Developing Guidelines for Evaluating, Selecting, and Implementing Suburban Transit Services (2006) / Chapter Skim
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Pages 54-67
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From page 54... ...
B-1 APPENDIX B: SUBURBAN TRANSIT SERVICES Characteristics of those services and their most effective applications within suburban environments are also discussed. Because various groups may use different terms to refer to the same transit concepts, we will be clear in how we define the various modes and uses of service.
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B-2 Trunk Trunk route transit service is often the backbone of any suburban service, providing consistent service along well defined corridors throughout the service span. Passengers often access trunk services from collector services and routes or use them to travel within the route's corridor.
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B-3 major activity centers to anchor either end of the service and generate demand for trips in both directions. Limited Service Limited service routes are similar to express routes in that they supplement existing local routes along congested corridors.
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B-4 characteristics of fixed-route circulators may vary according to the trip purpose anticipated for most riders. One variation on the basic fixed-route strategy is to develop a hub-and-spoke system, where multiple circulator routes connect to one (or more)
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B-5 The operating environment for shuttles may vary a great deal according to the type of service provided. In most cases, shuttle services are anchored by a regional rail station or intermodal transit hub.
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B-6 Circulators generally serve the purpose of either collection or distribution in a passenger's overall trip; therefore, the circulator serves as either the first or final leg in a passenger's journey. Shuttles Another popular application for deviated fixed-route service is the shuttle.
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B-7 For the purposes of this document, the discussion of subscription services is limited to commute service, as this is the market upon which most public and public/private partnerships focus. However, it is worth noting that other subscription services exist for markets such as childcare, sporting events, and travel to airports.
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B-8 INNOVATIVE SUBURBAN TRANSIT SERVICE The following sections discuss two basic approaches to making traditional transit more innovative. One approach is to use technological and infrastructure improvements to give transit more of the qualities of automobiles.
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B-9 Automatic Vehicle Detection A series of different technologies are available that can identify when a transit vehicle is approaching an intersection. Within certain parameters, signal timing can be modified to either lengthen a green cycle or shorten a red cycle to expedite a transit vehicle's passage through an intersection.
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From page 63... ...
B-10 INNOVATIVE SERVICE DESIGN Service design is another important area in which progress is being made towards providing more innovative, non-traditional transit service. A variety of approaches have been implemented throughout the country that have improved transit's ability to provide valuable transit services to suburban environments.
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B-11 A fare-related design feature which can improve the convenience and speed of transit service is the incorporation of automated fare collection, including smart card readers, onto transit vehicles. Equipping buses to read electronic fare media expedites the boarding process as passengers do not have to search for exact change or feed money into slow or malfunctioning fare boxes.
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B-12 features on the activity surface. Table B-1 illustrates the association between these topographical features and common transit services.
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B-13 • Frequency of service reflects how often passengers may travel and is measured directly by the TCQSM's frequency measure for fixed-route service and by response time for demand-responsive service; the longer wait times associated with lower frequencies are also an element of fixed-route passengers' overall travel time; • Consistency of schedule and length of service span illustrate when passengers may travel; these parameters are combined into the TCQSM's hours of service measure for fixed-route service and service span measure for demand-responsive-service; • Vehicle capacity relates to passenger loading (e.g., the ability to get a seat) and, for demand-responsive service, trips not served, where a lack of space on a vehicle or an insufficient number of vehicles to meet demand results in trip denials; and • Hierarchy of street relates to service coverage, as service on lower-order streets decreases walking distances at the home end of trips and often provides for a safer streetcrossing environment (e.g., due to lower traffic volumes and narrower streets)
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From page 67... ...
B-14 While much of the variation between service parameters that responds to specific local conditions is lost in the generalized comparison provided by Table 2-2, it is apparent how suburban services adapt to their environments by building in flexibility that is not always necessary or desirable in urban settings. Within each general transit service format there is room for considerable variation based on the demand for service and characteristics of the service area.
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