Buses

A Week of Bus Wisdom: The Essential Formula for Success

This week, everywhere I looked, there were articles and papers on how to improve bus services. The following is an amalgamation of this paper on bus reliability in the UK, this publication on Congestion-Free Bus Networks from the UITP, this research from bus users in Manila and this research aimed at optimising the bus network in Budapest.

Key Takeaways

• In the UK, slower and unpredictable buses result in fewer passengers. Transport for London reports a 6% loss in passengers for each 10% increase in bus delays, while other research suggests losses of up to 10% per 10% increase in journey times.
• In Manila, the results for customer satisfaction challenge traditional ways of measuring transport success. Indicators such as travel time savings and dwell time remain essential. But they do not fully capture the experience of commuters who face emissions, heat, or inaccessible and indirect routes.
• In Budapest, the results reveal that “Reliability,” “Time availability (frequency and operating hours)”, and “Safety of travel” are the most critical factors influencing user satisfaction.
• Bus speeds are a factor of traffic congestion (made worse by street works and greater pressure on the kerbside by parking, deliveries and service vehicles, etc.) and dwell times at bus stops.
• Slower bus journeys result in fewer passengers, which either leads to higher operating costs to maintain headway or less frequent services with the same number of buses.
• In contrast, trams, which are mostly segregated from road traffic, have more reliable journey times throughout the day.
• Speed up bus journey times through:
  1. A combination of measures that prevent traffic from getting in the way, such as segregation, traffic light prioritisation and bus lane enforcement.
  2. Reducing dwell time, such as by using multiple-door buses and quick payment methods.
  3. Improved bus stopping arrangements and street design.
  4. Bus operations control centres (integrated with other control centres) to tackle issues that arise.
  5. Smart implementation approaches, such as building dedicated teams with dedicated resources, aligning implementation with other projects or initiatives to reduce implementation cost and get larger stakeholder buy-in
• Also focus on:
  • Good frequency and operating hours.
  • A network designed to meet your objectives.
  • High-quality bus stops that are easy to access.
  • Ensuring people feel safe using the bus.

Comment

A key recommendation from the UITP is for bus improvements to be operationalised as a standard ongoing function, not as a one-off project. I think this reflects agencies taking their eye off the ball when it comes to improving bus services as they get distracted by shiny new projects, such as metro lines.

Some of the challenges with buses are political, for example, bus lanes can be controversial. However, smart compromises can provide progress, for example, creating carpool lanes for cars with at least 2 or 3 people in them can help create a faster lane that buses can use.

What next?

Do you have a bus improvement strategy with a dedicated bus improvement team to implement it?

Infrastructure

Building High-Speed Rail Without Breaking the Bank

Many places are either building or considering building High Speed Rail. However, the projects can become very expensive. This report from a workshop examined ways to reduce construction costs.

Key Takeaways

• The development of high-speed rail infrastructure requires careful consideration of design standards, cost-efficiency and integration with existing systems.
• 80% of construction costs are related to civil engineering works.
• The design speed chosen for a project has a significant impact on its costs. It is preferable to adopt a functional approach over a purely engineering one, as travel demand is more sensitive to travel times and accessibility.
• Avoid expensive structures, such as tunnels and viaducts, whenever possible.
• Minimise earthmoving distances and develop new infrastructure alongside existing lines while utilising current stations.
• The most frequent causes of cost increases in projects are changes in design due to a lack of public consent or conflicts between central and local authorities, and the introduction of new systems and construction technologies.
• The experience and capabilities of national authorities, infrastructure managers, and contractors involved in developing and implementing high-speed projects are crucial for avoiding cost overruns throughout all phases of the project.
• Project permitting is a significant challenge. This requires good processes, including stakeholder engagement and capability from both the project team and the administrators reviewing the applications.
• Procurement and contracting models have a significant influence on costs, quality, and delivery times. Flexible, well-structured procurement can reduce litigation and improve delivery.
• Effective and detailed communication with local communities is essential, as is the need to address and counteract misinformation.
• Materials, construction methods, and supply chains have a significant impact on project construction and maintenance costs. The use of approved and standardised materials and methods makes approval and construction faster and cheaper, but you then lose the ability to allow innovation, such as lower carbon materials.

Comment

As I read through the document, it was easy to see why high-profile HSR projects have run into trouble. There are so many factors that can go wrong, especially when it is the first project that a jurisdiction is building, and there is a steep learning curve to climb.

It is worth noting how many of the challenges are outside of the project team's control, for example, the permitting and environmental approval processes and the capabilities of administrators. Any government thinking about undertaking an HSR project needs to think well beyond the project team for building processes and capabilities to make the project a success.

What next?

Can you build these lessons into your HSR (and other rail) projects?

Integrating Transport and Urban Planning

Does Compactness Reduce Driving? Montreal Research Reveals Surprises

I'd always assumed that car use would reduce with more compact development. Research from Montreal, Canada, reveals that the reality is more complex.

Key Takeaways

• One of the goals of compact urban development is to reduce driving and increase the use of sustainable modes of transport (public and active transport).
• This study investigates whether variations in neighbourhood compactness affect car users' travel behaviour, including the frequency of car trips, the frequency of trips using sustainable transport modes, and Vehicle Kilometres Travelled (VKT).
• Note: Compactness is not just about housing density, but also about access to local amenities, such as local shops.
• They used the travel behaviour data obtained from the 2018 Origin-Destination Survey for Metropolitan Montreal.
• The research conducted two analyses—one for observed car users and another for potential car users.
• Compactness marginally increases car trip frequency among observed car users, but their overall car use is substantially decreased.
• Among observed car users, a 10% increase in compactness leads to a 26% rise in individual sustainable trips and a 10% decrease in individual VKT.
• However, for potential car users, compactness not only makes a significant difference in VKT and sustainable trips but also reduces the frequency of car trips.
• Among potential car users, a 10% increase in compactness results in a 25% increase in individual sustainable trips and a 14% reduction in individual VKT.

Comment

Clearly, compactness helps deliver a whole range of desirable outcomes, although the marginal increase in car trips is an interesting finding. The authors point out that this may be due to the ease of parking and, at times, a lack of suitable alternatives, such as dedicated bike lanes.

I would expect access to car share, shared bikes and scooters, and bike parking, also to help reduce car use.

What Next?

Do your strategies for improving your transport system include increasing compactness?

Quick Adventures in Transport Wonderland

Here is what else I came across this week:

• ​Satisfaction in pedestrianized areas: What shapes positive and negative experiences?​
• ​British men are driving less, and a culture is vanishing​
• ​The High Cost of Free Transit​

Blog

The Future of Sydney's Transport: Moving Beyond More Roads

This week, as I will be leaving Sydney and moving to Adelaide at the end of the year, my blog considered what Sydney needs to do to improve its transport system.

Innovation

A Quick Way To Build Bike Lanes

See here for the video.

Tool

TRAVIC - Transit Visualization Client

​This tracker provides movement visualization of transit data published by transit agencies and operators from all over the world. The movements are mostly based on static schedule data. Wherever real-time data is available it is also included in the visualization.