that the rail users faced longer access, waiting and egress times compared to regular rail operations standards. However, interestingly enough, the survey results show that the majority of pilgrims found these times to be tolerable. Moreover, the majority of users found the rail line and its stations to be of excellent quality and gave positive recommendations about using the rail line in the future. The analysis also produced some very interesting observations that may be of relevance to rail operation in similar crowded events; these are highlighted throughout the paper.
  Authors: Kaysi, Isam; Alshalalfah, Baha; Shalaby, Amer; Sayegh, Arwa; Sayour, Mounira; Gutub, Adnan
  Authors: Kaysi, Isam; Alshalalfah, Baha; Shalaby, Amer; Sayegh, Arwa; Sayour, Mounira; Gutub, Adnan
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Design; Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation; Terminals and Facilities
  Session: 389
  Paper Number: 13-2510
• Transportation Equity in Island Regions: Roadmap for Application of Universal Service
  Abstract: When compared to mainlanders, islanders face many restrictions to their movements since they can't use road or rail transport to link with other islands or with the mainland. That's why the islands are always depending on public transport, mainly ferry services for their communication with the outer world. Ferry operators will focus on the high-profit areas that provide the necessary surplus of demand to cover their costs requirements and yield a reasonable profit in commercial standards. Consequently, the regions in which services can be provided at a loss or at a net cost which falls outside normal commercial standards will rarely be serviced at a sufficient level. To address this problem of transportation inequity and social exclusion we have identified the need for “Universal Service” (UnS) in island regions which are affected by the hurdles of remoteness and insularity. Universal service refers to an obligation imposed on one or more ferry operators to provide a minimum set of services to all users, regardless of their geographical location, at an affordable price. This paper provides a roadmap for the application of universal service in insular regions. It does so by considering the following elements: basic access, service availability, designation of undertakings, affordability of tariffs, quality of service and financing of universal service obligations.
  Authors: Panou, Konstantinos
  Authors: Panou, Konstantinos
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Policy; Public Transportation; Society
  Session: 350
  Paper Number: 13-2737
• Missed or Delayed Medical Care Appointments by Older Users of Nonemergency Medical Transportation Services
  Abstract: Non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) can prevent emergency care as a result of delayed or missed medical appointments. Medicaid provides NEMT for low income individuals who have no other means of transportation and this is a critical component of the health care delivery system. This study examined cancelled trips in Medicaid adults age 65+ to explore whether barriers persist for a growing segment of the population who face particular challenges of age-related declines in health and function. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted using transportation brokerage data for Delaware members who intended to travel during 2008-2010, modeling the odds of all cancellations and then these mutually exclusive types: (1) client cancelled; (2) client obtained alternative transportation; and (3) client cancelled due to health. Over half of the cancelled trips were attributed to client reasons. Black race was associated with client canceling (OR=1.4) and canceling due to alternative transportation (OR=1.9). Compared to dialysis, trips for other medical care were more likely to be cancelled for client and health reasons (ORs ranged 1.6-7.9). Higher levels of service increased cancelling for health reasons (OR=2.9 stretcher; OR=1.8 wheelchair). Finally, pre-scheduled or subscription trips were less likely to be cancelled and client factors differed for the cancellation of trips that were not regularly scheduled. The results of this initial study confirm that for this population additional transportation services are often not available and that more support for utilizing NEMT may be needed. Future research should evaluate persistent barriers, service delivery, and long-term outcomes.
  Authors: MacLeod, Kara E.; Ragland, David R.; Prohaska, Thomas R.; Irmiter, Cheryl; Satariano, William; Leary, Mary A.
  Authors: MacLeod, Kara E.; Ragland, David R.; Prohaska, Thomas R.; Irmiter, Cheryl; Satariano, William; Leary, Mary A.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 369
  Paper Number: 13-2879
• Holding for Transfers
  Abstract: The lack of coordinated transfers in a public transport network causes passengers to wait longer for their connections. This work proposes a new model to improve transfers in medium to high frequency systems lacking a timetabled operation. We propose a real-time mathematical programming model using a rolling horizon approach for transfer’s coordination. The single control decision in this model consider, using a rolling horizon approach, the holding decision at a transfer station in order to prevent a certain fraction (maybe not all of them) of the transferring passengers from missing a connecting vehicle. The performance of the strategy model is obtained from a stochastic simulation and then compared against a no control strategy. The results show that the proposed strategy reduces waiting times for the transferring passengers in over 20%, while not affecting the travel time distribution along the line. Furthermore, the variability in all performance indicators is reduced when compared to no control.
  Authors: Delgado, Felipe; Contreras, Nicolás; Munoz, Juan
  Authors: Delgado, Felipe; Contreras, Nicolás; Munoz, Juan
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Administration and Management; Public Transportation
  Session: 352
  Paper Number: 13-2913
• Intermediate Timepoint Removal on Limited-Stop Routes at New York City Transit
  Abstract: Improving the speed and reliability of high-volume urban bus service is an important transit planning objective. One means of improving speed is to provide a limited-stop service alternative on heavy demand local bus routes. New York City Transit (NYCT) first began operating limited-stop bus service over 35 years ago to address customer complaints about slow travel speed. Customer response to limited-stop service has been overwhelmingly favorable, reflecting in part the reduced travel times and improved reliability on these routes. In an effort to further reduce travel times NYCT began a pilot program in the spring of 2010 to remove intermediate timepoints from the schedule of several limited stop routes. The goal of this pilot was to speed up service and reduce delays for customers already on-board the bus by eliminating holding for scheduled time. In general the pilot was expected to have an overall positive effect; however, one possible downside was the impact on reliability. The purpose of intermediate timepoints is to keep trips on schedule and without these timepoints it was possible that reliability would decrease. This potential negative effect was evaluated in the pilot study. Most previous research on this topic either speculates on or simulates the effects of timepoint removal, while the NYCT pilot program actually removed all timepoints from some limited-stop routes as a real-life experiment. This paper reviews the experience and findings of NYCT with respect to this pilot program using before and after measures of effectiveness, including running time, headway regularity, and customer perceptions. The key findings of this study are that timepoint removal from limited-stop service resulted in some reduction in travel time for most of the case studies, but slight if any changes in reliability, while customer perceptions generally improved.
  Authors: Schwarcz, Stacey; Wyss, Sarah
  Authors: Schwarcz, Stacey; Wyss, Sarah
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 612
  Paper Number: 13-2932
• Personal Rapid Transit Studies in Two Scandinavian Cities
  Abstract: Two city studies are presented for the application of the Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) in the city centre of two Scandinavian cities (Uppsala in Sweden and Trondheim in Norway). The city studies were performed in the EC CityMobil project - a project aiming at achieving a more effective organisation of urban transport by testing four different technologies of automated transport systems in large scale demonstrations, showcases, and city studies - through two different simulation tools: MARS (Metropolitan Activity Relocation Simulator) in Trondheim, and PRTsim in Uppsala. The networks foreseen for the two city studies were similar, with 4-place vehicles circulating with an average speed of about 40 km/h. The results of the simulations were provided in terms of six indicators: total number of daily passengers trips, system modal share, non-car modal share, total number of accidents, capital costs of the system, ratio between benefits and costs due to the PRT introduction. As a summary of the results, PRT is able to have a modal share between 20% and 30% if used as public transport in the city centre of two small/medium cities as Uppsala and Trondheim. Ad hoc measures to push people to leave the use of the private car would allow such modal share to increase. An investment between 70 and 75 millions € is required to implement the systems, which are able to provide benefits covering all the investment and operating costs in few years.
  Authors: Stam, Daniele; Alessandrini, Adriano
  Authors: Stam, Daniele; Alessandrini, Adriano
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 234
  Paper Number: 13-2699
• Supporting Rural Public Transport Users During Disruptions: Role of Real-Time Information
  Abstract: High quality real-time passenger information provision is an important factor in supporting public transport use. Real time information is particularly useful for travellers in the event of service disruption. The role of real time information in supporting travellers during service disruption is poorly understood, particularly in rural areas. In this paper we first illustrate and categorise travel disruptions. Real time passenger information (RTPI) requirements - particularly for rural public transport users - are then identified for each stage and type of disruption through interviews and focus groups with rural passengers. Also patterns of passenger behaviour during travel and transport disruptions are identified. In the light of this research a conceptual model of the recovery phases of disruption is presented to align the RTPI requirements for each recovery phase of disruption. The evaluation of the model through a series of focus groups and interviews with passengers, transport service providers, and government agencies is then discussed. The paper concludes by suggesting necessary advances in digital technologies for RTPI systems to support public transport users during disruptions.
  Authors: Papangelis, Konstantinos; Velaga, Nagendra R; Sripada, Somayajulu; Beecroft, Mark; Nelson, John D; Anable, Jillian; Farrington, John H.
  Authors: Papangelis, Konstantinos; Velaga, Nagendra R; Sripada, Somayajulu; Beecroft, Mark; Nelson, John D; Anable, Jillian; Farrington, John H.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Public Transportation
  Session: 797
  Paper Number: 13-2964
• Alternative Solution to Rail Overcrowding: Parallel Bus Rapid Transit Experience in Beijing
  Abstract: Rail overcrowding is becoming an increasingly important issue for lots of megacities throughout the world. To address this issue, transit agencies have implemented many measures in the past which include demand management, system planning, infrastructure improvements, and technology improvements, and so on. This paper centers one of the measures aimed at shifting the peak loading on trains to bus rapid transit (BRT) lanes. The authors take the implementation of two BRT lanes in Beijing as an example and document their usage behavior and impact on peak loading on an adjacent parallel metro rail line. Through the comparison of the passenger volume of 3 days before and after the operation of the BRT lanes, it is known that the ridership on the rail line during peak hours decreases by 2.7%, 5.5%, and 9.2%, respectively. It is also revealed that the percentage of trains which are beyond capacity decrease significantly during the same time periods. These findings indicate that the operation of BRT lanes has acted to reduce the peak loading on the adjacent metro rail line. In addition, a random survey of 2000 bus users were undertaken at selected bus stations and the responses demonstrated that around 15% of the bus users had shifted their trips from the rail line to the adjacent BRT lanes. Among these users, the survey also identified the different reasons for the mode shift. Finally, a brief description is also included of the other congestion-mitigating measures imposed on the metro rail line.
  Authors: Liu, Zhili; Cheng, Wen; Huang, Yue; Sun, Mingzheng; Mao, Baohua
  Authors: Liu, Zhili; Cheng, Wen; Huang, Yue; Sun, Mingzheng; Mao, Baohua
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Administration and Management; Public Transportation
  Session: 352
  Paper Number: 13-3090
• Evaluation of a One-Call Center for Utah's Wasatch Front Region
  Abstract: Utah Department of Human Services, Division of Services for People with Disabilities (DSPD) and Utah Department of Transportation collaborated on a United We Ride project to investigate the feasibility of a one-stop center to centralize dispatch for the transportation providers serving DSPD customers. This project was designed to deliver a work plan of meaningful “next steps” in Utah's transportation coordination process. The project provides an important insight into how services for individuals with developmental disabilities are delivered, how they can participate in one-call services, and the unique challenges of dealing with this Medicaid long-term care program. The project analyzed the funding for DSPD transportation programs and included an in-depth examination of the transportation services operated by agencies providing services for individuals with developmental disabilities. The project found that few coordination options exist if coordination efforts are limited to DSPD providers, but that there is good potential for coordination benefits if coordination activities are applied across many programs. Three key areas where actions are recommended are:•Coordination across programs with regional one-call centers and active mobility management efforts.•State program and policy actions with an active state coordinating council to address state program issues.•Strengthened communication between state program managers and service providers.This project’s implementation plan lays out a program to implement one-call centers, starting with a pilot project and a statewide working group to address issues of statewide importance. The overall implementation of the recommendations will necessarily be an iterative process, with refinements made over time.
  Authors: O'Neill, Suzanne; Wilks, Steven; Burkhardt, Jon E.
  Authors: O'Neill, Suzanne; Wilks, Steven; Burkhardt, Jon E.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Public Transportation
  Session: 797
  Paper Number: 13-3071
• Are Intercity Bus Service Needs Being Adequately Met? Case Study of a Rural State
  Abstract: The objective of this study are to develop a methodology to determine if intercity bus (ICB) needs are adequately met, and to define “meaningful connections” if ICB service, which are demonstrated by using the rural state of Montana as a case study. The methodology includes survey of riders and the general public, as well as connectivity analysis of ICB service. Spatial network analysis, scheduled analysis, and survey of local transit providers were conducted to analyze network connectivity of ICB service in Montana. Moreover, a definition of “meaningful connections” for ICB in Montana was developed by using a hierarchy of criteria (population, distance, connection timeframe, days of service, etc). Finally, conclusions were made regarding ICB needs in Montana. It is anticipated that the proposed method may be used as a process to determine if ICB needs are adequately met, especially rural states.
  Authors: Ye, Zhirui; Kack, David; Chaudhari, Jaydeepkumar P; Ewan, Levi
  Authors: Ye, Zhirui; Kack, David; Chaudhari, Jaydeepkumar P; Ewan, Levi
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Public Transportation
  Session: 456
  Paper Number: 13-3083
• Hailing in the Rain: Temporal and Weather-Related Variations in Taxi Ridership and Taxi Demand-Supply Equilibrium
  Abstract: The current study investigates temporal and weather-related variation in taxi ridership patterns in NYC from the perspective of demand-supply equilibrium. For this purpose, the study conducted a computationally heavy analysis of a taxi GPS data set with more than 147 million records covering 10 months of activity. It found that there were significant variations in ridership and trip distances for different DOW-TOD-weather condition periods. Drivers, as the actors who determine taxi supply, respond to this variation in a way that maintains their incomes above approximately $20 per hour. The impact of weather is also investigated. Snow conditions do not affect the hourly revenues but when there is rainfall, drivers make more frequent and slightly shorter trips that increase their income. After reaching their income target, drivers may end their shift early, a finding that may explain the perceived taxi shortage during prolonged rain conditions. It was also shown that within existing trip frequency and trip distance patterns, the impact of a proposed taxi fare increase in NYC on hourly revenues would vary among different TOD periods. This suggests that a fare increase has the potential to alter the temporal taxi supply as well as the taxi lease rents (which vary by shift) for certain periods. Based on these findings, the paper provides insights into the temporal and weather-related variation in taxi demand-supply equilibrium. Its findings can assist policymakers who regulate the taxi industry.
  Authors: Kamga, Camille; Yazici, M. Anil; Singhal, Abhishek
  Authors: Kamga, Camille; Yazici, M. Anil; Singhal, Abhishek
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 648
  Paper Number: 13-3131
• Census of U.S. Near-Roadway Population: Particulate Matter Exposure, Environmental Justice, and Coverage of Air Quality Monitoring Network
  Abstract: The concentration of particulate matter from motor vehicles is elevated along major roadways and exposure to these emissions is associated with many negative health outcomes. Previous studies also find that lower household income and minority status correspond with greater exposure to traffic and mobile source air pollutants, raising environmental justice concerns. This research presents the first complete U.S. census of the population living near high volume roads, develops a detailed understanding of how demographics vary in relation to roadway proximity and traffic volume, and evaluates the coverage of the national ambient air quality monitoring network. The census is completed using a geographic information system to select all U.S. census blocks, or block portions, along high volume roads indentified from the federal Highway Performance Monitoring System. The results find that in the U.S. 57 million people (20% of the population) live near high volume roads. Nationally, greater traffic volume is associated with larger shares of non-white residents and lower median household incomes. A disaggregate analysis finds that these associations vary across the country, but generally hold in urban areas. Just 16% of counties with some population living near high volume roads also have a co-located air quality monitor. As a result, 17.8 million people live in unmonitored areas near roads where particulate matter may exceed federal standards. In conclusion, protecting a larger share of the U.S. population from exposure to high concentrations of particulate matter and addressing environmental justice concerns requires a more robust near roadway air quality monitoring network.
  Authors: Gould, Gregory
  Authors: Gould, Gregory
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Environment; Passenger Transportation; Policy; Public Transportation
  Session: 642
  Paper Number: 13-3256
• Transition to a Transit City: Case of Beijing, China
  Abstract: Over the past three decades, urban transportation system in Beijing has been undergoing tremendous changes. Beijing has been transformed from a city that was dominated by non-motorized transportation to an almost car- saturated city. To combat the ever-growing traffic gridlock, the city in recent years has been working proactively on fulfilling its long-term vision: the building of a transit city. This paper presents the city’s evolution path toward a more sustainable transportation system from a mobility culture perspective. More specifically, three aspects are focused, namely travel demand, mobility pattern and transportation policy.
  Authors: Song, Ziqi
  Authors: Song, Ziqi
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: International Activities; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 492
  Paper Number: 13-3310
• Estimating Transit Route-level OD Flow Matrices from APC Data on Multiple Bus Trips Using the IPF Method with an Iteratively Improved Base
  Abstract: An iterative method is proposed to estimate bus route-level origin-destination (OD) passenger flow matrices from boarding and alighting data for time-of-day periods in the absence of good a priori estimates of the flows. The algorithm is based on the widely used Iterative Proportional Fitting (IPF) method and takes advantage of the large quantities of boarding and alighting data that are routinely collected by transit agencies using Automatic Passenger Counter (APC) technologies. An arbitrarily chosen OD matrix is used as the base matrix required to initialize the algorithm, and the IPF method is applied with trip-level boarding and alighting data and the base matrix to produce an estimate of the OD flow matrix for each trip. The trip level OD flow matrices are then aggregated to produce an estimate of the period-level OD flow matrix, which in turn is used as the base matrix for the following iteration until convergence.Empirical results are conducted on operational bus routes using APC data collected during multiple quarters where directly observed OD passenger flows are available to represent the ground-truth. In all cases where APC data are available for even a reasonably small number of bus trips, the developed method produces better estimates than the traditional application of the IPF method when using the uninformative null matrix as the base without updating. Moreover, the algorithm converges in minimal computational time, and the estimates are seen to be insensitive to the OD flow matrix used to initialize the algorithm.
  Authors: Ji, Yuxiong; Mishalani, Rabi G.; McCord, Mark R.
  Authors: Ji, Yuxiong; Mishalani, Rabi G.; McCord, Mark R.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 226
  Paper Number: 13-3375
• Exploring Factors Affecting Transit Current Customers' Loyalty by Structural Equations Model: Case Study of Shanghai, China
  Abstract: The main goal of this study is proposing a method of analyzing influence factors which affect loyalty of ¡°current¡± transit users and making the priority strategy of improving transit service level through the factor analysis. Structural equation model (SEM) is introduced to construct theoretical models, which help to analyze factors influencing transit customer¡¯s loyalty. A comprehensive set of hypotheses explores the relationships among service quality, customer satisfaction, switching cost, attraction of alternative and customer loyalty. This study chooses Shanghai transit system to apply the theoretical model constructed, and finds that the public transport service quality is the most important factor impacting transit travelers¡¯ willingness to continue to travel by transit. The transit service quality mainly includes four variables: comfort, safety, convenience and timeliness. Both switching cost and attraction of car also are significantly related to customer loyalty. However, the hypothesis of ¡°Transit service quality is negatively and significantly related to car attraction¡± cannot be supported, which means that if we want to increase the public transportation share, it is essential to restrain travel by car. Furthermore, based on these analyses, this study proposes some critical suggestions of how to improve the competitive power of Shanghai public transportation, which may assist in making the public transportation policy and strategy.
  Authors: Li, Linbo; Xiong, Jie; Dong, Zhi; Bai, Yufang; Wu, Bing
  Authors: Li, Linbo; Xiong, Jie; Dong, Zhi; Bai, Yufang; Wu, Bing
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Public Transportation
  Session: 334
  Paper Number: 13-3244
• Connection Between Rural Transit and Rural Livability
  Abstract: The Partnership for Sustainable Communities Livability Principles provides an important framework to approaches supporting sustainable rural communities. However, the relationship between the broad Livability Principles and rural transit may or may not be apparent to rural transit practitioners, stakeholders and policy makers. Through a literature review of 62 documents exploring rural issues and trends, rural area transit delivery and livability, a vision for rural livability was developed with outlined opportunities for rural transit to impact the vision. The vision for rural livability was used as guidance in crafting “Relationship to Rural Transit Livability Statements” for each of the six Livability Principles. The Relationship to Rural Transit Livability Statements are meant to provide the connection between the Livability Principles and Rural Transit. The statements are aimed toward providing practitioners, stakeholders and policy makers with a tool to guide in developing performance measures, vision and mission statements, coordination plans, and future policies affecting rural transit and communities.
  Authors: Edrington, Suzie; Brooks, Jonathan Paul
  Authors: Edrington, Suzie; Brooks, Jonathan Paul
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Public Transportation
  Session: 797
  Paper Number: 13-3290
• Doing Business Around Transit Corridors: Survey Research on Business Perceptions of Fixed-Guideway Transit Projects
  Abstract: Major transit projects can have profound impacts on nearby businesses. Although much research has investigated physical neighborhood changes and neighborhood demographic changes driven by transit projects, little is known about the perceived impacts of transit projects in business communities. In a direct response to this knowledge gap, we conducted a random-sampled survey of 160 businesses along four existing and planned transit corridors in the Twin Cities region. Using the survey responses, we estimated ordered logistic regression models of business perceptions of transit corridor projects. We find that responding businesses generally expect positive impacts from transit corridors in the future, but the likelihood of positive perceptions differs significantly based on business location, size and sector, as well employees’ and customers’ demographics and customers’ travel behavior. These findings provide insights into the types of businesses to target for special outreach efforts as well as strategies for mitigating negative impacts and maximizing positive impacts perceived by station area businesses.
  Authors: Fan, Yingling; Guthrie, Andrew
  Authors: Fan, Yingling; Guthrie, Andrew
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Public Transportation
  Session: 334
  Paper Number: 13-3320
• LESSONS OF BUS RAPID TRANSIT FROM NINE CITIES IN CHINA
  Abstract: Due to its efficient service and relatively low investments, BRT is growing popularity in many cities around the world. The purpose of the paper is to summarize the development of BRT in nine cities of China, including design, implementation, operation and management of the systems. Substantial data of BRT system have been collected in the nine cities, including infrastructure design, service performance and passenger flow etc. The cities¡¯ population, size, importance, social and economical backgrounds have also been provided. Based on the data, five BRT development modes are summarized and compared. Recommendations regarding China¡¯s BRT decision making, planning, systems designs, and operational management are also provided in the paper.
  Authors: Liu, Zichang; Zhang, XiaoNing; Wang, Hua
  Authors: Liu, Zichang; Zhang, XiaoNing; Wang, Hua
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: International Activities; Environment; Public Transportation
  Session: 831
  Paper Number: 13-3350
• Public-Transport Timetabling based on Different Max-Load Points using Multi-Size Vehicles
  Abstract: In public transport (PT) planning accurate demand data is a crucial requirement. Recently more and more bus operators have introduced the usage of smart cards, which replace cash payments and allow users to load money onto their card. The cards are able to be tagged on-and-off onto a reading device on the vehicle and the customer is charged accordingly. This allows the public transport operator to access a vast amount of information on the trips made by the customers. However, not every bus operator has access to this kind of data, but are using ride and point checks or revenue counts to determine the demand and the resulting loads on the vehicles. These checks are costly and time consuming and are more prone to human error. One question that may be asked is how the quality of the resulting timetables differs when using different methods. This work considers the determination of the daily and hourly maximum load points (which can be determined by point checks) as well as individual maximum load points of the vehicles (which either require ride checks or a automated passenger count system). The timetables based on the different maximum load points are created using a multi-objective approach with the two simultaneous objectives: minimizing the expected passenger waiting time and minimizing the discrepancy from a desired occupancy level on the vehicles. The methodology developed is applied to a case study in Auckland, New Zealand. A detailed analysis of the timetables then reveals if one method is superior to the others and at what extend.
  Authors: Hassold, Stephan; Ceder, Avishai
  Authors: Hassold, Stephan; Ceder, Avishai
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 612
  Paper Number: 13-3379
• Factors That Influence Urban Streetcar Ridership in the United States
  Abstract: A number of streetcar lines, designed to serve as urban circulators, have been completed in the past 15 years in the United States. Many more are either in the implementation or planning stages. Much of the previous literature on fixed-guideway ridership forecasting focuses on light rail or regional rail lines that primarily serve commute markets, much different than the travel markets served by these new streetcar lines. This research seeks to improve the understanding of the factors that influence urban streetcar ridership. Extensive data on ridership, station area characteristics, route configuration, transit network connectivity and special generators were collected for modern streetcar lines in Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Washington; and Tacoma, Washington. Regression models were used to measure the influence of different variables on ridership. Three urban streetcar ridership models are presented with adjusted R Squared values ranging from 0.74 to 0.76. Variables found to have a statistically significant influence on streetcar ridership include feeder rail, retail and residential accessibility, distance to closest station, free stations, start-of-line stations, and special generators including hotels, colleges, hospitals and entertainment centers.
  Authors: Foletta, Nicole C.; Vanderkwaak, Nick; Grandy, Bob
  Authors: Foletta, Nicole C.; Vanderkwaak, Nick; Grandy, Bob
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Public Transportation
  Session: 794
  Paper Number: 13-3388
• Review of Civil Rights Guidance and Equity Analysis Methods for Regional Transportation Plans
  Abstract: Metropolitan planning organizations typically undertake an analysis of regional transportation plan equity to comply with federal anti-discrimination law including Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Executive agency guidance for equity analysis practice is extensive but generally lacks specificity and its provisions are not enforceable. This paper reviews the law, guidance, and academic and agency practice for equity assessment to find that a particular method based on traditional environmental justice analysis is dominant. However, this method designed to assess undesirable land uses is generally not appropriate for the analysis of transportation investment benefits since those benefits are dispersed across wide geographic areas. Four step travel demand models are limited in their ability to disaggregate to finer geography, so the use of this method in combination with those models is potentially sensible. Newer activity-based models are capable of sidestepping this aggregation problem altogether, but agencies have been reluctant to shift from traditional methods, to include race as a demographic variable, and tend to focus unduly on the future year forecast. Analyses that are responsive to stakeholders must include an assessment of both current conditions and race while seeking to mitigate inequities that are discovered. The conclusion anticipates a companion study that assesses the implications described herein using the results of travel demand modeling data generated in the San Francisco Bay Area.
  Authors: Karner, Alex; Niemeier, Debbie
  Authors: Karner, Alex; Niemeier, Debbie
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Environment; Passenger Transportation; Policy; Public Transportation
  Session: 642
  Paper Number: 13-3420
• Mining Smart Card Data for Transit Riders’ Travel Patterns
  Abstract: To mitigate congestion caused by the increasing number of privately owned automobiles, public transit is highly promoted by transportation agencies worldwide. With a better understanding of the travel patterns and regularity (the “magnitude” level of travel pattern) of transit riders, transit authorities can evaluate the current transit services to adjust marketing strategies, keep loyal customers and improve transit performance. However, it is fairly challenging to identify travel pattern for each individual transit rider in a large dataset. Therefore, this paper proposes an efficient and effective data-mining approach that models the travel patterns of transit riders using the smart card data collected in Beijing, China. Transit riders’ trip chains are identified based on the temporal and spatial characteristics of smart card transaction data. Based on the identified trip chains, the Density-based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise (DBSCAN) algorithm is used to detect each transit rider’s historical travel patterns. The K-Means++ clustering algorithm and the rough-set theory are jointly applied to clustering and classifying the travel pattern regularities. The rough-set-based algorithm is compared with other classification algorithms, including Naïve Bayes Classifier, C4.5 Decision Tree, K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN) and three-hidden-layers Neural Network. The results indicate that the proposed rough-set-based algorithm outperforms other prevailing data-mining algorithms in terms of accuracy and efficiency.
  Authors: Ma, Xiaolei; Wu, Yao-Jan; Wang, Yinhai; Chen, Feng; Liu, Jianfeng
  Authors: Ma, Xiaolei; Wu, Yao-Jan; Wang, Yinhai; Chen, Feng; Liu, Jianfeng
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Policy; Public Transportation
  Session: 421
  Paper Number: 13-3460
• Bus Rapid Transit Development Strategies in Santa Clara County, California
  Abstract: The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) is planning the deployment of a full-featured Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line for a major travel corridor in Santa Clara County, California. While the original project intended deployment of full BRT characteristics for the entire corridor, based on stakeholder feedback, it is very likely that VTA will not be able to establish exclusive BRT characteristics for over 70 percent of the project corridor. This study modifies the methodology of BRT ridership forecast used in an earlier BRT Strategic Plan and proposes several scenarios including the existing committed short-term scenario and the VTA’s preferred long-term scenario. Ridership forecasts, a marginal boarding analysis, the impact of an exclusive bus lane installation, and transit market analysis have been conducted and the preferred scenario is presented.
  Authors: Chen, Chun-Hung Peter; Naylor, George A.
  Authors: Chen, Chun-Hung Peter; Naylor, George A.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 612
  Paper Number: 13-3473
• Business Analysis of Online Electric Vehicle Applications forBus Rapid Transit
  Abstract: This paper provides a business analysis of the application of On-Line Electric Vehicle (OLEV) to Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), comparing it with three other vehicle types: compressed natural gas, diesel, and battery-electric. It first develops a model to estimate the total cost of ownership for a nine-year span for each of the vehicle types under different scenarios of cruising speed, station frequency, and vehicle headway. These results indicate that OLEV becomes more attractive the more “BRT-like” the system becomes: smaller vehicle headways, lower station frequency, and higher speeds. In many cases the analysis shows that OLEV is the most cost-effective alternative. This work then combines these quantitative results with more qualitative concerns and external factors to perform a Strengths, Weaknesses Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis to consider external and qualitative concerns, especially pertaining to system location and uncertain future costs and technology capabilities. It concludes that installing OLEV for the proposed BRT route in the new Sejong City area is an attractive option, blending good system characteristics with government and institutional support, and it should act as a necessary stepping-stone to larger scale deployment.
  Authors: Fishelson, James; Suh, In-Soo
  Authors: Fishelson, James; Suh, In-Soo
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 612
  Paper Number: 13-3491
• BLIP: Bus Lanes with Intermittent Priority
  Abstract: Exclusive bus lanes provide a very high level of priority for transit operations, especially for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and Express service but these lanes could be under utilized and be a source of extra capacity if they could be shared in an intelligent way. This paper explores the benefits of providing intermittent priority, called Bus lane with intermittent priority (BLIP), of these exclusive bus lanes. Intermittent priority can be implemented by allowing vehicles to use the lane when a BRT or Express bus is not present. Drivers can be alerted when a bus is in the lane using either infrastructure based signs, or in the future using infrastructure-to-vehicle (i2v), or connected vehicle (CV) communications. Some critical operating parameters for implementing BLIP system including clear distance, degree of saturation (volume-to-capacity ratio), CV penetration and bus departure/headway frequency have been investigated in this paper.
  Authors: Wu, Wei; Head, Larry; Ma, Wanjing; Yang, Xiaoguang
  Authors: Wu, Wei; Head, Larry; Ma, Wanjing; Yang, Xiaoguang
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 612
  Paper Number: 13-3535
• Transportation in an Aging Society: Linkage Between Transportation and Quality of Life
  Abstract: This paper explored the effect of transportation factors on older peoples’ (65 years and older) quality of life. The data is drawn from a national telephone survey done by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). Exploratory Factor Analysis is used to develop a quality of life index based on five survey questions. Linear regression is used to explore the quality of life index’s correlation to transportation as well as various personal, household, and community characteristics.The results show that those with low socio-economic status and a limited social network are linked with lower quality of life. Also, various transportation factors are found to be significant. Lack of transportation in general and especially not driving, are found to be significant factors negatively associated with quality of life. A built environment, which facilities walking, is found to be positively associated. This study found that accessibility to alternative transportation is found to be positively associated with older people’s quality of life. Specifically, information about transportation options and transportation alternatives for those with disabilities and health problems are found to be significant for older people’s quality of life. This indicates that development of transportation alternatives, along with improved accessibility and visibility, is critical for older people’s quality of life in an aging society.
  Authors: Kim, Sungyop; Ulfarsson, Gudmundur Freyr
  Authors: Kim, Sungyop; Ulfarsson, Gudmundur Freyr
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 369
  Paper Number: 13-3619
• Implementation Cost Comparison of Different Types of Electric Vehicle Energy Replenishment Technologies for Public Transit Bus Systems
  Abstract: Several different technologies have been developed in order to improve the usage of electric vehicles. Some of the core technologies are those which regard the replenishment of the energy supply. Essentially different in operation, execution time, and implementation and operation costs, to find a fair comparison between those technologies is not a straightforward task. A model using Petri Nets to calculate the minimum amount of resources required to implement each of the solutions is proposed. The model uses as input the target headway (i.e. the time distance between two consecutive buses) and the components cost, and yields a total system cost to achieve that headway. A case study is presented to illustrate the use of such model.
