Operational feasibility of one-dedicated-lane bus rapid transit/light rail systems

Efficient Space Dedication to Bus Rapid Transit and Light Rail Systems

“…If the right-of-way required for any of the configurations proposed in this paper is not available, then the concept of one-dedicated-lane dynamically-reversible BRT we proposed in an earlier paper may offer a solution (Tsao et al 2009a(Tsao et al , 2009b(Tsao et al , 2009c(Tsao et al , 2010. When sufficient right-of-way or public support becomes available for a two-dedicated-lane BRT system after implementation of a one-dedicated-lane system, the one-dedicated-lane system can be expanded with ease to two dedi cated lanes (Tsao et al 2009a(Tsao et al , 2010.…”

“…In cases where the available right-of-way cannot accommodate two dedicated BRT lanes but can accommodate one, transit agencies can resort to the operational concept of dynamically reversible one-dedicated-lane BRT system proposed in Tsao et al (2009aTsao et al ( , 2009bTsao et al ( , 2009cTsao et al ( , and 2010. In that concept, the unused median space can be used for buses traveling in opposite directions to cross each other.…”

“…Together with these concepts, the configurations and operational concepts proposed in this paper and those proposed in our earlier work for a one-dedicated-lane two-way system hopefully constitute a more com plete spectrum of implementation options, at least from the view point of dedicat ing right-of-way along street median. For more details about the two-dedicated lane system proposed in this paper or about how the one-dedicated-lane system proposed previously can be easily expanded to two dedicated lanes, the reader is referred to Tsao et al (2009aTsao et al ( , 2010.…”

“…Also motivated by the fact that the right-of-way required for a conventional two dedicated-lane BRT along many busy corridors either does not exist or is too costly to acquire, we proposed a one-dedicated-lane two-way (dynamically reversible) BRT system (Tsao et al 2009a(Tsao et al , 2009b(Tsao et al , 2009c. A set of detailed operating rules, including design rules for giving signal priority to BRT vehicles at intersections along the one dedicated lane, for performance optimization has been developed (Tsao et al 2010).…”

“…A set of detailed operating rules, including design rules for giving signal priority to BRT vehicles at intersections along the one dedicated lane, for performance optimization has been developed (Tsao et al 2010). This paper proposes efficient geometric configurations for a two-dedicated-lane BRT system that require a minimum amount of the precious right-of-way along a busy commute arterial provided with frequent protected left-turn lanes.…”