Speeding up public transportation as a central competitive factor

The objective of the study was to gather examples, best practices and experiences on speeding up public transport and to evaluate the effects on competitiveness and transportation economics. Field tests were conducted to evaluate and time door functions and vehicle acceleration. Study concentrated on Helsinki metropolitan area. As a general conclusion, actions taken to speed up traffic also improve punctuality, regularity and reliability. Passengers appreciate reliability, punctuality and regularity more than travel time. Changes on travel time have a bigger effect on travel mode selection than changes in ticket prices. On the other hand, travel time ratio between public transport and private car is essential. For these reasons speeding up public transport is a strategic goal for several main actors. According to themed interviews and discussion sessions held for bus drivers, congestion charging and improved bus lane control are essential. Field tests were used to analyze acceleration and door functions on different bus models. Acceleration on busses varies by 5 % and door functions by 12 % on an average bus line in Helsinki. Bus lanes increase speed and improve punctuality by 15-20%. Traffic signal priority reduces delays caused by traffic lights by 40-50 %. If timetable and service frequency are included/integrated punctuality and regularity will improve even more. The construction costs of Jokeri traffic signals are only one third of regular traffic signals. Delays are also shorter. Pre-signals increase speed at the end of bus lanes. Bus bypasses at junctions are often expensive to build. Lane organization at junctions is generally cheaper. In some cases, the bus-only streets show operation cost-savings. If speed bumps are introduced, they should be narrower than busses' axle spacing. Several different actions are often combined at quality bus corridors. Micro-simulation is best suitable for evaluating measures and their combined effects on a single route. Examples were studied further in two Case studies. Time savings for a single bus could add up to 370 seconds in Mannerheimintie. This would lead to time savings of 6.5 million euros and operating cost savings of 1.2 million euros per year for local public transportation. This report may be found at http://www.mintc.fi/oliver/upl942-LVM53_2007.pdf