  Authors: Kemper Filho, Paulo; Suh, In-Soo
  Authors: Kemper Filho, Paulo; Suh, In-Soo
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 818
  Paper Number: 13-3632
• Using Structural Equations Modeling to Analyze User Satisfaction in Intermodal Transfer Facilities in Lisbon, Portugal
  Abstract: This research evaluates user satisfaction in intermodal transfer facilities, and the characteristics of these infrastructures that could influence passenger satisfaction, using the Lisbon Metropolitan Area as a case study. For this, a survey in eight major transit interchanges was conducted. Also, an inventory of attributes (e.g. platform identification, litter and/or graffiti, restrooms, seating, lighting, presence of security guards, among others) available in these transit interchanges was made. Using both data sources a structural equations model was built to assess the relations between different specific aspects of reported satisfaction levels. This model included also, variables describing the socioeconomic and behavioral characteristics of the respondents and intermodal transfer facilities attributes. The results obtained suggest that there is a hierarchical structure between different specific aspects of satisfaction and that both transit interchanges attributes and respondent characteristics significantly affect user satisfaction levels. Also it was found that the presence of litter and graffiti’s, as well as the presence of guidance signs influence significantly the levels of satisfaction.
  Authors: de Abreu e Silva, João; Bazrafshan, Hossein
  Authors: de Abreu e Silva, João; Bazrafshan, Hossein
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Design; Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation; Terminals and Facilities
  Session: 389
  Paper Number: 13-3655
• Analysis of Variability of Travel Conditions Along a Transit Line
  Abstract: Measuring and understanding service reliability from the users' point of view is a major issue in transport planning. Indicators describing passengers' transit experiences have been developed but they cannot directly be used in a frequency-based transit assignment software, through generalized cost, because they are always based on timetables. As well, these indicators make little case of onboard congestion. The objective of this paper is to introduce a stochastic model describing passenger travel conditions along a transit line, from the users' perspective and in a frequency-based framework. Inter-arrival times are treated as random variables. The model is based on a simple assumption about successive headways that describe the way irregularity is propagated along the line. It yields analytical formulas for the distribution of passenger loads on all sections. An efficient way of computing congestion costs for passenger is also described. Finally, the model is applied to a portion of a suburban rail line from the Paris region and orders of magnitude of the difference between what operators measures and what passengers experience are derived.
  Authors: Benezech, Vincent; Combes, François; Leurent, Fabien M.
  Authors: Benezech, Vincent; Combes, François; Leurent, Fabien M.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 422
  Paper Number: 13-3676
• Case Study Analysis of SkyCabs Monobeam System
  Abstract: The increase in motorcar popularity caused a decline in public transportation patronage. The increase of private cars on the streets of Auckland in New Zealand adds to congestion which costs billions of dollars in wasted time, fuel and increase of road accidents. This study examines the SkyCabs system as a way to alleviate some of the traffic problems of Auckland as a case study. SkyCabs is an elevated two-way monobeam carrying light eight-seater cabs on tracks on each side of the beam, available on demand, providing fast, pollution-free, unimpeded travel above the footpath with panoramic views of the city. The goal of this study is to investigate the attractiveness of implementing the SkyCabs system to and from Auckland central business district (CBD) and Auckland international airport by examining four variables: different routes, different number of stops/stations, different passenger-demand levels, and different number of cabs in the system. The analysis made utilizes GIS and simulation tools for the various scenarios considered. The results show that it is possible to assess the cost-benefit of alternative routes in terms of those four variables and rate of return on investment. That is, the main results attained are CBD-airport optimum routing of 27.7 km and 25-30 minutes journey time with 28-year return period for 5 million demand (minimum level of 2016), 9.5-year for 15 million, and 4.5-year for 30 million. Implementation of such a system is feasible because it has competitive pricing, increases the public transportation use, and has an attractive level of service.
  Authors: Ceder, Avishai; Hadas, Yuval
  Authors: Ceder, Avishai; Hadas, Yuval
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 234
  Paper Number: 13-3733
• Impacts of Parental Gender and Attitudes on Children's School Travel Mode and Parental Escort Behavior
  Abstract: Research has shown that parental attitudes are a significant predictor of children’s active commuting (walking or biking) to school. However, the impact of parental gender on parental attitudes, and the link between parental attitudes and the gender gap in parental escort behavior have not received much attention. This paper examines these questions by applying discrete choice models to California data from the 2009 National Household Travel Survey while controlling for a wide range of variables characterizing parents, their children, households, schools, and the local built environment. Our results show that mothers are more likely to have higher concerns about traffic volume and speed, which in turn reduces the likelihood that their children will walk or bike to school. Moreover, parental attitudes (especially mothers’ attitudes) significantly influence parental escort behavior, although their ability to explain the within-household gender escort gap is limited. However, the escort duties of mothers are reduced when they bike more often, which suggests that more biking by parents encourages children to actively commute to school. Finally, while distance to school and several land use measures (e.g., population density, urbanization level, and percentage of renters) are statistically significant, the impact of an objective measure of walkability is quite small. These results suggest that interventions targeting an increase in children’s walking and biking to school should focus on the concerns of mothers, especially as they relate to traffic characteristics.
  Authors: Hsu, Hsin-Ping; Saphores, Jean-Daniel Maurice
  Authors: Hsu, Hsin-Ping; Saphores, Jean-Daniel Maurice
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Policy; Public Transportation; Society
  Session: 594
  Paper Number: 13-4197
• Accessibility-Based Approach to Forecasting LRT Trip Production: Application Example from Wuhan, China
  Abstract: Prioritizing public transit is a national policy guiding urban transport supply in China. In the past decade municipal governments throughout the country have invested extensively on transit development. However the investment goals cannot be fully achieved until transit services are efficiently delivered, for which a good understanding of transit demand is critical. Transit demand analysis proves a very challenging task in fast growing Chinese cities partly due to lack of reliable data from and applicable techniques for the city context. This paper presents an effort to meet the challenge by developing an accessibility-based method to estimate transit trip production at the station level. Through a case study of the light-rail transit (LRT) line in Wuhan, China, the method proposes a GIS-based process to derive land use data needed for accessibility modeling and a statistical procedure to estimate and forecast transit boardings for selected stations during the peak hours and throughout the workdays. Empirical calibration shows that the proposed method produces results useful for improving transit planning when detailed, timely data do not exist for the application of the known tools for transit demand analysis. While the study focuses on the Wuhan case, the analytical framework developed here is transferable to other Chinese cities or the areas in other countries, including the developed countries whenever detailed data on transit operations and on local demographics are unavailable.
  Authors: Huang, Zhengdong; Zhang, Ming; Liu, Xuejun
  Authors: Huang, Zhengdong; Zhang, Ming; Liu, Xuejun
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Public Transportation
  Session: 328
  Paper Number: 13-4200
• Modeling Spatial Effects on Demand Estimation of ADA Paratransit Services
  Abstract: A reliable method for predicting paratransit ridership is important, especially to the efficiency of the services offered. The commonly used aggregate regression model is most accurate when forecasting the total demand for regional areas such as whole counties or cities; however, it is likely to be geographically inaccurate. Thus, in this paper a geographical weight regression (GWR) model was proposed for predicting the demand for the types of paratransit services required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The GWR model better reflects the fact that each area may have its own coefficient for predictors, rather than the same value throughout. The results showed that the larger the population, the higher the percentage of senior citizens as well as the higher the percentage of black/African American riders; and the higher the ratio of people below the poverty line, the greater the ADA trip demand. In addition, we also concluded that the predictive performance of the GWR model was better than that of the normal regression model. The GWR model is of greater value to researchers and practitioners because the predictor variables are readily available from census data, which enables researchers to use the model after calibration.
  Authors: Kuo, Pei-Fen; Shen, Chung-Wei; Quadrifoglio, Luca
  Authors: Kuo, Pei-Fen; Shen, Chung-Wei; Quadrifoglio, Luca
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 354
  Paper Number: 13-4230
• Planning Dial-a-Ride Services: Statistical and Metamodeling Approach
  Abstract: Accessibility of public transit is an important political and social objective for transit agencies across the world. To partially meet this objective, many transit agencies provide a specialized door-to-door transportation service for elderly and disabled which is called Dial-a-Ride (DAR). The annual DAR ridership growth of more than 5% is reported in many cities in the US and this trend is expected to continue due to ever aging population. In response to increasing ridership, the DAR services have become the fastest growing budget fractions of many transit agencies. These trends motivate the development of models that can provide decision support in planning new or expending existing DAR systems. Several statistical models have been developed during the past decade to help determine the required DAR system capacity. These models focused on the peak period analyses and provided good fit when applied to simulated case studies. This paper demonstrates the importance of considering the entire day of operations rather than only the peak period. It identifies several factors that are omitted in the literature and develops comprehensive statistical and metamodels for determining the required DAR system capacity. The performance of two proposed models is assessed on the real-world data from a DAR service. To make the proposed models available to the general public, they are built into a web system that can provide free decision support to practitioners involved in designing DAR systems.
  Authors: Markovic, Nikola; Milinkovic, Sanjin; Schonfeld, Paul; Drobnjak, Zeljko
  Authors: Markovic, Nikola; Milinkovic, Sanjin; Schonfeld, Paul; Drobnjak, Zeljko
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 354
  Paper Number: 13-4205
• Development of Surface Roughness Standards for Pathways Used by Wheelchairs
  Abstract: Over two million people in the United States use a wheelchair for mobility. To maximize their participation in society, these wheelchair users need to have safe and accessible public spaces to maneuver through. Although the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines, established by the Access Board, provide suggestions for public pathways, they are subjective and not measurable. This ambiguity results in public pathways with many bumps and cracks, which lead to harmful whole-body vibrations (WBVs) for wheelchair users. WBVs with an RMS value greater than 1.6 m/s2 for over an hour period may result in muscle fatigue or back and neck pain, which is common among wheelchair users. To help develop a standard for pathway surface roughness, we have gathered subjective and objective information from wheelchair users in an IRB-approved research study. Forty-five subjects were recruited to travel over nine simulated, wooden surfaces with varying roughness; the wooden surfaces were modeled after outdoor surfaces. Using their own wheelchair, subjects traveled over each surface while accelerometers recorded vibrations at the seat, footrest, and backrest. After travelling over each surface, subjects filled out a short questionnaire recording their perceived comfort rating. We calculated the average root mean square (RMS) accelerations and perceived comfort ratings for each surface. As surface roughness increased, RMS accelerations increased and subject surface ratings decreased. Some surfaces generated RMS accelerations above the 1.6 m/s2 threshold, suggesting that some sidewalks may be causing harmful vibrations to wheelchair users if used for over one hour. Our results may be helpful in defining a safe and comfortable roughness threshold for pathway surfaces.
  Authors: Pearlman, Jon; Duvall, Jon; Cooper, Rory; Sinagra, Eric; Stuckey, Dianna; Brown, Josh
  Authors: Pearlman, Jon; Duvall, Jon; Cooper, Rory; Sinagra, Eric; Stuckey, Dianna; Brown, Josh
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation; Safety and Human Factors
  Session: 690
  Paper Number: 13-4268
• Smart Devices and Travel Time Use by Bus Passengers in Vancouver, Canada
  Abstract: This research investigates bus passengers’ activity patterns and the usage of smart devices at bus stops and on buses. Using both passive observations and self-reported surveys mainly from college students in Vancouver, Canada, it found that the majority of passengers used their time actively instead of doing nothing. Most of the observed active activities are associated with the usage of smart devices. Although the possession of smart devices is prevalent, only a small portion of passengers (less than a third) actually use them during travel. A variety of environmental and trip factors, personal attributes, and past experiences influence the usage of smart devices, but only explain the variation marginally. Research also found that the usage of smart devices encourages multitasking both at bus stops and on buses. Smart phones are the most conducive to multitasking, followed by iPod/MP3 players, and iPads/tablets.
  Authors: Guo, Zhan; Derian, Alexandra; Zhao, Jinhua
  Authors: Guo, Zhan; Derian, Alexandra; Zhao, Jinhua
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 491
  Paper Number: 13-4274
• Gender Differences in Activity and Travel Behavior in the Arab World
  Abstract: The purpose of this research is to extend the research on gender differences in activity and travel patterns in the Arab world by studying in depth the interrelationship between various socio-economic and demographic variables, car ownerships, activity patterns and travel characteristics. For this purpose unique data set from three Arab villages in the Galilee region in Israel was collected. Using structural equations modeling, it was found that gender and income play an important role in how people travel to and participate in activities. Older men with high income who own a car tend to drive outside the city to work, and young men, who don't drive, spend less time outside the city. Women usually don't drive, don't work outside the city, and engage in non-work activities inside the village especially if they have school-aged children, and their commute pattern is becoming more complex due to an increasing tendency to include child serving stops. Analysis results indicate that residents use a sequential decision process based on the direction of decisions from user background and log-term decisions to decide to own automobiles or not, travel out of their village for work or to stay within the village for other daily activities, and spend more time on activities there. Recursive processes were not observed.
  Authors: Benjamin, Julian M.; Elias, Wafa; Shiftan, Yoram
  Authors: Benjamin, Julian M.; Elias, Wafa; Shiftan, Yoram
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Policy; Public Transportation; Society
  Session: 594
  Paper Number: 13-4244
• Why Do Regulated Jitney Services Often Fail? Evidence from New York City Group Ride Vehicle Project
  Abstract: This research is informed by a policy experiment. In June 2010, the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) reduced or eliminated service on dozens of bus routes in throughout the city. These cuts, coupled with higher transit fares, dramatically reduced transit access for many city residents. Shortly after the service reductions went into effect, the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC) announced the Group Ride Vehicle Pilot Project to bring commuter van (jitney) service to five service areas left without regular bus service. The TLC anticipated that the Group Ride Vehicle (GRV) project would mimic the success of existing jitney services and provide transit access for people without any. The pilot project targeted service areas in Brooklyn and Queens and the TLC received commitments from five existing commuter van operators for the project. Once announced, the project was controversial for multiple reasons, including the City’s willingness to privatize transit service with licensed but non-union van service and equity considerations for passengers who had to pay two fares to get into Manhattan. The first GRV licensed vans began service in September 2010, and despite optimism from operators and the TLC, the program was unofficially discontinued after a few months, and the second phase was never implemented.Though the GRV failed to attract riders, it highlighted the overall importance of commuter vans for certain transit dependent populations and suggests many challenges to formalizing informal transit in the United States. Using the TLC Group Ride Vehicle project as our starting point, we explore why informal jitneys in the United States succeed, and whether the conditions under which jitney services prosper are compatible with conventional transit operations. Focus groups with operators, unstructured interviews with drivers and riders and participant observation are used to help explain the challenges facing the formalization of jitney services in a mature city. Our qualitative analysis suggests may reasons the GRV project failed: a lack of subsidy to maintain service and build demand, a two-month gap between the bus service cuts and jitney service implementation, poorly branded service, and confusing language used to describe the program. We argue that some of these reasons are more perceived than real, but all of these reasons reflect the difficulty in transitioning niche jitney service to general purpose transit service.
  Authors: King, David; Goldwyn, Eric
  Authors: King, David; Goldwyn, Eric
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 648
  Paper Number: 13-3918
• Urban Rail Investment and Transit-Oriented Development in China: Examining Land Price Gradients Around Urban Rail Stations in Beijing
  Abstract: As a response to severe urban congestion, megacities in China have sped up investment in urban rail transit. How effective urban rail investment can shape urban form and attract development in China’s megacities has never been sufficiently studied. Using eight years’ land transaction data in Beijing (2004-2011), this research examines developers’ willingness to pay for station proximity and density bonuses. The research reveals 11.1% decrease in land price for each kilometer distanced away from urban rail stations, and 1.16% increase in price for one percentage increase in allowable floor area ratio. This linkage between price and transit proximity, however, is less noticeable in newly developed suburban areas than the well-established urban area. The linkage can hardly be detected among the land transactions happening before station-opening. These two features point to additional planning efforts to promote transit-oriented development in Beijing and other Chinese megacities.
  Authors: Yang, Jiawen; Quan, Jige; Yan, Bin
  Authors: Yang, Jiawen; Quan, Jige; Yan, Bin
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: International Activities; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 492
  Paper Number: 13-3940
• Dynamic Holding Strategy to Prevent Buses from Bunching
  Abstract: This study proposes a robust dynamic control strategy to regulate bus headways and prevent buses from bunching by holding them at bus stops. The proposed strategy monitors bus locations in real time and estimates the time gaps between consecutive buses at a desired frequency. The holding times of all buses at their respective immediate-downstream stops are determined simultaneously based on the estimated time gaps. A procedure that consists of a discrete quadratic dynamic control program and a quadratic static optimization program is developed to produce a unique dynamic control law of holding times. Numerical investigations on an operational bus route reveal that the proposed strategy produces greater system reliability than some existing control strategies and that the bus system under the control of the proposed strategy recovers promptly from large system disruptions.
  Authors: Ji, Yuxiong; Zhang, H. Michael
  Authors: Ji, Yuxiong; Zhang, H. Michael
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 612
  Paper Number: 13-3964
• Travel and Car Ownership of Residents near New Suburban Metro Stations in Shanghai
  Abstract: Large cities in China are building extensive rail transit systems in combination with transit-oriented development (TOD) in suburban areas, so that public transportation can play a leading role in supporting rapid urban expansion. Shanghai has been a leader in this planning approach. Its experience can be valuable for other cities that are facing similar pressures of urbanization, suburbanization and motorization while striving to improve livability and reduce GHG emission. To gain useful insights from Shanghai, we conducted a travel survey of residents in a recently developed suburban metro station area to examine how the city¡¯s Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) has influenced residents¡¯ travel and car ownership. Applying statistical methods, including logistic regression, we found that: (1) the MRT is generally adequate in supporting the station area¡¯s economic relationships with the central city and local employment locations, (2) a high percentage of residents intended to commute by the MRT when they moved to the suburban station area, and their original intention has positively influenced their current travel and car ownership, and (3) rail transit may help temporarily reduce the pace of motorization among households near suburban metro stations by delaying car purchase and lowering the probability of car use in commuting. However, we also found that car ownership has been increasing quite rapidly despite the positive effects of a much expanded and improved metro system, and that once a person owns a car, s/he will most likely drive to work.
  Authors: Pan, Haixiao; Shen, Qing; Zhao, Ting
  Authors: Pan, Haixiao; Shen, Qing; Zhao, Ting
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: International Activities; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 492
  Paper Number: 13-4053
• Evaluation of Community Café's Utility for Public Transportation Use in a Local Community in Japan
  Abstract: Demographic aging and depopulation are forcing local communities in Japan to confront the dilemma of maintaining public transportation services while reducing public transport costs. As a solution, this study discusses the usefulness of a community café (a non-profit-managed public space for eating, drinking and deepening personal interactions) as a bus waiting place. The idea is that passengers can wait comfortably for a bus at a community café even when financial constraints have caused the waiting time to increase as a result of reductions in transportation service frequency. To analyze the relationship between passenger satisfaction with bus transportation when a community café is used as a bus waiting place, a multiattribute utility function (MUF) and orthogonal arrays were used. A questionnaire survey to collect data for analysis was conducted in Atsuma Town, Southern Hokkaido. The bus transport attributes to which MUF was applied in order to evaluate the passenger satisfaction included waiting time, bus fare, and type of waiting place. The analysis shows that the utility function scores for factor combinations such as community café as a bus waiting place and either longer waiting time, or higher bus fare are higher than those for the combinations of canopied shelter with seats and either shorter waiting time or lower bus fare.Such results indicate that using a community café as a bus waiting place may be able to make up for reductions in public bus transport services due to financial constraints.
  Authors: Kishi, Kunihiro
  Authors: Kishi, Kunihiro
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Design; Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation; Terminals and Facilities
  Session: 389
  Paper Number: 13-4157
• Shanghai’s Nonlocal Vehicles as a Dilemma in Transportation Policy Transfer from Singapore
  Abstract: Chinese cities have adopted many policy strategies internationally that have created many problems due to the differences in local context and institutional structure. In this paper we report an example of automobile license auction policy transferred from Singapore to Shanghai, and how a technical issue of non-local vehicles raised a dilemma for Shanghai government in the trade-off between congestion management and openness of Shanghai as a metropolitan center. The government sets up a total quota each month and requires every car owner to join a bidding process to obtain a vehicle license. As Shanghai license prices continue to increase, many Shanghai residents get a non-local license outside Shanghai for a much cheaper price. The problem of non-local vehicles is a unique phenomenon that only happens in Shanghai that waters down the policy effectiveness, and results in challenges in traffic management. It also results in large revenue loss outside Shanghai, exacerbates equity concerns among Shanghai car owners, and decreases trustworthiness of government policy. Singapore as a state-city has no non-local vehicles, but Shanghai as a city within a region, is facing the dilemma of further controlling non-local vehicles to mitigate congestion versus the city’s openness to promote inter-city trade. Although Shanghai has taken actions in controlling non-local vehicles through both internal policy refinement and regional collaboration, it has hesitated in posing harsher restrictions. Public views vary across different dimensions and two variables show the largest impact on attitude: car ownership and license type, and residence status. The public do understand Shanghai’s dilemma and the importance of the city to remain open as the public opposes further restrictions on non-local vehicles. Even local license owners and locally-born residents, who are most likely in favour of further restrictions, do not want harsh restrictions banning non-local vehicles.
  Authors: Chen, Tracy (Xiao Jie); Zhao, Jinhua
  Authors: Chen, Tracy (Xiao Jie); Zhao, Jinhua
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: International Activities; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 492
  Paper Number: 13-4366
• Car Owners as a Supporting Constituency of Car-Deterring Policies: Preference Variations in Shanghai’s Car Licensing Policy
  Abstract: The political economy of most car deterrent policies shows that car owners, in general, are the group that most oppose these policies, but the car license auction policy in Shanghai may prove an exception. Shanghai implemented a policy controlling car ownership growth by requiring new car purchasers to bid for their license through a public auction. This policy is effective in dampening car growth but also raises concern about its public acceptability. Extending a prior study examining the public acceptance at the aggregate level [1], this paper examines the preference variation among local residents in their policy acceptance and its three determinants: perceived effectiveness, affordability and equity. Based on one questionnaire survey conducted among employees in nine local companies, three dimensions are used to segment the population: car ownership and license type, car mode share, and other socioeconomic characteristics. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) test is used to evaluate the significance of the preference variation, and structural equation models (SEM) are developed to quantify the impact of the determinants of policy acceptance among different population segments. Among all dimensions, car ownership and license type turns out to be the most important differentiator in terms of the policy acceptance and attitude. Although the overall acceptance level was negative, local car-owners are actually neutral towards the policy, in contrast to greatly negative views held by non-car owners or car owners with non-local licenses. Their acceptance level also increases significantly over time. Local car owners also perceive the policy as more effective and less unaffordable, and show different emphasis on equity concerns compared to non-car owners. This study suggests that local car owners, by paying the high license fee, have invested in this policy and become an interest group in support of it. As the percentage of local car owners grows, the auction policy gains more support and becomes almost irreversible.
  Authors: Chen, Tracy (Xiao Jie); Zhao, Jinhua
  Authors: Chen, Tracy (Xiao Jie); Zhao, Jinhua
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: International Activities; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 492
  Paper Number: 13-4374
• Dynamic Transit Service Through Open Mode Integrated Transportation System
  Abstract: This paper presents an overview of the Open Mode Integrated Transportation System (OMITS), introduces its key components and algorithms in the recent development and implementation, and demonstrates the working mechanism of dynamic transit service. The OMITS has been designed to integrate the availability of multiple transit modes into the ridesharing service to provide riders and drivers flexible, efficient, and reliable transportation services, through dynamic matching and routing algorithms and emerging information communication and data mining and fusion technologies. The OMITS App, which is run on a smart phone (iPhone or Android), has been developed for customers to communicate with the OMITS server, detect roadway traffic conditions, and receive driving directions. The travel time for a road section is predicted considering the traffic factors through the historic and real-time traffic data and public transit schedule. Using the multimodal travel system, the OMITS integrates multimodal transit options including the information of time-dependent arc weights, namely travel time, and switching delays and provides the time-dependent multimodal shortest path using the Dijkstra’s algorithm under the FIFO condition. The OMITS system provides an optimized ridesharing and transit service based on spontaneous transportation demands and service availability. A small scale OMITS prototype has been developed and tested in New York City. An example is presented to demonstrate the dynamic transit service algorithm.
  Authors: Yin, Huiming M.; Wang, Liang; Maurin, Paul
  Authors: Yin, Huiming M.; Wang, Liang; Maurin, Paul
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 818
  Paper Number: 13-4385
• The Market and Impacts of New Types of Carsharing Systems: Case Study of Greater London
  Abstract: Short-term car rental services known as Carsharing (CS) have grown rapidly from a very small base over the past decade. They are primarily found in dense urban areas in the developed world though they are reaching beyond this comfort zone in several ways. There are now more than a million subscribers worldwide. CS services generally require public sector support, though this is not always the case and may be less so in the future. Some CS systems are publicly-funded, but policymakers are taking note of this mode of transport for several other reasons as well: it affects use of other forms of transportation, it impacts on important outcomes such as emissions and parking needs, and it uses privileged access to publicly-owned on-street space. At the moment policymakers must make decisions on a very limited evidence base, in particular as regards new types of CS systems.To date a small number of studies have attempted to forecast how widespread CS services might become and the likely impacts. This paper presents forecasts prepared with a newly-developed methodology using London, England as a case study. We show that the potential market and impacts of CS systems are highly-dependent on the specific service features.
  Authors: Le Vine, Scott; Sivakumar, Aruna; Lee-Gosselin, Martin E. H.; Polak, John W.
  Authors: Le Vine, Scott; Sivakumar, Aruna; Lee-Gosselin, Martin E. H.; Polak, John W.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 491
  Paper Number: 13-4389
• Has Shanghai’s Transportation Demand Passed Its Peak Growth?
  Abstract: Based on four comprehensive transportation surveys in Shanghai, this study examines the latest trends in Shanghai’s travel demand, investigates their social, economic and spatial drivers, and compares the paces of travel demand growth in three periods: I,1980s to early 90s; II, early 90s to mid 2000s; and III, mid 2000s to now. The demand growth is relative slow in Period I, and then speeds up in Period II, before returns to a slower pace in Period III. As for trip purpose, Shanghai’s travel is much more diversified with increasing share of non-commuting trips (from 28% in 1995 to 46% in 2009). Spatially travel demand is dispersed from the central district to peripheral districts because of urban expansion and decentralization, and from Puxi (west of Huangpu River) to Pudong (east of Huangpu River) as a result of the significant economic development of Pudong New Area. Both spatial diffusion and purpose diversification favor the convenience and flexibility of private motor vehicles. Driven by rapid motorization, vehicle travel is growing at a much faster pace than person travel. Overall in terms of percentage growth, travel demand in Shanghai has passed its peak growth since 2004 for both person trips and vehicle trips. In terms of absolute number, person trip growth has peaked but vehicle trip growth has not. In response to the growing demand, especially rapid motorization, the local government has made tremendous investments in road infrastructure and public transit, and attempted to manage demand through vehicle ownership control.
  Authors: Zhao, Zhan; Zhao, Jinhua; Shen, Qing
  Authors: Zhao, Zhan; Zhao, Jinhua; Shen, Qing
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: International Activities; Environment; Public Transportation
  Session: 831
  Paper Number: 13-4356
• Direct Ridership Model of Mexico City’s Bus Rapid Transit and Metro Systems
  Abstract: Direct ridership models (DRM) have been introduced in the US context as an alternative to four step travel demand modeling. They can be used to obtain quick, order-of-magnitude estimates of transit patronage, at a fraction of the cost of a full travel demand model, and are also more adept at capturing the effects of smart growth on transit ridership. Their relatively low cost, flexible data requirements and rapidity make them particularly suited to developing world cities. Yet these cities still rely exclusively on full travel demand models to advise investments in new transit infrastructure. In doing so, they often rely on old data and household surveys that are out of date, and do not capture important recent changes in travel patterns. Using Mexico City as a case study, we illustrate the benefits of using DRM models in a developing world context. We develop ridership models for the city’s BRT and Metro networks, studying how land use, service and station attributes impact ridership for each mode, and also how connections between BRT and Metro affect each other’s ridership. We notably found that the two systems are highly complementary, each getting ridership benefits from connecting to the other. We then discuss the implications of our findings for transport policy in Mexico City, as well as some shortcomings of DRM models – in particular their difficulty in accounting for informal transit.
  Authors: Duduta, Nicolae
  Authors: Duduta, Nicolae
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: International Activities; Environment; Public Transportation
  Session: 831
  Paper Number: 13-4419
• Electric Vehicle Carsharing in a Senior Adult Community in San Francisco Bay Area
  Abstract: By the year 2030, the number of people over the age of 65 in the United States is expected to reach 57 million. The Baby Boomer population tends to drive more kilometers/miles annually than previous generations, have wider interests, and will likely be active and healthy well past retirement. This paper examines an electric vehicle (EV) carsharing (short-term vehicle access) service as an alternative to private vehicle ownership for older adults living in a gated community. Research was conducted between Winter 2009 and Spring 2011. The study consisted of in-depth interviews (n=7), four focus groups (n=31), and survey data collection (n=443) with residents of the Rossmoor Senior Adult Community in Walnut Creek, California. Study results indicate that 30% of all survey respondents at Rossmoor are interested in participating in an EV carsharing program in their gated community, while 36% are maybe interested. Eighty-three percent of community-wide survey respondents drive short distances often, (i.e., eight kilometers five times a month); 100% of interview respondents plan their trips in advance; and 77% of focus group participants made changes to their driving behavior because of high fuel prices.
  Authors: Shaheen, Susan A.; Cano, Lauren; Camel, Madonna
  Authors: Shaheen, Susan A.; Cano, Lauren; Camel, Madonna
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Safety and Human Factors
  Session: 306
  Paper Number: 13-4491
• Comparing Optimal Relocation Operations with Simulated Relocation Policies in One-Way Carsharing Systems
  Abstract: One-way carsharing systems allow travelers to pick up a car at one station and return it to a different station, thereby causing vehicle imbalances across the stations. In this paper, realistic ways to mitigate that imbalance by relocating vehicles are discussed. Also presented are a new mathematical model to optimize relocation operations that maximize the profitability of the carsharing service and a simulation model to study different real-time relocation policies. Both methods were applied to networks of stations in Lisbon Portugal. Results show that real-time relocation policies, and these policies when combined with optimization techniques, can produce significant increases in profit. In the case where the carsharing system provides maximum coverage of the city area, imbalances in the network resulted in an operating loss of 1160 €/day when no relocation operations were performed. When relocation policies were applied, however, the simulation results indicate that profits of 854 €/day could be achieved, even with increased costs due to relocations. This improvement was achieved through reductions in the number of vehicles needed to satisfy demand and the number of parking spaces needed at stations. This is a key result that demonstrates the importance of relocation operations for sustainably providing a more comprehensive network of stations in one-way carsharing systems, thus reaching a higher number of users in a city.
  Authors: Jorge, Diana Rita Ramos; Correia, Gonçalo Homem de Almeida; Barnhart, Cynthia
  Authors: Jorge, Diana Rita Ramos; Correia, Gonçalo Homem de Almeida; Barnhart, Cynthia
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 818
  Paper Number: 13-4559
• Analysis of Evening Contraflow Fare on the London Underground
  Abstract: ABSTRACTThis paper studies the impacts of the peak contraflow fare which was introduced by Transport for London (TfL) on the London Underground at the beginning of January 2011. Passengers travelling into central London during a weekday evening peak period using Pay-As-You-Go on Oystercard, London’s public transport smartcard, are charged an off-peak fare instead of a peak fare. The majority of commuters leave the city centre during the peak period and accordingly the main reason for the introduction of the fare was to fill spare capacity on trains travelling into the city centre. Given the fare was so recently introduced, this research is the first study of the fare’s impact. No similar fare structure was found to exist elsewhere during the course of this research and the results of this paper are therefore important for both TfL and transport network operators worldwide. Data collected from a 5% sample of Oystercards was used to conduct the study.No statistically significant change was found between the number of passengers travelling into the centre of London during the evening peak period before and after the introduction of the fare. TfL are therefore making a loss in revenue in comparison with previous years where passengers would have been charged a peak fare. Two primary reasons were suggested to explain these results. Firstly, passengers take time to respond to fare changes. Secondly, TfL’s promotion of the fare seems very low.
  Authors: Rooney, Lydia; Majumdar, Arnab
  Authors: Rooney, Lydia; Majumdar, Arnab
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Policy; Public Transportation
  Session: 421
  Paper Number: 13-4612
• The Adoption of Complete Streets Policies in Transportation-Disadvantaged Communities: Lessons from U.S. Case Studies
  Abstract: In the last ten years, Complete Streets has become a growing policy movement. An increasing number of jurisdictions have passed Complete Streets policies that formalize that community’s intent to plan for, engineer, construct and maintain transportation facilities that serve, automobiles, transit, bicycles, pedestrians and freight. The multimodal infrastructure these policies encourage has the potential to improve the quality of life for groups traditionally underserved by automobile oriented development, also called the transportation disadvantaged. However, very few of these policies directly acknowledge the importance of serving the transportation disadvantaged. This study profiles three communities that have prioritized walking, biking and transit investments that serve these populations: the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Michigan; the City of Portland, Oregon; and the City of Decatur, GA. The paper addresses shared lessons for other communities looking to effectively include diverse communities in the planning process and create explicit project criteria and plans that address the equitable distribution of transportation infrastructure.
