MISC | Bus Rapid Transit

[Tiago Costa]

Originally Posted by Argentinian Messi

Istanbul intorduced this system at the beginning of this year and it is really efficient. We call is "Metrobus" here.

Wow, what a beautiful system! Nice design.

[adrimm]

Clever video about efficiency & transit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guodaBkDPP0

Eugene's EMX - with doors on *both* sides so it can used median platforms and curbs.

image hosted on flickr

source: flickr

image hosted on flickr

source:flickr

image hosted on flickr

source: flickr


You can see a short video clip here http://www.itdp.org/index.php/news_e...rt_award_2008/)

Incidently Eugene's EMX was a candidate for the 2008 ITDP Sustainable transport award along with BRTs in Pereira Colombia and somewhere in Guatemala. Read more below. Past candidates also include a number of BRT systems all over the world. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vv2juTMMz78

And some commentary about the Eugene Emx starting at the 5 minute mark below: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcRnGOmz1Cs

[bhopalus]

delhi metro PILOT

image hosted on flickr


image hosted on flickr


image hosted on flickr


image hosted on flickr


image hosted on flickr


it wasn't popular among delhi's car-driving population because the cars clogged up the roads. what the authorities should have done is tax car drivers and force them to use the brts. there are plans to expand this system all over delhi, but now it might be different because the car driving population responded to this so poorly.

[trainrover]

Originally Posted by adrimm

Eugene's EMX - with doors on *both* sides so it can used median platforms and curbs.

Aha! Now I can appreciate the usefullness of BRT: it's geared for small communities. Good on Eugene for its clever thinking, I found Oregon's ways impressive my several times visiting there....

[Parabellum]

I love those BRT systems, here in Buenos Aires we don't have BRT's. The buses system is a mess.

[deasine]

Originally Posted by trainrover

Aha! Now I can appreciate the usefullness of BRT: it's geared for small communities. Good on Eugene for its clever thinking, I found Oregon's ways impressive my several times visiting there....

Here's a good video of the Eugene BRT System by New Flyer:
http://www.newflyer.com/docs/investo..._FlyerBRT.html

[Chibcha2k]

I live in the home of Transmilenio, practically the base model, apart from Curitiba.
It's great and a really cheap alternative to metro, perfectly suitable to our current economical needs.

Sadly the model has shown its flaws, the mix of very greedy operators and a very lame city government to control them, has resulted in lots of congestion, lack of connectivity, and no real time saving compared to car or bus use, thus its popularity has gone to the floor and people are turning back to the use of cars and the awful buses to commute, decreasing transmilenio's effect on the city's pollution and traffic statistics. Both becoming worse and worse by the minute.

The result has been a probably mediocre metro proposal by the populist governing party, which has stopped the development of Transmilenio over very important axis of the city and surely creating a great fiscal gap for the years to come.

Anyway here's a map of the system, you can go almost anywhere in Bogotá in Transmilenio. Supposedly, in 10 years time you wouldn't be more than 1000metres from a TM station.


BTW those hallow white lines are the ones to be built from this year. Except for the Carrera 7 line.

[Shado]

Originally Posted by trainrover

Aha! Now I can appreciate the usefullness of BRT: it's geared for small communities. Good on Eugene for its clever thinking, I found Oregon's ways impressive my several times visiting there....

They scale very well, especially if you don't require special buses to use them. You can start out in a smaller community and cheaper system and move right into a bigger city with elaborate stations, tunneling and all the fittings you would find with the best light rail systems. This is good if you have a city that may have a more dense core but sprawling suburbs, the sort running a heavy rail through might be overkill for, and light rail would cost too much for but not be any better.

[trainrover]

Originally Posted by Shado

You can start out in a smaller community and cheaper system and move right into a bigger city with elaborate stations, tunneling and all the fittings you would find with the best light rail systems.

Unh-uhn: BRT's don't belong in bigger cities, plus --recalling Ottawa's 25-year-old intentionally dismal rationale-- their promotions to rail would more likely amount to nought.

Originally Posted by Shado

the sort running a heavy rail through might be overkill for

Chicken! Overkill for whom? for somebody else's greedy economics?!?

Non merci.

