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Paper

Evaluating Traffic Impacts of Permitting Trucks in Transit-Only Lanes

 
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Publication: Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board
Publication Date: 2021
Summary:

With ongoing population growth and rapid development in cities, the demand for goods and services has seen a drastic increase. Consequently, transportation planners are searching for new ways to better manage the flow of traffic on existing facilities, and more efficiently utilize available and unused capacity. In this research, a lane management strategy that allows freight vehicles to use bus-only lanes is empirically evaluated in an urban setting. This paper presents an analysis of data that was collected to evaluate the operational impacts of the implementation of a freight and transit (FAT) lane, and to guide the development of future FAT lane projects by learning from the case study in Seattle, U.S. The video data was converted to vehicle counts, which were analyzed to understand the traffic impacts and used to construct a discrete choice model. The analysis shows that transit buses used the FAT lane 96% of the time, and authorizing trucks to use the lane did not affect that lane choice. Trucks used the FAT lane, but their utilization decreased with increasing numbers of buses in the FAT lane. Instead of higher rates of trucks, unauthorized vehicles, such as passenger cars and work vans, increasingly used the FAT lane during congestion. As a result of their differing schedule patterns, trucks and buses used the FAT lane at complementary times and trucks showed relatively low volumes in the FAT lane. Overall, the results are promising for a lane management strategy that may improve freight system performance without reducing transit service quality.

Recommended Citation:
Gunes, S., Goodchild, A., Greene, C., & Nemani, V. (2021). Evaluating Traffic Impacts of Permitting Trucks in Transit-Only Lanes. Transportation Research Record. https://doi.org/10.1177/03611981211031888
Paper

Impact of Transit Network Layout on Resident Mode Choice

 
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Publication: Mathematical Problems in Engineering
Volume: 4
Publication Date: 2013
Summary:
This study reviews the impact of public transit network layout (TNL) on resident mode choice. The review of TNL as a factor uses variables divided into three groups: a variable set without considering the TNL, one considering TNL from the zone level, and one considering TNL from the individual level. Using Baoding’s travel survey data, a Multinomial Logit (MNL) model is used, and the parameter estimation result shows that TNL has significant effect on resident mode choice. Based on parameter estimation, the factors affecting mode choice are further screened. The screened variable set is regarded as the input data to the BP neural network’s training and forecasting. Both forecasting results indicate that introducing TNL can improve the performance of mode choice forecasting.

 

 

Authors: Dr. Ed McCormack, Jian Gao, Peng Zhao, Chengxiang Zhuge, Hui Zhang
Recommended Citation:
Gao, J., Zhao, P., Zhuge, C., Zhang, H., & McCormack, E. D. (2013). Impact of Transit Network Layout on Resident Mode Choice. Mathematical Problems in Engineering, 2013.