an update on curb guided bus technology and deployment trends · 2010. 3. 17. · an update on curb...

Curb Guided Bus Technology and Deployment Trends

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An Update on Curb Guided Bus Technology and Deployment Trends

David Phillips TranSystems Corporation

Abstract

The first Curb Guided Bus (CGB) route opened in 1980. Although initial introduction of this technology was slow, six routes have opened since 1998, and more are in the works, mostly in the U.K. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the technol-ogy and its deployment.

IntroductionTheauthorhasbeenakeyparticipantintwoAlternativeAnalyseswheretheavail-ableright-of-waywidthwasveryrestricted.TokeepBusRapidTransit(BRT)asanoption,someformofguidancewouldberequiredtoensurethatbusescouldoperatereliablyinaverynarrowlane.Aliteraturesearchidentifiedseveralguidedbus technologies, but all were, and still are, in the research and developmentphase.TheexceptionwasCurbGuidedBus(CGB).However,littleinformationwasprovided.Thisisareportontheauthor’sextensiveresearchonsystemdesignandoperationforthistechnology,includingsitevisitstomostofthesystemsinopera-tion.Thesevisitsincludedmeetingswithpeopleinvolvedintheinitialtechnologyresearch, systemdesign, funding,operation,andmaintenanceof the infrastruc-tureandthevehicles.Ithasbeenconfirmedthatthistechnologyisappropriatein situationswhereevena limitedamountof right-of-way isavailableandthat

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itcanbe installedwith lowrisk.Thisability tooperate innarrowrights-of-wayis especially important inconstrictedenvironments suchasmediansofarterialstreetsor freeways,onanabandonedrailroadalignmentoralongsideanactiverailroad,onbridgesorelevatedstructures, intunnels,orunderbuildings.Thesenarrowrights-of-waycanmakeitpossibletocreatededicatedtransitlaneswhereotherwisenonewouldfit.Inaddition,itwasfoundthattherearemoreadvantagestotheuseofCGBtechnology,comparedtoeitherconventional,manually-steeredBRTandotherguidedbustechnologies, thansimplythenarrowerright-of-wayconfigurations.

Figure 1. Curb Guided Bus, Adelaide

Source:TranSystems

Curb Guided Bus Sytem OperationsAmajorsurprise intheresearchwasthenumberofCGBsystems inoperation.Noneofthepreviousguidancetechnologyarticleshadmentionedmorethantwoorthreeroutes.Thereare,infact,11systemsinoperation,andthreeotherwell-


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advancedfuturesystems.Sitevisitsweremadetomostofthem.Table1liststheseSystems,intheorderoftheiropeningdate.Table2listsfuturesystems.

Table 1. Curb Guided Bus Systems in Operation

1980 - Essen, GermanyFulerumerStrasse–Allofthesystem’sroutesstartedunderagovernmentdemonstrationprogram.EVAGnowoperatesa3routesystemwith3.7milesofbi-directionalguidewayin3separatesegments.Allwerepreviouslyprivateright-of-wayportionsofstreetcarroutes.Thefirstsegmentoperatesinaparklikesettingthatdemonstratedoperationthroughgradecross-ingsandona6%grade. 1983 - Essen, GermanyWittenbergstrasse–Thissectionwasthetestsiteforjointoperationofdualmodebuseswithstreet-cars.Concreteandwoodrunningsurfacesweretested.Followingthetest,asectionintunnel,sharedwithstreetcars,wasoperatedfor11years.OnlyguidedbusesoperateinWittenbergstrassenow. 1986 - Adelaide, AustraliaOperatestheworld’sfastestguidedbusway,a7.5milelonglineoperatedat100km/hr(62mph).The“O-Bahn”wasopenedintwosegments,in1986and1989.Thetwointermediatestationsaredesignedforpassing.One-minuteheadwaysareoperatedinthepeakhour. 1986 - Essen, GermanyA40Motorway–Thissectionincludesthesharpestguidedbuswaycurves(60m,about190ft.,radius),whichrequirestheEssenbusesuniquelytobeequippedwithguidewheelsateachaxle.Italsohasaramponstructurewitha6%grade.AllEssenrouteswerebuiltwithpre-castconcreteguidewaysections,whichstillprovideaverysmoothride.Essenexpectstoawardacontractforanewgenerationofguidedbuses(itsfourth)shortly. 1995 - Ipswich (Kesgrave), U.K.Thisguidedbuswayisonlyabout600ft.long,andisoperatedaspartofthe“SuperRoute66”betweenIpswichandMartleshamHeath.Theguidedbuswaysegmentisprovidedtoensurethatonlybusesusetheroadway,whichprovidesashortcutbypassingcongestedintersections. 1998 - Leeds, U.K.A61ScottHallRoadCorridor-NorthofCentralLeeds(includesatotalofonemileofguidedbusway)thisconsistsofsingle-directionbuswayslocatedalongsideparallelroads,“queuejumpers”(whichprovidepriorityaccesstoroundabouts),acontraflownon-guidedlanefortheentryintothecentercity,andsignalpriority.Thiscorridorincludesasectionona7%downgrade,thesteepestCGBoperation.RidershipontheroutesthatbenefitfromthefacilitiesprovidedinthesecorridorshasexceededtheperformanceofbusesasawholeinLeeds.


