Current Bus Service Operating Characteristics Along EDSA, Metro
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“Transportation for A Better Life: Towards Better ASEAN Connectivity and Safety” August 22, 2014 Bangkok Thailand Current Bus Service Operating Characteristics Along EDSA, Metro Manila, Philippines Paper Identification number: AYRF14-043 Krister Ian Daniel ROQUEL1, Alexis FILLONE2 1Graduate Student, Civil Engineering Department De La Salle University - Manila Telephone: (02) 524 4611, Fax: (02) 521 9094 E-mail: [email protected] 2Associate Professor, Civil Engineering Department De La Salle University - Manila Telephone: (02) 524 4611, Fax: (02) 521 9094 E-mail: [email protected] Abstract The Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) has been the focal point of many transportation studies over the past decade, aiming towards the improvement of traffic conditions across Metro Manila. Countless researches have tested, suggested and reviewed proposed improvements on the traffic condition. This paper focuses on investigating the overall effects of the operational and administrative changes in the study area over the past couple of years, from the introduction of the Mass Rail Transit (MRT) in the year 2000 to the present (2014), to the service operating characteristics of buses plying the EDSA route. It was found that there are no significant changes in the average travel and running speeds for buses running Southbound, while there is a noticeable improvement for those going Northbound. As for passenger-kilometers carried, only minor changes were found. The journey time composition percentages did not show significant changes over the two time frames as well. For the factors contributing to passenger-related time, the presence of air-conditioning and the direction of travel were found to contribute as well, aside from the number of embarking and/or disembarking passengers and number of standing passengers. For the location of stop times and delays, most have shifted to the portions further along each direction along EDSA. It was also found that the biggest delay was incurred in the Ortigas-Shaw segment, in both directions, for both the morning and afternoon peak periods. Keywords: Bus transit, Mass rail transit, Public transport system 1. Introduction One of the busiest road corridors in the traffic conditions across Metro Manila. Efforts from Philippines is the 24 km stretch of the Epifanio both the public and private entities have been Delos Santos Avenue (EDSA), located at the heart endless, all exhausting their capacities trying to find of Metro Manila. It is the main thoroughfare in the the best solution to the worsening traffic situation region, passing through six (6) of the seventeen along the avenue. Countless research projects have (17) cities comprising the National Capital Region, been undertaken, all aimed to decongest EDSA, and namely from Caloocan, Quezon City, San Juan, ultimately improve transport mobility and Mandaluyong, Makati and Pasay. It has been accessibility in the region. catering to both private and public transport across EDSA is easily one of the longest and the region, linking the North Luzon Expressway in busiest highways in the metropolis, serving an Balintawak in the north to the South Luzon average daily traffic of approximately 330000 Expressway at the Magallanes Interchange in the vehicles [17], growing from an approximate number south. of 195000 in 2007 [8]. Currently, over 3700 public Understandably, the EDSA has been the utility bus units run along EDSA [18]. This paper focal point of many transportation studies over the focuses on the bus operating characteristics plying past decade, aiming towards the improvement of the avenue. Analysis involves average travel and 205 “Transportation for A Better Life: Towards Better ASEAN Connectivity and Safety” August 22, 2014 Bangkok Thailand running speed, passenger-kilometer performances stop at B bus stops, and C buses at all stops, with and journey time composition of buses. These are 40%, 40%, and 20% unit shares, respectively [19]. compared to the corresponding values computed Last August 2013, the MMDA from data gathered from early 2001, around six (6) implemented the Bus Management Dispatch months after the opening of the Metro Rail Transit System (BMDS) in the south-west integrated bus on July 2000. This paper focuses on the overall terminal, which is expected to decongest EDSA, as effects of numerous traffic system and policy well as address the problem of “colorum” or “out- changes over the past decade to the bus operating of-line” vehicles [9]. The Integrated Transport conditions. Terminal project is a centralized, intermodal and integrated bus terminal system which aims to 2. Literature Review improve the mobility of people and the traffic Numerous research projects focused on bus situation inside Metro Manila road network by transport operations over the past decade. Along consolidating all existing 85 terminals scattered all with these, a lot of changes have been proposed and over the inner core of Metro Manila to three central