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A Methodology To Determine The Economically Feasible Capacity For Rural Demand Response Transit Systems, Adam B. Sandlin, Michael D. Anderson

Journal of Public Transportation

Transportation professionals generally use volume-to-capacity ratios as a standard measure of effectiveness to evaluate the operation of transportation facilities. Unfortunately, this commonly used measure has not been available for the analysis of rural demand response transit systems, as there has not been a clearly defined methodology for determining the capacity of these systems. This article presents a methodology for determining the capacity of a rural demand response transit system using an economic constraint model and spatial data for the service area stored in a Geographic Information System (GJS). The methodology develops an equation that incorporates operating costs, transit need, route …

Transit Itinerary Calculation On The Web: Based On A Transit User Information System, Martin Trépanier, Robert Chapleau, Bruno Allard

Journal of Public Transportation

Transit path calculation is not yet widely available on transit authority websites. This is because the calculation of complete transit itineraries requires the integration of underlying components such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and operational database and, unlike a simple road application, involves a complex transportation network. In this article, a hybrid algorithm based on heuristics and optimization is presented for the calculation of urban transit itineraries including information on pedestrian access and egress paths, route sequences, schedules, and stops. The use of the Transit User Information System (TUIS) to support the calculations is emphasized. The TUIS uses the Totally …

Increasing Transit Ridership: A Survey Of Successful Transit Systems In The 1990s, Daniel B. Hess, Allison Yoh, Hiroyuki Iseki, Brian Taylor

Journal of Public Transportation

This study examines trends in public transit ridership in the United States during the 1990s. Specifically, it focuses on agencies that increased ridership during the latter half of the decade. While transit ridership increased steadily by 13 percent nationwide between 1995 and 1999, not all systems experienced ridership growth equally. Some agencies increased ridership dramatically, some did so only minimally, and still others lost riders. What sets these agencies apart from one another? What explains the uneven growth in ridership? To examine these questions, we conducted a nationwide survey of transit agencies that added riders during the late 1990s. Specifically, …

Innovatively Saving The Future Of Transportation: Small Aircraft Transportation System (Sats), Jocelyn Nickerson, Brent Bowen, Russell Smith, Scott Tarry, Massoum Moussavi

Journal of Public Transportation

The aviation industry is a rapidly changing entity of the world’s economy. Millions of travelers consistently choose aviation as their mode of transportation because it is reliable, time-efficient, and safe. However, high demand has led to delays, cancellations, and gridlock. As the need for efficient travel options increases, passengers will look for other avenues of travel. Fortuitously, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and its partners are developing a unique and innovative alternative to this problem. The solution, known as the Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS), will likely change the face of general aviation (GA) as it is known …

Restructuring Urban Public Transport In India, Kaushik Deb

Journal of Public Transportation

Transportation in the urban context assumes great economic significance, as the productive efficiency of urban areas will be maintained only if mobility requirements in the cities are fully met. However, this productive efficiency is now threatened by the increasing number of vehicles causing congestion, and thus slower speeds on roads. An effective way to address this problem is to encourage greater use of public transport instead of personal vehicles. This requires both an increase in the carrying capacity of the public transport system and a quantum improvement in the quality of public transport. In addition, despite the high volumes of …

Full Issue 5(3)

Journal of Public Transportation

No abstract provided.

Applicability Of Bus Rapid Transit To Corridors With Intermediate Levels Of Transit Demand, Graham N. Carey

Journal of Public Transportation

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) has the potential to bridge the gap between conventional rubber-tired transit operations and rail systems. Based on relatively low-cost, proven technology, BRT is gaining acceptance in many communities around the world that are endeavoring to provide high-quality transit service. While proposed applications of this new mode vary considerably, some conditions may be more appropriate than others. This article explores, from the point of view of the practitioner, some of the benefits and drawbacks of BRT.