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2000 - Nagoya, Japan

TheNagoyaGuidewaybus(alsoknownastheYutoritoLine)isa4-mile-longguidewayinstalled

onastructuretoseparatebusesfromregulartraffic.Thereare9stationsontheguideway

structure.AtObata-ryokuchistation,busesdescendarampandcontinueinmixedtrafficon

regularsurfaceroadstoserveNagoyasuburbs.Despitetheshortvehiclelength,guidewheels

arefittedbothatthefrontandbehindtherearaxleduetosharpcurvature.Operationsare

managedasathird-sectorcompany,andthecostofbuildingtheelevatedguidewayinfrastruc-

turewasbornebytheNagoyaCityroadsbudget.

2001 - Leeds, U.K.

York/SelbyRoads“Elite”Project-EastofCentralLeeds(1.3milesofguidedbusway),thisis

servedbybusesoftwodifferentprivateoperators,whopaidasignificantshareoftheproject’s

constructioncost.Itwasthefirstbuiltusingslipformconcreteconstruction.Theonlysection

ofbi-directionalguidewayisincluded.

2002 - Bradford, U.K.

TheManchesterRoadproject(1.4milesofguidedbusway)locatedsouthofcentralBradford

(itselfabout10mileswestofcentralLeeds)isthenewestbuswayintheLeeds-Bradfordarea.

Theguidedsectionsareallinthecenteroftheroadway,withsignalpriorityforbusesentering

themfromthecurbside.Itincludessheltersthatareintendedasartwork.

2003 - Sussex, U.K.

TwosectionsofguidedbuswayhaveopenedtodateaspartofRoute10ofthe“Fastway”

networkofhighqualitybusservicesbeingestablishedinthisareasouthofLondon.Thisiscur-

rentlytheonlyguidedbuswayprojectinwhichadedicatedfleetofbuses,indistinctivecolors

andmorestylishthanthenormfortheoperator’sstandardbuses,isemployed.OtherFastway

componentsincludehighqualitypassengershelterswithreal-timeinformation.

2004 - Edinburgh, U.K.

“Fastlink”isa0.9-mile-long,bi-directionalguidedbuswayinstalledaspartofEdinburgh

Translink’sprogramfortransitimprovements.Theguidewayincludestwooverpassesbuiltto

bypasscomplexintersectionsandroundabouts.


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Table 2. Future Systems

2006 - Sussex, U.K.

ThenextsectionofguidewayisfortheFastwaysystem’sRoute20.

2008 - Cambridge-St. Ives, U.K.

Thisisexpectedbethelongestguidedbuswaysystem,consistingof11milesofguidewayto

bebuiltonanabandonedrailline.Thenationalgovernmenthascommittedtofunding.The

countyiscurrentlyconsideringdesign/buildproposalsforthisproject,whichisestimatedto

costabout$60M,atcurrentexchangerates.

