Posts Tagged ‘maps’

Metrorail Bicycle and Pedestrian Access Improvements Study

December 3rd, 2010 3 comments

As Metro plans for the future, expecting ridership to increase from a current average of about 750,000 trips per day to more than 1 million, the question of how so many new passengers will access our system is a critical one.  Our most recent passenger survey estimates that about 39% of our riders arrive by car – either parking or being dropped off; 33% walk to our system; 22% take a bus; 4% by commuter rail and <1% arrive on bike.   Accommodating those new riders with the same modal split as we see today could be quite costly for the region.  Therefore, Metro decided to take a look at where we could improve our mode share for those modes that require fewer financial resources – namely bicycling and walking.  In 2009, we began a study that would provide a framework to help us achieve these higher shares.

Our Metrorail Bicycle and Pedestrian Access Improvements Study has identified strategies that will enhance bicycle and pedestrian access and connectivity in and around Metrorail stations.  It provides recommendations for a range of physical infrastructure improvements, as well as policies and programs to encourage more walk and bike trips to stations.  These recommendations fall into two main categories – those that Metro can implement alone, and those that require coordination with local partners.
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Categories: Planning Studies Tags: , , ,

Peak Hour Passenger Ridership on Metrorail

November 29th, 2010 1 comment

More than two-thirds of daily ridership occurs during the morning and evening peak periods.  In fact, the peak ridership is a key determinant to Metro’s operating plan and future system planning efforts.   An assessment of peak passenger ridership allows Metro to locate areas of current and future peak-period passenger crowding,  and then plan to develop and fund capital projects aimed at addressing these capacity-constrained locations.

In 2009, Metro’s Office of Long Range Planning developed a tool to estimate passenger ridership on individual rail segments based on the station-to-station origin-destination data in the ridership database.  The tool approximates passenger volume by peak hour and period.  Then we use GIS to map the link-level passenger volumes.

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Categories: Engage Tags: , ,

Metrobus High Frequency Corridors Map DRAFT

November 19th, 2010 32 comments

The Metrobus system is a robust network of surface transit lines that provide service to a variety of markets.  Each different market is best served by a different type of bus service.  Some bus routes only operate during the peak periods, while others operate from early morning to midnight.  Some routes provide limited-stop commuter service, while others stop frequently every other block.   Some routes provide only a few bus trips per hour, while others run every 10 minutes on a fixed frequency.

Metrobus lines provide a variety of services, and the current Metrobus map is designed to show all routes without regard to the service types and the markets they serve.  Metro is aware that different travel markets could benefit from maps illustrating the bus service best suited to them.

Perhaps the market most in need of specialized maps and traveler information is the casual/off-peak rider.  While commuters place the heaviest load on the bus system and tend to have very rigid schedules, the casual rider has no fixed schedule and travels during the off-peak times when service exceeds demand.  This makes the casual rider the most inexpensive to serve,  yet most difficult.  The casual rider wants convenient, point-to-point travel options any time of the day without having to consult a timetable.  A “12-minute” map can provide the casual rider with the information she needs to make her trip.

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Categories: Engage Tags: ,

Metrobus Priority Corridor Network Evaluation

November 17th, 2010 Comments off

Potential of Improved Running Ways to Increase Bus Ridership, Reduce Bus Operating Costs, and Increase Effective Road Capacity

Buses operating on surface streets in mixed traffic experience delay from a variety of sources, including traffic congestion, bus stops, traffic signals and passenger movements.  As our region continues to grow and economic conditions make bus an ever-more appealing option for travelers of all kinds, Metrobus corridors experience more and more delay.   This delay results in increased costs for bus passengers in terms of travel time,  and increases the cost of providing bus service:  additional buses and operators must be added to maintain desired service frequencies.

One of Metro’s proposed solutions to the increasing costs and continued degradation of bus service is the Priority Corridor Network (PCN).    Metro has identified 23 high ridership corridors to receive priority treatments, which consist of both service adjustments as well as improvements to the bus (street) runningway.  Service adjustments proposed include restructured routes and schedules, skip-stop operations and additional service overlays.  Runningway improvements could include bus lanes, transit signal priority, queue jumpers, bus stop location, and off-board fare payment systems.

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Categories: Planning Studies Tags: , , ,