Detection Range Setting Methodology For Signal Priority, Peter Koonce, John Ringert, Tom Urbanik, Willie Rotich, Bill Kloos

Journal of Public Transportation

A significant amount of delay to transit vehicles in urban areas is caused by traffic signals. Implementation of signal priority has the potential to reduce control delay caused by traffic signals. The implementation of these systems requires engineering studies that address both transit and traffic signal operations. A comprehensive program requires coordination between the transit agency and the transportation department to address needs of both agencies and users. The City of Portland and the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (Tri-Met) have been working on a program that exhibits the elements of such an effort. This article details the efforts …

Characteristics Of Bus Rapid Transit Projects: An Overview, James T. Jarzab, James Lightbody, Eugene Maeda

Journal of Public Transportation

During the previous century the public transit industry has struggled with mode and technology issues. Bus and rail have alternated in primacy as operating conditions and financial necessity have pressured operators to seek more cost-effective means of moving passengers. Federal, state, and local financial resources have been outstripped by candidate rapid transit projects, traffic congestion is a growing problem, and travel patterns are becoming increasingly dispersed. In seeking to fill the gap between conventional bus service and rail projects of all kinds, the transit industry in cooperation with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has placed renewed emphasis on the development …

Bus Rapid Transit: An Overview, Herbert S. Levinson, Samuel Zimmerman, Jennifer Clinger, G. Scott Rutherford

Journal of Public Transportation

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is growing in popularity throughout the world. The reasons for this phenomenon include its passenger and developer attractiveness, its high performance and quality, and its ability to be built quickly, incrementally, and economically. BRT also provides sufficient transport capacity to meet demands in many corridors, even in the largest metropolitan regions. In the United States, the development of BRT projects has been spurred by the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) BRT initiative. These projects have been undertaken, in part, because of the imbalance between the demand for “New Starts” funds and available resources. Decisions to make BRT …

Bus Rapid Transit: A Viable Alternative?, Steven E. Polzin, Michael R. Baltes

Journal of Public Transportation

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) presents a significant opportunity for the public transit industry to enhance the set of transportation investment options that can be brought to bear on the mobility problems experienced by urban areas across the country. As new Census data are released, the picture of strong population growth in dispersed patterns, growing congestion levels, and stubbornly modest transit use levels emerges. This paints a compelling picture that merits serious consideration by transportation planners with regard to the full range of transportation investment options available for urban areas. This article addresses several specific characteristics of BRT that differentiate it …

Bus Semirapid Transit Mode Development And Evaluation, Vukan R. Vuchic

Journal of Public Transportation

With little investment required for operating in streets, bus services are often designed to serve many overlapping routes with frequent stops. To upgrade services and attract choice riders, major bus routes should be provided with exclusive lanes, preferential signals, and fewer but more distinct stops. The Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) program is aimed at upgrading bus services into semirapid transit category (technically, bus semirapid transit). Many similar programs in the past were initially successful but later degraded by allowing sharing of lanes by high-occupancy vehicles (HOV) and relaxed enforcement of traffic control. With the systems approach …

Door-To-Door Mobility: Evaluating A Bus Rapid Transit Community Transport Concept, Matthew Pahs, Mark Rohden, David Hampsten, Seth Gallant, Robert L. Bertini

Journal of Public Transportation

Portland, Oregon’s regional government, Metro, has designated specific communities in outer Southeast Portland as areas that should be planned to accommodate future population growth. Both Metro and the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (Tri-Met) have expressed a desire for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service to this area from downtown Portland, within a corridor approximately following Southeast Powell Boulevard and Foster Road. A preliminary analysis of BRT alignment alternatives was completed for this study. After six possible alignment options linking downtown Portland with Pleasant Valley and Damascus Town Centers were identified, a multivariate corridor analysis was applied to each option. …

Ottawa And Brisbane: Comparing A Mature Busway System With Its State-Of-The-Art Progeny, Sean Rathwell, Stephen Schijns

Journal of Public Transportation

Brisbane, Australia’s new South East Busway, which opened in 2000–2001, is one of the most technologically-advanced Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems in the world. It represents the “state-of-the-art” in busway design, infrastructure, and operations management. The South East Busway and various other Brisbane busway initiatives are modeled on Ottawa, Canada’s transitway system. Since commencement of operation in the early 1980s, Ottawa’s network of bus-only roadways and stations has transformed the community into one of the most transit-friendly centers in North America.

Full Issue 5(2)

Journal of Public Transportation

No abstract provided.