2009 - Luton, U.K.

Thiswillconsistof8milesofguideway,alsotobebuiltonanabandonedrailline.Thepublic

consultationprocesshasbeencompleted,andagovernmentfundingdecisionisexpected

shortly.

Figure 2. Sussex, U.K., Fastway Bus

Source:Stevens Associates Note: Sussex,U.K.,FastwayBussystemcombinesstylishbusesandsheltersandreal-timeinforma-tionatstops,withsegmentsofguidedandconventionalbuswaytoprovidehighqualityservice.Systemwillbecompletein2006.


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CGB Infrastructure and VehiclesCGBtechnologyitselfissimple,non-electronic,andnon-proprietary.Theguide-wayconsistsofconcreterunningsurfaceswithverticalcurbsabouteightincheshigh.Onallsystems,thecurbsareset2.6meters(102.4in.)apart,beingdesignedforthe2.55meter(100.4in.)widebusesthatarestandardoutsideNorthAmerica.Abi-directionalguideway,suitableforhighspeedoperationwith102inchwideNorthAmericanbuses,canbeconstructedinaright-of-wayoflessthan25feetinwidth,includinganemergencywalkwayoneachside.Thealignmentofalaneconstructedonanat-graderoutewouldrequireonlyabouta10-footright-of-way.Thisismuchnarrowerthanconventionalbuswaysdesignedformanually-steeredbuses.

Inadditiontoat-gradealignments,CGBtechnologyhasbeenappliedtoroutesinsubways.TheabilityofCGBsystemstooperatesafelyatspeedinnarrowrights-of-wayisparticularlyimportantinthesecases,whereminimizingtherequiredwidthcangreatly reducethecostofconstructing tunnels.Essenoperateddualmodebusesintunnelsfor11years.Itwasparticularlyinterestingthatthesetunnelsandsubway stations were shared with streetcars. Full block signaling was provided.Unfortunately, the pre-existing streetcar trackage used wooden ties on ballastconstruction.Thebustrackwaysinstalledexpeditiouslyaspartofthedemonstra-tionprojectwerealsowood,boltedtotheties.Overtime,thetiesandtrackwaysdeteriorated.Theoperatordidnothavetheresourcesavailabletoinstallaconcretetrackbed,asanewsystemdesignedforcombinedoperationwouldbe.Thebuseswereremoved,returningtotheirformersurfacestreetoperation.Anewsystemintendedforcombinedcouldbebuiltwithrailsembeddedinthebustrackways.Essentially,thiswouldbestandardstreetcar/LRTin-streettrackwiththeadditionofcurbs.Ofcourse,asubwaycouldbebuiltforuseonlybyCGBvehicles.

Thesameappliesonbridgesandelevatedstructures.TheNagoya,Japan,systemoperates on a four-mile-long guideway that is located entirely on an elevatedstructurelocatedinanareaofthecitywithheavytrafficcongestion.Busroutesfanoutonregularstreetswhentheyreachtheendoftheguideway.Thereareninesta-tionsontheguideway,includingtherailroadinterchangestation.CGBtechnologywasselectedbecauseofthenarrower,lowercoststructurerequirementsandthefasteroperationthatcanbepermittedcomparedtoaconventionalbusway.

ThesystemisbasedonresearchfundedbytheGermangovernmentintheearly1980s.Therearenolicensefeesinvolved.Anyonecanbuildaroadwaywithcurbs.AcomprehensivehandbookfordesignofCGBinfrastructure,basedontheexpe-


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rience of the practitioners in the field, was issued in 2004. Systems around theworldutilizethesamedesignforthe“funnel”usedattheentrancetoguideways(seeFigure1).Thespeedlimitforthefunnelistypicallysetat25mph.Whereitisnecessarytoallowpedestriansorothertraffictocrossaguideway,thecurbscanbegapped.Shortgaps(lessthan10feet)cansimplybecrossed(at30mph).Longergapsrequireare-entryfunnel.Thehandbookprovidesguidanceonawidevarietyofotherdesigndetails.