[Fortyfiver]

I don't think the Adelaide busway has been mentioned in this thread up to now.

There is a guided busway from central Adelaide (S Australia) to the northeast suburbs. At its outer end (at a large shopping center), buses leave the busway and travel to many different suburbs through the regular streets.

Although the busway requires specially adapted buses (guide wheels), these same buses can drive along the regular downtown and suburban streets before entering or leaving the busway.

There are some more details in Wikipedia "O-Bahn Busway". This type of guided busway was originally developed in Germany, and is used in Essen. It has been in use in Adelaide since 1986.

Hopefully someone from Adelaide can provide more information, and some photos.

[deasine]

Originally Posted by trainrover

Unh-uhn: BRT's don't belong in bigger cities, plus --recalling Ottawa's 25-year-old intentionally dismal rationale-- their promotions to rail would more likely amount to nought.

Bogata is an excellent example of how BRT works in a large city. Ottawa's BRT system is actually pretty amazing, but then again, Ottawa doesn't really have the best climate for articulated buses to be running smoothly [referring to horrible winter conditions].

[Luckystreak]

BRT system has started in New Delhi, India recently. There was wide spread rebuttal of the system intially but slowly its proving to be a success.

[adrimm]

Originally Posted by trainrover

Aha! Now I can appreciate the usefullness of BRT: it's geared for small communities. Good on Eugene for its clever thinking, I found Oregon's ways impressive my several times visiting there....

Sure... if you think a city of nearly 8 million is small (Bogota), or a capacity greater than the London Victoria line's 25K ppdph is piddling.

[adrimm]

Originally Posted by deasine

Here's a good video of the Eugene BRT System by New Flyer:
http://www.newflyer.com/docs/investo..._FlyerBRT.html

Have you read the Quickway report from the Mission Group/FTA?

http://www.nbrti.org/docs/pdf/BRT%20...l%20Report.pdf

Good stuff.

Actually they've got great stuff on their website; http://www.missiongrouponline.com/

[trainrover]

Originally Posted by deasine

Ottawa's BRT system is actually pretty amazing

It might impress its tourists but not its commuters -- I've heard locals there refer to it as the De-cultured-way (instead of the Transitway), which is pretty fitting for this country's capital.

Hmph, I just read yesterday Montreal wishing to install a BRT on Henri-Bourassa est here, plus they wanna do the same along the length of Pie-IX. Both of these boulevards deserve metro service; in fact, what happened to Montréal's wish that Line 7 be bored underneath Pie-IX thereby introducing the province to steel-on-steel mass transit -- the steel industry wearied itself (through the 1970s) into convincing the provincial government to migrate away from its pneumatic traction a little. So, why the demotion?

Carry on.

[Skybean]

Toronto has a BST.

Bus Slow Transit.

[allurban]

Originally Posted by bhopalus

delhi metro PILOT
it wasn't popular among delhi's car-driving population because the cars clogged up the roads. what the authorities should have done is tax car drivers and force them to use the brts. there are plans to expand this system all over delhi, but now it might be different because the car driving population responded to this so poorly.

Just have to give it time...with the price of fuel/petrol/oil reaching the stratosphere people will convert...just give them time.

For example:

Originally Posted by AAG

busnya bagus2 yah

di indonesia baru saja di mulai era brt

the plan was proposed on 2004

and it began to adapted on indonesia big city such as jogjakarta

denpasar--->Bali

pontianak and the other big city in kalimantan

Loose translation: The BRT Era in Indonesia is only beginning

Sounds great for Indonesia Now that they can see that Tije has been a success, what is the expansion plan? Which cities will have BRT next? And how soon?

To my mind Jogjakarta makes sense as the next place to implement BRT.

Cheers, m

[trainrover]

Originally Posted by adrimm

Sure... if you think a city of nearly 8 million is small (Bogota), or a capacity

Heh heh -- just kindly shovin' it to Bogota, eh?

[Longershanks]

Recent experiances

Kunming has a good BRT system with 46Km of downtown roads exclusively for buses.

The same principle bus company in Kunming also run in HK where 40% of journeys are by bus and only 22Km of bus lanes of which a 1/3 are extended bus stopping zones, a 1/3 long cuts and the rest actual bus lanes. HK has a fantastic MTR but rubbish road provision for buses they always lose out to Lexus owners.

