Transit systems continue to change to meet the need of our cities, and those needs are a little different from what was necessary when agencies first rolled out their routes. When a transit system isn't working efficiently, one area that shouldn't be overlooked is technology, there comes a time to take transit "into this century". From integrating technology through bus shelters and structures, route tracking apps, signage and more — there are seemingly endless opportunities to spruce up transit with technology. Bus agencies like Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (Metro) and the Maryland Transit Authority (MTA) used technology to make bus systems more efficient for riders.
Both agencies have said that when looking towards the future they take into consideration what new technology is available for the market. Metro's redesign is operating on a five-year plan; which focuses on reworking bus schedules, creating easier trips to link riders to key activity centers, creating simple connections, adds additional routes and puts into motion computer-aided dispatch. MTA's transformative complete network re-design — BaltimoreLink and new service City Link — are designed to be rider-friendly, keeping flexibility open for changes with signage that can easily be changed if needed, and designing a route structure that can also be modified relatively easily if necessary.
Incorporating technology
To keep Metro’s buses to their schedule using the computer-aided dispatch has made heavy traffic areas easier to navigate. This way they avoid ending up with the first bus getting stopped at a traffic signal or construction zone — resulting in the next bus directly behind it.
“We will look to see if our timing is up or down to see which routes are not running on time, either because they’re running early or because they’re running late. Because that can affect van loads on your routes if your schedules are off. We will also look at customer comments on things that are working well or not working well. So there are a whole bunch of different items that we will look at,” said Kurt Luhrsen, the head of planning for Metro.
Paul Comfort, administrator/CEO for MTA, says that MTA feels Transit Signal Priority (TSP) is an investment that could have a beneficial impact to its system. They have been working hand-in-hand with Baltimore City Department of Transportation to identify a pilot corridor where they hope to see results from TSP installation and implementation.
One lesson that MTA learned from its current TSP efforts on Howard Street with the light rail system is that they will need to consistently monitor the signals and bus system and carefully evaluate and adjust where appropriate. They will also modify bus stop locations to the far-side of some intersections to really take advantage of the benefit of TSP.
said Comfort. “The way to do that is to create a safe, reliable system and give people world-class customer service. The future of our transit system here, is to meet the needs of the community in an outstanding way.”
He feels that they’ve been successfully pushing through institutional opposition. There are also plans for future growth. Comfort is aiming to have it be more data driven. He also said that he continues to demand improvements and work with business leaders.
For more on this, that and the other related to the reimagination, read Masstransitmag.com/12185838.