  Authors: Clifton, Kelly J.; Bronstein, Sarah; Morrissey, Sara
  Authors: Clifton, Kelly J.; Bronstein, Sarah; Morrissey, Sara
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 369
  Paper Number: 13-4615
• Qualitative Insights on the Travel Behavior Effects of Joining a Carshare
  Abstract: Carsharing organisations (‘carshares’) provide collectively-available vehicles that can be booked for exclusive use on a ‘pay-as-you-go’ basis. Previous research has shown that there are two groups who join carshares: accessors, who do not have a car on joining a carshare and gain access to one; and shedders, who give up a car on joining a carshare. The paper examines the circumstances and motivations for accessors and shedders to join a carshare, changes to their travel behaviour in the short and longer run and how their behaviour might have changed if they had not joined. This is achieved through in-depth interviews of members of a carshare in the city of Bath in the UK. It is found that the carshare attracted those already contemplating giving up their car or triggered to consider giving up their car ownership by life events. Joining a carshare prevents acquisition of cars for some members but some subsequently take opportunities to acquire cars as circumstances change. Once shedders become members it is found they adapt to managing without a personal car and use a variety of transport modes, planning their activity-travel schedules in advance and taking into account costs and convenience of different options. The increasing popularity of new mobility options such as carsharing also has implications for the methods used to analyse and model travel behaviour. The options of joining a carshare and using carshare vehicles should be included in transport models for areas where carshares operate.
  Authors: Chatterjee, Kiron; Andrews, Geoffrey Paul; Ricci, Miriam; Parkhurst, Graham
  Authors: Chatterjee, Kiron; Andrews, Geoffrey Paul; Ricci, Miriam; Parkhurst, Graham
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 491
  Paper Number: 13-4590
• Mobility for Travelers with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Learning Disabilities: Challenges and Solutions
  Abstract: The adoption of universal design (UD) in transport planning has reduced the barriers for persons with disabilities. However, those affected by cognitive disorders, most notably Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Learning Disorders (LDs), are still struggling in all three transportation scenarios: be it active, public or private modes due to gaps in current transport provisions. This paper attempts to define the target population of both disorders in order to gain insights on their mobility issues and challenges. The main research method consists of literature review to better understand the target populations and the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders concerned followed by recommended actions. It is found that those affected by ADHD and LDs are prone to take risks, have problems organizing travel information and may even blurt out inappropriate comments when faced with stressors. Therefore, safety and communication problems have been identified as significant issues, among others. Final recommendations include allocating funding for research by all levels of government; modifying the built environment incrementally by increasing and improving signage along with integration of adaptive technologies in transport systems. Sensitization of transport providers and the public on such invisible disorders through education and publicity is needed to enable the affected individuals to travel more safely and independently in a stress-free trip chain.
  Authors: Chan, Hoi Kei Phoebe; Suen, S. Ling
  Authors: Chan, Hoi Kei Phoebe; Suen, S. Ling
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation; Safety and Human Factors
  Session: 690
  Paper Number: 13-4646
• Optimal Sustainable Road Plans Using Multiobjective Optimization Approach
  Abstract: In order to construct sustainable road network system, the three dimensions of sustainability, which are economic efficiency, environmental impact and social equity perspectives, should be significantly and simultaneously taken into account in planning stage. Since these dimensions have trade-off relationships among them, we developed a multi-objective optimization model for planning of optimal road capacity improvement strategy. The three indicators for measuring each dimension of sustainability were employed as the objectives of the proposed model. The total travel cost which consists of monetized value of travel time and operating cost was adopted as economic indicator. The total emission cost and the GINI coefficient based on the zonal accessibility were adopted as environmental indicator and equity indicator, respectively. An experimental test was performed with the three model scenarios which were investigated to compare the single- and multi-objective approach methods and different objective functions. We obtained the Pareto optimal solutions by using the elitist non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm. The results show that the proposed model which is based on multi-objective approach and considered all of the three dimensions of sustainability is more suitable to plan sustainable road network design. In addition, we suggested that the frequency rate of a link within Pareto solutions can be utilized for planning priority of capacity improvement strategy for maximizing sustainability on road network.
  Authors: Kim, Jin Hee; Bae, YunKyung; Chung, Jin-Hyuk
  Authors: Kim, Jin Hee; Bae, YunKyung; Chung, Jin-Hyuk
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Energy; Environment; Public Transportation
  Session: 685
  Paper Number: 13-4636
• Innovations in the Equity Analysis of Regional Transportation Plans
  Abstract: The laws and guidance governing the equity analysis of regional transportation plans generally do not prescribe specific analytical practices. In the absence of explicit requirements, an approach has evolved that relies upon methods developed for traditional environmental justice analysis based on geographic aggregation of target populations and a conception of equity that generally ignores existing disparities. This article uses activity-based travel demand modeling data provided by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the metropolitan planning organization (MPO) for the nine county San Francisco Bay Area, to perform a sensitivity analysis on geographic thresholds and compare estimates of aggregate and disaggregate travel behavior. The sensitivity analysis provides important information about existing commute time by local bus in communities with increasing concentrations of people of color. Additionally, aggregating over all modes and several different protected populations obscures important differences that are only visible when disaggregated. Both threshold approaches and disaggregate analyses can provide important information about inequities, but because the particular threshold definition employed can entirely predict the outcome of an equity analysis, care must be taken to ensure that the outcomes from the analysis are meaningful. This result suggests that members of the public and transportation advocates participating in the development of regional equity analyses must shift their focus from indicators and metrics to consider the importance of the methods used to calculate those indicators. The paper concludes by proposing one example of a revised equity analysis that is more informative than previous iterations and is responsive to feedback from regional equity stakeholders.
  Authors: Karner, Alex; Niemeier, Debbie
  Authors: Karner, Alex; Niemeier, Debbie
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Policy; Public Transportation; Society
  Session: 350
  Paper Number: 13-4203
• Measuring Transit and Livability in Rural America, Rural Transit Livability Index (RTLI)
  Abstract: The Partnership for Sustainable Communities, established in 2009, laid out six principles for livable communities in the United States. Building more “livable” communities is a goal of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The FTA contracted with Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) on a project entitled, “Rural Livability Performance Measures Suitable for Use at a National Level” to identify, test, and recommend a set of measures which leverage existing national data to characterize the contributions of transit to livability in rural areas of the United States. Researchers identified six “rural transit livability performance measures”, one for each PSC livability principle, through an iterative process of literature review, discussion with FTA staff, and expert review. The research team created a methodology to combine the six measures into a national index specific to rural transit and livability—the Rural-Transit-Livability Index (RTLI). The article describes RTLI methodology, case study application to eight states, and statistical comparison with potentially confounding external variables. The authors conclude that the RTLI methodology successfully leverages existing data sources in the United States to effectively, albeit indirectly, measure the nexus between livability and rural transit services. Researchers recommend that policy makers and rural stakeholders alike use the rural transit livability performance measures and the RTLI as a gauge for policy construction and communication.
  Authors: Brooks, Jonathan Paul; Edrington, Suzie; Catala, Martin
  Authors: Brooks, Jonathan Paul; Edrington, Suzie; Catala, Martin
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Public Transportation
  Session: 797
  Paper Number: 13-4308
• Mobility-Enhancing ICT from an Ethical Perspective: Case of a Navigation System for Visually Impaired Persons
  Abstract: The aim of this study is to empirically investigate the case of visually impaired persons and the possible effects of a tailored pedestrian navigation system on their mobility. Interview results indicate that with the provision of detailed information about the built environment and public transportation, positive potential effects include an increased ability to travel alone, to travel in unplanned and unfamiliar situations, and to prioritize public transportation use over the use of special transportation services. In the broader sense, the system may also serve an integrity enhancing function by improving the possibility of leading an independent and autonomous life. On the other hand, as with all ICT with positioning and monitoring capabilities, its use also poses ethical challenges and may negatively impact privacy. Privacy perceptions are highly contextual, but the participants’ responses in this context do not indicate high levels of concern for data misuse or being tracked through their data. This does not, however, translate into an absence of concern over technology’s potential negative impacts on personal integrity. As the participants’ comments illustrate, ICT development does not necessarily result in ethically sound, universally accessible technology. While the participants are generally optimistic about the possibilities of using ICT to enhance their mobility, they also emphasize that ICT is not the magic bullet. As such, this study serves to remind us that a coordinated effort on multiple fronts is vital in addressing users’ needs and meeting broader social goals such as social inclusion and the accessibility of transportation, technology, and information.
  Authors: Sochor, Jana
  Authors: Sochor, Jana
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation; Safety and Human Factors
  Session: 690
  Paper Number: 13-4637
• Urban Core Transit Access to Low-Income Jobs
  Abstract: In many areas around the country, low income jobs have followed patterns of suburbanization, resulting in a spatial mismatch between low income workers residing in dense urban areas and low income jobs located in suburban areas of the outlying urban periphery. This facilitates a need for auto ownership in core urban areas traditionally thought to be rich in transit supply and robust in transit accessibility. Resulting auto dependence is a substantial economic burden for low income households, and detrimental to those who have made residential location choices in an attempt to adopt a public transit lifestyle. This paper seeks to explain varying levels of Low Income and High Car Ownership (LIHCO) households in the urban core by investigating their accessibility to low income job locations. Two transit accessibility metrics geared towards low income populations are derived, and applied. The first score is based on the number of low income jobs accessible by transit from the residential location, and the second is based on late night transit frequency at the residential location. These accessibility scores are then correlated with the magnitude of LIHCO households residing in each spatial unit of analysis. The results suggest a link between transit access to low income jobs, late night transit frequency, and the number of LIHCO households in existence. It is concluded that improving transit access to low income jobs and increasing late night transit frequency may reduce auto ownership among LIHCO households, improving their economic welfare.
  Authors: Hart, Nicholas; Lownes, Nicholas E.
  Authors: Hart, Nicholas; Lownes, Nicholas E.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Environment; Passenger Transportation; Policy; Public Transportation
  Session: 642
  Paper Number: 13-5046
• Indicators in the Governance of Sustainable Transport Policies in Japan
  Abstract: The paper addresses the role of indicators to promote transitions towards a more sustainable transportation future in Japan. Existing international literature suggests a potential key role for performance measurement and indicator systems to strengthen such policies. The research explores to what extent governance frameworks associated with ‘new public management’ reforms in Japan also provide an enhanced basis to promote sustainability within transportation. A framework is derived based on the assumption that the effectiveness of such frameworks in this regard depends on the way sustainability is represented, as well as how the framework is integrated with decision making processes. Japan is used as a case, because Japanese transport seems to perform well in certain aspects of ‘sustainability’, while Japanese transportation policy also faces significant management challenges. A range of governance measures have been adopted to assist in managing transport policy challenges, including the application of experimentation, monitoring and evaluation of plans, policies and institutions. The paper looks at two cases of policy management within Japanese transportation: The first is the performance evaluation framework for the road sector used by the Japanese Ministry of Land Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT). The second is the so-called ‘Eco-model’ cities program, also undertaken by the MLIT, using the case of Toyama City for illustration. In each case the approach to performance measurement is outlined, the actual application is presented, and the results in terms of how the indicators contribute to promote sustainable transport will be reviewed. A finding is that indicators in both programs seem to have limited positive influence on sustainability, with the most and visible effects in the latter one. The institutional context seems important for the strength of influence.
  Authors: Gudmundsson, Henrik; Fukuda, Daisuke
  Authors: Gudmundsson, Henrik; Fukuda, Daisuke
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Energy; Environment; Public Transportation
  Session: 685
  Paper Number: 13-5154
• Bus Route Performance and Service Change Guidelines for Fairfax Connector
  Abstract: Evaluation and improvement methods of bus transit system performance are an ongoing area of study and refinement within the transit industry. Capturing the full scope of system performance through differing metrics gives transit providers a clear picture of where the system is excelling, and where improvement is needed. Current performance metrics in use provide transit planners and managers with data in the areas of ridership, on-time performance, and cost. These measures are used in the industry to make necessary adjustments to bus service, including service levels and routing alignment; based on performance data. However, the current performance measures and methods used by transit managers to evaluate and change bus service, do not provide the full scope of bus system or route level performance. Advanced analytical methods for evaluating transit performance and performing route alignment modifications presented by various researchers of the transit industry provide a comprehensive system for measuring and altering bus service. This research applies advanced analytical methods to transit performance measure and route modification, to demonstrate their potential for application in the industry.
  Authors: Crooks, Matthew; Lee, Young-Jae; Jeihani, Mansoureh
  Authors: Crooks, Matthew; Lee, Young-Jae; Jeihani, Mansoureh
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 612
  Paper Number: 13-5274
• Cost and Optimal Fare Estimation for Urban Bus Transit System of Santiago, Chile
  Abstract: In 2007 the city of Santiago, Chile implemented a new urban transit system (Transantiago), which integrated the Metro system with a redesigned bus network. The city was divided in several regions and each region was tendered and awarded to the highest bidder that fulfilled the requirements. After a very complicated start, the Government was forced to give subsidies to bus operators. Since subsidies were not contemplated in the original plan for Transantiago, it has been a long discussion between the Government, opposition politicians, and the public agencies involved whether there should be a subsidy for Transantiago and how much it should be. In this paper, we attempt to estimate the cost function of the operators and the budget-balance fare of the system, in order to contribute technically to this discussion. Our database is from several sources and includes public data from the bus operators. We estimate the cost function through a Cobb-Douglas function and we define an aggregate demand model. Our results show that there are economies of density. Once the cost function is estimated, we estimate a budget-balance fare using Ramsey pricing. Our results show that this fare is higher than the actual bus fare, suggesting that subsidies are justified. Nevertheless, we estimate that for the current (December 2011) fare the subsidy should be 40% lower that the one determined by the Government. On the other hand, we estimate that for such level of subsidy the optimal fare should be only 50% of the current fare. Further research should consider the different levels of efficiency in the industry and the externalities generated by private car and public transport trips such as accidents, pollution, congestion, and noise in order to have a broader picture for the decision-makers.
  Authors: Batarce, Marco; Galilea, Patricia
  Authors: Batarce, Marco; Galilea, Patricia
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Policy; Public Transportation
  Session: 421
  Paper Number: 13-4814
• Evaluating Private Bus Operators’ Willingness to Participate in Transit Improvements in Mexico
  Abstract: This paper provides valuable inputs for the decision-making process of transit improvements in developing countries. By analyzing private bus operators’ willingness to participate in transit improvements, the political feasibility can be assessed and the likelihood of successful implementation can be increased. Data from 156 surveys conducted in various cities in Mexico are used to develop probabilistic models that quantify the influence of private bus operators’ characteristics, perceptions about business and operating efficiencies as well as their relationship with government on their willingness to participate. Evidence shows that several elements can increase the willingness of private operators to participate in government-led proposals. These include: the level of trust and communication between private bus operators and government authorities; the economic power of private bus operators; and the attachment to the status quo. Several features were shown to limit operators’ willingness to participate, including: the model of operation, the likelihood of lost revenue through taxation and concerns about the potential modifications of their legal rights to operate. An analysis of Mexico City and surrounding areas demonstrates the need to establish a well-defined strategy for engaging private bus operators in transit improvements; failure to do so has resulted in much less trust of government and led to more conflicts in future projects. The paper reveals the importance of analyzing private bus operators’ participative profiles in the assessment of transit improvements. Selected areas for improvements might present challenges for engaging private bus operators in the proposed improvement.
  Authors: Lopez Dodero, Abel; Casello, Jeffrey; Molinero Molinero, Angel R.; Vazquez Cotera, Daniel
  Authors: Lopez Dodero, Abel; Casello, Jeffrey; Molinero Molinero, Angel R.; Vazquez Cotera, Daniel
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: International Activities; Environment; Public Transportation
  Session: 831
  Paper Number: 13-4912
• Public Transportation in Jackson, Mississippi
  Abstract: The importance of an efficiently operated public transit system could never be over-estimated for a livable community and vibrant economy. It is widely familiar that public transit improves life quality, strengthens the economy, creates jobs, improves the environment, and saves energy. Jackson, MS is the largest metropolitan area in the state of Mississippi. There is roughly 180,000 people living in Jackson, and about 25% of the population is below the poverty line. In addition, Mississippi’s average family income is among the lowest in the country. Public transportation caters to the low-income, handicapped, and aged populations who do not have access to auto use, however, public transport is often scarce throughout the state, and especially in the urban communities. Jackson uses busses, airplanes and trains to support their public transportation system; however transit use is still low in the Jackson area and not widely accepted by the community. The Mississippi Department of Transportation is looking to begin evaluations of the public transit system in Jackson. MDOT should also look to model successful public transportation system in other areas in the nation like TriMet, which is one of the nation’s leading public transit systems in Portland, OR. Furthermore, Jackson, MS has the demographic, along with an urban environment to create a successful public transportation system, and with the support of the community, MDOT, and the city of Jackson, they can improve their economy and environment.
  Authors: Boggan, Kameron Alyse
  Authors: Boggan, Kameron Alyse
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Administration and Management; Public Transportation
  Session: 352
  Paper Number: 13-5188
• Cádiz Bay Tram-Train: First Experience over Spanish Conventional Tracks
  Abstract: Tram-train systems are an evolution of light rail in which the vehicle can run on the urban tracks that have been implemented specifically for the system, but it can enter, at a given point, into conventional railway tracks that have been implemented for and are used by conventional railway vehicles. In this way, urban and metropolitan light rail services can be extended further away from the city center, avoiding part of the cost of new infrastructure, and offering a seamless link between the urban center and the suburban areas.The fact of running on different kinds of tracks, with different types of superstructure and geometric characteristics, as well as different standards in relation to safety and other subjects, makes the design of tram-train systems especially complex. The aim of the present paper is to describe some of the most important technological challenges for the implementation of Cádiz Bay tram-train. It is the first tram-train developed over Spanish conventional railway tracks belonging to ADIF (Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias, Administrator of Railway Infrastructures). Some of the main technological features of this tram-train are: 1,668 mm track gauge, with the possibility of a future transformation to 1,435 mm; a partially low-floor tram-train vehicle, to cope with the two kinds of stations/stops (urban and railway ones); a tram-train wheel with wide flange, to match the conventional railway tracks, which leads to wide-grooved rails in the new urban stretches of the network; dual-voltage vehicle 3000-750 V dc, etc.
  Authors: Novales, Margarita; Conles, Emilio
  Authors: Novales, Margarita; Conles, Emilio
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Public Transportation
  Session: 415
  Paper Number: 13-0334
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• 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
• Evaluation of Innovative Bicycle Facilities in Washington, D.C.: Pennsylvania Avenue Median Lanes and 15th Street Cycle Track
  Abstract: Two innovative bicycle facilities were installed in Washington, DC during 2010 by the District Department of Transportation (DDOT): buffered center median bicycle lanes on Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest and a two-way cycle track on 15th Street Northwest. Both facilities include dedicated road space with buffers between bicyclists and motor vehicles, signal control, and signs and pavement markings. The facilities were designed to provide increased safety, comfort, and convenience for cyclists. This paper presents the results of a comprehensive study that evaluated the facilities to understand how well they work for cyclists, motorists, and pedestrians in terms of safety, level of service (LOS), behavior, and attitude. The evaluation found that bicycle LOS improved and that bicycle volumes on those corridors nearly quadrupled, well above the rate of city-wide bicycle use. Motor vehicle LOS was largely unaffected. Signal progression was mixed for bicyclists, with contraflow travel on the one-way portion of 15th Street and traveling against the dominant travel direction on Pennsylvania Avenue showing the worst travel time performance. While bicycle crashes increased on both facilities, the crash rate remained similar on 15th Street; Pennsylvania Avenue saw a higher crash rate. In surveys of all travelers on the corridor (bicyclist, motorist, pedestrian) and nearby residents, the perception of the lanes is generally positive for all users and the lanes are seen as a positive addition to the community.
  Authors: Goodno, Mike; McNeil, Nathan Winslow; Parks, Jamie; Trainor, Stephanie Dock
  Authors: Goodno, Mike; McNeil, Nathan Winslow; Parks, Jamie; Trainor, Stephanie Dock
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Planning and Forecasting; Policy; Public Transportation
  Session: 347
  Paper Number: 13-0519
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Preserving an Aging Transit Fleet: Optimal Resource Allocation Perspective Based on Service Life and Constrained Budget
  Abstract: Local, county and state level transit agencies with large fleets of buses and limited budgets seek a robust fund allocation mechanism to maintain service standards. However, equitable and optimal fund allocation for purchasing, operating and maintaining a transit fleet is a complex process. In this study, we develop an optimization model for allocation of funds among different fleet improvement programs within budget constraints over the planning period. This is achieved by minimizing the Net Present Cost (NPC) of the investment within the constraint of a minimum level of fleet quality expressed as a surrogate of the remaining life of the fleet. Integer programming is used to solve the formulated optimization problem using branch and bound algorithm. The model formulation and application are demonstrated with a real world case study of transit agencies. It is observed that minimizing NPC provides a realistic way to allocate resources between different program options among different transit agencies while maintaining a desired quality level. The proposed model is generalized and can be used as a resource allocation tool for transit fleet management by any transit agency. Key Words: transit fleet, net present cost, integer programming, branch and bound algorithm
  Authors: Mishra, Sabyasachee; Sharma, Sushant; Khasnabis, Snehamay; Mathew, Tom V.
  Authors: Mishra, Sabyasachee; Sharma, Sushant; Khasnabis, Snehamay; Mathew, Tom V.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Administration and Management; Public Transportation
  Session: 352
  Paper Number: 13-0638
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Benefits of Real-Time Transit Information and Impacts of Data Accuracy on Rider Experience
  Abstract: When presented in a practical format, real-time transit information can improve sustainable travel methods by enhancing the transit experience. This paper identifies the positive shift realized by the continued development of the OneBusAway set of real-time transit information tools. In addition, the paper analyzes real-time prediction errors and their effects on the rider experience. Three years after the development of location-aware mobile applications, a survey of current OneBusAway users was conducted in 2012 in order to compare the results to the previous 2009 study. The results show significant positive shifts in satisfaction with transit, perceptions of safety and ridership frequency as a result of the increased use of real-time arrival information. However, this paper also provides a perspective of the margin of error riders come to expect and the negative effects resulting from inaccuracies with the real-time data. While riders on average will ride less when they have experienced errors, a robust issue-reporting system as well as the resolution of the error can mitigate the initial negative effects. With this understanding, the paper provides transit agencies and developers with guidance to realize the full potential of real-time information and error-reporting systems.
  Authors: Gooze, Aaron; Watkins, Kari Edison; Borning, Alan
  Authors: Gooze, Aaron; Watkins, Kari Edison; Borning, Alan
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 761
  Paper Number: 13-0785
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• A Multicriteria Approach for Analyzing Railway Service Quality
  Abstract: The objective of this work is to propose a tool for decision makers useful for verifying transit service quality and establishing the best transit service. Specifically, multiple criteria decision methods are proposed to evaluate a number of rail routes, on the basis of a set of variables describing the quality of the service, and by considering users opinions. The criteria adopted in the analysis represent some service quality attributes such as safety, cleanliness, passenger comfort, regularity and punctuality of the runs, and passenger information. We analyse the services offered by rail operators in the Northern Italy; specifically, 11 regional lines connecting the city of Milan to other towns of the hinterland are analysed. To apply the analysis, data collected in a survey conducted in June 2011 and addressed to a sample of more than 16,000 passengers are used. We obtained interesting results from the application of two different methods of multi-criteria analysis.
  Authors: Eboli, Laura; Mazzulla, Gabriella
  Authors: Eboli, Laura; Mazzulla, Gabriella
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 761
  Paper Number: 13-0853
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Model for Light-Rail Transit Operation and Maintenance Cost to Perform Sensitivity Analysis
  Abstract: A Light Rail Transit (LRT) Operation and Maintenance (O & M) cost model was developed using various system attributes namely Route Miles, Train Revenue-Hours, Car Revenue-Miles and Peak LRT Cars. System attributes and cost data of twelve peer LRT facilities from 2004-2008 were collected in this context. Using a regression technique, five sets of Power Factor Models (PFM) representing Total O & M cost, Vehicle operation cost, Vehicle maintenance cost, Non-vehicle cost and Administrative cost were derived. The Total O & M cost computed by PFM as well as by the weighted Fully Allocated Cost (FAC) method were compared. It was observed that Total O & M cost computed using PFM is closer to the actual cost. Distribution of predicted Vehicle operating cost, Vehicle maintenance cost, Non-vehicle cost and Administrative cost closely matched the observed distribution. Also, as a part of this study, a set of computation tools (three Nomo-graphs and utility cost calculator) were established to serve as a quick response instrument to estimate Total O & M cost, Vehicle operation cost and Non-vehicle maintenance cost as well as to perform sensitivity analysis.
  Authors: Dutta, Utpal; Zhong, Xiaohui
  Authors: Dutta, Utpal; Zhong, Xiaohui
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Public Transportation
  Session: 794
  Paper Number: 13-0888
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Light-Rail Transit Experience in Madrid, Spain: Effects on Population Settlement and Land Use
  Abstract: Development of new transport systems often leads to demographic and socioeconomic changes in the implementation area. However, the extent and type of these impacts varies depending on the existing settlement patterns, socio-economic conditions and project objectives. To help better understand these impacts this paper examines the effects of building two new light rail lines in Madrid. The two lines were planned to serve different functions and their service areas have different land use characteristics. LRT Line 1 was designed to help promote urban development in a lightly settled area while Line 2 was designed to encourage public transport in an already developed area. As expected, the analysis shows that the impacts of these two lines have been very different. Along Line 1 a large amount of new development has taken place and there have been large increases in population, while along Line 2 land use and population are largely unchanged. This result demonstrates the critical importance of integrated transport and land use planning in the development of cities.
  Authors: Calvo, Francisco; de Ona, Juan; Aran, Fernando; Nash, Andrew
  Authors: Calvo, Francisco; de Ona, Juan; Aran, Fernando; Nash, Andrew
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Public Transportation
  Session: 328
  Paper Number: 13-1162
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Simulation Study of Dedicated Bus Lanes on Jingtong Expressway in Beijing
  Abstract: Traffic congestion on urban roads is forcing city authorities to look at innovative transportation solutions. Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems are internationally recognized as an effective means to deal with the urban traffic congestion problems. The authors have undertaken a simulation study to pre-evaluate the effectiveness of a BRT plan on the Jingtong Expressway to ensure the effectiveness of traffic organization scheme. The simulation results showed that the dedicated bus lanes can greatly improve the carrying capacity and buses¡¯ operating speed though there may have some negative impact on the private vehicles. The comparison of the implementation effect was carried out between the pre-evaluated data (simulated data) and the field data after the implementation of dedicated bus lanes on Jingtong Expressway at May 24th, 2011. There is a good agreement between the pre-evaluated data and the field data. The results should encourage cities to consider dedicated bus lanes as one of the strategies to implement BRT service.
  Authors: Du, Yiman; Wu, Jianping; Zhou, Yang
  Authors: Du, Yiman; Wu, Jianping; Zhou, Yang
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 612
  Paper Number: 13-1293
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Alicante Light Rail: Improving the Use of Existing Railway Lines
  Abstract: The TRAM Metropolitano de Alicante (TRAM) is a unique metric (1,000 mm) gauge system that was born as the first Spanish tram-train, but later lost the tram-train characteristic of sharing the railway tracks with conventional trains due to the evolution of the network. Nevertheless, it still operates in a quasi-tram-train way, as the tram-train vehicle runs partly on railway tracks using the railway signaling system and the rest of railway equipment.This quasi-tram-train operation leads to some specific design issues that are explained in this paper. Additionally, the paper presents a thorough description of the Alicante network, its development, its construction and operational costs, its operation and its demand.
  Authors: Novales, Margarita; Cerezo, Juan Antonio G.; Ortega, Roman
  Authors: Novales, Margarita; Cerezo, Juan Antonio G.; Ortega, Roman
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Public Transportation
  Session: 328
  Paper Number: 13-1300
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Designing Bus Rapid Transit Facilities for Constrained Urban Arterials: A Case Study of the Webster Avenue SBS Running Way Design Selection Process
  Abstract: Providing Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service on urban arterials can be a challenge for transportation agencies as they look to provide transit benefits within existing street infrastructure. Projects must provide high quality transit service while also supporting other important street needs such as pedestrian activity, traffic flow, on-street parking, and crash safety. Transportation agencies must make tradeoffs across different designs in ways that achieve a project’s goals but do not mire the early planning for the project in unneeded costs and delays. This paper describes the New York City Department of Transportation and MTA New York City Transit’s selection of the most appropriate on-street BRT running way design for Webster Avenue (US 1), a key north-south arterial in the central Bronx, based on a balanced, multi-modal set of criteria. Three BRT running way design alternatives - curbside, offset, and median bus lanes - were considered for Webster Avenue’s 70-foot wide right-of-way during the screening process. The four primary screening categories were transit operations, traffic operations, on-street parking / delivery curb space supply, and pedestrian benefits. Each design alternative was evaluated at two sample intersections that represented typical corridor conditions and the results were then expanded to provide a complete corridor evaluation. The evaluation found that the offset bus lane alternative most effectively balanced the transit and traffic needs along the Webster Avenue corridor while maintaining on-street parking and supporting pedestrian activity, making it the preferred corridor design.
  Authors: Beaton, Eric; Orosz, Theodore; Ernhofer, Oliver J.; Yuratovac, Donald; Reiss, Taylor; Bialostozky, Evan
  Authors: Beaton, Eric; Orosz, Theodore; Ernhofer, Oliver J.; Yuratovac, Donald; Reiss, Taylor; Bialostozky, Evan
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 226
  Paper Number: 13-1346
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Objectives for Setting Transfer Time Windows and Other Considerations for Transit Fare Policy
  Abstract: Transfers allow customers to board connecting services without the requirement to pay an additional fare to reach their destinations. As transfers are a core component of fare policy, it is important to select an appropriate transfer time window, defined as the time between the first and final boardings in a journey. The transfer time window selected is important to satisfy both revenue and customer needs.Different approaches can be utilized to derive transfer time windows. For example, a transfer time window can be derived by finding the trip possible with the longest duration on the transit network and setting a transfer time window that allows this trip to be taken on a single fare. Alternatively, a transfer time window can be set so that the time spent on the system is proportional to the fare paid. Unfortunately, both approaches yield relatively long transfer time windows if extreme travel scenarios are considered. To address this concern, an alternative approach was developed to consider more common trips. This analysis found that a transfer time window can be better derived by selecting commonly accessed destinations on the periphery of the transit network, calculating transfer time windows for each origin-destination pair for a weekday during the midday, and then taking the 85th percentile of the transfer time windows required for the origin-destination pairs identified in the sample. The transfer time window should then be rounded to the next 15- or 30-minute increment for communication purposes. Additional considerations when setting a transfer time window include revenue impacts, forward compatibility, congestion and delays, and enforcement. Finally, transfer time windows should be reviewed periodically as the transit system evolves to manage any revenue or customer risks due to changes in network design and travel patterns.
  Authors: Hui, William
  Authors: Hui, William
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Policy; Public Transportation
  Session: 421
  Paper Number: 13-1377
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Exploring the performance limit of a single lane per direction Bus Rapid Transit Systems (BRT)
  Abstract: Despite its booming growth, the BRT industry is still far from reaching maturity. As trial-and-error and empirical techniques were largely used as insights for innovations in design, some BRT systems achieved great successes in terms of performance and became world-class flagships. Other systems would be most properly classified as busway systems requiring major improvements. In this paper we explore the performance of a single lane per direction no-overtaking BRT corridor, in terms of capacity and operating speed, by conducting a series of experiments that comprised the simulation of 324 alternative scenarios. In the simulation runs we varied demand levels, boarding and alighting rates, spacing of stations, vehicle loadings, quantity of berths per station, and traffic signal positioning in relation to stations. The qualitative analysis reveals that such a BRT system can achieve a capacity around 15,000 pass/h/dir along its critical section with an operating speed of 20 km/h. Preliminary statistical analysis enabled the estimation of a regression model representing the impact of BRT design elements on the operating speed. Our findings provide useful insights for designers of high-performance BRT corridors.