Defining The Gross Cost And Net Cost Options For New Delhi Public Transport, Aaron Windecker

Journal of Public Transportation

Increasing the use of public bus transportation and decreasing the use of private modes is the remedy for New Delhi's congested streets and polluted air. To achieve this, the provisioning of bus services in New Delhi should be privatized to reduce the financial burden on the government and augment capacity. Regulation of the privatized svstem will be needed to improve safety; prevent private operators from concentrating only on denser routes; improve reliability, punctuality, and other standards of quality; rationalize fares; and improve network design. This article discusses each of these goals and assesses the applicability in the New Delhi context …

Market Integration And The Distribution Of Ecological Knowledge Within An Ecuadorian Fishing Community, Greg Guest

Journal of Ecological Anthropology

Scholars typically depict traditional ecological knowledge as a vanishing resource, negatively correlated with the capitalization of a community. The default view also tends to conceptualize such knowledge as one cohesive system, unitarily responsive to external forces. Using data from an artisanal shrimping community in Ecuador, this paper argues that current views are not sufficient to capture the complexity of socially distributed knowledge and need to be expanded. In particular, I show that integration into a market economy does not necessarily erode local knowledge about the natural world, but can actually foster the development of a new body of ecological knowledge. …

Errata, Journal Of Ecological Anthropology (Jea)

Journal of Ecological Anthropology

No abstract provided.

Subsidence Hazards In Different Types Of Karst: Evolutionary And Speleogenetic Approach, Alexander Klimchouk

International Journal of Speleology

The typology of karst, based on distinguishing the successive stages of general hydrogeological evolution, between which major boundary conditions and the overall circulation pattern change considerably, gives a natural clue, properly to classify and tie together karst breakdown settings, speleogenetic styles and breakdown development mechanisms. Subsidence hazards vary substantially between the different karst types so that classifying individual karst according to typology can provide an integrated general assessment. This provides a useful basis for selection and realization of region- and site-specific assessment schemes and management strategies. Intrastratal karst types, subjacent karst in particular, are most potent in generating subsidence problems. …

Cave Breakdown By Vadose Weathering, R. A. L. Osborne

International Journal of Speleology

Vadose weathering is a significant mechanism for initiating breakdown in caves. Vadose weathering of ore bodies, mineral veins, palaeokarst deposits, non-carbonate keystones and impure, altered or fractured bedrock, which is intersected by caves, will frequently result in breakdown. Breakdown is an active, ongoing process. Breakdown occurs throughout the vadose zone, and is not restricted to large diameter passages, or to cave ceilings. The surfaces of disarticulated blocks are commonly coated, rather than having fresh broken faces, and blocks continue to disintegrate after separating from the bedrock. Not only gypsum, but also hydromagnesite and aragonite are responsible for crystal wedging. It …

Mechanisms Of Karst Breakdown Formation In The Gypsum Karst Of The Fore-Ural Region, Russia (From Observations In The Kungurskaja Cave), Vjacheslav Andrejchuk, Alexander Klimchouk

International Journal of Speleology

The fore-Ural is a classical region of intrastratal gypsum karst. The intensive development of karst in the Permian gypsums and anhydrites causes numerous practical problems, the subsidence hazard being the most severe. Mechanisms of karst breakdown formation were studied in detail in the Kunguskaya Cave area. The cave and its setting are characteristic to the region and, being a site of detalied stationary studies for many years, the cave represents a convenient location for various karst and speleological investigations. Breakdown structures related to cavities of the Kungurskaya Cave type develop by two mechanisms: gravitational (sagging and fall-in of the ceilings …

Stability Appraisal Of The Medvedova Konta Pothole, Jože Kortnik

International Journal of Speleology

Until 1956 the underground details of areas around Pokljuka were practically unknown due to the area’s non-karstic outward appearance. However, the presence of karst phenomena on this Alpine plain is undoubtedly indicated, primarily by the absence of a surface drainage network. A mathematical model was made of the Medvedova konta pothole, in which two different sets of material properties were used, corresponding to the Triassic limestone that forms the bedrock under the greater part of Pokljuka. The model simulates the gradual thinning of the ceiling of the underground hall, from the surface downwards, until its collapse. The paper presents a …

Collapse Above The World's Largest Potash Mine (Ural, Russia), Vjacheslav Andrejchuk

International Journal of Speleology

This paper reports the results of the study of a huge collapse that occurred in June 1986 within the area of the 3rd Berezniki potash mine (the Verkhnekamsky potash deposit, Ural). Processes that took place between the first appearance of a water inflow through the mine roof and the eventual collapse are reconstructed in detail. The origin and development of a cavity that induced the collapse are revealed. Two factors played a major role in the formation of the collapse: the presence of a tectonic fold/rupture zone with in both the salt sequence and the overburden (the zone of crush …

Subsidence Hazards As A Consequence Of Dam, Reservoir And Tunnel Construction, Petar Milanovic