Figure 3. Typical section of CGB guideway, showing potential to share with streetcars

Source: TranSystems

Similarly, any bus manufacturer can design and build guidearms for its buses.WhilebusesforCGBoperationare,essentially,standardbuses,theguidearmshavealways been designed by the bus manufacturer, with buses delivered completewith guidearms and guidewheels. CGB buses have been built by at least eight


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manufacturersworldwide.ThefirstsysteminEssen,Germany,equippeditsbuseswithguidewheelsateachaxle(virtuallyallofitsbuseshavealwaysbeenthree-axlearticulateds).All subsequent systems (exceptNagoya, Japan)haveused slightlylesstightminimumcurveradii,allowingtheirbusestobeequippedwithguide-wheelsonlyatthefrontaxle,simplifyingvehicledesignissues.Allsystemsusethesamesupplierforthehorizontalguidewheels.Afterthedesignoftheguidearm/guidewheelforaparticularbustypeiscomplete,actualmanufactureandinstalla-tioncostisrelativelyminor.WiththeproliferationofCGBoperationintheU.K.,mostnewbusesarebuiltreadyforthisinstallation.

All CGB systems currently in operation are operated with diesel buses. Severalsystemshavepurchasedbuseswithextrasilencingpackages,reducingnoiseinsideand outside the vehicles. As noted above, Essen operated portions of its CGBsystemunderelectricoverheadpowerwiresformanyyears.Thisisanoptionforfutureroutes.Inthemeantime,avoidingthecostofinstallationofanelectricdis-tributionsystemgreatlyreducesthecostofanewsystemcomparedtoLRTandstreetcars.

Figure 4. CGB guideway entry funnel, Adelaide

Source:TranSystems


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Figure 5. Typical guidearm/guidewheel installation— Mercedes bus in Adelaide

Source:TranSystems

CGB System OperationAkeyadvantageofCGBbuses,comparedtoLRTandstreetcars,isthatthattheycanoperateasstandardbuseswhentheyareofftheguideway.Theguidewheelsextendonlyaboutoneinchbeyondthebodyofthebus.AllCGBroutescombineguidewayandnormalon-streetoperations,avoidingthenecessityforpassengerstotransferfromafeederbustoanothervehicle.

On most systems (notably Leeds, Bradford, Sussex-UK and Essen FulerumerStrasse),guidewaysareprovidedonlyalongstreetsegmentsthatregularlyexperi-encecongestion,frequentlyonlyinonedirection,furtherreducingright-of-wayrequirements.Transitsignalpriorityisnormallyprovidedattheendoftheguide-waytofacilitatethemovementofthebusesastheyre-entermixedtrafficlanes.Speedlimitsonsectionsthatrunbesidestreetsarenormallysetatthespeedlimitoftheadjacentstreet.


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Therearealsolong,high-speedsystems.Thebestexampleofthistypeisthe7.5-mile-longAdelaideO-Bahn.Thisrouteisfullygradeseparatedandhasonlytwointermediatestops.Becausetheguidewayissonarrow,therewasroomtocon-structabeautifullinearpark,withbicycleandwalkingpathsalongitsentirelength.Thespeedlimitissetat100km/h(62mph),exceptwherelimitedbycurves.

Figure 6. Paradise Interchange, Adelaide O-Bahn

Source:TranSystems

Atoneoftheintermediatestops,additionalroutesjointhebusway.Itisexpectedthatconstructionwillstartinearly2007ontheCambridge-St.IvessystemintheU.K.,whichwillhaveaguideway11mileslong,forthelongestguidedbusway.Thisisbeingprocuredasadesign-buildproject.

A key advantage of CGB guideways is that they are completely self-enforcing.Unlikeconventionalbuslanes,non-guidewheelequippedvehiclescannotoperateonthem.Somesectionsofguidewayhavebeeninstalledspecificallyforthisrea-son;theyareshortcutsthatcanaccommodatetherelativelylowvolumeofbusesbutthattheauthoritiesdonotwantopentogeneraltraffic.Examplesincludethe


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entire IpswichGuidedbusway,only200meters long,and somesectionsof theSussexFastwaysystem.