  Authors: Lindau, Luis Antonio; Pereira, Brenda Medeiros; Castilho, Rodrigo Alberto; Diogenes, Mara Chagas; Herrera, Juan Carlos
  Authors: Lindau, Luis Antonio; Pereira, Brenda Medeiros; Castilho, Rodrigo Alberto; Diogenes, Mara Chagas; Herrera, Juan Carlos
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 612
  Paper Number: 13-1412
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Effects on Service Quality Following Regulatory Reforms in Public Transport in Malta
  Abstract: This paper presents the results of a qualitative study on bus and car users in order to analyse the effects of a major reform in the public transport system on service quality. The case study of Malta is used following the decision by Government to implement a major reform which saw the islands’ monopolistic regime being replaced by competitive tendering. In this process Government introduced new service level requirements and obligations on the new operator, which started operations in July 2011. The study uses mixed methods to collect information about perceived quality of public transport services from non and infrequent bus users using a structured approach and perception of service quality from bus users using an exploratory approach. In both cases there are signs of improved service quality following the reform, however much needs to be done in areas related to punctuality, frequency, waiting time and trip duration. Through this study bus users were also able to identify the key factors of service quality. This study is intended to help operators to understand better the factors affecting bus use, the perception of bus service performance over a period of time and the need for necessary actions to support existing customers and attract new ones. This study highlights the importance of understanding the expectations of service level and the need for policies and measures that are mostly going to motivate those willing to change and reduce their use of the car.
  Authors: Attard, Maria
  Authors: Attard, Maria
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 761
  Paper Number: 13-1473
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Operations of a Taxi Fleet for Advance Reservations Using Electric Vehicles and Charging Stations
  Abstract: This research studies the operations of a taxi fleet that uses electric vehicles to cater solely for trips with advance reservations. The idea is for a dispatch system to chain multiple trips to form a route and offers it to a taxi driver. We describe this unique problem as the Singapore Taxi Advance Reservation with Electric vehicles (STARE) problem. As electric vehicles have limited running time before recharging, the problem of minimizing number of taxis used is formulated as a customized Paired Pick-up and Delivery Problem with Time Window and Charging Station (PPDPTWCS). A two-phase heuristic approach has been proposed to solve the PPDPTWCS. Numerical experiments have been performed to compare three initial solution approaches (namely nearest neighbor, sweep and earliest time insertion heuristics), effect of different recharging plans and different number of Charging Stations (CSs), using the simulated Central Business District (CBD) network in Singapore. The results show that (i) the earliest time insertion heuristic produces the best initial solutions; (ii) longer maximum running time before recharging results in a smaller fleet of taxi used, fewer visits to the CSs, longer running time per taxi and higher average revenue per driver; and (iii) changing the number of CSs has little effect on the system’s performance measures.
  Authors: Wang, Hao; Cheu, Ruey Long
  Authors: Wang, Hao; Cheu, Ruey Long
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 648
  Paper Number: 13-1717
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Design and Modeling of Real-Time Shared-Taxi Dispatch Algorithms
  Abstract: Taxi is certainly the most popular type of on-demand transportation service in urban areas because taxi dispatching systems offer more and better services in terms of shorter wait times and travel convenience. However, a shortage of taxicabs has always been critical in many urban contexts especially during peak hours and taxi has great potential to maximize its efficiency by employing shared-ride concept. There are recent successes in real-time ridesharing projects that are expected to bring substantial benefits on energy consumption and operation efficiency, and thus it is essential to develop advanced vehicle dispatch algorithms to maximize occupancy and minimize travel times in real-time. This paper investigates how taxi services can be improved by proposing shared-taxi algorithms and what type of objective functions and constraints could be employed to prevent excessive passenger detours. Hybrid Simulated Annealing (HSA) is applied to dynamically assign passenger requests efficiently and a series of simulations are conducted with two different taxi operation strategies. The simulation results reveal that allowing ride-sharing for taxicabs increases productivity over the various demand levels and HSA can be considered as a suitable solution to maximize the system efficiency of real-time ride sharing.
  Authors: Jung, Jaeyoung; Jayakrishnan, R.; Park, Ji Young
  Authors: Jung, Jaeyoung; Jayakrishnan, R.; Park, Ji Young
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 354
  Paper Number: 13-1798
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Passengers' Perception of and Behavioral Adaptation to Unreliability in Public Transportation
  Abstract: Among users of public transportation, reliability is regularly cited as one of the most important qualities of service. However, it is not yet well understood how transit riders are affected by unreliability, particularly in the long term. To gain a better understanding of the importance of reliability, a survey was developed to investigate the link between people's past experiences of unreliability and the adaptation strategies they employ, focusing on users of San Francisco's public transportation system. Respondents were asked to rate the importance of a number of reliability aspects and the ones that were found to be most important were the absence of a gap at a transfer stop and the ability to walk up to a stop and leave within 10 minutes. Users also considered reliability when planning trips; common strategies for handling unreliability were using services and routes deemed more reliable, and using real-time information. In addition, an ordinal logit model linking past experiences of unreliability to a reduction of transit use was estimated. The most significant negative experiences that drove a reduction in transit use were delays perceived to be the fault of the transit agency, long waits at transfer points, and being prevented from boarding due to crowding. These results have implications in transit planning: passengers may prefer more frequent service with occasional crowding to less frequent buses that are larger and less crowded. In addition, the growing usage of real-time information services will continue to affect how people view transit service, perhaps even intensifying the unattractiveness of infrequent service.
  Authors: Carrel, Andre; Halvorsen, Anne; Walker, Joan L.
  Authors: Carrel, Andre; Halvorsen, Anne; Walker, Joan L.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Public Transportation
  Session: 334
  Paper Number: 13-5289
• Measuring Efficiency of Indiana Fixed-Route Transit Agencies Using Data Envelopment Analysis
  Abstract: Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) has been used in this study to evaluate performance of major Indiana transit agencies. 2010 data on operational and financial performance were utilized to find out relative position of the agencies with respect to the best practice frontier. Total operating expenses, staff level, and total seat capacity of revenue vehicle fleet are used as the inputs while total ridership and total vehicle mile are used as the outputs to evaluate agency performance. Input oriented BCC-DEA method yields estimates of the potential improvement, i.e., to reduce inputs of inefficient transit agencies in order to project those to best practice frontier formed by the efficient units. The ‘variable returns on scale’ DEA method, BCC also suggests that few large and few small fixed route transit agencies prove to be efficient and the average efficiency score for the 16 major transit agencies across Indiana is found to be 0.855. It also reveals that overall inputs could be proportionally reduced to produce the same level of outputs in order to make all the agencies efficient relative to each other. Finally, the Non-parametric hypothesis tests are performed to check if potential factors affect the ranking of the agencies. It is found that there is insufficient evidence to conclude that efficiency scores differ among agencies that differ in size and age of vehicles in the fleet. College town and non-college town transit agencies’ efficiency levels seem to be not differing statistically. Besides, there was insufficient evidence to reject the notion that percentage part-time staff does not make difference in efficiency ranking of transit agencies.
  Authors: Arman, Mohammad; Labi, Samuel
  Authors: Arman, Mohammad; Labi, Samuel
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Administration and Management; Public Transportation
  Session: 352
  Paper Number: 13-5299
• Senior and Disabled Reduced-Fare Cards: Peer Review of Policies
  Abstract: The federal regulations that establish senior citizen and disabled reduced fare programs do not specify how those programs are to be structured. As a result, transit agencies across the nation vary widely in their reduced fare policies. This variation offers an excellent opportunity for transit systems to learn from each other’s experience and to mix and match approaches to best meet their needs. This paper, for the first time, provides a systematic consideration of reduced fare policies at major transit agencies. This research combines the findings of a structured, open-ended survey with information gleaned from transit agency websites to present a framework for understanding the key components of a reduced fare card program. These components are then illustrated by the breadth of approaches taken by the largest transit systems in the ten most populous metropolitan areas in the United States. The purpose of this research is not to conclusively promote a preferred reduced fare policy, but to identify the common elements of such programs and present actual examples to help interested agencies craft and refine their own preferred policy.
  Authors: Newmark, Gregory L.
  Authors: Newmark, Gregory L.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Policy; Public Transportation
  Session: 822
  Paper Number: 13-5311
• Incorporating Equity into Interurban Road Network Design
  Abstract: Methods for the road network design problem are, typically, based on the optimization of the network efficiency measures (e.g. network-wide travel time) under a predefined budget. In these approaches, equity issues are not taken into account and, consequently, most of the road improvements are planned next to the large cities. Thus, disparities between large and small cities increase, which does not conform to the sustainable development objectives. In this paper, to overcome concerns associated with the traditional methods, equity is incorporated into the interurban road network design problem. To this end, accessibility concepts are employed in this study. However, unlike the previous studies, instead of maximizing the total accessibility, a new definition is proposed for inaccessibility, and total inaccessibility is minimized throughout the network. Using the new definition is not only more compatible with the equity issues, but also helps to eliminate the nonlinearity of the problem. Average travel time to the neighboring opportunities is utilized to propose the definition for inaccessibility, which more effectively captures the reality. With the aim of this definition, equity is incorporated into the road network design problem implicitly. This is another improvement over the previous methods, where a new term in the objective function or a new constraint is added to include the equity. The proposed model is formulated as a mixed integer programming (MIP) problem, where the objective is to minimize the aggregate inaccessibility over all the population centers in the network. To illustrate the application of the model, a medium-sized network is used as the numerical example and the respective exact solution is found using a commercial solver.
  Authors: Mollanejad, Mostafa; Zhang, Lei
  Authors: Mollanejad, Mostafa; Zhang, Lei
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Policy; Public Transportation; Society
  Session: 350
  Paper Number: 13-5318
• Transit Impact Fee: Enabling Statutes and Equity Concerns
  Abstract: This paper reviews four transit impact fee programs in use across the USA to examine the robustness of state and local level enabling statutes, and the strategies used to minimize the fee’s horizontal and vertical inequities. The paper finds that although impact fees are primarily used to fund capital expenses nation-wide, three of the four case study jurisdictions use the fee for funding capital expenses in addition to operating, maintenance and administrative expenses. Furthermore, clear language concerning the eligible uses should help provide robust legal protection if the fee is challenged in court. Finally, while the “nexus” and “rough proportionality” requirements ensure that the fee creates minimal horizontal inequities, no such legal requirements exist regarding the fee’s vertical equity impacts. This lack of legal requirement is reflected in the uneven use of vertical inequity mitigation strategies adopted by the case study jurisdictions.
  Authors: Mathur, Shishir; Smith, Adam Lee
  Authors: Mathur, Shishir; Smith, Adam Lee
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Planning and Forecasting; Policy; Public Transportation
  Session: 347
  Paper Number: 13-0997
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Dispatching Strategies for Taxi-Customer Searching Problem in Booking Taxi Service
  Abstract: Automatic taxi dispatching has been widely used in many large cities worldwide, in which customers can book taxis through phones or mobile devices. Two types of bookings are commonly known: one is the Current Booking (CBK), the customer makes a booking call for a taxi that can reach him/her as early as possible; another is the Advance Booking (ABK), the customer makes a booking call and indicates the pickup time which is normally in half an hour or later. In this paper, taking the taxi by making either CBK or ABK is defined as the Booking Taxi Service (BTS) while taking the taxi by either waiting at taxi stand or hailing on the street is defined as the Non-Booking Taxi Service (NBTS). In order to evaluate different dispatching strategies, a Taxi-Customer Searching Problem (TCSP) is formulated in this paper in which both BTS and NBTS are considered, and different dispatching strategies are evaluated and compared. The microscopic traffic simulation is adopted as the approach for modeling and analysis of the TCSP. A sensitivity analysis by varying the booking demand is conducted based on the simulation, and the simulation results show that the Advance Booking Chain Dispatching Strategy (ABC-DS) can give better operational performance in certain demand levels which may have the potential to attract more customers to take the taxi by booking in advance. Moreover, these results can also provide strategic implications for the taxi operators.
  Authors: Lee, Der-Horng; Wu, Xian
  Authors: Lee, Der-Horng; Wu, Xian
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 354
  Paper Number: 13-1975
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Effectiveness of Reserved Bus Lanes in Arterials
  Abstract: There were two main goals in this investigation; first, modeling capacity for articulated buses in Arterials, and, second, the analysis of the representative parameters and their interrelationships in relation to the degree of platform reserve and bus lane segregation. Two cases in Madrid-Spain are considered, and a thord in Merida-Venezuela: In Madrid, bus lines 27 and 70, and the only bus line 1 of the Trolleybus Transport System (TTS), in Merida. These systems are selected under basic criteria that simplify the analysis: similar mode that suppresses inherent factors from vehicle design; bus stop infrastructure using two fare payment methods; and bus-lane with different reserve degree and segregation elements. The available methodology in the Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Manual (TCQSM) was used, and a solid bus dwell-time assessment due to boarding and alighting passengers –as the most influential parameter in the capacity– was measured. These new prediction laws were considered in the methodology. Results show the effectiveness of each system and allowed the calculation of the maximum theoretical capacity and its variability range in robust form. The work is part of a wider project to analyze the influence of reserved bus lane in operational parameters.
  Authors: Moreno, Emilio; Romana, Manuel G.; Martinez, Oscar
  Authors: Moreno, Emilio; Romana, Manuel G.; Martinez, Oscar
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 592
  Paper Number: 13-2283
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Multiobjective Optimization Model for Transit Fleet Resource Allocation
  Abstract: State and local transit agencies require government support to preserve their aging transit fleet. With passage of time, transit fleet gets older and requires maintenance cost to keep it operational. To provide services at a desired level, transit agencies require maintaining a minimum fleet size. Two imperative considerations from transit planning viewpoint are (1) remaining life of the total fleet, and (2) cost required to maintain the fleet size. When the former is a quality measure indicating the health of the fleet, the latter is an economic measure requiring minimum expenditure levels. Ideally, the agencies would like to maximize the total remaining life of the fleet and minimize the total cost required to maintain the fleet size. In this paper, the authors propose a multi-objective optimization model (MO) to simultaneously incorporate both objectives when subjected to budget and a number of operational constraints. The MO problem is solved by using classical weight sum approach by employing Branch and Bound Algorithm (BBA) that has proven to be better than other solution methodologies. The MO resulted in pareto optimal solutions with the possible trade-off between the two objectives. The model is applied to a real large scale transit fleet system in the state of Michigan, U.S. The case study results demonstrate, the proposed model is compact, efficient, robust and suitable for long range planning with multiple solutions to choose from a pareto optimal frontier. The correlation between decision variables and objective functions has been investigated in-depth and provides important insights. The proposed model can act as a tool for resource allocation for transit fleet among agencies for state and local agencies.Keywords: transit fleet, multi-objective optimization, branch and bound algorithm, pareto optimal
  Authors: Mishra, Sabyasachee; Sharma, Sushant; Mathew, Tom V.; Khasnabis, Snehamay
  Authors: Mishra, Sabyasachee; Sharma, Sushant; Mathew, Tom V.; Khasnabis, Snehamay
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 279
  Paper Number: 13-2225
  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
• Intraurban Rail Access: Policy Implications of Five Revealed Perspectives from a Q-Sorting Exercise in Three Australian Cities
  Abstract: This project advances current understanding of intra-urban rail passengers and their travel experiences in order to help rail industry leaders tailor policy approaches to fit specific, relevant segments of their target population. Using a Q sorting technique and cluster analysis, our preliminary research identified five perspectives occurring in a small sample of rail passengers, who varied in their frequency and location of rail travel as well as certain socio-demographic characteristics. Revealed perspectives (named to capture the gist of their content) included: ‘Rail Travel is About the Destination, Not the Journey’; ‘Despite Challenges, Public Transport is Still the Best Option’; ‘Rail Travel is Fine’; ‘Rail Travel? So Far, So Good’; and ‘Bad Taste for Rail Travel’. This paper discusses each of the perspectives in detail, and considers them in terms of tailored policy implications. An overarching finding from this study is that improving railway travel ‘access’ requires attention to physical, psychological, financial, and social facets of accessibility. For example, designing waiting areas to be more socially functional and comfortable has the potential to increase ridership by addressing social forms of access, decreasing perceived wait times, and making time at the station feel like time well spent. Even at this preliminary stage, the Q sorting technique promises to provide a valuable, holistic albeit fine-grained analysis of passenger attitudes and experiences that will assist industry efforts to increase ridership.
  Authors: Zuniga, Kelly Draper; Bunker, Jonathan Michael; Bevrani, Kaveh
  Authors: Zuniga, Kelly Draper; Bunker, Jonathan Michael; Bevrani, Kaveh
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Administration and Management; Public Transportation
  Session: 352
  Paper Number: 13-2298
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Simulation and Evaluation of Applying an Intelligent Taxi Operation System in Shenzhen, China, Using a Microscopic Multiagent Approach
  Abstract: This paper presents a microscopic multi-agent approach for simulating urban taxi service, where passengers¡¯ and taxi drivers¡¯ behaviors are captured at an individual level. Floating car data (FCD), from which real passenger travel demand data and real hourly road link travel time data are acquired, enable a realistic environment to be represented in this multi-agent system. This enables interventions (such as policies and regulations) on urban taxi services to be evaluated in a near-realistic environment. The multi-agent-based simulation system is then used to analyze the impacts of applying a city-level real-time taxi call and dispatch system in Shenzhen, China. The results suggest that the satisfactions of both passengers and taxi drivers can be considerably improved in terms of the average passenger waiting time and the average taxi utilization rate, respectively, by applying a real-time taxi call and dispatch system for urban taxi services. In such a system, the passenger participation rate, or the rate at which passengers take advantage of the proposed real-time taxi call and dispatch system, plays an important role.
  Authors: Yu, Lin-Jun; Peng, Zhong-Ren; Zhang, Jian
  Authors: Yu, Lin-Jun; Peng, Zhong-Ren; Zhang, Jian
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 648
  Paper Number: 13-2363
  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
• Benefits of Standardization of Bus Transit Automated Vehicle Location Data Outputs to the Academic Community
  Abstract: Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) systems offer transit agencies and the academic community vast quantities of data on the operation of bus transit networks. However turning this raw data into useful metrics that are of interest can be quite cumbersome and require a significant amount of processing of AVL log files. There would be many benefits to both transit agencies and academia if such metrics were output in a standardised format by the AVL system.This paper summarises existing data exchange standards used in the bus transit industry and explains the benefits of these. It then describes a recent project undertaken by London Buses to analyse dwell time data, and highlights the difficulties and costs involved collecting the basic data required for this analysis. It proposes that more data standards should be defined for data output by AVL systems. If these standards were then implemented by AVL vendors this would mean that transit agencies and academics could get easy access to useful information which otherwise would require much time and cost in obtaining.
  Authors: Robinson, Stephen
  Authors: Robinson, Stephen
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 226
  Paper Number: 13-2811
  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
• Public Transport Performance Measurement System for Switzerland and Its Calibration
  Abstract: Performance evaluation is fundamental to transport analysis and operations. This paper describes a quality evaluation framework based on level of service (LOS) developed for urban public transport in Switzerland. The framework focuses on four key indicators: on time performance, headway adherence, speed and passenger loads. The framework allows users to assess service quality at different levels by measuring the indicators at the single element level and aggregating scores over larger sets of elements. The number of indicators is relatively small compared to other frameworks, this makes the method easier to apply but also provides less detailed results. An earlier paper presented a conceptual approach for the framework. This paper extends that work by describing the approach in more detail and focusing on calibration of the LOS framework and application of the framework to a real example in Zurich. The research is part of a larger effort designed to develop a consistent multimodal LOS evaluation system for Switzerland. This system would include non-motorized traffic, public transport and road-based transport.
  Authors: Orth, Hermann W. M.; Carrasco, Nelson; Weidmann, Ulrich Alois; Schwertner, Michael
  Authors: Orth, Hermann W. M.; Carrasco, Nelson; Weidmann, Ulrich Alois; Schwertner, Michael
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 761
  Paper Number: 13-1967
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Large-Scale Transit Schedule Coordination Based on Journey Planner Requests
  Abstract: A two-stage stochastic program that reoptimizes multi-modal transit schedules city-wide is presented. The model works by perturbing or offsetting the schedule such that the expected value of waiting times at all transfer points in the system is minimized. Probabilistic information on transfers is gathered from a prototypical journey planner, a public-facing tool that transit riders query to find optimal paths through a multi-modal network. Aggregating journey plans in this manner provides information on optimal transfers as perceived by the service operator, which are then targeted for improvements. The model is implemented on the large-scale transit network of Washington, D.C., where sampled journey plans representing 9% of the daily transit demand is employed to generate a modified schedule that leads to a reduction in passenger wait times by 26.38%. The results serve to demonstrate how operators can take a user-centric view of their system as a fabric of services, gain insights from user interaction, and gain value from coordinating services while accounting for uncertainty.
  Authors: Nair, Rahul; Coffey, Cathal; Pinelli, Fabio; Calabrese, Francesco
  Authors: Nair, Rahul; Coffey, Cathal; Pinelli, Fabio; Calabrese, Francesco
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 279
  Paper Number: 13-4058
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Evaluating Effectiveness of Video-Based Driver Risk Management Systems on Transit Safety
  Abstract: In the mid-2000s, public transit agencies began testing a new form of onboard video event recorder technology on buses. These video-based driver risk management systems capture a video clip when triggered by an unusual event, such as hard braking, a sharp turn, or impact with an object. This represented the first time that onboard cameras were intentionally focused on transit operators as a safety strategy.The objective of this study was to determine whether video-based driver risk management systems have enhanced passenger safety by reducing the frequency and severity of collisions and injuries, while also identifying lessons learned from the implementation of such systems. Data collected from National Transit Database reports as well as from DriveCam, Inc., one of the video system manufacturers, was analyzed for trends in safety performance that could be linked to adoption of the systems. Additionally, interviews were conducted with the six U.S. transit agencies and three contract operators using the systems to assess the issues faced in implementing the technology and results thus far. The study shows that video-based driver risk management systems appear to have a positive impact on transit safety achieved through a reduction in collisions and injuries, as well as the risky driving behaviors that contribute to them. The systems provide transit mangers with a wealth of information about their employees’ driving habits that was not previously available. Transit agencies should strongly consider investing in video-based driver risk management systems as one component of an overall safety and training program.
  Authors: Litschi, Michael; Haas, Peter J.
  Authors: Litschi, Michael; Haas, Peter J.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 279
  Paper Number: 13-4087
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Blueprint for Sustainability: One Department of Transportation’s Pursuit of Performance-Based Accountability
  Abstract: An increasing number of transportation agencies in the United States are using sustainability as a framing device for transportation decision making and to demonstrate performance-based accountability. Despite interest in sustainability as an organizing concept for transportation decision making, the practice of using sustainability to frame formal policy development at state departments of transportation is still in its formative stages. This paper presents the approach that has been taken by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) to adopt sustainability as an agency value. Currently in the implementation phase, the Department’s “Blueprint for Sustainability” is not a standalone plan, but rather a set of principles, objectives, performance measures, and strategies that has been integrated into NCDOT’s overall strategic direction and policy framework. The process used to create this product has relied on a combination of internal and external outreach, agency introspection, and conversations with senior leadership to conceptualize sustainability in a way that resonates within the agency’s culture and context. A variety of lessons can be derived from this process, including the importance of flexibility, integration, and strategic coordination with related agency initiatives. Through presentation and evaluation of the NCDOT process, this paper provides transportation practitioners with useful insights for how to integrate sustainability as an agency value and a decision-making framework.
  Authors: Maurer, Lindsay K; Mansfield, Theodore; Lane, Leigh Blackmon; Hunkins, Julie
  Authors: Maurer, Lindsay K; Mansfield, Theodore; Lane, Leigh Blackmon; Hunkins, Julie
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Energy; Environment; Public Transportation
  Session: 685
  Paper Number: 13-4113
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Safer Than You Think: Revising the Transit Safety Narrative
  Abstract: Public transportation is a safe form of travel. Total per capita traffic casualties tend to decline as public transit travel increases in a community. However, many people have the misimpression that transit is dangerous, and so are reluctant to use it or support transit service expansion in their communities. Various factors contribute to this transit dread (excessive and irrational fear), including conventional traffic safety messages, heavy media coverage of transit-related crashes and crimes, and the nature of public transit, which requires travel with strangers in confined spaces. In addition, the transit industry has responded to crime and terrorist risks with messages that emphasize fear and unusual dangers. There is much that public transit agencies can do to change the narrative to emphasize the overall safety of public transit travel, to improve passengers sense of security, and to provide better guidance concerning how passengers and community can enhance public transport safety and security.
  Authors: Litman, Todd Alexander
  Authors: Litman, Todd Alexander
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Administration and Management; Public Transportation
  Session: 352
  Paper Number: 13-4357
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Simulation-Based Planning Framework for Choosing Where to Implement Bus Signal Priority in Mixed-Mode Operations
  Abstract: Planning is the first phase in a systematic approach towards a better implementation for Bus Signal Priority (BSP), and is required by the U.S. Department of Transportation as the first step of a standard system engineering approach for any federally funded ITS project. Numerous studies have focused on various aspects of BSP design and operation; however, less attention is paid to the planning phase of a BSP project. This study concentrates directly on planning for a BSP implementation project. The proposed framework is entirely based on micro-simulation; it requires a basic concept design for the BSP system which is under planning. This concept design should be available from the planning steps that precede the choosing of intersections that should be equipped with a BSP. The framework evaluates different scenarios for BSP at individual intersections by looking at their marginal impact on the entire network and on the intersection. At last, the intersection-level scenarios that result in the maximum total marginal improvement are selected for BSP implementation. The final output of the framework, provides information on which intersections should be equipped with BSP, and which bus lines are eligible to receive this priority at each intersection. The proposed framework is demonstrated on the network of downtown Dover, DE. An 18% savings in network average bus delay and no significant disbenefit to automobile traffic are achieved. The benefits translate into rough minimum savings of $0.25M per year just by implementing this framework during a peak traffic hour.
  Authors: Tabatabaie Shourijeh, Morteza; Faghri, Ardeshir; Stevanovic, Aleksandar
  Authors: Tabatabaie Shourijeh, Morteza; Faghri, Ardeshir; Stevanovic, Aleksandar
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 226
  Paper Number: 13-4460
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Operating Experience with General Public Demand-Responsive Transit in a Metropolitan Transit Agency’s Service Portfolio
  Abstract: The Regional Transportation District (RTD) in Denver has since 2000 operated general public demand responsive transportation (DRT). Branded as Call-n-Ride (CnR), this DRT service is operated in 20 service areas in a variety of settings throughout the RTD district. CnR was developed to serve communities that are difficult to serve cost-effectively with bus service due to their low to moderate residential and employment densities, circuitous street networks and dispersed geographic and temporal travel patterns, but which have sufficient demand to warrant by policy a community service or connection to the metropolitan transit network. The CnR service is characterized by a range of DRT service configurations, incorporating many to many services, scheduled checkpoints, zones and flex-routes specifically tailored to the topography and travel patterns of each service area. Based on an analysis of data obtained primarily from CnR’s automated scheduling system, this paper provides insights into the operations of such DRT services for the general public that may assist others in assessing its feasibility for implementation in other metropolitan areas.
  Authors: Becker, A. Jeff; Teal, Roger F.; Mossige, Rebecca
  Authors: Becker, A. Jeff; Teal, Roger F.; Mossige, Rebecca
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 354
  Paper Number: 13-4441
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Pedestrian Route Choice of Vertical Facilities in Subway Stations
  Abstract: Transit infrastructure is under pressure and as the trends toward greater urbanisation and more sustainable mobility continue, that pressure is likely to increase over time. Finding ways to more efficiently accommodate passengers within existing transit facilities will become of ever-greater importance, as will the tools and techniques to assess pedestrian movement. The suite of pedestrian analysis tools is reliant on first principles knowledge and research. Gaps do exist in this body of knowledge. This paper describes research that has been completed to fill one such gap, namely rider choice at vertical circulation. Field research was conducted on the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) subway system and a literature review was completed. Synthesis of literature and data analysis is presented. Key explanatory variables were identified and tested for significance, including height rise, utilisation (density of flow) and the rate of opposing flow. Based on this analysis, a series of aggregate logistic regression models are proposed to explain pedestrian choice at co-located elements of vertical transport, specifically stair-vs.-escalator choice. Validation data is presented and indicates that the model generates values that provide a good fit with observed data.
  Authors: Srikukenthiran, Siva; Fisher, Daniel; Shalaby, Amer; King, David James
  Authors: Srikukenthiran, Siva; Fisher, Daniel; Shalaby, Amer; King, David James
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 592
  Paper Number: 13-4417
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Estimating Capacity of High-Volume Bus Rapid Transit Stations
  Abstract: A critical element in estimating the capacity of a bus rapid transit (BRT) line is the flow capacity of the running way measured in buses per hour. In this paper, we estimate capacity in high volume bus services by using a simulation model. The inputs to the model include the mean dwell time of arriving buses, the dwell time variability, the headway variation of arriving buses, the configuration of the boarding locations and the presence or absence of a traffic signal. The output of the model is an estimate of the number of buses which can serve the stop per hour with a tolerable failure rate. The failure rate is the probability that arriving buses will not be able to access a boarding berth due to its being occupied by a previously arriving bus. The capacity of various stop configurations such as number of berths and queuing areas is also examined.The model does not require extensive data collection to yield reasonable results. The paper includes tables showing the capacity for a range of input options. The procedure was applied to the operation of Transmilenio in Bogota, Colombia.
  Authors: Reilly, Jack; Aros-Vera, Felipe
  Authors: Reilly, Jack; Aros-Vera, Felipe
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 592
  Paper Number: 13-4702
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Passenger-Focused Management Approach to Measurement of Train Delay Impacts
  Abstract: Train delay incidents have major impacts on transit service reliability and on customer satisfaction. Operators have long focused efforts on preventing incidents from occurring. While this is important, the fact that all transit operations inevitably face some degree of delays and disruptions due to incidents means that operators must also dedicate attention to reducing the duration of incidents and reducing the time it takes to restore normal operations after incidents occur. To be able to do this it is necessary to measure the total impact of incidents on trains and on customers. This research uses data from the CoMET and Nova metro benchmarking groups to investigate the ways in which transit operators can better measure the full impacts of incidents – both on train service and on customers – leading to a passenger-focused approach. The key benefit of a passenger-oriented approach is that it enables transit managers to better direct resources for incident response and recovery, as well as support the case for strategic investments. This research has showed that most operators only measure and report the frequency of incidents. Of the 22 metros interviewed, only two were able to provide detailed data to estimate the number of passengers affected by incidents. It is no coincidence that the only two metros able to provide detailed data are in fact two of the most reliable in the group.
  Authors: Barron, Alexander; Melo, Patricia C.; Cohen, Judith Michelle; Anderson, Richard
  Authors: Barron, Alexander; Melo, Patricia C.; Cohen, Judith Michelle; Anderson, Richard
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Administration and Management; Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 536
  Paper Number: 13-3345
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Application and Findings: SWOT-Based Framework for Evaluating Transportation Agencies’ Sustainability Approaches
  Abstract: A national survey of State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) indicated that such agencies are engaged in a variety of activities to address sustainability issues associated with transportation planning, design, and operations. These activities range from piecemeal environmental practices like roadside mowing policies to comprehensive planning frameworks. However, state DOTs in general do not have sufficient policies or practices in place to evaluate and prioritize investment options that will promote environmental sustainability and sustainable development. For this research, a mixed-methods design employing an expert panel and case studies of individual State DOTs was used to develop, test, and evaluate a strategic planning tool that can help DOTs evolve more sustainable practices. The self-assessment tool was designed to guide agencies through identifying internal strengths and weaknesses in their planning frameworks and organizational structure and culture, characterizing features of the external environment as opportunities or threats, prioritizing areas for strategy development, and developing strategies that link the internal and external environments. Such a tool can also be used to monitor progress over time. The tool was tested by seven state DOTs, and three prominent themes were revealed: the importance of process in addition to content, integration between sustainability policies and implementation, and internal communication of the need and nature of change. The results of this study and of previous research suggest that DOTs’ sustainability approaches are at various levels of maturity, and the siloing of sustainability within the organizations is characteristic of earlier maturity levels.
  Authors: Barrella, Elise; Amekudzi, Adjo A.; Meyer, Michael
  Authors: Barrella, Elise; Amekudzi, Adjo A.; Meyer, Michael
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Energy; Environment; Public Transportation
  Session: 685
  Paper Number: 13-3385
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Effect of Parking Charges at Transit Stations on Park-and-Ride Mode Choice: Lessons Learned from Stated-Preference Survey in Greater Vancouver, Canada
  Abstract: The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of increasing parking charges at park and ride stations on mode choice for current park and ride users. To address this objective, a Stated Preference (SP) survey was designed to study commuters’ willingness to pay for parking at park and ride transit stations. The SP survey was conducted at the 14 busiest park and ride transit stations in the Greater Vancouver Region (GVR). The survey data was then used to model mode choice for longer distance commuting trips considering three major options: ‘automobile all-way’, ‘transit all-way’ and ‘park and ride’. A heteroskedastic multinomial logit model for stated preference of modal choices was estimated. The model included several major factors that are found to influence mode choice at park and ride stations. The estimated model parameters were then used to investigate direct and cross elasticities of parking charges at park and ride stations to mode choices. The model results show that increasing parking charges at park and ride stations is more likely to divert current park and ride users to the transit all-way option compared to the private car all-way option.