implemented aiming to improve the traffic terminals located at the fringes of Metro Manila [20]. congestion. Finn and Mulley [5] presented a framework to understand regulatory and 2.2 Bus Operation Structure institutional changes in urban bus services. The McLeod and Hounsell [12] evaluated framework identifies three types of changes 1) different strategy options in providing bus priority changes in the role of the regulator and market at traffic signals, varying the strength of priority structure, 2) changes in the structure of the operator awarded and selection of the buses that are to and of private sector participation, and 3) changes receive it. Agrval, et.al. [1] estimated the impact of in the transport supply. bus priority lanes on bus speeds while addressing the access and mobility needs of other 2.1 Bus Operation Regulation transportation system users. Tu, et.al. [16] analyzed In a study by Chen, X. [3], the merits and three popular types of bus lane operation including demerits of three alternatives of subregional 1) roadside exclusive bus lane, 2) bus priority lane, governance of bus services, namely 1) transferring and 3) ordinary lane, and figured out suitable areas bus services to local municipal operators, 2) for bus lane type applications under various transferring bus services to local transportation conditions of the main road traffic volume and the zones, and 3) reorganizing transit operations into number of passengers on the bus. [7] bus service sectors, were compared and found that Hillsman, et.al. investigated the design no model is applicable for every circumstance, but and operation of shared bicycle/bus lanes, a mixed alternative balancing both regional and designated for use by public transit buses, bicycles, local interests and reconciling the conflicts among and also for right-turning vehicles. The purpose of different governance models is feasible. such lanes is to provide a time advantage to public In the study of Md. Nor, N., et.al. [13]on the transit service by taking the buses out of the general relationship of service quality and ridership, it was traffic flow and into a designated lane, as well as found that although it has a positive effect, modal provide a more direct route for bicyclists, provide split is generally not very sensitive to the quality of greater level of service to bicyclists and some the public transport service, thus requiring demand degree of separation between general traffic and management measures implemented as policy. bicyclists for their greater safety and comfort. Morris, M. [14] discussed the role of local authorities Last March 2014, the MMDA opened two in the use of city bus services as part of an bike lanes on EDSA in hopes of encouraging more integrated solution to reducing traffic-related people to use alternative modes of transportation congestion in urban areas. amid worsening traffic conditions arising from the Starting December 2012, the Metro Manila simultaneous roadworks, as well as easing the Development Authority (MMDA) implemented a burdens posed by carbon emissions on the [11] bus segregation scheme aimed to decongest traffic environment . along EDSA, classifying buses into groups A, B, and C, where A buses stop at A bus stops, B buses 206 “Transportation for A Better Life: Towards Better ASEAN Connectivity and Safety” August 22, 2014 Bangkok Thailand 2.3 Bus Transport Supply the two samples should be drawn from normal Research focusing on controlling transport populations; and 3) the two population variances supply to improve efficiency can be classified into should be equal. The two sets of data are then two categories: 1) control of the number of compared to show changes in bus operating operating vehicles, and 2) control of the operation characteristics. along the route. Guariño, et.al. [6] examined the viability of consolidating bus companies operating 4. Public Transport Along EDSA in Metro Manila into an optimum that would EDSA is the main thoroughfare traversing promote public interest, as too many operators with Metro Manila. It has 5-lane roads in both directions few units result to stiff competition between and caters to both public and private travel. MRT, operators for more profit, resulting to inefficiency buses, jeepneys and megataxis have provided of bus services. public transport service across EDSA since the Antonio and Icasiano [2] formulated rational mid-1990s. Now, majority of the transport demand criteria on designating bus stop locations in order to fall onto the MRT and bus transit, especially for aid in the development of a sustainable stop policy, trips traversing long distances along EDSA. Figure using GIS and statistical analysis to examine 1 shows the several bus service lines operating in service area parameters and relate them to bus Metro Manila, as well as the MRT line, with its 13 transit use. Shrestha and Zolnik [15]estimated the stations encircled red. Table 1 gives the list of bus impact on bus demand, operating costs, and service routes and the portion of their route lengths plying improvement of eliminating some bus stops.