Figure 7. Subway in Essen, with dual mode buses and track shared with streetcars

Source:EVAG

Stations and Precision DockingCGBstopsorstationsvaryfromsimplebusstops(usuallywith,atleast,asimplefactory-builtshelter)tostationsequaltosophisticatedlightrailstations,withfullcanopies,real-timepassengerinformation,ticketvendingmachines,andpark-and-ridelots.Onmostsystems,stopsmadeatintermediatestationsareonline;busesdonotleavetheguideway.Allbusesusuallyoperateaslocals,makingallstopsonrequest.However,ononeoftheLeedsbuswaysandontheBradfordroute,there


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areexpressbusroutestothesuburbsthatarenotscheduledtostopatsomebusstops.Iftheyarebehindalocalbusthatmakesastop,theywaitbriefly.

ThetwointermediateAdelaideO-Bahnstationsareuniqueinthatbusescomeoutofguidanceandtheroadwaywidens,allowingexpressbusestopass,althoughfewarescheduled.TheAdelaidestationsarethemostexpansiveCGBstations,withlongplatformsandextensivecanopies.Thelargepark-and-ridelotsareoverflow-ing.Particularlyduringoff-peakperiods, feederroutesterminateattheO-Bahnstations,sharingaplatformwiththroughbusesto/fromdowntown,allowingsameplatformtransfers.

Oneoftheprincipaljustificationsforimplementationofguidedbusoperationisthatitreadilyprovides“precisiondocking”inthesamewayasarailsystem.Withtheadventoflowfloorbuses,fulllevelboardingisprovided.ThisallowsmeetingADAaccessibilityrequirementswithoutdeployingaliftoreven,inmanycases,aramp.EvenpassengersontheolderCGBsystems,withplatformheightsthathadbeensettothe levelof thefirststepofconventionalhighfloorbuses,arenowenjoyingthesebenefits.Whencombinedwithoff-boardfarecollection(typically,employedwithProofofPaymentenforcement),passengerscanboardquickly,atanydoor.

Thehandlingofstopsforguidedbuseswhenoperatingoffguidewayhasvariedgreatly.BecausestopsinAdelaideareoffline,stationsandstreetstopshavelowcurbs.Leedspioneeredtheuseofraisedboardingplatformsatstopsofftheguide-way.Operatorsare instructedtodrivewiththeguidewheelagainstthecurb.Asectionofraisedcurbisprovided,resultinginlevelboarding.Suchstopscanonlybeservedonlybybuseswithguidewheels.

AnewU.S.BRTsystem,theEuclidCorridor inCleveland,willprovideprecisiondockingbyinstallingguidewheelssolelyforthispurposeonthebusesbeingbuiltfortheroute.Coincidentally,thecorridorwillhavesomecentermedianstations,requiringleftsidedoorstobeinstalled.Thus,thesewillbethefirstbusesinNorthAmericawithguidewheelsinstalledonbothsides,althoughnoguidewayopera-tioniscurrentlyplanned.

InLeedstoday,therehasbeenachangeinpractice:alloff-guidewaybusstopsarenowbeingequippedwithapartiallysloped-curb,whichallowsallbuses,withorwithoutguidewheels,tobedrivenclosetothecurbatstopswithoutdamageduetocontactwiththecurbtoeitherthebodyorthetiresidewalls.Thisprovidesanarrowhorizontalgap.Suchcurbs(offaguideway)arenowbeinginstalledata


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lowerheight,180mm(about7inches),sincebuses,whenkneeled,arewithin50mm(2 inches)of theplatform, theallowableverticalgap in theU.K.Thus, thesidewalkdoesnotneedtoberaisedsignificantlytoserveasaplatform.