  Authors: Nurul Habib, Khandker M.; Mahmoud, Mohamed S; Coleman, Jesse
  Authors: Nurul Habib, Khandker M.; Mahmoud, Mohamed S; Coleman, Jesse
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Public Transportation
  Session: 334
  Paper Number: 13-3521
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Who Does the Shopping? German Time-Use Evidence, 1996-2009
  Abstract: The labor force participation rate of women and men is converging in industrialized countries, but disparities nevertheless remain with respect to unpaid activities. Shopping for household maintenance, in particular, is a time-consuming, out-of-home activity that continues to be undertaken primarily by women, irrespective of their employment status. The present study employs panel methods to analyze, descriptively and econometrically, gender disparities in shopping behavior among couples using data from the German Mobility Panel (MOP) for 1996 to 2009. While women still shop more than men, we find evidence that the differential has narrowed in recent years, particularly among couples with children. Several individual and household characteristics are found to be significant determinants of shopping behavior, whereby employment status and children emerge as the most important single factors. In addition, the possession of a driver’s license coupled with unrestricted car availability increase each partner’s time-share in shopping.
  Authors: Procher, Vivien; Vance, Colin
  Authors: Procher, Vivien; Vance, Colin
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Policy; Public Transportation; Society
  Session: 594
  Paper Number: 13-3719
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Rethinking Light-Rail Transit Planning in Hamilton, Ontario: A Comparative Review and Critical Assessment
  Abstract: The Province of Ontario is in the midst of an unprecedented expansion of light rail transit [LRT]. But what factors are behind the determination to build LRT? The case of light rail in Hamilton offers important insights into the tangible and intangible motivations and justifications that inform the light rail transit planning process. The decision to construct LRT is based on the tangible goals of city-building and increasing economic development, revitalization, land use change, and transit ridership. The planning process is also based on the intangible symbolic goals of city branding, differentiation, and image-led planning as a means of altering perceptions and increasing competitiveness. However, an extensive review of the literature demonstrates that a series of prerequisites that must be in place if an investment in light rail is to achieve these goals. Applying this knowledge to the case of Hamilton reveals a project that faces significant challenges to inducing land use change and altering perceptions. The research presents several lessons relevant to planners and policymakers involved in the light rail transit planning process.
  Authors: Higgins, Chris; Ferguson, Mark; Kanaroglou, Pavlos
  Authors: Higgins, Chris; Ferguson, Mark; Kanaroglou, Pavlos
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Public Transportation
  Session: 794
  Paper Number: 13-3780
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Benchmarking Disaggregate Customer Satisfaction Scores Between Bus Operators in Different Cities and Countries
  Abstract: Directly comparing the satisfaction of customers of urban bus operators in different cities and countries is methodologically challenging due to the different surveys used, different sample frames, different response collection methods and the possibility of cultural bias. Nonetheless, due to the importance of customer satisfaction, the members of the International Bus Benchmarking Group started a research project in 2009 to overcome these challenges. The objective was for bus operators to understand the relative performance in meeting their customer’s expectations and to be able to target those areas in which they relatively underperform. Between 2009-2012, eight to ten participating organizations annually posted identical surveys on their website homepages in the same period. This paper describes the survey and data normalization methodology developed within the International Bus Benchmarking Group that provides managers of these organizations with a comparable view of their customer satisfaction. The described methodology has been successfully tested in the bus industry but can also be applied to other industries where there is a wish to benchmark customer satisfaction amongst other national and international peers.
  Authors: Trompet, Mark; Parasram, Richard; Anderson, Richard
  Authors: Trompet, Mark; Parasram, Richard; Anderson, Richard
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Administration and Management; Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 536
  Paper Number: 13-3823
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Potential of Low-Frequency Automated Vehicle Location Data for Monitoring and Control of Bus Performance
  Abstract: In this paper we investigate the potential of "low-frequency" bus localization data for the monitoring and control of bus system performance. We show that data with a sampling rate as low as one minute can provide ample information if processed appropriately. In particular, we obtain accurate estimates of stop arrival and departure times which in turn allow the analysis of headways and travel times. A three parameter gamma family of distributions is fitted for headways at the stops along a bus line. The evolution of the parameters demonstrates critical points on the line where bus bunching is significantly worse. Moreover, this analysis allows to differentiate problems associated with varying passenger demand from uncertainties associated with traffic conditions. Furthermore we show that both expected travel time and travel time variability can be calculated from low-frequency localization data. Finally, we present how our results can be used to calibrate a simulation model which can test bus control strategies. We apply and validate the methods to data from bus route number 1 in Boston.
  Authors: Yang, Yingxiang; Bauer, Dietmar; Widhalm, Peter; Gerstle, David; Gonzalez, Marta C.
  Authors: Yang, Yingxiang; Bauer, Dietmar; Widhalm, Peter; Gerstle, David; Gonzalez, Marta C.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Administration and Management; Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 536
  Paper Number: 13-4011
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Does Transit Mean Business? Reconciling Academic, Organizational, and Political Perspectives on Variable Transit Fares
  Abstract: For decades transportation scholars have argued in favor of differentiated transit fares, which vary by mode, distance, and/or time-of-day. Such fare policies, researchers contend, could greatly increase the efficiency, efficacy, and equity of transit service. However, despite this established research on the benefits of differentiated fares, relatively few transit agencies employ them, and over the past two decades many have actually eliminated differential fares and replaced them with flat fares. Advances in smartcard fare collection technology have reduced the operational obstacles to charging differentiated fares, but with the proliferation of this technology, will transit systems begin implementing differentiated fares? We find that changes in fare policies are often crisis-induced and budget-driven, and this ad hoc process reflects the multitude of (and sometimes contradictory) goals that transit agencies pursue – including the political need to provide affordable alternatives to automobiles. This suggests that new smartcard technology may be necessary to overcome operational challenges, but not sufficient to overcome political challenges. We also find a significant gap between current practices (of charging flat fares) and beliefs among transit agency officials that more flexible pricing should be implemented. Heard many times over in interviews was deep concern about losing any riders as a result of introducing differentiated fares – despite possible gains in other rider groups or trips made on transit. This fear of losing riders to automobiles, coupled with officials’ reported desires to implement variable fares, suggests that transit agencies should support the adoption of congestion and parking pricing programs, which internalize the costs of driving. Doing so would remove a fundamental barrier to implementing variable transit fares.
  Authors: Yoh, Allison C.; Taylor, Brian D.; Gahbauer, John
  Authors: Yoh, Allison C.; Taylor, Brian D.; Gahbauer, John
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Policy; Public Transportation
  Session: 822
  Paper Number: 13-4980
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Graph Theoretic Approach for Public Transit Connectivity in Multimodal Transportation Networks
  Abstract: Connectivity plays a crucial role as agencies at the federal and state level focus on expanding the public transit system to meet the demands of a multimodal transportation system. Transit agencies have a need to explore mechanisms to improve connectivity by improving transit service. This requires a systemic approach to develop measures that can prioritize the allocation of funding to locations that provide greater connectivity, or in some cases direct funding towards underperforming areas. In this paper, we propose measures to determine connectivity from a graph theoretic approach for all levels of transit service coverage integrating routes, schedules, socio-economic, demographic, and spatial activity patterns. The objective of using connectivity as an indicator is to quantify and evaluate transit service in terms of prioritizing transit locations for funding; providing service delivery strategies, especially for areas with large multi-jurisdictional, multi-modal transit networks; providing an indicator of multi-level transit capacity for planning purposes; assessing the effectiveness and efficiency for node/stop prioritization; and making a user-friendly tool to determine locations with highest connectivity while choosing transit as a mode of travel. An example problem shows how the graph theoretic approach can be used as a tool to incorporate transit specific variables in the indicator formulations and compares the advantage of the proposed approach compared to its previous counterparts. Then the proposed framework is applied to the comprehensive transit network in the Washington-Baltimore region. The proposed analysis offers reliable indicators that can be used as tools for determining the transit connectivity of a multimodal transportation network. Key Words: public transportation, connectivity, graph theory, multimodal transit network
  Authors: Mishra, Sabyasachee; Welch, Timothy F.; Jha, Manoj K.
  Authors: Mishra, Sabyasachee; Welch, Timothy F.; Jha, Manoj K.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 419
  Paper Number: 13-0157
• Examining Local Interaction Between Public Transport Demand and Land Use Characteristics Using Geographically Weighted Regression
  Abstract: This paper presents a public transport demand model incorporating land use density, diversity, design, and accessibility to examine the relationship between public transport demand and land use characteristics in the Sydney Greater Metropolitan Area. A Geographically Weighted Regression approach is employed to identify the spatial variation of the land use variables and their impacts on public transport demand at a Travel Zone level. The global model of Geographically Weighted Regression suggests that increasing land use density and walkability as well as providing a better accessibility to the Sydney Central Business District have positive impacts on public transport demand. The local model of Geographically Weighted Regression shows that the impacts of the land use characteristics on public transport demand distinctively vary spatially, and the estimated parameters may have different signs in some areas as compared to the global model. This paper highlights the way in which the relationship between travel demand and land use is heterogenous over geographical space which cannot be captured by conventional multivariate regression models.
  Authors: Tsai, Chi-Hong; Mulley, Corinne; Clifton, Geoffrey Tilden
  Authors: Tsai, Chi-Hong; Mulley, Corinne; Clifton, Geoffrey Tilden
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 639
  Paper Number: 13-0317
• Relationship of Walk Access Distance to Rapid Rail Transit Stations with Personal Characteristics and Station Context: Case Study
  Abstract: This paper explores the relationship between walk access distance to rapid rail transit (RRT) stations and various attributes of RRT users and trip-specific and station context in the city of Nanjing, China. We base our analysis on 1544 user surveys, conducted at 16 stations along Nanjing RRT Line 1 during the morning peak period (7-9 a.m.) and afternoon peak period (5-7 p.m.) over a 7-day period. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression is applied to estimate the relationship between walk access distances and aggregate personal and travel and station characteristics, and to measure the relative significance of individual variables. Prior to the model identification, a formulation relationship was hypothesized. The results suggest that passengers walk farther to RRT stations when the station context has certain features (terminal function, elevated type, and/or located farther from the city center). Dummy variables for age group and household income are significant but play a relatively minor role in defining RRT walk access distance. Travel characteristics, individually, have a weak relationship to walk access distance to RRT stations in Nanjing. A quantifiable basis for developing design guidelines for pedestrian access to RRT stations is provided for planners based on the observation and regression results. The statistics indicate the possibility of further promoting the walk mode by providing improved pedestrian facilities in the area around RRT stations, with flexible programs to construct pedestrian friendly-environment for rail station regarding its function, type and location.
  Authors: Zhao, Jinbao; Deng, Wei; Song, Yan; Zhu, Yueran
  Authors: Zhao, Jinbao; Deng, Wei; Song, Yan; Zhu, Yueran
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation; Terminals and Facilities
  Session: 617
  Paper Number: 13-0471
• Demand for Public Transport in Germany and the United States: Analysis of Rider Characteristics
  Abstract: This paper presents a detailed analysis of public transport demand in Germany and the USA, using uniquely comparable national travel surveys from 2001/2002 and 2008/2009 for both countries. Public transport has been far more successful in Germany than in the USA, with much greater growth in overall passenger volumes and trips per capita. Even controlling for differences between the countries in demographics, socio-economics, and land-use, logistic regressions show that Germans are five times as likely as Americans to use public transport. Moreover, public transport in Germany attracts a much broader cross-section of society and for a greater diversity of trip purposes. The success of German public transport is due to a coordinated package of mutually supportive policies that include: (1) more and better service, (2) attractive fares and convenient ticketing, (3) full multi-modal and regional integration, (4) high taxes and restrictions on car use, and (5) land-use policies that promote compact, mixed-use developments. It is the integrated package of complementary policies that explains why public transport in Germany can compete so well with the private car, even among affluent households. Conversely, it is the lack of complementary policies that explains the continuing struggle of public transport in the USA.
  Authors: Buehler, Ralph; Pucher, John
  Authors: Buehler, Ralph; Pucher, John
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Pedestrians and Bicyclists
  Session: 489
  Paper Number: 13-0530
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Does a Link Exist Between Public Transit Use and Active Commuting Behavior?
  Abstract: Recent literature on active commuting behavior shows an established relationship between public transportation use and physical activity, which is attributed to the fact that most public transit riders must walk or bicycle to access their stop. However, there is limited literature that examines the potential link between public transportation use and active commuting behavior in general. This study seeks to examine if public transit riders also tend to commute more by active modes for their non-transit trips. Data were obtained through an online survey in which respondents answered questions about their active commuting/public transportation patterns as well as demographic, psychosocial, community and environmental information. Statistical T-tests and logistic regression models were used to identify factors that were significantly related to active commuting behavior. The study finds that public transportation use is the most significant predictor of active commuting behavior. In addition, the study highlights key behavioral and psychological factors that also influence active commuting behavior. The results of this work can be used to design policies and programs that might help promote active commuting, leading to more livable and healthy cities.
  Authors: Gayah, Vikash V.; Bopp, Melissa
  Authors: Gayah, Vikash V.; Bopp, Melissa
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Pedestrians and Bicyclists
  Session: 489
  Paper Number: 13-0627
• Bus Network Design: Two Genetic Algorithm-Based Approaches
  Abstract: In this paper a new approach for bus network design have been presented, these two approaches take into account the effects of three stages out of the four steps of the bus planning process. The introduced model includes three major steps; 1- Network Design Procedure (NDP). 2- Frequency Determination and Assignment Procedure (FDAP). 3- Network Evaluation Procedure (NEP). Genetic Algorithm has been used for the solution of this problem, because of its capability for solving large and complex problems. Two genetic Algorithms coding have been developed in the present paper; the first model is good for small and medium networks and the second one is good for medium and large networks. Optimization of bus assignment to depots is another important issue in the bus system planning process that has been inserted in the presented model. Finally, our model has been tested on Mandl’s bus network that is a benchmark Swiss network and has been initially used by Mandl and later by Baaj and Mahmassani and Kidwai and Chakroborty and Zhao. Comparisons have shown that the model presented in this paper is superior to those past researches. Meanwhile, none of the previous approaches optimized depot assignment. Then sensitive analysis on GA parameters and discussion about computation time has been presented. After the proposed model has been evaluated, the bus network of Mashhad city has been designed with the introduced model methodology.
  Authors: Khaksar, Hasan
  Authors: Khaksar, Hasan
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 419
  Paper Number: 13-0929
• Understanding Transit Ridership Demand for Multidestination, Multimodal Transit Network in Atlanta, Georgia: Lessons for Increasing Rail Transit Choice Ridership While Maintaining Transit-Dependent Bus Ridership
  Abstract: This study analyzes the structure of transit demand in different segments of Atlanta’s transit system, a multi-destination, rail and bus network, to understand why different elements of the network appeal to transit-dependent and choice riders. We estimate direct demand models of transit work trip use by self-identified bus and rail riders between pairs of traffic analysis zones. We find that self-identified bus riders exhibit transit-dependent characteristics. They come from poorer areas having fewer autos per household and seek to reach jobs scattered throughout the metropolitan area. They want a grid of bus and rail routes connecting them to the region’s employment centers with faster, more direct and more frequent service with better amenities at transfer points. Their demand is highly elastic. They care not about the presence or absence of TOD attributes at either trip origins or destinations. On the other hand, self-identified rail riders exhibit choice rider characteristics. They primarily access transit by automobile and want fast service to within convenient walking distance of employment, such as in the CBD and some but not all TODs. The results suggest that a transit agency could increase ridership by both rider groups by developing a core network of higher speed lines (either bus or rail) that operate through an urban region’s job-rich corridors with stations about 1.5 miles apart that offer easy walks to jobs within a ½ mile radius. Additional choice riders might be attracted to rail transit by redeveloping destination station areas as mixed use, walkable, pedestrian-friendly environments.
  Authors: Brown, Jeffrey R.; Thompson, Gregory Lee; Bhattacharya, Torsha; Jaroszynski, Michal A.
  Authors: Brown, Jeffrey R.; Thompson, Gregory Lee; Bhattacharya, Torsha; Jaroszynski, Michal A.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 419
  Paper Number: 13-1029
• How Does Restructuring from a CBD-Focused Transit System to a Decentralized Transit System Affect Transit Riders and Their Accessibility to Destinations? Case Study of StarMetro in Tallahassee, Florida
  Abstract: The relationship between a transit system’s design and the pattern of urban development affects the level and pattern of accessibility in a community. A mismatch between the two renders some destinations inaccessible to people who rely primarily on transit to serve their transportation needs. System design is critical to accessibility and hence to equity, but thus far the research literature has largely neglected this important issue. In this study, we examine the relationship between system design and accessibility through a study of the July 11, 2011 restructuring of StarMetro, the bus system in Tallahassee, Florida, with a particular focus on the change in riders’ accessibility provided by shifting from the pre-restructuring downtown-oriented radial network to the post-restructuring decentralized, multi-destination transit network. System restructuring increased the time it took for people to walk to bus stops but once they reached the stops the more direct travel connections provided by the new system reduced travel times and increased access to destinations. The net result of the service change was a reduction in total travel time, and thus increased accessibility, for most trip interchanges. The restructuring neither disproportionately harmed nor disproportionately benefited neighborhoods with larger numbers of transit-dependent, low income, or minority residents. The restructuring did not disproportionately benefit, nor did it disproportionately harm, neighborhoods with large numbers of college students either. StarMetro was a largely college student and transit-dependent dominated system before restructuring, as well as after, although there was a modest increase in use of the system by infrequent riders.
  Authors: Bhattacharya, Torsha; Brown, Jeffrey R.; Jaroszynski, Michal A.; Batuhan, Tuna
  Authors: Bhattacharya, Torsha; Brown, Jeffrey R.; Jaroszynski, Michal A.; Batuhan, Tuna
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Pedestrians and Bicyclists
  Session: 489
  Paper Number: 13-1052
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Satisfaction with Transit-Oriented Development: Perspectives from Focus Groups and Interviews
  Abstract: Transit-oriented development (TOD) is often thought to provide significant benefits for its residents. Using a qualitative approach, this research examines benefits of and concerns about TOD. Data were collected through 14 elite interviews of professionals most involved in the process of creating TOD, as well as four focus groups populated with residents living in or very near train stations in New Jersey. An assessment of the congruence of the attitudes and expectations of elite development, financial, and municipal professionals involved directly or indirectly with TOD, and the attitudes and preferences of TOD residents provides insight into the benefits and shortcomings of TOD that are perceived by both groups. Results suggest a relatively well-fitting correspondence between the perspectives of professionals and those who reside in these neighborhoods. There was broad agreement on the value of transit and TOD for increased accessibility. Retail development, however, was found lacking, in particular for stores that could provide for local needs within the community; developers recognized that this type of commercial enterprise is difficult to attract and that much of the development will be entertainment-oriented, creating destinations within the TOD for visitors. Professionals were concerned with traffic congestion that might be generated while residents expressed traffic problems in terms of pedestrian safety. There was agreement that walkability leads to more social connections.
  Authors: Noland, Robert B.; Tulach, Nicholas K; Weiner, Marc; DiPetrillo, Stephanie; Kay, Andrew I.
  Authors: Noland, Robert B.; Tulach, Nicholas K; Weiner, Marc; DiPetrillo, Stephanie; Kay, Andrew I.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 417
  Paper Number: 13-1234
• Transfer Synchronization of Public Transport Networks
  Abstract: Transfers in public transport, especially in bus operations, are used to create a more efficient network by reducing operational costs and allowing more flexible route planning. However because of the stochastic nature of traffic, scheduled transfers do not always occur, thus increasing the total passenger travel time and reducing the attractiveness of the public-transport service. This work analyzes how to use selected operational tactics in public-transport networks for increasing the actual occurrence of scheduled transfers. A model is developed to determine the impact of instructing vehicles to either hold at or skip certain stops, on the total passenger travel time and the number of simultaneous transfers. The model is comprised of two components. First, a simulation of public-transport network examines the two tactics for maximizing the number of transfers. Second, an ILOG optimization model is used for optimal determination of the combination of the two tactics to achieve the maximum number of simultaneous transfers. A bus network was created, as a case study, in Auckland, New Zealand, to verify the impact of the model’s application. The results show that applying online operational tactics dramatically improves the frequency of simultaneous transfers by more than 100%. The concept has large potential for increasing the efficiency and attractiveness of public-transport networks which involve scheduled transfers.
  Authors: Ceder, Avishai; Hadas, Yuval
  Authors: Ceder, Avishai; Hadas, Yuval
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 639
  Paper Number: 13-1968
• Understanding Mobility Behavior in Areas with Seasonal Variations of Transport Demand
  Abstract: The presented research addresses the topic of mobility management and in particular customer satisfaction in touristic destinations that suffer from the seasonal variations of transport demand. The paper demonstrates that the research conducted so far addressing the factors that affect the transit choices of tourists, residents and other target groups in touristic areas is very limited.In this respect, the research aims to contribute to the existing knowledge by investigating the underlying unobserved factors that influence transit ridership as well as the levels of satisfaction when using transit services of both tourists and residents in touristic areas in the peak summer period and in winter. The popular tourism destination of the Island of Kos in Greece was used as the case study for this research, while two appropriate statistical methods were employed, Factor Analysis and Ordered Probit models.According to the analysis, the most significant factor for the tourists when deciding to use public transport is service production, reflecting route frequencies and reliability of service. On the contrary, residents place more focus on qualitative aspects such as comfort, safety and information. Furthermore, a common factor that holds a high position in the preferences of both tourists and residents is transfer quality, comprising attributes related to transfer coordination.The paper presents in detail the results derived from the two analyses and discusses the use of these results by local authorities in order to adjust their policy plans accordingly and to define actions that can better tackle the residents and tourists’ needs and expectations.
  Authors: Antoniou, Constantinos; Tyrinopoulos, Yannis
  Authors: Antoniou, Constantinos; Tyrinopoulos, Yannis
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 419
  Paper Number: 13-2093
• Bus Networks as Graphs: New Connectivity Indicators with Operational Characteristics
  Abstract:

  A transit network design, visualized as a graph, can be evaluated based on the relationships between the network elements and using indicators such as connectivity, coverage, directness and complexity, among others. This research effort focuses on interconnected and operationally complicated bus networks. This study proposes a new procedure for drawing bus services as graph network, at the traffic-analysis zonal level. By conducting the analysis on bus systems and at the zonal level, several advances to the calculation of network properties are introduced. A new network property is introduced: the “number of edges normalized by frequency”, symbolized as Ef. Improved network connectivity indicators (?'' and ß'') are proposed which incorporate the influence of bus operational characteristics (i.e. bus route frequency) and allows for various network physical configurations to be analyzed. Additionally, the effect of bus route transfers was analyzed and modeled by introducing intermediate walking transfer edges. The proposed methodology was applied to the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) public transportation system. The GVRD public transport system provides an extensive coverage over 577 traffic analysis zones, by operating 184 bus routes over 7,866 stops.

  Authors: Quintero, Liliana A.; Wahba, Mohamed; Sayed, Tarek
  Authors: Quintero, Liliana A.; Wahba, Mohamed; Sayed, Tarek
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 612
  Paper Number: 13-2206
• Modeling Traffic Impacts of Transit Facilities Using Dynamic Traffic Assignment
  Abstract: This paper demonstrates the capabilities and benefits of using dynamic traffic assignment (DTA) to analyze traffic impacts caused by transit services. The City of Austin’s proposed urban rail system is used as a case study. The urban rail connects the CBD, the University of Texas at Austin campus, and other large traffic generators. The majority of the rail system shares right-of-way with traffic. However, several segments have completely dedicated guideway. Previous analyses have focused either on microsimulation (which is limited in spatial area and does not consider route choice changes) or regional planning (which typically lacks detailed inputs and does not directly model transit impedances in the traffic assignment process). DTA provides a connection between these two methods: it can model route choice behavior using realistic inputs at a fine time scale across a large spatial area. Five scenarios with varying mode split percentages were modeled. At low ridership levels, corridors with major geometric modifications experienced more congestion. This caused travel pattern changes, increasing the volume on nearby parallel corridors.
  Authors: Melson, Christopher L.; Boyles, Stephen; Machemehl, Randy B.
  Authors: Melson, Christopher L.; Boyles, Stephen; Machemehl, Randy B.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 639
  Paper Number: 13-2267
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• The Width Calculation Method of Island Platform with Screen Doors at Metro Station
  Abstract: In recent years, for safety and energy reasons, most metro stations in China have installed platform screen doors (PSD), which completely changes the waiting behavior of passengers. Passengers unevenly gathered in front of the screen doors instead of distributing evenly on platform. The traditional method of platform design does not consider this change of waiting behavior after the introduction of PSD, and the result has a large gap with the actual demand, which increases the safety risk in the subsequent operation and management. Due to the installation of PSD, this paper proposed a new calculation method of island platform width based on the behavior of passengers. Firstly, this paper analyzed the behavior change after the installation of PSD, and then by means of video identification and field observations, proposed the transformation process and size calculation method of main functional areas, including waiting area and circulating area during the whole process composed of waiting, alighting and boarding, and dissipating. Subsequently, based on the objective of safely waiting and smoothly circulating, and the premise of different functional areas independent and not overlapping, this paper put forward with the calculation method of platform width, which is closely related to the length of waiting area and the width of circulating area. Finally, this paper compared the calculation result with the one of traditional method, clarified the shortcomings of traditional method, and further illustrated the new method is tailored to suit the behavior characteristics of passengers, which was in keeping with platform operational feature of China and provides guidance for platform design.
  Authors: Ma, Shan; Wu, Jiaorong
  Authors: Ma, Shan; Wu, Jiaorong
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation; Terminals and Facilities
  Session: 617
  Paper Number: 13-2405
• High-Quality Public Transport and Promotion of Nonmotorized Transport: Compromise or Complement? Analytical Approach Assessing Conflicts
  Abstract: Public transport is a very efficient way to handle large traffic flows in urban areas. At the same time, and especially in Europe, non-motorized transport is being promoted as a further, environmental friendly and healthy way of urban mobility. This includes the introduction and extension of separate lanes to increase safety and convenience of bikers and pedestrians. However, most cities have limited space for expanding streets and roads which can lead to a conflict between the different uses. It is critical to clearly understand the impacts of these changes on public transport. In this research, a quick assessment model was developed that analyzes the impact of public transport service changes on operations and demand. It was developed for Zurich’s public transport operator Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich (VBZ) to help them quickly assess changes such as the elimination of separate right-of-ways or the introduction of slow zones and also to help illustrate the impacts of these changes to non-technical audiences. The model uses a series of analytical calculations to analyze the main relationships between key public transport inputs and outputs. It was validated using data from Zurich’s tram and bus network. The case studies examine the influence of reducing separate right-of-ways, the expansion of 30 km/h zones and changes to stop distances on public transport operations.
  Authors: Naegeli, Lorenzo; Orth, Hermann W. M.; Weidmann, Ulrich Alois; Nash, Andrew
  Authors: Naegeli, Lorenzo; Orth, Hermann W. M.; Weidmann, Ulrich Alois; Nash, Andrew
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Pedestrians and Bicyclists
  Session: 489
  Paper Number: 13-2437
• Air Quality Regulation in Metros: Benchmarking Approach
  Abstract: This study examined whether air quality regulations designed for other environments were being applied to metros without consideration of the specific attributes of the metro environment. This is a concern because if regulations are overly restrictive metros may incur unnecessary costs and unreasonable regulation, but if regulations are too lax then the health of workers and passengers is at risk. This study therefore benchmarked the air quality regulations being used by metros. A questionnaire revealed that 16 out of 22 responding metros had air quality regulations, all of which were originally intended for non-metro environments. PM10, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide were the most commonly regulated pollutants. Less commonly regulated pollutants included benzene, sulphur dioxide, PM2.5 and ozone. Many metros used World Health Organisation recommendations, but for most pollutants there were outliers at both ends of the scale, indicating that regulation in some metros is too lax whereas in others it is overly strict. A set of metro-specific standards is therefore proposed as an international benchmark for metros to use.
  Authors: Cohen, Judith Michelle; Anderson, Richard; Melo, Patricia C.; Hirsch, Robin Charles d'Aubyn; Graham, Daniel
  Authors: Cohen, Judith Michelle; Anderson, Richard; Melo, Patricia C.; Hirsch, Robin Charles d'Aubyn; Graham, Daniel
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Environment; Public Transportation
  Session: 585
  Paper Number: 13-2476
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Phase-Type Distribution Fitting of Passenger Flow Arrival Interval on Urban Railway Transit Stations
  Abstract: The urban railway transit station is essentially a kind of stochastic service system and the passenger flow arrival interval distribution with accurate description of strong randomness is the important basis of elaborate system planning, design and flexible operation management. The existing fitting distribution researches were unable to satisfy the demand for the station stochastic service system¡¯s modelling analysis as well as microcosmic simulation¡¯s demand for accuracy, universality and analyticity. Though phase-type distribution (PH) had been theoretically verified of good analyticity and universality, it requires to determining over much parameters in practical application. Therefore, it still needs further exploration whether the PH can be applied to represent the passenger flow arrival interval distribution on urban railway transit stations. In this paper, seven common distributions and hyper-Erlang distribution (HErD) which is a dense subset of PH were applied to fit the passenger flow arrival interval distribution of entrance and platform on subway stations. The comparison result indicated that HErD fitting achieves the highest accuracy. On this basis, the fitting parameters of HErD were analysed, finding that this distribution requires to determining two parameters, and only related with variation coefficient, possessing good practicability. Finally, this paper put forward a practical method to determine the parameters of HErD through the easy-captured peak passenger flow volume and super-peak coefficient. This research provides a new selectable PH fitting distribution for passenger flow arrival interval distribution on urban railway transit stations.
  Authors: Jiang, Yangsheng; Hu, Lu; Zhu, Juanxiu; Chen, Yanru
  Authors: Jiang, Yangsheng; Hu, Lu; Zhu, Juanxiu; Chen, Yanru
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation; Terminals and Facilities
  Session: 617
  Paper Number: 13-2491
• Feasibility Study of Aerial Ropeway Transit in the Holy City of Makkah
  Abstract: The number of visitors and pilgrims to the Holy City of Makkah is expected to increase to unprecedented levels in the near future. The planning and implementation of a multimodal transportation system in Makkah to handle these huge volumes is not a straightforward mission, as Makkah poses numerous challenges including its unique seasonal demand patterns, mountainous terrain and limited space, to name a few. Aerial Ropeway Transit (ART), a promising technology solution to some of the modern-day transportation problems, could be an important component of the overall multi-modal transportation system of the City of Makkah. This paper presents the results of a technical and economic feasibility study to explore the potential of introducing ART service in Makkah. The study revealed that, overall, ART service on some corridors in Makkah is technically feasible, and with some necessary enforcement measures to attract ridership, can be a very profitable transportation investment. Specifically, the study recommends using ART for special user groups and service/emergency crews during peak seasons and opening ART to the public as a premium service during the off-peak season.
  Authors: Alshalalfah, Baha; Shalaby, Amer; Dale, Steven; Othman, Fadel M. Y.
  Authors: Alshalalfah, Baha; Shalaby, Amer; Dale, Steven; Othman, Fadel M. Y.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 346
  Paper Number: 13-2577
• Rail Transit Dwell Time Modeling and Delay Simulation in Variant Passenger Flow
  Abstract: Rail transit train dwell time, which is one of the crucial factors of train delay, is affected by variance of passenger flow in different stations. Train dwell delay and passenger flow variation is affected by each other. Long train dwell delay in station may cause passenger delay and propagation over the whole line, it needs to take a long time to restore from disturbances. A train dwell delay model, which has considered the process and the variant number of waiting, alighting and boarding passengers is proposed in this paper. By using the time-driven simulation, the influences of train and passenger delay are calculated. Finally numerical examples and computational results are presented. The results reveal that passenger flow variation and train delay are two mutual influence processes. The increase of passenger flow may extend train dwell time and affect train delay in the line. In corresponding, the growth of train delay will increase the number of assembling passengers in station as well.
  Authors: Feng, Li
  Authors: Feng, Li
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation; Terminals and Facilities
  Session: 617
  Paper Number: 13-2537
• Collaboration to Improve Transportation
  Abstract: Persons with disabilities should be engaged in decision-making about mobility management and accessible transportation through increased collaboration with transit entities. This study examined the change in collaboration between Independent Living Coaches representing 15 States and various entities critical to improving transportation for individuals with disabilities. Results indicated that after training in mobility management concepts, IL Coaches significantly increased collaboration with city/local and regional/State transit organizations. Three main strategies for collaboration emerged: a) participating on committees/councils, b) training or attending joint training, and c) grant development. The main barriers identified were: lack of time, geographical distances, turf issues, and financial limitations.