International Journal of Speleology

Considering all man-made structures in karst areas, dams, reservoirs and tunnels are the most vulnerable in relation to induced subsidence and caverns. Reservoirs that are located entirely or partially on karstified rocks covered with unconsolidated sediments are especially subsidence-prone. As a consequence of induced subsidence a number of reservoirs in karst areas failed and were never fully filled. Such subsidence formation is very damaging because the development is unpredictable and practically instantaneous. Reservoirs in karst areas may fail to fill despite an extensive site investigation programs and sealing treatment. Every problem is unique and past experiences are never repeated. This …

Karst Subsidence In South-Central Apulia, Southern Italy, Marco Delle Rose, Mario Parise

International Journal of Speleology

Subsidence in the karst of Apulia (Southern Italy), one of the classical karst areas of Italy, is described in this paper. The carbonate rocks that make up the geological structure of the Apulia region are affected by subsidence, which is of different type and intensity depending upon geological, topographical, and hydrogeological conditions. In particular, we discriminate between inland subsidence and coastal subsidence. Inland subsidence is generally restricted to the presence of individual cavities, either empty or partly or totally filled with deposits produced by dissolution of soluble rocks underground. Locally, such subsidence can cause severe effects on anthropogenic structures above. …

Alternative Bus Stop Configuration: An Analysis Of The Effects Of Bus Bulbs, Kay Fitzpatrick, Kevin Hall, Melisa Finley, Stephen Farnsworth

Journal of Public Transportation

Bus bulbs are sections of sidewalk that extend from the curb of a parking lane to the edge of the through lane. A major advantage of using bus bulbs is the creation of additional space at a bus stop for shelters, benches, and other bus patron improvements when the inclusion of these amenities would otherwise be limited without the additional space.

Several large cities on the West Coast have begun to explore bus bulbs as one of manhy strategies used in developing a transit preferential program. Researchers visited four transit agencies that use bus bulbs (San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, and …

An Empirical Exploration Of Bus Travel Times And Dwell Times In A Highly Competitive Exclusive Busway, Daniel A. Rodriguez, Arturo Ardila

Journal of Public Transportation

Busway transit has reemerged as a cost-effective transportation alternative for providing urban mobility. This article examines the operational characteristics of an exclusive busway svstem with high passenger ridership and subject to the competitive forces of individual operators. Results of a running time model suggest that the increase in running time associated with an additional passenger movement is low but that the delay imposed by recurrent vehicle deceleration and acceleration related to frequent stops is high. Frequent vehicle stops reduce fuel efficiency, increase pollution, reduce travel time, and decrease productivity. Results of several specifications of dwell-time regression models indicate that established …

Benefits Of Proximity To Rail On Housing Markets: Experiences In Santa Clara County, Robert Cervero, Michael Duncan

Journal of Public Transportation

Santa Clara County, California, home to both light- and commuter-rail services, has turned to transit-oriented development as a means to both reduce traffic congestion and redress severe shortages of affordable housing units. This article examines the degree to which proximity to two forms of rail transit--light rail and commuter rail-- confer benefits to residential properties in terms of sales values. Hedonic price models are estimated that show job proximity over the transit network as well as nearness to rail stops substantially add value to residential parcels. All else being equal, large apartments within a quarter mile of a light-rail station …

Service Design In Competitive Tendering Of Bus Routes, Isam Al Kaysi, Ali S. Abbany

Journal of Public Transportation

Transit systems and buses, in particular, generally suffer from severe financial problems that affect their sustainability and levels of service. In an attempt to revive these svstems, public authorities have recently moved toward more private sector participation, which could improve cost efficiency. This participation can take different forms depending on the roles of each sector in the provision and production of public transport. This article examines the different models for private sector participation in the provision of mass transit services, describing their respective benefits and disadvantages for both transit providers and users. Focus is, however, given to one specific strategy--competitive …

Transit Ridership Efficiency As A Function Of Fares, Gerrit R. Moore

Journal of Public Transportation

The purpose of this study is to assist in the development of transit fare policies that exploit the benefits of public transit in the mix of transportation options for Washington State. The study relates fares to ridership performance, fare-box recovery, and system utilization.

Ridership efficiency, a measure of transit performance, is estimated for 24 State transit systems. A mathematical model is developed that relates fares to ridership efficiency. The ridership efficiency function follows the complement of a cumulative normal probability distribution. The tail of the distribution is reached at $0.95. Higher fares have little impact on ridership efficiency. An operating …