Inasimilarway,LasVegas isproviding levelboardingon itsMAXsystem,withraised platforms and boarding permitted at all doors, using Proof of Paymentenforcementoftheoff-boardfarecollection.Itwasplannedtoachieveprecisiondockingonthissystemthroughtheuseofanopticalguidancesystem.However,the system was unreliable and has been turned off since shortly after the startofservice.Becausethestationswereequippedwithslopedcurbs,verysimilartothose inLeeds, ithasbeenpossible tocontinue toprovide levelboardingwithsatisfactoryhorizontalgapswithmanualsteering.Thisisfacilitatedbythelackofparkingontheapproachestothestations.

Figure 8. Level boarding, Las Vegas MAX

Source:TranSystems


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Guideway Construction and Maintenance

ThefirstCGBrouteoperatedinrevenueservicewasinEssen(1980).Itusesthetechniqueofprecastsegmentsmountedon“sleepers”(crossbeams),mounted,inturn,onshortdrilledpiles.Today,26yearslater,thislinecontinuestoprovideanextremelysmoothride,andthereisnostructuraldeteriorationoftheconcreterunning surface or discernible wear. Subsequent sections of guideway in Essenwerebuiltusingthistechnique,exceptforramps,sharpcurvesandentries,whichwere poured in place. Since these sections are negotiated at lower speeds theslightly rougher surface is not noticeable. The Adelaide O-Bahn uses the sametypeofpre-castguidewaysegments,builtinAustraliabythesamemanufacturer.However,duetotheextremelysiltysoilalongthealignmentintheTorrensRiverValley,eachsleeperrestsontwo3meter(10feet)deeppiles.Thistechniquehaspreventedanyproblemwithsettlementandprovidesverygoodridequality.

Figure 9. Precast concrete construction

Source:TranSystems


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Allof theU.K. systemsusepoured inplaceconcrete.Theearlyoneswerecon-structed using conventional practice. A major innovation has been the use ofslipformingmachinesforalloftheU.K.CGBprojectssince2001.FortheSussexFastway, the most recent CGB project, construction tolerances for width wereheld to +3mm (0.12 inch) - 0mm, with installation over a base of 300mm (12inches) of recycled concrete. This process has resulted in a smooth ride qual-ityandisexpectedtohavealonglife.ThisprojectwasconstructedwithpavingequipmentmadebyGomaco,amajorAmericansupplier.Rebarbasketsforeachtrackcanbeassembledinamassproductionenvironmentandconnectedinthefield.Typicalroadwayslipformpavingproductionisabout2500lane-feetperday.ItshouldbenotedthatqualitycontrolontheEdinburghFastwaywasinadequate,withtheresultthatridequalitywassubstandarduntilcorrectivegrindingwascar-riedoutbythecontractor.Interestingly,drainageisgreatlysimplifiedcomparedtonormalroadwaysbecauseoftheabilitytoleavethecenterstripunpaved.Over-allconstructioncostshouldbeessentiallythesameasconstructionofanormalroadway.

Figure 10. Slipform construction

Source:British in-situ Paving Association


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Special Considerations in CGB System Design and OperationWhileCGBtechnologyisbasicallysimple,therehavebeensomeadaptationsovertheyearsthatarenotimmediatelyapparent.Allsystemsprovidespecializedtrain-ingandqualificationproceduresforCGBoperators.Onefeaturethatisappliedfairlyuniversallyisthat“run-flat”ringsareinstalledinsidethefronttires,allowingbusestocontinuetothefirstguidewayexitpoint,atreducedspeed,ifairpressureislost.Adelaidetakesspecialprecautionsforitshighspeedoperation.Ithasaddedanemergencybuttonthatoperatorsmustuseiftheirbusisdisabledtopreventrearendcollisions.Whenactivated,rotatingyellowlightsarestarted,andapre-recordedverbal“busstopped”messageisbroadcasttoallbusesoperatingfromthegarageatwhichO-Bahnbusesarebased.Allbusesonthebuswaymuststopuntiltheoriginatingoperatorisabletoidentifytheirlocationanddirection.