  Authors: Noonan, Patricia; Shanley, Judy Lynne
  Authors: Noonan, Patricia; Shanley, Judy Lynne
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 560
  Paper Number: 13-2765
• Comparative Study of Alternative Methods for Generating Route-Level Mutually Exclusive Service Areas
  Abstract: This study investigates the willing-to-walk distance for measuring spatial accessibility of bus stops and examines the effectiveness of alternative methods for generating mutually exclusive transit service areas at the route level. We first investigate the walking distance to and from a transit stop using on-board survey data. Two methods in Geographical Information Systems (GIS), the Combination of Thiessen Polygon and Buffer (CTPB) and the Network Distance-based Service Area (NDSA), are compared as alternative strategies for generating mutually exclusive service areas (MESAs). To examine the effectiveness of these two methods, all MESAs are validated using a spider diagram generated from an on-board survey. Measures of urban form are also statistically tested for comparison of the two different methods. A case study of a single route, serving the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, is performed using data from various sources, such as Google’s General Transit Feed Specifications (GTFS), on-board survey, parcel-level land uses, and street network. The validation with on-board survey data demonstrates the strengths of each method. The results also show that the NDSA, a popular GIS method for service area analysis, does not yield a more meaningful strategy for generating mutually exclusive transit catchment areas, especially when the spacing between stops is very small.
  Authors: Lee, Sanggu; Tong, Daoqin; Hickman, Mark D.
  Authors: Lee, Sanggu; Tong, Daoqin; Hickman, Mark D.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 424
  Paper Number: 13-2803
• Statistical Study of Variables Associated with Particulate Matter Exposure Levels at Bus Shelters
  Abstract: This study expands upon previous work that examined differences in exposure to particulate matter in and around bus stop shelters for passengers waiting along a busy urban corridor in Portland, OR. An extensive body of literature has demonstrated the negative health effects of exposure to particulate matter. While concentrations of particulate matter are known to be greater near busy roadways, little research has been conducted on exposure in and around bus stop shelters. Two sizes of particulate matter are examined in this study: PM2.5 and ultrafine particles. Pearson association tests are run between particulate concentrations and three categories of independent variables: location, vehicles, and weather. Significant correlations are primarily observed between particulates and weather (temperature and relative humidity). Using one-minute data intervals, a series of log-linear regression models with and without lagged variables are used to estimate the effects of location, traffic, and weather variables on particulate concentrations. The presence of a transit bus stopped at the shelter significantly increases both sizes of particulate matter concentrations. Wind, temperature, and shelter location also have significant impacts on ultrafine and PM2.5 levels. The estimated models for particulate concentrations inside and outside the bus stop shelters are compared to demonstrate differences in particulate behavior. Suggestions are made for shelter configuration given environmental and traffic considerations.
  Authors: Moore, Adam; Figliozzi, Miguel
  Authors: Moore, Adam; Figliozzi, Miguel
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Environment; Public Transportation
  Session: 585
  Paper Number: 13-2845
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Integrated Intervening Opportunities Model for Public Transit Trip Generation and Distribution: Supply-Dependent Approach
  Abstract: In this study an Integrated Intervening Opportunities Model (IIOM) is developed for Public Transit (PT) trips. This model is a generation-distribution supply-dependent model, with single constraints only on trip production values for work and study PT trips done during morning peak hours (6:00AM to 9:00AM) within the Island of Montreal, Canada. Different datasets including the 2008 Origin-Destination (OD) survey of the Greater Montreal Area (GMA), 2006 Census of Canada, GTFS network data, schools’ enrolment data, along with the geographical data of the GMA are used. The IIOM is a nonlinear model with sociodemographic, socioeconomic and PT supply characteristics, and also work and study spatial location attributes. Analysis of the modeling performance by means of several Goodness-of-Fit measures showed that the IIOM is well-behaved and more accurate than the classical Gravity Model (GM). Based on the explanatory variables used in the IIOM, this study presents a new tool for PT analysts, planners and policy-makers to study the potential changes in PT trip patterns, due to changes in sociodemographic and socioeconomics characteristics, PT supply, etc. Also this study opens new opportunities for development of more accurate PT demand models with new emergent data such as smart card entries in the future.
  Authors: Nazem, Mohsen; Trepanier, Martin; Morency, Catherine
  Authors: Nazem, Mohsen; Trepanier, Martin; Morency, Catherine
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 639
  Paper Number: 13-2986
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Development and Proposed Dynamic Test Method for Novel Wheelchair-Passenger Safety System Onboard Fixed-Route Transportation
  Abstract: Due to ADA, public transportation has become a means for people with disabilities to access and get around in their communities. For wheelchair-seated passengers to safely travel on fixed route transit, transit vehicles have been equipped with belt-type wheelchair tiedowns and occupant restraint systems for the past few decades. Surveys among bus operators and wheelchair users found that these time consuming devices are rarely used and cannot be used by wheelchair seated individuals themselves, and prohibit independent travel of these individuals. This paper describes the development of a solution that brings wheelchair-seated travel on public transit to the 21th century. Implementation of a similar concept will also promote use and improve transit safety for wheelchair-seated passengers.
  Authors: van Roosmalen, Linda
  Authors: van Roosmalen, Linda
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 560
  Paper Number: 13-3376
• Riding More Frequently: Disaggregate Ridership Elasticity Estimation for a Large Urban Bus Transit Network
  Abstract: In this paper, stop level transit elasticities with respect to service frequency are estimated and discussed. Public transportation ridership is typically studied at an aggregate level, where variables influencing ridership are averaged over time and space for a metropolitan area. Understanding transit ridership at a finer temporal and spatial level is generally limited to mode choice models. Most aggregate analyses are unable to capture important effects at the parcel or block level. Such analyses also cannot account for variation in demand over time of day, an issue which has been addressed to some extent via time series modeling. Using data for the Chicago transit system, the results suggest that aggregate analyses overestimate the effect of service frequency on demand. In the context of other disaggregate analyses, these results suggest that walking quality results in distinct increases in ridership, even after accounting for land use, population and other demographics. A headway elasticity of ridership is estimated to be -0.263 to -0.277, very similar to recent disaggregate analysis of New York City transit data. The case is made for a better spatio-temporal understanding of transit ridership in order to allocate resources effectively.
  Authors: Frei, Charlotte; Mahmassani, Hani S.
  Authors: Frei, Charlotte; Mahmassani, Hani S.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 424
  Paper Number: 13-3413
• Scrutinizing Weekly Travel Behavior Patterns in Paratransit: Results of a Big Data Experiment
  Abstract: Extracting structured knowledge from large datasets is a challenge that transportation planning faces more and more, particularly in the context of assisting policy decision-making. This paper takes advantage of the availability of 'BIG' operational archived data to scrutinize weekly travel variability of paratransit users and extract representative patterns of weekly travel behaviour. To that end, data mining techniques are used. The study is based on a one-year dataset which represents 1,393,291 trips made by 10,182 users. Empirical results show that the week structure regulates the activity rhythms of the paratransit system with more than 92% of successive daily trip chains performed inside a seven-day period. This study also confirms that weekly rhythms of paratransit are different from the weekly rhythms of the general population. In the future, paratransit planning should move towards a more data- and user-oriented paradigm if it intends to achieve an allocation of operational resources more commensurate with its ridership.
  Authors: Desharnais, Marie-Christine; Chapleau, Robert
  Authors: Desharnais, Marie-Christine; Chapleau, Robert
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 767
  Paper Number: 13-3790
• Time-Varying Route-Level Transit Patronage Model
  Abstract: This study presents a time-varying transit patronage model, capturing the interaction between transit demand and land use patterns. This study considers how one might evaluate the transit demand changes by time of day with respect to land uses. Depending on a specific time of day, land uses (e.g., residential areas) can be also treated either as trip production (leaving home in the morning) or trip attractions (returning home in the afternoon). To determine transit ridership along a certain transit route, detailed land uses are examined in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan areas. Time-of-day count models are developed based on disaggregate data on parcel-level land uses and automatically collected farecard transactions, representing individuals’ movements. In this model, transit demand from farecard transaction data is considered as the dependent variable, and detailed land uses are used as explanatory variables. The model is able to explain the distribution of weekday boardings at a specific stop over time. This model can be used to manage and design effective transit services, such as increasing service along specific corridors.
  Authors: Lee, Sanggu; Hickman, Mark D.; Tong, Daoqin
  Authors: Lee, Sanggu; Hickman, Mark D.; Tong, Daoqin
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 424
  Paper Number: 13-4055
• Modeling User Perception of Accessibility to Healthcare Facilities Using Statistical Methods and Geographic Information System
  Abstract: Transport accessibility to healthcare facilities is a major issue in the United Kingdom, as recently demonstrated by the shift away from ‘providing healthcare in acute hospitals’ to ‘care closer to home’. However, it is not easy to measure transport accessibility since it is often highly subjective and deterministic. Measuring accessibility primarily focuses on the creation of accessibility contours based on distance or travel time metrics and therefore such methods ignore individual differences such as users’ perception and their transport usage and area-wide factors.The aim of this paper is to develop a user-based accessibility model by focusing on both individual transport usage (i.e. access to different transport modes and fuel consumption) and area-wide factors (e.g. transport network, public transport provision, safety/security and area deprivation). A questionnaire survey was carried out to measure users’ perceptions of the accessibility to various healthcare facilities. The responses are integrated with various datasets obtained from a range of secondary sources (e.g. National Census, Ordnance Survey, Deprivation Indices) using a GIS technique. A multilevel (i.e. individuals nested within local areas) mixed-effects statistical model is employed to develop a relationship between user perception on the accessibility and the factors influencing accessibility. The initial results suggest that travel distance by car, number of available bus services, age and destinations affect accessibility to healthcare facilities. Based on the weighting of each of the factors, a range of policies can be developed that could lead to the reduction in health inequality in terms of fair access to healthcare provision.
  Authors: Titidezh, Omid; Quddus, Mohammed A.; Ison, Stephen; Price, Andrew
  Authors: Titidezh, Omid; Quddus, Mohammed A.; Ison, Stephen; Price, Andrew
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 560
  Paper Number: 13-4083
• Changes in Access to Public Transportation for Cycle-Transit Users in Response to Service Reductions
  Abstract: Transit agencies around the country have made significant investments since the late 1990s to coordinate bicycling and public transit services. The purpose is to increase transit ridership by extending the geographic area from which riders can easily and quickly reach transit stops and stations. While it is widely hypothesized that being able to travel on transit vehicles with bicycles, allows riders to access transit stops and stations from a larger geographic area, the empirical evidence of this is scanty. Information available for Northeast Ohio, where the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) operates rail, bus and demand response transit, presents an opportunity to address an important aspect of this issue. The availability of detailed long-term bicycle-on-bus boardings (BoBBs) data and the implementation of a series of service reductions in 2008, 2009 and 2010 offer an opportunity to ask the question: Do significant changes in geographic access to transit services result in significant changes to the numbers of cycle-transit users accessing GCRTA buses? The evidence from GCRTA’s service area does not support this conclusion, but it does indicate that the rates of utilization of bus bicycle racks is increasing over time, that even in poor weather conditions significant numbers of transit riders travel with their bicycles, and that questions about the conditions, value, and opportunities of cycle-transit coordination remain important for transit users and planners.
  Authors: Flamm, Bradley; Sutula, Kay M.; Meenar, Mahbubur R.
  Authors: Flamm, Bradley; Sutula, Kay M.; Meenar, Mahbubur R.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 346
  Paper Number: 13-4132
• Community Paratransit and the Economic Recession: Challenges and Opportunities
  Abstract: ABSTRACT Community paratransit provides life-enhancing transportation to those most in need of such support, namely the transportation disadvantaged. In the current economic recession, however, paratransit providers nationwide have struggled to cope with increasing service demand amidst escalating operational and capital costs and reduced funding opportunities. To address these dilemmas, many paratransit agencies and other providers have reduced costs through service reductions and eliminations – strategies that negatively impact customers. This paper presents the context of the funding constraints faced by paratransit providers and explores innovative strategies pursued and the associated challenges encountered by providers in their quest to maintain and enhance services, as determined through a unique 2011 nationwide survey effort.Survey findings demonstrate that respondents have indeed faced challenges in the current economy, with service reduction or elimination reported by 42% of respondents. Fortunately, innovative approaches to raise funds, lower costs, and/or improve efficiencies have also been utilized. Coordination efforts, vehicle advertising, and the pursuit of foundation or other charitable support were alternatives used by the greatest number of respondents, with strategies including feeder service to transit and use of volunteer drivers less frequently pursued. Funding entities, policy makers, and the transit community can greatly benefit from considering the reported difficulties respondents encountered in pursuing these innovative coping mechanisms so that successful usage of these and other related strategies can be increased among paratransit providers who are desperately searching for viable options to support transportation in an increasingly limited funding environment. KEYWORDS: Paratransit, Transportation Disadvantaged, Public Transportation, Disability
  Authors: Lubin, Andrea; DiPetrillo, Stephanie; Fittante, Steve
  Authors: Lubin, Andrea; DiPetrillo, Stephanie; Fittante, Steve
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 767
  Paper Number: 13-4346
• Statistical Approximation Model for Estimation of Catchment Areas of Park-and-Ride Systems
  Abstract: This paper develops statistical approximations to estimate the catchment area of a Park-and-Ride site. To this effect, the paper uses the analytical formulations previously developed by the authors to compute the catchment areas for a set of experimental conditions. The data assembled in this manner is then used to estimate the statistical approximations. Using the resulting models, the paper conducts sensitivity analyses to assess the effects of design parameters that determine level of service; such as transit travel speeds, transfer time, and the location of the Park-and-Ride. The results indicate that, in equality of conditions, reducing transfer times has a larger impact in the catchment area than increasing transit speeds in the transit corridor.
  Authors: Holguín-Veras, Jose; Aros-Vera, Felipe; Yushimito, Wilfredo Fernando; Gonzalez-Calderon, Carlos Alberto
  Authors: Holguín-Veras, Jose; Aros-Vera, Felipe; Yushimito, Wilfredo Fernando; Gonzalez-Calderon, Carlos Alberto
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 346
  Paper Number: 13-4558
• Integration of the FAST-TrIPs Person-Based Dynamic Transit Assignment Model, the SF-CHAMP Regional Activity-Based Travel Demand Model, and San Francisco’s Citywide Dynamic Traffic Assignment Model
  Abstract: Being a transit first city, San Francisco needs a flexible and robust transit assignment model in order to capture the complexities of transit demand as well as to support a vast number of transit studies. For this purpose, FAST-TrIPs,a relatively new transit assignment model developed at the University of Arizona, has been tested for potential application in San Francisco . FAST-TrIPs is a disaggregate, simulation-based assignment model for schedule-based transit systems, and uses GTFS data as the main input. It has an interface for integration with dynamic traffic assignment and activity-based travel demand models, and is capable of doing both deterministic and stochastic assignment. This paper describes the implementation and testing of FAST-TrIPs for the San Francisco Muni network, and the integration between FAST-TrIPs and the existing SF-CHAMP Activity-Based Model and San Francisco Citywide Dynamic Traffic Assignment model.
  Authors: Khani, Alireza; Sall, Elizabeth; Zorn, Lisa; Hickman, Mark D.
  Authors: Khani, Alireza; Sall, Elizabeth; Zorn, Lisa; Hickman, Mark D.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 639
  Paper Number: 13-4601
• Factors Determining Transit Access by Car Owners: Implications for Intermodal Passenger Transportation Planning
  Abstract: Although walking is the dominant mode of transportation to transit facilities, there are strong variations by socio-demographics, geography, mode of public transit used and other factors. There is particularly a need to understand ways in which car owners who choose to use public transportation can be encouraged to carpool, walk or bicycle in the “first mile” and “last mile” of the transit trip, instead of driving. These considerations have implications for addressing cold start trips resulting from short drives to transit facilities, active transportation strategies that may benefit transit users who currently drive, and in deriving solutions for shared transportation such as bicycle-sharing and car-sharing programs. Using data collected in the Chicago Metropolitan Area, we investigate how the mode choice for the access trip to transit stations is related to costs, personal and household variables, trip characteristics, and neighborhood factors including crash frequencies, crime prevalence, neighborhood racial characteristics, population density, roadway density etc. for persons in car owning households. The results suggest that while much of the choice depends on personal and trip related variables, some neighborhood level factors as well as the provision of parking at transit stations have important relationships to mode choice that can influence built environment factors such as density and policy areas such as the provision and operation of transit parking facilities.
  Authors: Tilahun, Nebiyou Yonas; Thakuriah, Piyushimita (Vonu); Keita, Yaye
  Authors: Tilahun, Nebiyou Yonas; Thakuriah, Piyushimita (Vonu); Keita, Yaye
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 346
  Paper Number: 13-5085
• Effects of Scale and Resolution in Assessing the Equity of Transit Supply Distribution
  Abstract: The equitable distribution of transit services is a major concern of transportation planners and policymakers worldwide. In the United States, planners are required by executive order to consider equity concerns when investing in new transportation infrastructure and services. However, equity can be difficult to assess in a consistent, objective, and quantitative way. Australian researchers recently developed a single, system wide measure which reflects the equity of transit service distribution in a metropolitan area. This measure, known as a Gini coefficient, specifically measures how well transit supply meets transit demand. Transit supply is measured using a modified form of an established supply index and demand is estimated using population and employment data. While the idea of using a single measure to assess the equity of a transit system is very appealing, researchers and practitioners must be very careful when implementing Gini coefficients for comparative purposes. This research investigates the effect of using different scales, levels of data resolution, and various demand measures when calculating Gini scores for interregional comparisons. Gini coefficients are calculated for six urban transit systems at two scales (metropolitan statistical area and transit service area) and two levels of resolution (census tract and block group) using two different demand measures (population and population plus employment). The results suggest that calculating Gini coefficients at different scales can lead to drastically different comparative results, while the different levels of resolution and demand measures had very little impact on interregional comparisons.
  Authors: Bertolaccini, Kelly Layne; Lownes, Nicholas E.
  Authors: Bertolaccini, Kelly Layne; Lownes, Nicholas E.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Pedestrians and Bicyclists
  Session: 489
  Paper Number: 13-5142
• Predicting Transit Ridership at Stop Level: Role of Service and Urban Form
  Abstract: This research aims to better understand the relative and combined influence of transit service characteristics and urban form on transit ridership at the stop level. Three metropolitan regions in Oregon were included in the analysis, representing different types of communities. We use stop-level ridership data from 7,214 TriMet stops in the Portland region, 1,400 Lane Transit District (LTD) stops in the Eugene-Springfield and 350 Rogue Valley Transit District (RVTD) stops in Jackson County (Medford-Ashland area) as the dependent variable for regression models. Categories of independent variables tested include: (1) socio-demographics; (2) transit service characteristics (e.g. headways, hours of service, transfer stops, bus vs. light rail, etc.); (3) land use (employment, population, land use type, pedestrian destinations, etc.); and (4) transportation system (e.g. street connectivity, bike lanes, etc.). The final model results indicate that the TriMet model does a better job explaining the variation in ridership at the stop-level; the adjusted-R2 is 0.69, compared to 0.61 for the LTD model, and 0.53 for the RVTD model. Land use characteristics around transit stops do have significant effects on transit ridership, though these effects are much smaller than the effects of transit level of service. Socio-demographic characteristics seem to have a larger effect on ridership in the large urban area than small urban areas (TriMet: 24% vs. LTD and RVTD: 11%). The land use characteristics have much smaller effect in large urban area than small urban area (TriMet: 5% vs. RVTD: 18%).
  Authors: Dill, Jennifer; Schlossberg, Marc A.; Ma, Liang; Meyer, Cody
  Authors: Dill, Jennifer; Schlossberg, Marc A.; Ma, Liang; Meyer, Cody
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 424
  Paper Number: 13-4693
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Idle Monitoring, Real-Time Intervention, and Emission Reductions from School Buses in Cobb County, Georgia
  Abstract: Georgia Tech researchers developed a patent-pending idle detection and warning notification system that features Global Positioning System (GPS)-based real-time tracking and web-based user interface. 480 buses in the Cobb County School District were equipped with the GPS-based idle detection system, and the research team provided bus dispatchers with a web-based system to track vehicle activity and notify idle events exceeding five minutes. The idle detection and warning notification system is able to differentiate idling with engine on from key-on events with engine off, an important capability that sets this system apart from previous studies that only detected key-on events. Idle reductions were monitored and emissions and fuel savings were evaluated using Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES) model. The idle reduction resulted from implementing the system was statistically significant, achieving more than six minutes of idle reduction per bus per day. Greater idle reduction can be achieved with more stringent implementation of the system. Total annual emissions reduced from the anti-idle program were 1.67 tons of criteria pollutants (NOx, PM, HC, CO), 55.5 tons of CO2, and conservation of 6,400 gallons of diesel fuel. Approximately 41,100 children riding these buses or attending schools served by these buses were positively impacted by the idle reduction system.
  Authors: Xu, Yanzhi; Elango, Vetri Venthan; Guensler, Randall; Khoeini, Sara
  Authors: Xu, Yanzhi; Elango, Vetri Venthan; Guensler, Randall; Khoeini, Sara
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Environment; Public Transportation
  Session: 585
  Paper Number: 13-4964
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Comparing Fixed-Route and Demand-Responsive Feeder Transit Systems in Real-World Settings
  Abstract: This research presents a method of comparing fixed-route transportation systems and demand-responsive feeder transit systems using passenger survey data, published transit schedules, and optimal routing techniques. Demand-responsive transportation can be utilized to improve transit service levels in low demand areas. Since cities can vary significantly in demand across the region and time of day, it is imperative that an effective means of determing when demand-responsive services can out perform fixed-route services and vice versa. This research builds upon existing comparison techniques, that are focused on gridded street systems, and expands the techniques to includes all types of street networks, transit schedules, and passenger demand levels. The generic techniques are presented and a case study is given for the city of Atlanta to determine where demand-responsive feeder systems might be implemented to improve customer satisfaction and reduce operating costs.
  Authors: Edwards, Derek; Watkins, Kari Edison
  Authors: Edwards, Derek; Watkins, Kari Edison
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 767
  Paper Number: 13-5185
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Integrated Decision Model of Mode, Line, and Frequency Reflecting Changes in Travelers¡¯ Behaviors
  Abstract: Decision-making for public transit planning includes a variety of choices. Among them, the choices of mode, line, and frequency are key elements that influence travel demand; thus, the previous literature has focused on developing models for determining these elements separately, even though mode, line configuration, and frequency should be determined simultaneously. Doing so is essential because mode selection provides the constraint conditions that are applicable for line configuration and decisions concerning the frequency of operation. Furthermore, line configuration and frequency also influence capacity and speed, which are closely related to the selected mode. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to develop a decision model that integrates mode, line, and frequency for a new transit line. The model has a bi-level structure in which the upper level of the model is formulated to determine mode selection, line configuration, and frequency, whereas the lower level of the model is formulated to determine mode share and link flows reflecting travelers¡¯ behaviors related to choices of modes and routes. An application of the proposed model is presented using a test network. The results of this application show that the proposed model performs better than the existing methods that are used in the pertinent literature. The model simulates realistically the influence of a new transit line on its surrounding network by reflecting changes in travelers¡¯ behaviors according to the transit line¡¯s construction, and it also provides a theoretical basis for the evaluation of the feasibility of the planned investment in a new transit system.
  Authors: Kim, Hyo-Seung; Lee, Yong-Gwan; Kim, Dong-Kyu; Kho, Seung-Young; Lee, Chungwon
  Authors: Kim, Hyo-Seung; Lee, Yong-Gwan; Kim, Dong-Kyu; Kho, Seung-Young; Lee, Chungwon
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 419
  Paper Number: 13-0217
• Rail Transit-Based Planning and Design of Park-and-Ride Facilities in Beijing
  Abstract: This paper introduces planning and design of park-and-ride (P&R) facilities in Beijing, China. The procedure of locating new P&R facility contains two main steps. The first step is the selection of P&R candidate for rail transit network. The second step is to evaluate new P&R facility and determine specific location for the proposed P&R facilities. In the first step, new P&R facilities are expected to meet requirement of availability of land that can be used for construction of P&R facility within 500 meters from rail transit station. In the second step, potential analysis is conducted to make further evaluation on new P&R candidate and determine proper sites and design profile for the proposed P&R. Some factors such as population density, annual household income, accessibility of P&R facilities, distance to downtown, as well as savings of travel time will have great impact on P&R demand. These factors are also discussed in this study. The objective of this study is to help municipal government determine the location and magnitude in size of P&R facilities along the rail transit lines to minimize auto travel and encourage use of public transit. For this reason Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Expert Scoring Method (ESM) are employed to determine the final rank of P&R candidate. Keywords: Park-and-Ride facilities, Location configuration design, Planning
  Authors: Yajing, He; Yang, Xiao Kuan; Yue, Chen Xin
  Authors: Yajing, He; Yang, Xiao Kuan; Yue, Chen Xin
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation; Terminals and Facilities
  Session: 617
  Paper Number: 13-2493
• Priority-Setting for Inclusive Transportation System
  Abstract: Because of the ageing of the population, over the coming decades the transportation system will have to be adapted to the needs of an increasing number of persons with travel impairments. More than acknowledged in the past, this underlines the key challenge for transportation planning to design a transportation system that guarantees access for all population groups, irrespective of the features of a person’s body. This will require substantial investments, as the existing transportation system has historically been designed to serve able-bodied persons with little attention for its usability by persons with varying types of impairments. The aim of the paper is to develop a basic framework that can be helpful to set priorities towards the development of an inclusive transportation system. The framework distinguishes two principles for priority setting, one derived from the principle of welfare maximization and the other from the notion of ‘hardship’. Based on these two principles of priority setting, three different types of measures to remove mobility barriers for mobility impaired persons are distinguished: (1) measures that live up to the principle of efficiency or welfare maximization; (2) measures that reduce accessibility hardship through an improvement of the mainstream transportation system transport; and (3) measures that reduce accessibility hardship through dedicated services for persons with travel impairments. In order to assess and rank these measures, cost-benefit analysis and cost-effectiveness analysis should be adapted to capture benefits and effects that are relevant for travel impaired persons.
  Authors: Martens, Karel
  Authors: Martens, Karel
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 560
  Paper Number: 13-3052
• Crowding in Metro Stations: Passenger Flow Analysis and Simulation
  Abstract: The public mass rail transit industry is growing at an unbelievable speed in many large cities in Asia. How to provide a safety and comfortable travelling environment for passengers is attracting more and more attentions from the rail industry practitioners as well as the researchers. However, to have a detailed analysis of the passenger flow and assess the crowdedness level in a metro station is still a great challenge because of the complexity of the passenger behaviors and the difficulty to collect enough passenger flow data. This paper presents a simulation approach for detailed analysis of passenger flows and assessing the crowdedness level of metro stations based on field surveys. The passenger flow data, including the characteristics of passengers, the flow rate at peak hours as well as the passenger behaviors inside the stations are collected by field surveys. The passenger flow pattern of a station can be identified and represented as a network structure based on the survey results. An agent-based pedestrian flow simulation model is used for the assessment of the crowdedness level of the existing and newly proposed layout of stations. Besides the pedestrian movement behaviors and passenger behaviors such as queuing up at a facility or waiting at the waiting area are also considered in the model. The simulation results can be used for extracting data on station crowdedness level indicators such as the density distributions which are helpful for assessing the passenger flow situations in a metro station.
  Authors: Liu, Shaobo; Lo, S. M.; Wang, Weili; Ma, Jian; Yuen, J. K. K.
  Authors: Liu, Shaobo; Lo, S. M.; Wang, Weili; Ma, Jian; Yuen, J. K. K.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation; Terminals and Facilities
  Session: 617
  Paper Number: 13-3357
• Technologies for Row and Seat Identification Onboard Aircraft for Travelers Who Are Blind
  Abstract: The objective of this study, carried out for Transport Canada’s Transportation Development Centre, was to identify the state of the art of wireless technologies applicable to enhance independent wayfinding for travelers with sight limitations in Canada with consideration to current cabin safety regulations and their usability by the passenger. The aim was to develop a technological solution that enables blind passengers to identify row/seat/washroom locations on board aircrafts without assistance. An international literature review was undertaken on wireless technologies applicable to onboard orientation and wayfinding tasks. Through surveys and interviews, additional inputs were gathered from knowledgeable practitioners. A listing of suitable location, transmission, receiver and user interface technologies has been compiled and discussed.A task analysis for the traveler’s trip chain onboard aircraft resulted in ten (10) wayfinding and orientation scenarios. An evaluation framework was designed to prioritize technologies identified. Project team members were enlisted to rank both the criteria and the applicable technologies. Members concluded that the most important criteria for implementation of a selected technology were regulatory clearance, followed by receiver ownership and its effectiveness for users. The RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) location technology was chosen by members as having the best potential for wayfinding applications, followed by the Barcode/Quick Response Code (QR Code) technology. Smartphones with software and vibration features are eligible receiver systems for pilot testing due to their versatility and usability, especially by passengers who are deaf-blind. The project team recommended two technologies as candidates for a pilot test.
  Authors: Blais, Daniel; Rutenberg, Uwe; Suen, S. Ling
  Authors: Blais, Daniel; Rutenberg, Uwe; Suen, S. Ling
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 560
  Paper Number: 13-3760
• System for Improving Accessibility of Urban Transportation Network
  Abstract: There is an ever-growing interest in the measure of the performances of an urban public transportnetwork for people with reduced mobility. This is leading to the need for further defining methodsto help city managers better plan and improve accessible public transport. In this paper we present asystem for assessing the level of accessibility for people with reduced mobility of an existing urbanpublic transport network from the transport operator perspective. By analyzing different types ofdata related to both the cities’ network infrastructure and the travelers’ demand, the system isable to suggest which are the best transportation infrastructure investments that meet the needs ofpeople with reduced mobility in order of priority and with respect to the money budgets available.We show the effectiveness of our proposed system by means of two case studies focused on verydifferent cities: London and Washington, D.C. Regarding the city of London, our results showthat by making accessible a particular station (Farringdon, Hammersmith & City) it is possible toreduce the total travel by a factor which is more than 8 times better than a random choice, andmore than 30% more effective than a solution minimizing the number of interchanges. RegardingWashington, D.C., we found that Rosslyn metro station presents the highest number of trips (morethan 1000 trips per day) affected by outages of the station’s elevators and escalators.
  Authors: Ferrari, Laura; Berlingerio, Michele; Calabrese, Francesco
  Authors: Ferrari, Laura; Berlingerio, Michele; Calabrese, Francesco
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 560
  Paper Number: 13-3907
• From Research to Practice: Overview of Transit-Oriented Development in China
  Abstract: Chinese scholars began to introduce Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) to China in the late 1990s. Although the levels of urbanization of North America and China are different, TOD received wide acceptance and recognition in China, as it is regarded as a sustainable urban development strategy in land-use and transportation. This paper introduces the theoretical research on TOD in Chinese literature, as well as the typical TOD urban planning practice in China. Through summarizing the lessons and experiences, this paper concludes that the barriers to bring TOD from research and planning proposals to reality on the ground in China lay on the lack of institutional coordination and effective implementation mechanism. In order to facilitate a better implementation of TOD in China, this paper offers the suggestions on TOD in China as follows: apply TOD at different scales in the context of China; the construction timing of the rapid transit should be in progress together with the overall urban development; a solid cooperation between different agencies and stakeholders is a crucial element to secure a smooth implementation of TOD. An integrated hierarchical public transit system is needed to encourage sustainable transit trips and reduce auto-dependency.
  Authors: Zheng, Ruishan; Liu, Wei; Liu, Hong
  Authors: Zheng, Ruishan; Liu, Wei; Liu, Hong
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 417
  Paper Number: 13-4005
• New Rail Hubs Along High-Speed Rail Corridor in California: Urban Design Challenge
  Abstract: High-Speed Rail (HSR) will link California’s first-tier cities to one another and to second-tier cities, potentially increasing both mobility and accessibility in an unprecedented way. The system is also expected to have important physical impacts on station-adjacent neighborhoods and station-cities, but to date, limited research exists to guide public policy efforts directing development around HSR stations. The urban design variables that may influence urban change in the context of HSR remain largely understudied. A state agency, the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CaSHRA), is charged with designing and managing the implementation of the HSR network, while local station-cities will be responsible for development around their stations. While the Authority has issued general urban design guidelines for cities, more urban design guidance is necessary to address the specificities of local contexts. Most Southern California cities have not yet started station area planning, and the few that have are focusing their attention on their stations as isolated entities in the system and in the city, often ignoring the possible complement that adjacent stations on the HSR corridor may provide, and how the station may integrate into the city and region. Drawing from a review and content analysis of the documents and guidelines issued by the CaHSRA and its consultants to guide design in station areas, and from sixteen extensive interviews with planners, urban designers, and public officials in Southern California’s Phase One station-cities, the paper discusses the challenges of urban design in HSR station areas and offers a set of policy recommendations.
