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Surface Transportation Optimization and Bus Priority Measures Future of MBTA Bus Operations

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Surface Transportation Optimization and Bus Priority Measures Future of MBTA Bus Operations Surface Transportation Optimization and Bus Priority Measures Future of MBTA Bus Operations Project Sponsored by Thursday, May 29, 2014 Executive Summary • Bus transit is a critical component of the MBTA services and will be for the foreseeable future • Corridor study demonstrated ability to increase reliability for multiple routes • Some fleet replacement and maintenance facility issues coming to a head • Opportunities exist to cost‐effectively reduce MBTA’s carbon footprint through fleet and infrastructure investments 2 Agenda • Why Bus Transportation Important • Operational Reliability through Bus Priority Measures • Alternative Propulsion for a Sustainable Future • Bringing it all together: Pilot Opportunities 3 Why is Bus Transportation Important • Large percentage of MBTA ridership (~30%) o Still Growing…11% growth in unlinked passenger trips from Jan 2007 to Mar 2012 • Environmental justice Minority Low Income English Proficiency* Bus 37% 21% 0.63% Rapid Transit 27% 13% 0.14% Commuter Rail 11% 2% 0.02% 4 Why is Bus Transportation Important • Mobility o 34% of bus users have no household vehicle • Service availability (Coverage) o % of street miles covered by transit market Bus Subway Commuter Rail Total 73% 7% 3% • Lower capital cost to implement bus improvements vs. rail • Public transportation’s role in global warming 5 Project Methodology • Researched bus priority best practices • Researched alternative propulsion systems • Fact finding mission – London, UK • Developed corridor selection criteria/methodology • Developed conceptual design for corridor and modeled improvements 6 Cost Order of Magnitude Low Medium High Cost‐Benefit Comparison Exclusive Bus Lane Stop Consolidation Restricted Bus Lane High Proof of Payment (PoP) Center-to-Center Transit Signal Priority Two-Door Boarding Stop Placement Medium (near-side vs far-side) Effectiveness Queue Jump Curb Extension Low 7 WBC Corridor (Washington St/Belgrade Ave/Centre St) • 9 Bus routes on Washington Street North Station Trunk o 30, 34, 34E, 35, 36, 37, 40, 50, and 51 • Does not include Key Bus Route • Over 20,000 Weekday Daily Riders • Mixed residential and neighborhood retail Forest Hills • Passes through Environmental Justice area 8 Washington Street Corridor # Stops IB OB Existing 8 7 Change ‐3 ‐2 Key Net 5 5 Existing Signal Existing Signal (CC Intersection Applications # Existing Bus Stop New/Relocated Stop TSP 4 Bus Stop Eliminated Queue Jump 2 TSP Application Bus Advance Signal 0 Queue Jump Application TSP and Queue Jump Application Net 6 Curb Extension # New 0 Enhanced 0 Net 0 9 Belgrade Avenue Corridor # Stops IB OB Existing 8 9 Change ‐2 ‐2 Net 6 7 Intersection Applications # TSP 1 Queue Jump 1 Bus Advance Signal 0 Net 2 Curb Extension # Key New 0 Existing Signal Enhanced 0 Existing Signal (CC Net 0 Existing Bus Stop New/Relocated Stop Bus Stop Eliminated TSP Application Queue Jump Application TSP and Queue Jump Application 10 Key Existing Outbound Existing Inbound Revised Outbound Revised Inbound Existing Bus Stop New/Relocated Stop Bus Stop Eliminated TSP Application Queue Jump Application 11 Centre Street Corridor # Stops IB OB Existing 4 4 Key Change ‐10 Existing Signal Net 3 4 Existing Signal (CC Existing Bus Stop Intersection Applications # New/Relocated Stop Bus Stop Eliminated TSP 0 TSP Application Queue Jump 0 Queue Jump Application Bus Advance Signal 1 Bus Advance Signal New Curb Extension Net 1 Enhanced Curb Extension Curb Extension # New 2 Enhanced 3 Net 5 12 Improvement Packages • Low: o Require minimal capital improvements o Implemented with minimal cost and delay • Medium: TSP Queue Jumps o Require some capital improvements o Implemented in a short‐medium time‐frame. o Include all of the changes in the “low” category, as well as queue jumps and curb extensions. Bus Advance Signal Curb Extensions • High: o Relatively high capital cost o May require some policy alterations or additional inter‐agency coordination o Includes all bus priority treatments. Bus Stop Eliminations 13 Running Times ‐ Inbound Lagrange Street 00:54 00:57 00:52 00:36 00:36 Park Street 00:55 00:55 01:49 01:55 01:55 Belgrade Ave and Centre Street 02:42 02:42 02:55 03:04 02:59 Aldrich Street and Centre Street 02:47 02:47 03:07 03:17 03:07 Corinth Street and Washington Street 04:11 04:11 04:23 04:36 04:31 02:09 02:09 Granfield Avenue and Washington Street 02:27 02:29 02:34 Forest Hills Total Travel Time 15:35 16:23 15:54 13:20 13:20 (Percent below No Build) (3%) (19%) (19%) “No-Build” assumes 1% increase in travel time per year for five years Travel times for Low, Medium and High represent the high range of travel times 14 Time Savings – Inbound (AM Peak) 03:30 Total Time Total Time Savings per Trip = Savings per Trip = 3:03 3:03 03:00 00:36 00:36 02:30 00:30 00:30 Saved 02:00 Total Time Time Savings per Trip = 00:27 00:27 1:30 01:30 Travel Total 01:00 01:30 01:30 01:30 00:30 00:00 Low Medium High Alternative Bus Stop Elim TSP Queue Jump Bus Advance Curb Extension Other (Bus Reroute, FH Off‐board fare payment) 15 Running Times ‐ Outbound Forest Hills 02:48 03:46 03:58 03:48 03:18 Mosgrove Avenue 04:34 04:34 04:30 04:44 04:44 Roslindale Village 02:14 02:14 02:22 02:24 02:29 Aldrich Street and Belgrade Avenue 02:32 02:32 02:30 02:36 02:38 Belgrade Avenue and Centre Street 01:58 02:21 02:28 02:28 01:14 Richwood and Centre Street 02:28 01:14 01:25 Centre Street and Lagrange Street 01:29 01:29 Total Travel Time 16:54 17:46 17:29 16:20 15:20 (Percent below No Build) (2%) (8%) (15%) “No-Build” assumes 1% increase in travel time per year for five years Travel times for Low, Medium and High represent the high range of travel times 16 Time Savings – Outbound (PM Peak) 03:30 03:00 Total Time Savings per Trip = 2:17 02:30 Saved 02:00 Total Time 01:00 Time Savings per Trip = 1:26 01:30 Travel Total Time Savings per Trip = 00:15 00:15 Total 01:00 0:51 00:20 00:20 00:30 00:51 00:51 00:51 00:00 Low Medium High Alternative Bus Stop Elim TSP Queue Jump Bus Advance Curb Extension Other (Bus Reroute, FH Off‐board fare payment) 17 Bus Priority Measure Potential Impacts 00 Source: TCRP Report 26 18 Passenger Hour Savings = Day Total Daily Travel Time Savings for Passengers on Routes 35, 36, 37 19 Cost‐Effectiveness Calculation High Medium Low A Capital Cost $690,000 A Capital Cost $435,000 A Capital Cost $25,000 B Daily PAX‐hr Saved 160 hours B Daily PAX‐hr Saved 129 hours B Daily PAX‐hr Saved 24 hours C Annualization Factor 252 day/year C Annualization Factor 252 day/year C Annualization Factor 252 day/year D Annual PAX‐hr Saved 40,068 hours D Annual PAX‐hr Saved 32,508 hours D Annual PAX‐hr Saved 6,048 hours ECost per hour saved $17.22 ECost per hour saved $13.38 ECost per hour saved $8.20 (E=A/D) (E=A/D) (E=A/D) Rule of Thumb… anything under $20 cost per hour saved is good 20 Bus Priority Work Conclusion Images: MBTA • Work reinforces MBTA Key Bus Route project • Corridor (vs. route) level evaluation and implementation of bus priority measures has potential to improve travel time on several routes • Addition of bus priority measures in the WBC corridor is cost‐effective • Time savings along corridor during the peak period will provide passenger time savings and improve reliability 21 Pilot Opportunity to Demonstrate Bus Priority Measure Potential • Washington‐Belgrade‐Centre Corridor o Combined daily ridership of over 20,000 weekday daily riders o Environmental justice area o Increased reliability for several routes o Through several diverse, land‐use corridors o Opportunity to improve urban landscape o Additional corridors considered o Brookline Avenue (Longwood Medical Area) o E Broadway (South Boston) 22 MBTA’s Carbon Footprint • As a Producer… th o MBTA Emissions –13 Largest Source in Massachusetts • As a Reducer… o Mode Shifts o Higher Occupancy Mode o 0.85 lbs per transit passenger trip vs. 16.3 lbs per car trip o Congestion Relief o Fewer vehicles on the road o Land Use o Support dense urban living 23 3% 2012 MBTA Fleet 2% 3% 11% Diesel Alternative Propulsion Diesel (ECD) Research 34% CNG Diesel/Electric Hybrid 47% Diesel/Trackless trolley • Review current state of the MBTA fleet Electric • Review current state of the industry propulsion systems o Diesel o CNG o Hybrid‐Electric o Battery‐Electric o Hydrogen Fuel Cell • Lifecycle cost comparison and cost‐effectiveness comparison to reduce GHG emissions (relative to diesel) 24 Alternative Propulsion: State of the Fleet • MBTA procured 40 New Flyer diesel‐electric hybrid buses (May 2014) • Critical to procure replacement of existing dual‐mode articulated Silver Line buses • Evaluation of current bus maintenance facility is required to understand existing and future capacity to support alternative propulsion system 25 State of the Industry: Propulsion System Summary • DIESEL • NATURAL GAS o Pros o Pros o Mature and reliable technology o Mature and reliable technology o Good range and fuel efficiency o Relatively low fuel cost o MBTA has current infrastructure to support o MBTA familiarity with propulsion system system o Low emissions and no particulate matter o Cons o Domestically produced fuel o Generally non‐domestic fuel source o As reliable as diesel propulsion o Increasing fuel cost o Cons o Comparably louder than some other o Slightly higher per bus cost than diesel propulsion systems o May require additional maintenance facility o Releases more particulate matter and infrastructure to support additional buses nitrogen oxide pollutants than other systems 26 State of the Industry: Propulsion System Summary
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