[Mo Rush]

Cape Town IRT: Integrated Rapid Transit


Video:



image hosted on flickr



Cape Town’s new IRT is under construction



Cape Town’s Integrated Rapid Transit (IRT) system will ensure safe, efficient, quality public transport around the city, but the public can expect some traffic delays while it is under construction.

Kylie Hatton, the City of Cape Town’s Media Manager, said the IRT would benefit all residents and tourists visiting Cape Town but the road works during construction would cause delays in some areas.

“We are doing everything possible to cause the least inconvenience to the public during the construction phases, and we apologise for the inconvenience experienced during this phase” said Hatton.

“The IRT system will benefit everyone in the city, from the poorest to the most affluent. To reap the benefits of an efficient, safe and reliable public transport service that will run every day of the year from 4:30 am until midnight, we need to endure some short term pain,” she said. “The long term gains for the city will be worthwhile and we hope the public will be understanding and patient during the construction phases.”

According to Hatton the city’s current public transport does not provide frequent scheduled services, or services out of peak times or at night. “Capetonians without private cars struggle to get to certain areas in the city,” she said. “The IRT will make the city more accessible for everyone.”

Once up and running the IRT system will resolve daily traffic congestion. “More people will use public transport once they see how fast, safe and reliable the IRT system will be,” said Hatton. “With fewer private cars driving to work every day, the IRT will reduce carbon emissions in the city.”

Hatton said a world class public transport system would also make Cape Town more enticing to tourists.

The new IRT system will be rolled out in phases over the next ten to fifteen years. Once complete it will cover the entire city and surrounding suburbs.

The first phase will include the airport – city link and the city – stadium link which will be completed by the World Cup in 2010. Thereafter the West Coast link along the R27, including Du Noon, Doornbach, Atlantis and Mamre, will be rolled out in 2010.

The 2nd phase will cover the areas south east of the city, including Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain as well as the southern suburbs. The 3rd and 4th phases will cover the northern suburbs, such as Bellville and Durbanville and the Delft and Blue Downs areas, extending all the way to the Helderberg.

“The biggest construction areas for Phase 1 will take place along the R27 and in the city centre along Hertzog Boulevard and around the Civic Centre,” said Hatton.

“We have provided an outline of the schedule of construction. The IRT is one of the biggest projects ever taken on by the City and will provide a legacy to the next generation of a world class public transport system that will benefit all. We hope the public will be patient and understanding of the long term benefits to the city, should they be inconvenienced by the construction in the short term,” she said.

Outline of the IRT Construction Schedule – Phase 1

R27 - Blaauwberg Road to Atlantis
Construction of IRT stations between Atlantis and Sandown Road are being finalised, station construction begins in 2010.

R27 – From Sandown Road to Blaauwberg Road
Construction of cycle lane to be completed by March 2010.

R27 – from Blaauwberg Road to Milner Road (Paarden Eiland)
Dedicated IRT lanes and cycle lanes are currently under construction and will be completed by March 2010.

Potsdam Road from Doornbach to Blaauwberg Road
Construction of IRT lanes and a cycle lane begins July 2009 until mid-2010.

Bayside Centre linking to the R27
Construction of a major IRT station and cycle lane begins mid-April 2009

Blaauwberg Road (between R27 & Potsdam Road)
Construction of IRT lanes and a cycle lane in the median of the road will begin in approximately mid-June 2009. The construction will not affect the avenue of trees.

Hertzog Boulevard (and Civic Lane and Old Marine Road)
Construction of dedicated IRT lanes, IRT station and a cycle lane begins mid-April 2009 until March 2010.

Somerset Road
Cycle lane is currently under construction, completed by March 2010

Inner-city IRT Services to Hout Bay
Construction of IRT infrastructure including some IRT lanes, stations and cycle infrastructure begins in the second half of 2009

Century City
Construction of IRT stations begins at the end of 2009, from Century City via Bosmansdam Road and Koeberg Road to the R27 at Woodbridge Island.

Airport
The Airport Plaza, with an IRT station base structure will be completed by December 2009, the station top structure will be completed by March 2010.