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Component

http://onlinepubs.trb.org...s/hrr/1973/449/449-001.pdf

THE USE OF ENVELOPES OF TRANSIT SERVICE FUNCTIONS IS PROPOSED AS A TECHNIQUE FOR COMPARING THE OUTPUT SPACE OF TRANSIT TECHNOLOGIES. A SERVICE-SPECIFICATION ENVELOPE DEFINES THE BOUNDARIES WITHIN WHICH AN OPERATOR IS ABLE TO SPECIFY TRANSIT SERVICE FOR A GIVEN TECHNOLOGY IN PREDEFINED CIRCUMSTANCES. AN ENVELOPE IS DEFINED ON ONE SIDE BY AN ECONOMIC OR VIABILITY BOUNDARY AND ON THE OTHER BY A CAPACITY BOUNDARY. THE BASIS FOR COMPARISON IS THE LOCATION OF THE SERVICE-SPECIFICATION ENVELOPE IN AN OUTPUT SPACE DEFINED BY AXES REPRESENTING PASSENGER FLOW AND LEVEL OF SERVICE. THREE TECHNOLOGIES-MINIBUS, MINIRAIL, AND REGULAR TRANSIT BUSES-ARE EXAMINED IN A COLLECTOR-DISTRIBUTOR CONTEXT. THE BUS APPEARS TO BE MORE FLEXIBLE BUT HAS POOR QUALITY OF SERVICE. THUS, NEW TECHNOLOGIES, SUCH AS DIAL-A- BUS, ARE NEEDED IN THE COLLECTOR-DISTRIBUTOR CONTEXT. FIVE TECHNOLOGIES-MONORAIL, SKYBUS, FREEWAY FLYER, BUSWAY, AND RAIL RAPID SYSTEM-ARE EXAMINED IN A LINE-HAUL CONTEXT. THERE APPEARS TO BE MUCH REDUNDANCY IN THE CAPABILITIES OF THE FIRST 4 SYSTEMS. BUSWAY SYSTEMS (REVERTING TO A FREEWAY FLYER MODE OF OPERATION WHERE FREEWAYS ARE NOT CONGESTED) CAN CATER TO A MUCH WIDER RANGE OF DEMANDS THAN RAIL AND CAN CATER TO HIGH FLOWS ALBEIT AT A SOMEWHAT LOWER SERVICE QUALITY THAN RAIL. A COMPARISON OF TRANSIT SERVICE-SPECIFICATION ENVELOPES AND HIGHWAY SERVICE FUNCTIONS INDICATES THAT RAIL RAPID TRANSIT CAN OFFER COMPARABLE QUALITIES OF SERVICE ONLY WHEN FLOW LEVELS ARE HIGH AND WHEN FREEWAYS ARE CONGESTED

Publication of this paper sponsored by Committee on Public Transportation Planning and Development. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

01408178

pp 1-13

1973

Highway Research Record

52nd Annual Meeting of the Highway Research Board

0309021804

Digital/other

Figures (7) ; References (15) ; Tables (4)

Alternatives analysis; Bus lanes; Bus transportation; Level of service; Miniature automobiles; Minibuses; Monorail transportation; Paratransit services; Public transit; Quality control; Railroad transportation; Rapid transit

Quality; Service

Highways; Motor Carriers; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Railroads

TRIS, TRB

Dec 22 1982 12:00AM

• BUS TRANSIT SYSTEM FOR A MAJOR ACTIVITY CENTER
• JITNEY OPERATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES
• POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR PLANNING TRANSIT SYSTEMS IN SMALL URBAN AREAS
• PREDICTING PARK-AND-RIDE PARKING DEMAND
• REVIEW OF TECHNICAL AND OPERATIONAL ASPECTS OF SEVERAL FIXED-GUIDEWAY PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS
• VANDALISM AND PASSENGER SECURITY IN THE TRANSIT INDUSTRY