Therehavebeentwopiecesofspecializednon-revenuevehiclesconstructedforCGBsystems.Bothhaveguidewheelsoneachend,allowingbi-directionalopera-tion.Adelaidehasarecoveryvehiclematchedtoitshigh-speedoperation,withrelativelylonggapsbetweenbuswayexits.Ithascabsopenbothends,facilitatingrapidmovementagainstthenormalflowoftraffictoreachthedisabledbus.Atowbarandairbrakescanbequicklyconnected.EssenhastheequivalentoftheSwiss Army knife: a multipurpose vehicle equipped with towbar and air brakeconnectionsoneachend,acrane,adumpbody(includingasaltspreaderinsert),andasnowplow.Essenhassignificantsnow/iceconditionsandexperiencedseri-ousproblemsattimesinmaintainingtractionontherampspriortoputtingthisvehicleintoservice.InmostcasesinEssen,disabledbusesaresimplypushedtothenextguidewayexitbythefollowingbus.Thissolutionmaybefacilitatedbythemultipleguidewheelsonitsbuses.

Curb Guided Bus TrendsInstallationofCGBrouteshasbeenslow.TheEssenrouteswereconstructedoveranumberofyearsaspartofademonstrationprogram.Towardtheendofthisperiod,theAdelaidesystemwasconstructed,intwophases.TheonlynewCGBoperationthatopenedbetween1989(thecompletionoftheAdelaideO-Bahn)and1998(openingofScottHallRoadinLeeds)wasthe600footlongKesgrave(U.K.)guideway.However,sincethen,aboutonenewrouteperyearhasopened,andmoreareintheworks.Allofthese,excepttheNagoyasystem,areintheU.K.


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CGB technology provides a means of providing BRT service with quality morelikeLRT,with fastoperationand levelboarding. Itfits intorights-of-waywhereconventional BRT with dedicated lanes may not fit. It provides one-seat rideswhere LRT may require passengers to transfer to/from feeder buses. It can beimplementedincrementally,startinginpartofacorridor.YetitsinstallationcostisnotsignificantlyhigherthanconventionalBRTandissignificantly lowerthanLRT.Withmoreawarenessofthistechnology,itsrateofgrowth,andgeographicaldispersion,mayincrease.

Figure 11. Essen multipurpose truck

Source:TranSystems


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References

Boegner,J.,andMStarck.Undated.Guidedbusessen,informationontheresearchanddevelopmentproject.EssenerVerkehrs-AG,Essen.

Bray,D.J.andD.Scrafton.2000.TheAdelaideO-Bahn:Tenyearson.In8thJointConferenceonLightRailProceedings(CD_ROMPaperK-31.pp1-16),Dallas.

Bray,D.J.2000.ThePerformanceoftheAdelaideO-Bahn.InSmartUrbanTrans-portConferenceProceedings,Brisbane.

Chapman,P.C.1992.TheAdelaideO-Bahn–Howgoodinpractice?SeventeenthAustralasianTransportResearchForumConference,Canberra.

Kim, E.J., G. Darido, and D. Schneck. 2005. Las Vegas MAX BRT DemonstrationProjectEvaluation,FederalTransitAdministration,Washington.

______.1999.Adelaide’sO-BahnBusway–Guidingtransportintothefuture.Pas-sengerTransportBoard,Adelaide.

______.2004.Guided Busway Design Handbook.Britishin-situPavingAssociation,Blackwater,Camberley,Surrey

______.2005.BRTlaneassisttechnologysystems.MetroTransit,Minneapolis.

About the Author

David Phillips([email protected])hasover30yearsofexperienceinallphasesoftransitoperationsplanningprojectsincludingrailandbusoperatingplans,railfeederbusnetworks,coordinationwithdevelopment,vehiclesystems,real-time operational strategies, communications/vehicle location technology,andtransittrafficsignalpriority.After27yearsattheChicagoTransitAuthority(in Operations Planning and project management for technology projects), hemovedtotheprivatesector.AtTranSystems,hehasservedasprojectmanagerforseveralmajorrailandbusinfrastructurestudiesanddesignprojects.

an update on curb guided bus technology and deployment trends · 2010. 3. 17. · an update on curb...

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