pooled fund Projects
In PROGRESS
Guidelines for Planning and Implementing Transit Priority Measures in Urban Areas - Updated March 2012
| Research Area | Transit operations Traffic management |
| Responsible Council / Committee | Chief Engineers' Council Traffic Operations and Management Standing Committee |
| Related TAC publications | Guidelines for the Application and Display of Transit Signals Guidelines for Transit Lane Conspicuity through Surface Treatment |
| Expected Start Date | April 2010 |
| Expected Completion Date | April 2012 |
| Research Agency | IBI Group |
| Status | Final results are expected to be presented to the Chief Engineers’ Council in April 2012 |
| Project Funding Partners | CITE; City of Edmonton; City of Ottawa; City of Hamilton; TransLink; City of Surrey; Transport Canada; Halifax Regional Municipality; Ville de Montréal; Ministère des Transports du Québec; Toronto Transit Commission; Metrolinx; Canadian Urban Transit Association; Société de transport de Montréal |
| Staff Contact | Sandra Majkic |
Abstract
The majority of transit service in urban areas is delivered on public roads where traffic signals and congestion can delay transit vehicles and reduce the reliability of transit service. Faster, more reliable and frequent service can be delivered by transitsystems that typically include grade-separated rights-of-way. Transit systems, however, can require significant capital investments. Transit priority measures, on the other hand, can cost relatively little and offer buses preferential treatment over other vehicles, minimizing the delay caused by congestion and traffic signals. Examples of transit priority measures include transit signal priority, bus queue jump, shoulder bus lane, and bus curb extensions.
Despite their potential to conserve capital and operating resources by improving surface route efficiency, transit priority measures may be overlooked by municipalities. However, in current economic conditions and growing congestion in urban areas, transit priority measures are likely to play an increasingly important role in transit development and service delivery.
The objective of this project will be to evaluate transit priority measures that can be used by municipal engineers and urban planners as effective, efficient, and viable options in urban transit planning. The work will include:
- A set of principles that should be considered during the process of determining the appropriate transit priority measures
- Process for implementing TPM
- Decision support tool for selecting TPM
- TPM assessment including a range of evaluation criteria
Resulting from the research, the major project deliverable will be guidelines for the planning and implementation of transit priority measures.