  Authors: Loukaitou-Sideris, Anastasia
  Authors: Loukaitou-Sideris, Anastasia
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 417
  Paper Number: 13-1626
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Planning Cycle-rickshaws for Serving as Access and Egress Legs of Mass Transit Systems
  Abstract: Cycle-rickshaw is a common mode of transport in many cities, particularly in developing countries. In the past many cities have tried to ban rickshaws either from the entire city or from certain roads on the grounds of reducing congestions or for enhancing the city image. Such a decision on rickshaw ban was ‘controversial’ because they are environment friendly and they have a significant role in transport as well as economy of the city. Hence, an alternative approach to placing outright restrictions on rickshaws is to try to integrate them in the formal public transport systems by using them as feeder services.The paper explored if the rickshaws could serve as a feeder service (access or egress legs) of mass transit, particularly for BRT systems. The paper is based on a case study on Dhaka City (Bangladesh) where the participatory research methods and qualitative approach had been applied. It was found that if planned properly and the design of BRT station considers accommodating rickshaws to ensure easy and convenient modal transfers for the public transport users then rickshaws would able to serve as a feeder service of BRT systems. The paper also provides the design for BRT station which would assist modal integration between rickshaws and BRT systems through their close physical location to provide easy and convenient transfers. The design of BRT station area suggested in this paper for integrating with rickshaws would be helpful for other cities having rickshaws that have BRT in operation or planning for BRT systems.
  Authors: Rahman, Muhammed Shafiq-Ur
  Authors: Rahman, Muhammed Shafiq-Ur
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 560
  Paper Number: 13-1323
• Impacts of Boston’s Silver Line Bus Rapid Transit on Sale Prices of Condominiums Along Washington Street
  Abstract: As Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) continues to grow in popularity in the United States, a better understanding of the mode’s impacts on land uses and property values continues to be needed. This paper describes an effort to quantify the impacts of access to BRT stations on the sale prices of surrounding condominiums located along Boston’s Washington Street where Phase I of the Silver Line BRT began operating in 2002. To test the hypothesis that the BRT stations have an impact on market value that is similar to light rail transit projects (considering the level and permanence of the investment) a hedonic regression methodology was used to estimate the impact of access to BRT stations on sale prices of condo units. A key result is that, for condo sales that occurred in 2007 or 2009, the BRT premium is approximately 7.6 percent. For condo sales in 2000 and 2001, prior to the opening of the Silver Line, no sales premium exists for proximity to the corridor. These results suggest that it is access to high quality transit service, not necessarily the mode itself, that induces this premium. While this study is specific to the Boston Silver Line Washington Street corridor, further research into the impacts of BRT is encouraged to provide policymakers and the transit industry with the best information possible to make optimal transit investment decisions in their communities.
  Authors: Perk, Victoria A.; Catala, Martin; Bovino, Steven; Reader, Steven; Ulloa, Steven
  Authors: Perk, Victoria A.; Catala, Martin; Bovino, Steven; Reader, Steven; Ulloa, Steven
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 417
  Paper Number: 13-5246
• Development of Transportation Skill Assessment Tool for Individuals on the Autism Spectrum to Aid in Finding Safe and Accessible Paratransit Services
  Abstract: In order to assist individuals on the autism spectrum in accessing public paratransit services, the Transportation Skills Assessment Tool (TSAT) was developed. The tool was modeled after other assessments that are commonly used to evaluate individuals on the autism spectrum. The goal was to offer a reliable prediction on the ability of an individual to independently use public paratransit services based on their performance in a controlled testing environment. The tool developed by the researchers evaluates 37 separate tasks to determine the capability of an individual to use up to five different types of paratransit services. Of the 37 assessments, 36 were modified from previously validated assessment tools, and one was developed by Rutgers. The paratransit services evaluated are: hand-to-hand, door-through-door, door-to-door, curb-to-curb, and ADA complementary. The tool is designed with three hierarchical sections for the five different paratransit types as well as the trip planning and scheduling section. The TSAT is designed to simulate each of the necessary skills in order to evaluate the individual’s ability to independently travel using one or more of the paratransit services. A pilot test was conducted with five adults from the Rutgers Douglass Development Disabilities Center. Of the five individuals tested, three were determined to have the ability to ride hand-to-hand services independently and two were determined unable to ride paratransit independently. The pilot test indicated the TSAT was able to predict the capabilities of an individual in a simulated real-world environment based on the in-class results with 100% accuracy.
  Authors: Feeley, Cecelia; Szary, Patrick J.; Lee, Ken; Matlin, Alisa; Hoffman, Louis; Manente, Christopher; Matheis, Elizabeth
  Authors: Feeley, Cecelia; Szary, Patrick J.; Lee, Ken; Matlin, Alisa; Hoffman, Louis; Manente, Christopher; Matheis, Elizabeth
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 767
  Paper Number: 13-0553
• Meta-analysis of Transit Bus Exhaust Emissions
  Abstract: Though many specific studies of bus emissions exist, this paper addresses the need for a comparative analysis of emissions associated with a variety of fuel types, specifically for developing countries. This paper compiles a large data set of in-use transit bus tests for commonly regulated transportation emissions including carbon monoxide, hydro-carbons, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter. Carbon dioxide is also included to understand greenhouse gas emissions. A meta-analysis technique was used with 25 studies to find a range of emissions values for different fuel and exhaust after treatment combinations to determine which combinations provide the greatest emissions reduction. The fuels considered for this report are diesel with various concentrations of sulfur, biodiesel (100 percent and 20 percent blend with diesel), compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, and ethanol. The technologies considered are standard internal combustion engines, hybrid ICE-electric and a variety of exhaust after-treatment technologies. The analysis shows that no single fuel is best at reducing all emissions if the appropriate exhaust after-treatment technologies are used. The technologies which show the lowest emissions in important categories, NOx, PM, and CO2 equivalents, are compressed natural gas with a three-way catalyst, 100 percent biodiesel, and ultra-low sulfur diesel with selective catalyst reduction. Other factors explored, such as altitude, drive cycle, and mileage, also have an impact on emissions values. Overall, there is a wide range of emissions values even for the same fuel and technology. These variations and factors should be understood in order to accurately evaluate results from further emissions testing.
  Authors: Cooper, Erin; Arioli, Magdala; Carrigan, Aileen; Jain, Umang
  Authors: Cooper, Erin; Arioli, Magdala; Carrigan, Aileen; Jain, Umang
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Environment; Public Transportation
  Session: 585
  Paper Number: 13-4618
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• The Time Between: Continuously Defined Accessibility Functions for Schedule-Based Transportation Systems
  Abstract: Accessibility is traditionally considered to be a property of a point or region in space, and to be invariant over time (or at least over some computationally convenient time interval). However, a location’s accessibility can vary over time on a wide range of scales. This temporal variation is especially significant for schedule-based transportation systems. Current integral measures of accessibility generally reflect the accessibility only at points in time corresponding to the departures of one or more trips; accessibility between these time points remains unconsidered and undefined. Consequently, these measures are insensitive to changes in route frequency and the distribution of trip departure times. Furthermore, these approaches ignore the disutility experienced by a system user who is limited to departing or arriving at scheduled times rather than at preferred times. As a result, they systematically overestimate the accessibility experienced by users of scheduled transportation systems. This paper establishes new methods for representing the accessibility provided by a schedule-based transportation system from a specific location as a continuously-defined accessibility function (CDAF) of desired departure time, defined for all time points. Using schedule and route information from metropolitan transit providers, applications of these methods are demonstrated to gain new insight into the accessibility provided by real-world transportation systems. Four examples are developed to represent common service types in metropolitan transit networks. The results confirm that accessibility is significantly overestimated by measuring single points and show that trip frequency is more valuable for sustained accessibility than high accessibility on individual trips.
  Authors: Anderson, Paul Richard; Owen, Andrew; Levinson, David M.
  Authors: Anderson, Paul Richard; Owen, Andrew; Levinson, David M.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 424
  Paper Number: 13-4918
• Empirical Investigation of Measurement of Land Use Mix in the Context of Public Transport Demand
  Abstract: Numerous studies have examined the link between the mixing of land uses and travel behaviour, operationalizing land use mix in diverse ways. However, few studies have attempted to compare the various land use mix metrics employed in travel behaviour research. In particular, an empirical model of travel demand that tests the wide range of measures used in past studies is, to our knowledge, absent in the literature. In this paper, we estimate a model for public transport trip frequency in London, in which we apply a number of distinct land use mix measures. We define land use mix both in terms of counts of establishments and land area to further investigate whether the unit of measurement of land uses affects model results. We find that, although not all measures applied are significant in explaining public transport demand, elasticities for measures that are significant in the model are comparable. Moreover, model results allow us to draw some general conclusions regarding the suitability of different metrics in the context of public transport demand.
  Authors: Karathodorou, Niovi; Graham, Daniel
  Authors: Karathodorou, Niovi; Graham, Daniel
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Policy; Economics; Public Transportation
  Session: 453
  Paper Number: 13-1759
• Framework for Innovative Public Spaces
  Abstract: BackgroundThe NYC Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Plaza Program was initiated to quickly create new public spaces in the public right-of-way throughout the City’s five boroughs. The most high profile projects involved reallocating road space to public plazas along Broadway with the goal of improving pedestrian movement and safety without compromising traffic flow. Creating public plazas in space constrained cities is not a simple task. Removing traffic lanes is politically contentious, as business owners fear reduced vehicular access to their businesses, and local drivers fear an increase in congestion. There are significant costs involved in the planning, construction and maintenance of public spaces, and ownership can often be an issue. The innovative aspect of the DOT plazas is that by using paint, planters, folding chairs, rotating public art and other temporary materials, construction time and costs are minimal when compared with traditional raised plazas. Analyzing five reclaimed spaces, this paper evaluates how people interact with these newly created plazas, with each other and with traffic as well as explores how these new spaces create new view corridors for pedestrians to view adjacent landmarks and the City. The primary goals of this paper are to understand how plaza design elements impact use of the space and to provide recommendations to inform the development of plazas for other cities. This project was conducted in collaboration with Project for Public Spaces (PPS).Methodology & FrameworkSite SelectionFive reclaimed streets, parking lots and intersections in NYC are included in the study. These sites span geographically across three boroughs and vary in the land use context in which they are located. The five spaces include:• Gansevoort Plaza (Manhattan); • Meat Market Plaza (Manhattan); • Pearl Street Pocket Park (Brooklyn); • Broadway Boulevard Plaza at Madison Square (Manhattan); and• “The Hub” at Roberto Clemente Plaza (Bronx). Observational AnalysisObservational data collection was used to gain information about the physical aspects of the site as well as patterns of use by patrons. Each site was filmed from a bird’s eye view, usually a rooftop overlooking the plaza, for two hours at midday (between 11:30pm and 2pm) and two hours in the early evening (4pm – 6pm)- peak periods of weekday plaza use based on site observations. The video data was then used to conduct the following analyses:• Site geometry and features: Using a combination of observation and any existing plans or designs for the plazas, we created plans of each space showing the location of all features including furniture, bollards, planters, vendors, crosswalks, bicycle lanes and nearby transit stops.• Activity mapping and spot counts: From the video, common activities that occur in various areas of the plaza were mapped. This helped understand how certain features or geometries are conducive to different activities, whether sitting and eating, socializing, or reading.• User path tracking: User paths were tracked and mapped through the plazas.Video With our bird’s eye view video recordings, time-lapse videos were created to document the overall movement in the plaza throughout the day. Video montages help illustrate travel paths, activity clusters and how users interact with the public space. Direct User FeedbackSurveys were used to gain feedback directly from users on the aspects they liked or disliked about the plaza. After several iterations, and working with PPS, the following factors have been identified as important in understanding how the design of the space affected the pedestrian experience and overall appeal of the space:• Comfort and Image; • Uses and Activities; and• Plaza Accessibility. In addition to the survey, we asked patrons about the purpose of their journey (work, shopping, home) to try to understand why users typically pass through the space.Results & FindingsPreliminary findings provide guidelines for the reallocation of street space for pedestrians to maximize its use and appeal. Key observations and recommendations focus on: • Locational principles; • Design elements to attract users to a space;• Connectivity and navigation;• 24-Hour plazas for a 24-hour city; • Definition of the space;• Creating destinations within a corridor; and• Programming and maintenance.
  Authors: Harvey, Nina; Jaynes, Carla; Khuong, Yennga Thi; Riscica, Vincent
  Authors: Harvey, Nina; Jaynes, Carla; Khuong, Yennga Thi; Riscica, Vincent
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Society; Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation; Design
  Session: 449
  Paper Number: 13-2839
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Does TOD Need the T? Auto use, residential sorting, and access to rail
  Abstract: Smart growth planning often focuses on building new housing near rail stations, on the assumption that transit-oriented development can reduce driving and therefore mitigate climate change, pollution and congestion. But research has rarely investigated how transit-oriented development affects auto use—or asked whether new development should be oriented away from autos, rather than toward rail. This study addresses two questions. First, do households choosing new housing near rail stations have different patterns of auto ownership and use? Second, are those differences a result of rail access, or other factors associated with rail access? Previous studies have not used comparable data to compare nearby and farther away housing units; have lacked data on parking supply; have not controlled for characteristics of the housing itself, particularly the age of the housing; and have generally failed to account for how residential choices may affect TOD housing outcomes. I surveyed over 1,100 households within two miles of ten rail stations, and conducted a field count of over 6,200 on-street parking spaces on 818 block faces near the stations. The household survey collected information on housing characteristics, parking, travel, and household demographics as well as stated residential choice criteria to control for heterogeneity in preferences. The survey data were geocoded and joined to on-street parking supply data and other spatial data from secondary sources. I used regression analysis to examine how housing, parking, neighborhood and subregional spatial characteristics are correlated with automobile ownership, commuting, and grocery trips. Auto ownership and use is much lower among households living in new housing near rail stations, but these differences are not explained by rail access. Off- and on-street parking availability, housing type and tenure, local and subregional density, and bus service are much more highly correlated with residential choices and subsequent auto ownership and travel. Rail access is associated with lower auto use when combined with factors like parking supply and housing type, but rail by itself has little explanatory power. I conclude that the details of TOD matter, and some of the things that “work” about TOD have little or nothing to do with rail access by itself. Planners should broaden efforts to develop dense, mixed-use housing beyond rail station areas. Denser housing development coupled with good management of automobile parking and improved bus service could be more effective, and less expensive, than a development policy oriented around rail stations.
  Authors: Chatman, Daniel G.
  Authors: Chatman, Daniel G.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Policy; Economics; Public Transportation
  Session: 453
  Paper Number: 13-5164
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Combined Effects of Compact Development, Transportation Investments, and Road User Pricing on Vehicle Miles Traveled in Urbanized Areas
  Abstract: The new federal surface transportation act, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21), passed by Congress and signed into law by the president in July 2012 advances several goals, including improving safety, reducing traffic congestion, and “minimizing transportation-related fuel consumption and air pollution” (Section 1201:134, p. 278). All of the above depend on vehicle miles traveled or VMT. Previous studies have analyzed the impact of compact development, transportation investments, and highway user costs on VMT. This study expands on previous work, using more recent data, additional metrics, and structural equation modeling to explain VMT levels of urbanized areas and to test the effects of various policy and planning levers. 
  Authors: Ewing, Reid; Hamidi, Shima; Nelson, Arthur C.; Grace, James B.
  Authors: Ewing, Reid; Hamidi, Shima; Nelson, Arthur C.; Grace, James B.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Policy; Economics; Public Transportation
  Session: 453
  Paper Number: 13-5230
• Beyond the Built Environment at Home: Does Compact Development Along Commuting Routes Reduce Driving and Conserve Fuel?
  Abstract: While extensive research has investigated how the built environment near people’s homes and work places influence automobile travel behavior, little is known about how commuting routes affect travel outcomes. This article presents an empirical study of the influences of the built environment along commuting routes on vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and fuel consumption for non-work automobile travel. Using a unique Global Positioning Systems (GPS) dataset collected from automobile trips of 46 drivers from the Southeast Michigan area over a 30 day time frame, this study identifies the actual commuting routes for all drivers and derives their fuel consumption for non-work travel. The results do not support the contention that commuting routes characterized by more compact and mixed-use development have the effect of reducing non-work VMT and fuel consumption. This study is unique in its focus on the commuting routes and in establishing a method for using GPS data in transportation and land-use research, and it offers suggestions for refining the modeling of travel behavior along commuting routes.
  Authors: Wang, Xiaoguang; Grengs, Joe; Kostyniuk, Lidia P.
  Authors: Wang, Xiaoguang; Grengs, Joe; Kostyniuk, Lidia P.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Policy; Economics; Public Transportation
  Session: 453
  Paper Number: 13-0107
• Do Residents of Smart Growth Neighborhoods in Los Angeles Travel “Smarter”?
  Abstract: Using individual trip diary from the recent 2009 National Household Travel Survey, we study the impact of different aspects of smart growth patterns on commute mode choice, daily work travel mode choice and non-work travel mode choice for individuals living in different neighborhoods in the Los Angels MSA. We include socioeconomic measures of smart growth in our models, in addition to the commonly used physical smart growth development patterns (i.e. built environment). Model results consistently show that the transportation infrastructure diversity and quality is the most important aspect of smart growth patterns that has a substantial effect on commute mode choice, daily work and non-work travel mode choice. Moreover, housing mix in a neighborhood increases the likelihood of choosing walking/cycling for daily work trips and daily non-work trips. Socioeconomic diversity of a neighborhood reduces the likelihood of choosing walking/cycling for daily non-work trips. After taking into account these three indices, the rest two indices--residential density and mixed land use--only have insignificant impact on travel mode choice. Overall, people living in smart growth neighborhoods in Los Angeles do travel “smarter”, in terms of using environmentally more sustainable (bus and train) and healthier (walking and cycling) travel modes.
  Authors: Zhu, Pengyu; Dong, Hongwei
  Authors: Zhu, Pengyu; Dong, Hongwei
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Policy; Economics; Public Transportation
  Session: 453
  Paper Number: 13-3476
• Examples of Road and Rail Projects from Sweden
  Abstract: Review of examples of road and rail projects provided by the National Road/Rail Administration (s) in Sweden, where design, human scale, and local environment quality have played a big role. Comments and reflections please se PDF file attached
  Authors: Ingo, Susanne
  Authors: Ingo, Susanne
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Society; Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation; Design
  Session: 449
  Paper Number: 13-3559
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Strategic Transportation Infrastructure Investments for Vibrant Riverfront Neighborhood: Case Study in Cincinnati, Ohio
  Abstract:

  Settled in 1788, Cincinnati’s reliance on transportation to shape its growth started on the banks of the Ohio River where steamboats served as a vital part of the transportation network. When steamboats gave way to trains, trucks and automobiles, the riverfront was transformed by an interstate highway (I-71) that cut off downtown from the river and rail spurs to serve industrial users. Riverfront Stadium opened in 1970 and was connected to downtown with elevated pedestrian bridges across the ramps of the interstate highway. Social interaction occurred within the stadium during events but pedestrians immediately fled after games. Public investments of the time had created a transient and industrial environment. In the late 1990s, government and civic leaders collaborated to plan investments to spur the growth of the riverfront neighborhood known as The Banks. Together they quickly realized that transportation and public infrastructure investments would shape the development and social use of the neighborhood. The riverfront master plan outlined strategic transportation and public infrastructure investments that set the framework for the neighborhood:1.Reconfigure Fort Washington Way (I-71) – Completed in 2000, the project shrank the width and lowered the mainline interstate to allow downtown streets to flow seamlessly from the downtown core to The Banks neighborhood. With the sunken mainline and downtown scaled boulevards, pedestrians experience a comfortable walk along the planter lined sidewalks. On game days, thousands of event patrons enjoy the interconnectivity of the pedestrian amenities provided in this transportation facility. 2.Riverfront Transit Center – The center provides a below grade transit facility for event bus rider transfer on game days where pedestrians are dropped off in close proximity to the stadia and enjoy a neighborhood walk to the event. 3.Street Grid – The plan also re-established the riverfront street grid within the new neighborhood. Designed with pedestrian scaled amenities, the streets created a neighborhood. 4.Intermodal Parking Facility – Serving as the platform for development and streets above, the facility includes parking for event patrons, downtown workers and neighborhood visitors/residents. Vanpool and rideshare patrons receive special rates. 5.Stadia – Paul Brown Stadium and Great American Ball Park were pushed to the outer edges of the neighborhood to allow the city to grow to the river. Entry gates and ancillary facilities were positioned at street level to encourage a pedestrian friendly environment. 6.Bike Facility and Trails – In 2012, the Bike Center opened within the new Riverfront Park. Commuters and visitors may rent and store bikes in this facility located adjacent to the Ohio River Bike Trail system. 7.Reconfigure Mehring Way – The iconic Roebling Suspension Bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The plan reserved space around this important landmark for the new riverfront park and reconfigured Mehring Way (US 50) from its 1970s rivers edge location to a 2011 tree-lined northern alignment. 8.Transient Boat Dock – The riverfront park includes plans for a transient boat dock in the Ohio River. The dock will serve travelers and boaters on game days. 9.Cincinnati Streetcar – The City of Cincinnati is leading the effort for the initial 4 mile phase of this embedded rail streetcar route that connects the riverfront to urban core. The transportation and public investments outlined above spurred the following private investments: 1.The Banks Development – Key components set the framework for a private mixed use development (2010) that includes museum, hotel, office, retail and residential uses in a neighborhood. The transportation and public investments also spurred many public art opportunities within the neighborhood including:1.Riverfront Transit Center Mosaic2.Art Works Wall Mural3.Black Brigade Monument4.Labyrinth5.Children’s CarouselThese public art features and park amenities created in land adjacent to or made available by transportation investments contribute to the human scale and pedestrian environment. ConclusionThe strategic transportation investments in the Cincinnati riverfront area created a framework for leveraging other investments that maximized the impact of human interaction within the transportation facilities of the vibrant neighborhood.

  Authors: Sharp, Timothy
  Authors: Sharp, Timothy
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Society; Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation; Design
  Session: 449
  Paper Number: 13-4958
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Transportation in an Aging Society: The Linkage between Transportation and Quality of Life
  Abstract:

   

  This paper explored the effect of transportation factors on older peoples’ (65 years and older) quality of life. The data is drawn from a national telephone survey done by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). Exploratory Factor Analysis is used to develop a quality of life index based on five survey questions. Linear regression is used to explore the quality of life index’s correlation to transportation as well as various personal, household, and community characteristics.
  The results show that those with low socio-economic status and a limited social network are linked with lower quality of life. Also, various transportation factors are found to be significant. Lack of transportation in general and especially not driving, are found to be significant factors negatively associated with quality of life. A built environment, which facilities walking, is found to be positively associated. This study found that accessibility to alternative transportation is found to be positively associated with older people’s quality of life. Specifically, information about transportation options and transportation alternatives for those with disabilities and health problems are found to be significant for older people’s quality of life. This indicates that development of transportation alternatives, along with improved accessibility and visibility, is critical for older people’s quality of life in an aging society.

  Authors: Ulfarsson, Gudmundur Freyr; Kim, Sungyop
  Authors: Gudmundur Freyr Ulfarsson, Sungyop Kim
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Public Transportation; Policy
  Session: ABE60
• Can BART Do Better? Sketch Modeling Alternate Fare Structures to Manage Demand
  Abstract:

  How can transit agencies explore of fare policies for congestion management quickly and cheaply? This research develops an elasticity-based sketch-planning model, and applies it to the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system. The model predicts that BART could increase revenue significantly with a small decrease, or even increase, in ridership by introducing peak period and direction pricing on trips to San Francisco.BART provided ridership data by origin-destination pair in 15-minute intervals for nine weekdays in 2011, and elasticity values for commute (-0.15) and non-commute trips (-0.30). The model forecast new ridership after fare changes using elasticity. A 1000-iteration Monte Carlo simulation demonstrated that the findings of the Excel-based model are robust.Several new fare structures were developed, based on International transit systems. For each fare structure, the model also determined ridership in a revenue-neutral case where new revenue subsidized off-peak trips. The best performing alternative (existing fares plus a $1.00 peak period surcharge and $1.00 Transbay peak direction surcharge) increases weekday revenue by 19.5% but loses 2.5% of ridership. By introducing off-peak discounts, BART ridership would increase 4.9% without during uncongested times.The model indicates that BART could meet its revenue and mode shift goals with a more complex fare structure. If implemented, care should be taken to reduce impact on lower income households with inflexible transit demands.

  Authors: Schabas, Matthew; Miller, Ruth
  Authors: Schabas, Matthew; Miller, Ruth
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Policy; Public Transportation
  Session: 421
  Paper Number: 13-1378
• Examining Accelerated Transit Operations Using the Directness Factor
  Abstract: The past 20 years have witnessed a remarkable period of growth for commuter rail. The potential to share existing infrastructure has made this mode of transportation an attractive solution to challenges posed by population growth and rising fuel costs. The increasing value placed on urban planning strategies that promote density has also boosted the attractiveness of this mode. This popularity has driven up demand for high levels of service performance – defined by trip times that are competitive with automobile travel and high rates of cost recovery relative to other transit modes. Therefore, developing and implementing strategies that reduce travel time and improve asset utilization has become a timely and appropriate consideration for commuter rail planners. This paper introduces the directness factor, a measure that can facilitate the evaluation of transit service alternatives by synthesizing timetable characteristics that may otherwise require an extended explanation. For organizations considering options for accelerated service, defined as service plans where not all trains serve all stations, this measure can help identify the connections between timetable alternatives and system performance. For sketch-level planning exercises, where limited information and institutional resources are available, it can be used to focus questions and structure more intensive investigations. Within the current range of available planning and evaluation tools, it is intended to fill a gap between extended descriptions of service at stops on a specific line and modeled service demand and operating characteristics. The paper will consider three specific implementations of accelerated service on American commuter railroads and use the directness factor to analyze the impact of those improvements.
  Authors: Cornillie, Thomas C.
  Authors: Cornillie, Thomas C.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Railroads; Public Transportation; Rail
  Session: 586
  Paper Number: 13-0090
• Urban Rail Transit in Shanghai: The First Fifteen Years
  Abstract: This study presents the rapid development of rail transit in Shanghai and the considerable growth of transit patronage and profit achieved by Shanghai rail during the past fifteen years from 1996 to 2010. The impacts of rail transit on mode split, residential density, auto ownership, and urban expansion are also examined. The empirical analysis provides evidence that rail transit have effectively guaranteed the continued and stable increase in transit ridership and significantly moderated the household relocation and land-use densification in the Shanghai metropolitan area. It finds significantly lower growth rate of automobile ownership and obviously higher growth rates of population and local revenue in the decade and a half after the introduction of rail transit compared to the 15-year periods before that introduction. Control study between Shanghai and Chongqing further reveals that a city with well-established rail systems has superiority in stimulating population growth and economic prosperity, but slowing motorization process. The encouraging and interesting research findings from before-and-after and control study in this paper may provide decision-makers and planners with confidence to pursue strategies to develop rail transit and embrace the concept of transit-oriented development.
  Authors: Zhao, Jinbao; Deng, Wei; Wang, Jian
  Authors: Zhao, Jinbao; Deng, Wei; Wang, Jian
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Railroads; Public Transportation; Rail
  Session: 348
  Paper Number: 13-0857
• If you Fail to Plan you Plan to Fail: a Survey of Passenger Rail Disruption Recovery Practices
  Abstract: This research paper explores the manner in which passenger rail transit organisations plan for and manage unplanned service disruptions through an international survey of practices. This included semi-structured interviews of those staff responsible for service disruption management within 71 international transit agencies.Results suggest that 20% of agencies had parallel transit systems which can be used for commuters on disrupted services. Most of these were in inner urban contexts. Track intrusions/medical emergencies, weather extremes, track and rolling stock failures were common causes of unplanned disruptions. Bus bridging was the most common response to line blockages whilst transfer of passengers to the next train was the most common approach to individual rolling stock failures. Track crossovers were widely seen as critical to managing responses to disruptions; however, a small minority in mostly very cold climates also saw crossovers as a cause of unplanned failures. Most agencies used available spare buses to source bus bridging vehicles, however, only 45% actively retracted buses from existing scheduled bus services; although some of these agencies did acknowledge that this was often only done in extenuating circumstances. It is rare for agencies to have a strategic reserve of buses for bus bridging purposes. The paper discusses the implications of the study findings for future research and practice. In doing so it documents that all responses to unplanned disruptions can be categorised according to the key disruption characteristics of duration, cause, time and location and provides a typology of response mechanisms based on such characteristics.
  Authors: Pender, Brendan; Currie, Graham; Delbosc, Alexa; Shiwakoti, Nirajan
  Authors: Pender, Brendan; Currie, Graham; Delbosc, Alexa; Shiwakoti, Nirajan
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Railroads; Public Transportation; Rail
  Session: 644
  Paper Number: 13-0940
• Unified Estimator For Excess Journey Time Under Heterogeneous Passenger Incidence Behavior Using Smartcard Data
  Abstract: Excess journey time (EJT), the difference between actual passenger journey times and journey times implied by the published timetable, strikes a useful balance between the passenger's and operator's perspectives of public transport service quality. Using smartcard data, this paper tried to characterize transit service quality with EJT under heterogeneous incidence behavior (arrival at boarding stations). A rigorous framework was established for analyzing EJT, in particular for reasoning about passenger’ journey time standards as implied by varying incidence behaviors. It was found that although the wrong assumption about passenger incidence behavior and journey time standards could result in a biased estimate of EJT at the individual passenger journey level, the paper proposed a unified estimator of EJT, which is unbiased at the aggregate level regardless of the passenger incidence behavior (random incidence, scheduled incidence, or a mixture of both). A case study based on London Overground network was conducted to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed method. EJT was estimated using the smart card (Oyster) data at various levels of spatial and temporal aggregations in order to measure and evaluate the service quality. Aggregate EJT was found to vary substantially across the different London Overground lines and across time periods of weekday service. The North London Line in the AM Peak in the westbound direction had the worst service quality in terms of EJT.
  Authors: Zhao, Jinhua; Frumin, Michael; Wilson, Nigel H.M.; Zhao, Zhan
  Authors: Zhao, Jinhua; Frumin, Michael; Wilson, Nigel H.M.; Zhao, Zhan
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Railroads; Public Transportation; Rail
  Session: 756
  Paper Number: 13-1241
• Airport Ground Transportation Policies and the Future of Rail Connections at U.S. Airports
  Abstract: Airports are currently being pressured to operate in a more environmentally-sensitive manner; as a response, airports have integrated environmental policies into their operations. However, environmental concerns regarding automobile traffic and related emissions have yet to be addressed. While the automobile is the dominant air passenger ground transportation mode at US airports, services facilitating automobile usage including public parking and car rentals are a major airport revenue source. Less than 20 US hub airports have direct access to rail-based transportation modes. New rail transportation projects serving additional airports are either being consideration or under construction. Regardless of whether an airport has direct access to rail-based transportation modes, the air passenger ground transportation modal split at US airports remain low in comparison to those in Asia and Europe. The high cost of providing additional US airports with direct rail connections in an era of severe governmental budgetary cutbacks is making the “build it and they will come” mindset untenable.Governmental policies are but one factor determining whether programs increasing transit usage results in automobile traffic reductions and related emissions. This study reveals that a significant percentage of the busiest US airports do not have policies fostering increases in the air passenger ground transportation modal split. A case study of one US airport is presented that has successfully adopted a transit first policy to achieve a high air passenger ground transportation modal split and facilitate the availability of rail-based transportation services.
  Authors: Wong, Dan; Baker, Douglas
  Authors: Wong, Dan; Baker, Douglas
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Aviation; Railroads; Public Transportation; Rail
  Session: 281
  Paper Number: 13-1291
• Revenue and Environmental Benefits of New Off-Peak Commuter Rail Service: Case of Pascack Valley Line in New Jersey
  Abstract: Although researchers have long argued in favor of off-peak transit service, studies that have empirically estimated its benefits regarding revenue generation, trip diversions, and greenhouse gas emission are rare. This study provides important evidence about the benefits of off-peak commuter rail service by focusing on the Pascack Valley line in New Jersey, where off-peak service was introduced in October 2007. The research involved two focus groups and an onboard survey of passengers. Benefits were estimated regarding additional revenue generation, reduction in vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission. Based on analysis of survey data, the study provides estimates of additional revenue generated from the new service, reduction in VMT because of diversions from other modes to the line, and net reduction in GHG. The research shows that both peak period and off-peak riders benefited from the new off-peak service. Evidence is found about a significant diversion of trips from automobile to transit, an increase in new transit riders, and a modest increase peak period usage because of the off-peak service.
  Authors: Deka, Devajyoti; Marchwinski, Thomas W.
  Authors: Deka, Devajyoti; Marchwinski, Thomas W.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Railroads; Public Transportation; Rail
  Session: 586
  Paper Number: 13-3756
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• A Practical Framework for Metro Maintenance Management
  Abstract: Although numerous Maintenance Management Frameworks (MMFs) exist in many industries, a literature review failed to find a practical one developed specifically with urban rail transit systems (metros) in mind. Using evidence and experience from a qualitative survey of senior metro maintenance managers, the Railway and Transport Strategy Centre created a descriptive, practical MMF building upon existing literature and Moubray’s ‘three generations of maintenance’. The framework specifies three broad bandings, which indicate the relative maturity and sophistication of different management practices and associated analytical techniques. Metro managers may use it to map their maintenance maturity relative to a group of technologically developed metros. The framework is linked to case studies providing practical examples of changes made by metros in maintenance practices. Further, it may be used to frame types of expected performance outcomes achievable by moving through the defined stages of maintenance maturity. It also identifies key barriers and enablers to this transition. The paper takes this framework as a basis to analyse the survey results, which highlight that the metro industry has embraced planned preventive techniques, but has yet to fully realise the possibilities of holistic and continuous improvement strategies.
  Authors: Parasram, Richard; Steel, Robin; Maxwell, Rory J.; Anderson, Richard; Hirsch, Robin Charles d'Aubyn; Melo, Patricia C.
  Authors: Parasram, Richard; Steel, Robin; Maxwell, Rory J.; Anderson, Richard; Hirsch, Robin Charles d'Aubyn; Melo, Patricia C.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Railroads; Public Transportation; Rail
  Session: 644
  Paper Number: 13-4037
• A Sketch Planning Model for Estimating Airport Ground Access Using Rail Service
  Abstract: A large number of airports in the world are introducing or upgrading rail service. These projects require large financial investments; therefore, careful attention is required since early planning stages. Transportation planners are challenged to estimate future ridership for new or upgraded rail service, since this is one of the most important factors for decision makers. This paper presents a sketch planning model to estimate ridership for a new or upgraded airport rail service. This model is based on the characteristics of existing rail service in the United States, and only requires limited input for estimating the ridership: total rail network length, rail line headway, and transfer time from rail station to the airport terminal. Data for these parameters are readily available from free sources; in addition, this model can be easily replicated for estimating airport rail ground access in the U.S. This sketch planning model is applied to recently implemented or planned rail access to airports in Dallas and Oakland. The proposed model’s results are within five and nine percent of the ridership estimated using more sophisticated models; a recently implemented service appears to be within twenty-five percent of the predicted value.
  Authors: Massidda, Antonio
  Authors: Massidda, Antonio
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Aviation; Railroads; Public Transportation; Rail
  Session: 281
  Paper Number: 13-5292
• Right-Sizing Conductor Roster at Metro-North Railroad: Model Development and Application
  Abstract: MTA Metro-North Railroad (Metro-North), like many US commuter railroads, collects fares manually on-board or verifies that a valid time-based ticket is held by the customer using on-board visual inspection methods. If insufficient personnel are available to perform these functions, there is potential for lost revenue. Daily personnel availability is typically a result of fluctuating absence levels and unscheduled work such as flagging for capital projects. Each day after all available FTEs (full time equivalents) and FTEs available to work overtime have been assigned to assignments, if any assignments still remain open they will not be filled. When an assignment is not filled it is referred to as a “blanked” assignment at Metro-North. The cost of blanking an engineer or conductor assignment is very high as this would result in annulling a train; thus engineers and conductors are always staffed to a level where this will rarely if ever occur. However, the cost of having insufficient ticket collectors, a task fulfilled by assistant conductors at Metro-North, will depend on the revenue exposure if one or more ticket collector assignments are not filled (and therefore fares are not collected / verified). There are many factors that influence revenue exposure and these will vary by system depending on fare policy and operating characteristics. Revenue exposure becomes a key factor in determining the optimal assistant conductor staffing level, which is the staffing level that produces the overall minimum cost. Increasing staffing is one way to reduce both overtime and blanked assignments, but this comes at a cost of training new hires and paying additional wages and benefits. Previously the Operations Services and Operations Planning Departments at Metro-North determined the engineer, conductor and assistant conductor staffing needs based on data analysis (customer counts, schedules, usage patterns) experience and rules of thumb. However, this process was difficult to explain and it lacked transparency. Furthermore, over the past few years Metro-North has found it increasingly difficult to cover all of its assistant conductor assignments each day. This is largely a result of Metro-North policies aimed at reducing overtime, combined with a recently instated longer training program for assistant conductors necessitating additional lead time in work force planning. Expected to further exacerbate this issue is an anticipated high level of retirements in 2013 and reduced overtime potential due to the Federal Railway Administration’s Passenger Hours of Service Regulation. Assessing the impacts of all of these factors required a new method of evaluating staffing needs. Metro-North chose to take a detailed and analytical approach to address this issue by building a sophisticated and complex model in-house to determine the optimal number of engineers, conductors, and especially assistant conductors. The model was designed to be used by the Operations Services department to right-size the assistant conductor roster and was successfully used to justify the staffing levels and actions to senior management. The model balances and weights all of the varying requirements including the cost of training a new FTE as well as the potential for revenue loss as a result of blanking an assignment, and determines the most cost effective solution
  Authors: Schwarcz, Stacey; Bernstein, Jeffrey
  Authors: Schwarcz, Stacey; Bernstein, Jeffrey
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Railroads; Public Transportation; Rail
  Session: 586
  Paper Number: 13-0426
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Real-Time Optimization of Commuter Rail Feeder Systems
  Abstract: Commuter rail systems, operating on unused or under-used railroad rights-of-way, are being introduced into many urban transportation systems. Since locations of available rail rights-of-way were typically chosen long ago to serve the needs of rail freight customers, the majority of commuter rail users do not live or work within walking distance of potential commuter rail stations. Minimizing access time to rail stations and final destinations is crucial if commuter rail is to be a viable option for commuters. This paper focuses on real time optimization of the Commuter Rail Circulator Route Network Design Problem (CRCNDP) supposing that real-time demand data can be obtained partially through users’ smart phone app. The route configuration of the circulator system – where to stop and the route among the stops – is determined on a real-time basis by employing adaptive Tabu Search to quickly solve a Mixed Integer Programming problem with an objective to minimize total cost incurred to both transit users and transit operators. Numerical experiments are executed and methodologies are proposed to find the threshold for the minimum fraction of travelers that would need to report their destinations via smart phone to guarantee the practical value of optimization based on real-time collected demand against a base case defined as the average performance of all possible routes.
  Authors: Yu, Yao; Machemehl, Randy B.
  Authors: Yu, Yao; Machemehl, Randy B.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Railroads; Public Transportation; Rail
  Session: 586
  Paper Number: 13-2204
• Analyzing Commuter Train User Behavior: Decision Framework for Access Mode and Station Choice
  Abstract: The purpose of the current research effort is to develop a framework for a better understanding of commuter train users’ mode and station choice behavior. Typically, mode and station choice for commuter train users is modeled as a hierarchical choice with mode being considered as the first choice in the sequence. The current study proposes a latent segmentation based approach to relax the hierarchy. In particular, this innovative approach simultaneously considers two segments of station and access mode choice behavior: Segment 1 - station first and mode second and Segment 2 – mode first and station second. The allocation to the two segments is achieved through a latent segmentation approach that determines the probability of assigning the individual to either of these segments as a function of socio-demographic variables, level of service (LOS) parameters, trip characteristics, land-use and built environment factors, and station characteristics. The proposed approach offers many advantages compared to the traditional alternatives. First, we gain a better understanding of the decision processes by examining who are the individuals who choose the station (or mode) first. Second, the approach proposed is free from simulation and easy to implement. Third, the results from our analysis will provide insights to transit agencies on how to improve transit service to reduce the automobile travel to commuter train stations. The proposed latent segment model is estimated using data from an on-board survey conducted by the Agence Métropolitaine de Transport (AMT) for commuter train users in Montreal region. The proposed model is employed to investigate the role of socio-demographic variables, LOS parameters, trip characteristics, land-use and built environment factors, and station characteristics on commuter train user behavior. The model results are employed for prediction of commuter train user behavior on a hold-out validation sample. Our data validation clearly illustrates the enhanced predictive power offered by the latent segmentation model.
  Authors: Chakour, Vincent; Eluru, Naveen
  Authors: Chakour, Vincent; Eluru, Naveen
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Railroads; Public Transportation; Rail
  Session: 586
  Paper Number: 13-2688
• Observed Customer Seating and Standing Behaviors and Seat Preferences Onboard Subway Cars in New York City
  Abstract: Using an observational sampling methodology, this study explores seat occupancy patterns found in New York City subway cars under non-crowded conditions based on special attributes of otherwise highly homogenous plastic bench seats. Onboard seating patterns, measured as relative seat occupancy probabilities, are explained in terms of interactions between railcar design, layout, customer preferences, and resulting behaviours. Prior research has generally focused on passengers distribution between cars within long trains, or desirability of attributes common to all seats, rather than passengers seating patterns within a single car. Results, based on seating- and standing-room occupancy statistics, show customers have a clear preference for seats adjacent to doors, no real preference for seats adjacent to support stanchions, and disdain for bench spots between two other seats. On cars featuring transverse seating, customers prefer window seats, but have almost equal preference for backward- or forward-facing seats. No gender bias was detected amongst all seated passengers, but as load factor increased, men have higher probabilities of being standees compared to women. 90% seat utilization is only achieved at 120% load factor; furthermore, standing customers strongly prefer to crowd vestibule areas between doors (particularly in cars with symmetric door arrangements), and hold onto vertical poles. These findings are consistent with published anecdotes. Future cars should be designed with asymmetric doors, 2+2+2 partitioned longitudinal seats, and no stanchions or partitions near doorways. Further research should be conducted in commuter rail vehicles with suburban layouts, booth seating, and also other cities’ subways, to further understand customer seating preferences.
  Authors: Berkovich, Aaron; Lu, Alex; Levine, Brian; Reddy, Alla V.
  Authors: Berkovich, Aaron; Lu, Alex; Levine, Brian; Reddy, Alla V.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Railroads; Public Transportation; Rail
  Session: 756
  Paper Number: 13-1693
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Disruption Response Planning for an Urban Mass Rapid Transit Network
  Abstract: Given many cities' growing dependence on public rail transport, simple network disruptions can lead to widespread confusion and significant productivity loss to the society. Therefore, a systematic approach to develop efficient disruption response and minimize the negative impacts is required. In this paper, we develop a planning procedure to supplement a degraded urban mass rapid transit network through intelligent introduction of shuttle bus services in the disrupted area. The proposed method includes two important mechanisms, namely (1) using column generation to identify all beneficial bus routes, including those which might not be intuitively found, and (2) using a path-based multi-commodity flow formulation to select the best among these candidate bus routes. Finally, the method is applied to two disruption case studies defined using real-world data; the corresponding results confirmed the practicality of the proposed approach: (1) the procedure can be carried out efficiently, (2) introducing bus routes to the naive bridging services can easily yield significant improvement on commuters' travel delay, (3) the distribution of commuters' travel delay is improved considerably with an optimized response, and (4) many realistic operating constraints can be handled in planning process.
  Authors: Jin, Jian Gang; Teo, Kwong Meng; Sun, Lijun
  Authors: Jin, Jian Gang; Teo, Kwong Meng; Sun, Lijun
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Railroads; Public Transportation; Rail
  Session: 644
  Paper Number: 13-1884
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Mathematical Modeling for Optimizing Skip-Stop Rail Transit Operation Strategy Using Genetic Algorithm
  Abstract: With skip-stop rail transit operation, transit agencies can reduce their operating costs and fleet size, and passengers can experience reduced in-transit travel times without extra track and technological improvement. However, since skip-stop operation does not serve all the stations, passengers at exclusive stopping stations can possibly experience increased access time, waiting time, total travel time, and transfer. Only when the stopping stations are carefully coordinated can skip-stop service benefit passengers and transit agencies.This research developed a mathematical model using a Genetic Algorithm that coordinated the stopping stations for skip-stop rail operation. Using the flexibility of the Genetic Algorithm, this model included many realistic conditions, such as different access modes, different stopping scenarios, different collision constraints, different objective functions, and etc.For this research, the Seoul Metro system¡¯s line No. 4 was used as an example. With skip-stop operation, total travel time became about 17-20 percent shorter than with original all-stop operation, depending on the stopping constraints. In-vehicle travel time became about 20-26 percent shorter due to skipping stations, although waiting, transfer, and additional access times increased by 24-38 percent.Each train skipped five to nine stations, which reduced five to nine minutes (up to 8 percent) of the operating time. As mentioned, this model was built to minimize the total travel time. If the model¡¯s objective was minimizing operating time or minimizing total cost, the model could reduce operating time more.
  Authors: Lee, Young-Jae; Shariat, Shaghayegh; Choi, Keechoo
  Authors: Lee, Young-Jae; Shariat, Shaghayegh; Choi, Keechoo
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Railroads; Public Transportation; Rail
  Session: 348
  Paper Number: 13-5202
• Safety Performance Comparison Between Light Rail Transit And Subway
  Abstract: Along with the expansion and addition of guideway transit systems, such as light rail and subway, there came the need to compare the safety performance of each mode. The comparison of safety performance by different modes is difficult due to lack of data, short operating history, or smaller operating scales besides the complexity of various technologies, operating characteristics, and diversified environments.In order to evaluate the potential for intermodal comparison of safety performance measures, the authors have focused on the subway and Light Rail Transit (LRT) modes at the national aggregations. Starting with clear definitions of each safety category, the authors analyzed the safety data from the National Transit Database (NTD) in recent years to estimate the impact and implications of various safety performance measures. A series of comparisons between LRT and subway in various fatality, injury and property damage categories demonstrated that accident rates may be unstable and easily distorted when the operational base is small. With increased operations, the accident rate may become more predictable even if the simple numbers of accidents/incidents may still appear random.
  Authors: Jasmin, Nehemie; Liu, Rongfang
  Authors: Jasmin, Nehemie; Liu, Rongfang
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Railroads; Public Transportation; Rail
  Session: 348
  Paper Number: 13-3560
• Who Rides Airport Railways? Case of London City Airport
  Abstract: This report proposes a new methodology for post-project analysis of airport railways to guide airport ground access planning. The concept is to determine the type of rail passenger: air passenger or employee; business or leisure; resident or non-resident. It compares hourly rail ridership, air passenger volumes, air traffic movements and the geographic location of trip ends. A test is proposed for each possible ridership group to determine who is using the railway.London City Airport is used as the case study to illustrate the value of the method. It uses Oyster smartcard ridership data from Transport for London. The findings confirm that the impressive 51% Docklands Light Railway mode share for air passengers from small sample surveys is realistic. The conclusion is the railway connection is predominantly used by air passengers and not employees. The airport characteristics – predominantly business travellers, relatively central location, local employees – simplify the analysis. The GIS analysis reveals one major surprise – that the busiest station by trip-ends is Woolwich Arsenal in southeast London – although the general findings are as expected: trip-ends concentrate in the financial and business districts. The policy recommendation for future airport railway projects is to apply this methodology to a range of comparable airports. This will aid transport planners to design a rail service optimised for the groups most likely to use the railway.
  Authors: Schabas, Matthew
  Authors: Schabas, Matthew
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Aviation; Railroads; Public Transportation; Rail
  Session: 281
  Paper Number: 13-2162
• Measuring Subway Service Performance at New York City Transit: A Case Study Using Automated Train Supervision (ATS) Track-Occupancy Data
  Abstract: A recurring challenge facing transit managers today is the persistent question of how to do more with less—to maintain and improve service despite deficits of historic proportions. New York City Transit (NYCT) responded by re-tooling performance measurement frameworks and procedures to better capture customers’ perspective, respond to management initiatives, and incentivize proper operating decisions. NYCT’s primary performance measure, Wait Assessment (WA), measures customers’ maximum wait times while waiting to board at stations. Defined as percent of headways between trains not exceeding 125% of scheduled headways, a “Reach and Match” algorithm was developed to account for NYCT’s irregularly scheduled service and ensure customer experienced headways are matched to the specific published scheduled headway in effect at that moment, regardless of which scheduled trip was supposed to arrive. Upgrading sample-based methods that gathered limited data manually, track-occupancy data was downloaded from the Automated Train Supervision (ATS) system for the No.1 through No.6 routes, providing 100% coverage, much lower public reporting time-lag, and the ability to take near-term corrective action. The increase in data availability also allows NYCT to easily consider corridor-level and track-level WA standards for internal diagnostic purposes, analyzing train performance in shared-track territory regardless of route designations, to provide better service.
  Authors: Levine, Brian; Lu, Alex; Reddy, Alla V.
  Authors: Levine, Brian; Lu, Alex; Reddy, Alla V.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Railroads; Public Transportation; Rail
  Session: 756
  Paper Number: 13-2997
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Automatic Data for Applied Railway Management: A Case Study on the London Overground
  Abstract: In 2009, London Overground management implemented a new tactical plan for AM and PM Peak service on the North London Line (NLL). This paper documents that tactical planning intervention and evaluates its outcome in terms of certain aspects of service delivery (the operator’s perspective on system performance) and service quality (passenger’s perspective). The research depends heavily on in-person and e-mail interviews with key Overground managers and on research conducted for those managers by an industry consultant. Analyses of service delivery and quality, and passenger demand contribute to the development, proposal, and implementation of the new tactical plan. It is found that NLL trains were routinely delayed en route and excessive dwell time is major cause. Near-random passenger incidence behavior suggests a even headway service may be more appropriate for NLL. The confluence of these analyses is confirmed by the corresponding excess journey time (EJT) results. Based on longitudinal analysis, evaluation shows that on-time performance increased substantially and observed journey time (OJT) decreased (i.e. they both improved) with the introduction of the new plan. EJT decreases by substantially more than OJT for the line as a whole. Overall, the effects of this implementation appear to have been positive on balance. This case study thus demonstrates the applicability of automatic data generally, and certain measures and techniques in London Overground specifically, to support tactical planning of an urban railway.
  Authors: Frumin, Michael; Zhao, Jinhua; Wilson, Nigel H.M.; Zhao, Zhan
  Authors: Frumin, Michael; Zhao, Jinhua; Wilson, Nigel H.M.; Zhao, Zhan
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Railroads; Public Transportation; Rail
  Session: 756
  Paper Number: 13-2987
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Planning for Transit System Reliability Using Productive Performance and Risk Assessment
  Abstract:

  Urban transit system performance may be quantified and assessed using transit capacity and productive capacity for planning, design and operational management. Bunker (4) defines important productive performance measures of an individual transit service and transit line. Transit work (p-km) captures transit task performed over distance. Transit productiveness (p-km/h) captures transit work performed over time. This paper applies productive performance with risk assessment to quantify transit system reliability. Theory is developed to monetize transit segment reliability risk on the basis of demonstration Annual Reliability Event rates by transit facility type, segment productiveness, and unit-event severity. A comparative example of peak hour performance of a transit sub-system containing bus-on-street, busway, and rail components in Brisbane, Australia demonstrates through practical application the importance of valuing reliability. Comparison reveals the highest risk segments to be long, highly productive on street bus segments followed by busway (BRT) segments and then rail segments. A transit reliability risk reduction treatment example demonstrates that benefits can be significant and should be incorporated into project evaluation in addition to those of regular travel time savings, reduced emissions and safety improvements. Reliability can be used to identify high risk components of the transit system and draw comparisons between modes both in planning and operations settings, and value improvement scenarios in a project evaluation setting. The methodology can also be applied to inform daily transit system operational management.

  Authors: Bunker, Jonathan Michael
  Authors: Bunker, Jonathan Michael
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Railroads; Public Transportation; Rail
  Session: 644
  Paper Number: 13-0036
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Beyond the Built Environment at Home: Does Compact Development Along Commuting Routes Reduce Driving and Conserve Fuel?
  Authors: Wang, Xiaoguang
  Authors: Wang, Xiaoguang
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: AICP Certification Maintenance Session; Economics; Planning and Forecasting; Policy; Public Transportation
  Session: 453
  Paper Number: 13-0107
• Examining Accelerated Transit Operations Using the Directness Factor
  Authors: Cornillie, Thomas
  Authors: Cornillie, Thomas
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Rail; AICP Certification Maintenance Session; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 586
  Paper Number: 13-0090
• Effects of Fare Payment Types and Crowding on Dwell Time: Fine-Grained Analysis
  Authors: Fletcher, Grant
  Authors: Fletcher, Grant
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Policy; Public Transportation
  Session: 822
  Paper Number: 13-1102
• Dynamic System Optimal Routing In Multimodal Transit Network
  Authors: Lebacque, Jean-Patrick
  Authors: Lebacque, Jean-Patrick
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 279
  Paper Number: 13-1247
• Applying Structured Scheduling to Increase Performance in Rural Demand-Response Transportation
  Authors: Monast, Karl
  Authors: Monast, Karl
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Public Transportation
  Session: 797
  Paper Number: 13-1272
• Airport Ground Transportation Policies and the Future of Rail Connections at U.S. Airports
  Authors: Wong, Dan
  Authors: Wong, Dan
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Rail; Aviation; Public Transportation
  Session: 281
  Paper Number: 13-1291
• Operations of a Taxi Fleet for Advance Reservations Using Electric Vehicles and Charging Stations
  Authors: Wang, Hao
  Authors: Wang, Hao
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 648
  Paper Number: 13-1717
• Exploring the Impact of Crowding and Stop Design on Streetcar Dwell Time
  Authors: Currie, Graham
  Authors: Currie, Graham
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Public Transportation
  Session: 328
  Paper Number: 13-1008
• Influence of Light-Rail Transit on Transit Uses: Exploration of Station Area Residents Along Hiawatha Line in Minneapolis, Minnesota
  Authors: Schoner, Jessica
  Authors: Schoner, Jessica
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Public Transportation
  Session: 794
  Paper Number: 13-0277
• Examining Local Interaction Between Public Transport Demand and Land Use Characteristics Using Geographically Weighted Regression
  Authors: Tsai, Chi-Hong
  Authors: Tsai, Chi-Hong
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: AICP Certification Maintenance Session; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 639
  Paper Number: 13-0317
• Managing Dynamic Vehicle Allocation for Carsharing Systems: Stochastic Programming Approach
  Authors: Fan, Wei
  Authors: Fan, Wei
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 818
  Paper Number: 13-0324
• Assessment of "Last Mile" Shuttle Corridors and Users in New Jersey
  Authors: Deka, Devajyoti
  Authors: Deka, Devajyoti
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 722
  Paper Number: 13-0421
• Right-Sizing Conductor Roster at Metro-North Railroad: Model Development and Application
  Authors: Bernstein, Jeff
  Authors: Bernstein, Jeff
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Rail; AICP Certification Maintenance Session; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 586
  Paper Number: 13-0426
• Optimizing Dynamic Ride-Sharing Systems
  Authors: Sacco, Nicola
  Authors: Sacco, Nicola
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 452
  Paper Number: 13-0450
• Demand for Public Transport in Germany and the United States: Analysis of Rider Characteristics
  Authors: Buehler, Ralph
  Authors: Buehler, Ralph
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: AICP Certification Maintenance Session; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 489
  Paper Number: 13-0530
• Development of Transportation Skill Assessment Tool for Individuals on the Autism Spectrum to Aid in Finding Safe and Accessible Paratransit Services
  Authors: Feeley, Cecelia
  Authors: Feeley, Cecelia
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: AICP Certification Maintenance Session; Passenger Transportation; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 767
  Paper Number: 13-0553
• 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
• Does a Link Exist Between Public Transit Use and Active Commuting Behavior?
  Authors: Gayah, Vikash
  Authors: Gayah, Vikash
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: AICP Certification Maintenance Session; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 489
  Paper Number: 13-0627
• Environmental Justice Analysis of Minority and Low-Income Populations Adjacent to Goods Movement Corridors in Southern California
  Authors: Seo, Jung
  Authors: Seo, Jung
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Environment; Passenger Transportation; Policy; Public Transportation
  Session: 642
  Paper Number: 13-0701
• Planning for Transit System Reliability Using Productive Performance and Risk Assessment
  Authors: Bunker, Jonathan
  Authors: Bunker, Jonathan
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Rail; Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 644
  Paper Number: 13-0036
• Analytical Procedures for Estimating Capacity of Weaving Sections for Median Exclusive Bus Lanes on an Urban Expressway
  Authors: Chen, Xumei
  Authors: Chen, Xumei
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 592
  Paper Number: 13-1752
• Investigating Economic Viability of Personal Rapid Transit System for a University Campus and Its Surroundings
  Authors: Tahmasseby, Shahram
  Authors: Tahmasseby, Shahram
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 234
  Paper Number: 13-2124
• Investigating Economic Viability of Personal Rapid Transit System for a University Campus and Its Surroundings
  Authors: Kattan, Lina
  Authors: Kattan, Lina
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 234
  Paper Number: 13-2124
• Multiobjective Optimization Model for Transit Fleet Resource Allocation
  Authors: Mishra, Sabyasachee
  Authors: Mishra, Sabyasachee
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 279
  Paper Number: 13-2225
• Modeling Traffic Impacts of Transit Facilities Using Dynamic Traffic Assignment
  Authors: Melson, Christopher
  Authors: Melson, Christopher
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: AICP Certification Maintenance Session; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 639
  Paper Number: 13-2267
• 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
• Energy-Efficient Operation of Subway Systems
  Authors: Su, Shuai
  Authors: Su, Shuai
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 279
  Paper Number: 13-2451
• 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
• High-Quality Public Transport and Promotion of Nonmotorized Transport: Compromise or Complement? Analytical Approach Assessing Conflicts
  Authors: Naegeli, Lorenzo
  Authors: Naegeli, Lorenzo
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: AICP Certification Maintenance Session; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 489
  Paper Number: 13-2437
• Benefits of Real-Time Transit Information and Impacts of Data Accuracy on Rider Experience
  Authors: Gooze, Aaron
  Authors: Gooze, Aaron
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 761
  Paper Number: 13-0785
• A Multicriteria Approach for Analyzing Railway Service Quality
  Authors: Mazzulla, Gabriella
  Authors: Mazzulla, Gabriella
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 761
  Paper Number: 13-0853
• Model for Light-Rail Transit Operation and Maintenance Cost to Perform Sensitivity Analysis
  Authors: Dutta, Utpal
  Authors: Dutta, Utpal
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Public Transportation
  Session: 794
  Paper Number: 13-0888
• If you Fail to Plan you Plan to Fail: a Survey of Passenger Rail Disruption Recovery Practices
  Authors: Pender, Brendan
  Authors: Pender, Brendan
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Rail; Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 644
  Paper Number: 13-0940
• Light-Rail Transit Experience in Madrid, Spain: Effects on Population Settlement and Land Use
  Authors: Calvo, Francisco
  Authors: Calvo, Francisco
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Public Transportation
  Session: 328
  Paper Number: 13-1162
• A Comparative Analysis of Personal Rapid Transit as an Urban Transportation Mode
  Authors: Juster, Reuben
  Authors: Juster, Reuben
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 722
  Paper Number: 13-1186
• Unified Estimator For Excess Journey Time Under Heterogeneous Passenger Incidence Behavior Using Smartcard Data
  Authors: Frumin, Michael
  Authors: Frumin, Michael
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Rail; Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 756
  Paper Number: 13-1241
• Unbanked Transit Riders and Open Payment Fare Collection
  Authors: Brakewood, Candace
  Authors: Brakewood, Candace
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Policy; Public Transportation
  Session: 822
  Paper Number: 13-1248
• Sight Distances for Disabled Pedestrians at Crossings: Methodology Comparison with Other Modes
  Authors: Schoon, John
  Authors: Schoon, John
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation; Safety and Human Factors
  Session: 690
  Paper Number: 13-1478
• Designing Bus Rapid Transit Facilities for Constrained Urban Arterials: A Case Study of the Webster Avenue SBS Running Way Design Selection Process
  Authors: Beaton, Eric
  Authors: Beaton, Eric
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 226
  Paper Number: 13-1346
• Impact of Concessionary Bus Travel on Well-being of Older and Disabled People
  Authors: Mackett, Roger
  Authors: Mackett, Roger
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Safety and Human Factors
  Session: 306
  Paper Number: 13-1369
• Unraveling the Travel Behavior of Carsharing Members from GPS Traces
  Authors: Trepanier, Martin
  Authors: Trepanier, Martin
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 491
  Paper Number: 13-1705
• An Analytical Approach to Measuring Impacts of Transit Priority
  Authors: Currie, Graham
  Authors: Currie, Graham
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Administration and Management; Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 536
  Paper Number: 13-1001
• Toward People's Cities Through Land Use and Transport Integration: Review of India's National Urban Investment Program
  Authors: Hidalgo, Dario
  Authors: Hidalgo, Dario
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: International Activities; Environment; Public Transportation
  Session: 831
  Paper Number: 13-1589
• Modeling the Practical Capacity of Escalators Using a Rule-Based Microsimulation of Pedestrian Behavior
  Authors: Kauffmann, Peter
  Authors: Kauffmann, Peter
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 722
  Paper Number: 13-1586
• Observed Customer Seating and Standing Behaviors and Seat Preferences Onboard Subway Cars in New York City
  Authors: Lu, Alex
  Authors: Lu, Alex
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Rail; Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 756
  Paper Number: 13-1693
• How Does Restructuring from a CBD-Focused Transit System to a Decentralized Transit System Affect Transit Riders and Their Accessibility to Destinations? Case Study of StarMetro in Tallahassee, Florida
  Authors: Bhattacharya, Torsha
  Authors: Bhattacharya, Torsha
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: AICP Certification Maintenance Session; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 489
  Paper Number: 13-1052
• Alicante Light Rail: Improving the Use of Existing Railway Lines
  Authors: Novales, Margarita
  Authors: Novales, Margarita
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Public Transportation
  Session: 328
  Paper Number: 13-1300
• Effects on Service Quality Following Regulatory Reforms in Public Transport in Malta
  Authors: Attard, Maria
  Authors: Attard, Maria
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 761
  Paper Number: 13-1473
• Statistical Study of Variables Associated with Particulate Matter Exposure Levels at Bus Shelters
  Authors: Moore, Adam
  Authors: Moore, Adam
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: AICP Certification Maintenance Session; Environment; Public Transportation
  Session: 585
  Paper Number: 13-2845
• Missed or Delayed Medical Care Appointments by Older Users of Nonemergency Medical Transportation Services
  Authors: MacLeod, Kara
  Authors: MacLeod, Kara
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 369
  Paper Number: 13-2879
• Supporting Rural Public Transport Users During Disruptions: Role of Real-Time Information
  Authors: Velaga, Nagendra
  Authors: Velaga, Nagendra
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Public Transportation
  Session: 797
  Paper Number: 13-2964
• Measuring Subway Service Performance at New York City Transit: A Case Study Using Automated Train Supervision (ATS) Track-Occupancy Data
  Authors: Levine, Brian
  Authors: Levine, Brian
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Rail; Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 756
  Paper Number: 13-2997
• Transition to a Transit City: Case of Beijing, China
  Authors: Song, Ziqi
  Authors: Song, Ziqi
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: International Activities; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation
  Session: 492
  Paper Number: 13-3310
• Passenger-Focused Management Approach to Measurement of Train Delay Impacts
  Authors: Barron, Alexander
  Authors: Barron, Alexander
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Administration and Management; Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 536
  Paper Number: 13-3345
• Application and Findings: SWOT-Based Framework for Evaluating Transportation Agencies' Sustainability Approaches
  Authors: Barrella, Elise
  Authors: Barrella, Elise
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Energy; Environment; Public Transportation
  Session: 685
  Paper Number: 13-3385
• Effect of Parking Charges at Transit Stations on Park-and-Ride Mode Choice: Lessons Learned from Stated-Preference Survey in Greater Vancouver, Canada
  Authors: Nurul Habib, Khandker
  Authors: Nurul Habib, Khandker
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Public Transportation
  Session: 334
  Paper Number: 13-3521
• Using Structural Equations Modeling to Analyze User Satisfaction in Intermodal Transfer Facilities in Lisbon, Portugal
  Authors: de Abreu e Silva, João
  Authors: de Abreu e Silva, João
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Design; Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation; Terminals and Facilities
  Session: 389
  Paper Number: 13-3655
• Empirical Investigation of Measurement of Land Use Mix in the Context of Public Transport Demand
  Authors: Karathodorou, Niovi
  Authors: Karathodorou, Niovi
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: AICP Certification Maintenance Session; Economics; Planning and Forecasting; Policy; Public Transportation
  Session: 453
  Paper Number: 13-1759
• Personal Rapid Transit Studies in Two Scandinavian Cities
  Authors: Stam, Daniele
  Authors: Stam, Daniele
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation
  Session: 234
  Paper Number: 13-2699
• Users' Experience and Evaluation of New Southern Masha'er Metro Line in Makkah, Saudi Arabia
  Authors: Alshalalfah, Baha
  Authors: Alshalalfah, Baha
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Design; Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation; Terminals and Facilities
  Session: 389
  Paper Number: 13-2510
• Public Transport Performance Measurement System for Switzerland and Its Calibration
  Authors: Orth, Hermann
  Authors: Orth, Hermann
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: