Lexington Area Transit Operation Improvement Plan Wei Chen, Sr' Transportation Planner Lexington Are

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Lexington Area Transit Operation Improvement
PlanWei Chen, Sr. Transportation
PlannerLexington Area MPO February 1st, 2005
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BACKGROUND

• A property tax increase was approved to
  support LexTran, the transit authority that
  provides service for Lexington-Fayette County, by
  the voters of Fayette County, Kentucky in
  November, 2004. The tax is expected to generate
  approximately 11 million annually. LFUCG MPO is
  now in the position of developing a comprehensive
  Transit Operation Improvement Plan, which will
  serve as the guideline for the transit system
  development of Lexington-Fayette County for the
  next five years.

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TRANSIT OPERATION IMPROVEMENT ELEMENTS

• Service Coverage
• Level of Service
• Fare System
• Fleet Age and Conditions
• Bus Stops
• Specialized Transit/Paratransit Service
• Transit Center Safety

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SERVICE COVERAGE
Service Coverage

• Major facilities, such as airports, hospitals,
  and schools, should be served
• Major residential, commercial, industrial,
  institutional, and other employment areas should
  be served
• Transportation-disadvantaged populations, which
  generally indicate persons who do not have the
  means or ability to transport themselves, e.g.
  elderly, disabled, or economically disadvantaged,
  should be served
• The walking distance between a bus stop and major
  residential, commercial, industrial,
  institutional, and other employment areas should
  be within 500 meters.

• Fare System

Level of Service
Fleet Age and Conditions

• Bus Stops

• Specialized Transit /
• Paratransit Service

Transit Center Safety
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FARE SYSTEM

• Fare structure
• An optimum fare structure could encourage
  ridership on the one hand, and ensure revenue
  generation on the other hand.
• The optimum fare structure can be established
  through a comprehensive analysis of the
  correlations between fare amount, ridership, and
  revenue.
• It should be mentioned that the current fare
  structure of LexTran is based on a flat fare
  policy. With the expansion of service coverage, a
  zonal fare program (fare-by-distance) should be
  reasonably attempted.
• Specialized fare strategies, such as multi-ride
  tickets, seasonal tickets, region-wide transit
  passes, and concessionary passes (e.g. selling
  passes through public organizations, students and
  pensioners, private sector employers, and other
  government employers), could be implemented to
  encourage ridership, increase customer
  convenience, and open up opportunities to
  collaborate with other employer sectors.

Service Coverage

• Fare System

Level of Service
Fleet Age and Conditions

• Bus Stops

• Specialized Transit /
• Paratransit Service

Transit Center Safety
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FARE SYSTEM (Cont'd)

• Fare collection technology
• Among the modernized fare-collection
  technologies, Smart Card fare collection
  technology provides considerable benefits for
  transit customers and operators
• Improved customer convenience and operational
  efficiency
• Efficient multi-application payment card
• Automated data collection

Service Coverage

• Fare System

Level of Service
Fleet Age and Conditions

• Bus Stops

• Specialized Transit /
• Paratransit Service

Transit Center Safety
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LEVEL OF SERVICE
Service Coverage

• Service frequency - The frequencies of service
  for the peak and base periods, daytime and
  evening, and weekday and weekend
• Service hours - The hours of service for weekday
  and weekend
• Travel time - The more efficient routes which
  allow shorter travel time
• Transfer times - The average transfer times
  should be not more than 2
• Fare amount - Impacts of fare amount and
  transfer charge on transit ridership and revenue
  should be assessed, and the optimum fare
  structure should be established.

• Fare System

Level of Service
Fleet Age and Conditions

• Bus Stops

• Specialized Transit /
• Paratransit Service

Transit Center Safety
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TRANSIT MODEL FRAMEWORK
INPUT
O-D passenger demand matrix with stop-to-stop
demand
Transit network that contains complete settings
(fare amount, transfer charge, and headway, etc)
Transit route system that defines routes and stops
Transit assignment model Stochastic User
Equilibrium assignment method
OUTPUT
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TRANSIT MODEL FRAMEWORK
INPUT
O-D passenger demand matrix with stop-to-stop
demand
Transit network that contains complete settings
(fare amount, transfer charge, and headway, etc)
Transit route system that defines routes and stops
Transit assignment model Stochastic User
Equilibrium assignment method
OUTPUT
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TRANSIT MODEL FRAMEWORK

• The components of a transit network
• Line layer - length, drive time, walk time,
  etc.
• Route system layer - capacity, route-specific
  weighing factors (weights on travel time,
  transfer time, waiting time, and dwell time),
  etc.
• Stop layer - near node, fare zone, etc.

INPUT
O-D passenger demand matrix with stop-to-stop
demand
Transit network that contains complete settings
(fare amount, transfer charge, and headway, etc)
Transit route system that defines routes and stops
Transit assignment model Stochastic User
Equilibrium assignment method
OUTPUT
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TRANSIT MODEL FRAMEWORK
INPUT
O-D passenger demand matrix with stop-to-stop
demand
Transit network that contains complete settings
(fare amount, transfer charge, and headway, etc)
Transit route system that defines routes and stops

• The settings of a transit network
• Fare regular fare amount, fare type (flat or
  zonal fare), and transfer charge
• Time headway, value of time, walking time,
  waiting time (based on headways ), travel time,
  transfer time, dwell time, and layover time
• Restrictions maximum trip cost (in monetary
  units), maximum transfer time, maximum number of
  transfers, maximum travel time, and maximum
  waiting time.

Transit assignment model Stochastic User
Equilibrium assignment method
OUTPUT
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TRANSIT MODEL FRAMEWORK
INPUT
O-D passenger demand matrix with stop-to-stop
demand
Transit network that contains complete settings
(fare amount, transfer charge, and headway, etc)
Transit route system that defines routes and stops

• To determine the impacts of changes in fare
  amount, transfer charge, and headway, etc., make
  the changes in Transit Network Settings and
  compare the output results.

Transit assignment model Stochastic User
Equilibrium assignment method
OUTPUT
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• TransCAD Transit Model performs the functions of
  transit demand analysis and forecasting, transit
  routing design, and comprehensive operational
  analysis.
• Alternative transit routes, fare structure,
  transfer charge, and headway, etc, will be
  tested, and the long-range transit level of
  service will be forecast.
• The recommended plan will be the one with the
  maximum benefit-cost ratio.

Service Coverage

• Fare System

Level of Service
Fleet Age and Conditions

• Bus Stops

• Specialized Transit /
• Paratransit Service

Transit Center Safety
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FLEET AGE AND CONDITIONS

• LexTran is currently operating a fleet of 44
  buses. As of January 2005, the average bus fleet
  age is only 3.12 years, and the very low fleet
  age is due to a fleet-update program implemented
  in the past two years. An average fleet age of 6
  to 7 years has been set as the long-range goal
  for LexTran system.
• Older buses lacking the necessary amenities such
  as comfortable seating, clean environments, and
  air conditioning should be renovated or replaced.
  
• The low-floor buses permit faster boarding and
  alighting and have been proved to be
  significantly more efficient than the
  conventional wheelchair lifts, and should be
  considered for the next generation of LexTran
  buses for high-volume fixed bus routes.

Service Coverage

• Fare System

Level of Service
Fleet Age and Conditions

• Bus Stops

• Specialized Transit /
• Paratransit Service

Transit Center Safety
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BUS STOPS
Service Coverage
Guidelines for the Location and Design of Bus
Stops Sponsored by FTA Conducted by TRB

• Fare System

Level of Service

• The placement and design of the bus stop zones
• The pavement conditions of the bus stop zones
• Location of pedestrian crosswalks
• Bicycle lanes and thoroughfares
• The design, construction and maintenance of the
  new bus shelters and the lighting conditions of
  bus stops.

Fleet Age and Conditions

• Bus Stops

• Specialized Transit /
• Paratransit Service

Transit Center Safety
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SPECIALIZED TRANSIT / PARATRANSIT SERVICE
Service Coverage

• Wheels Paratransit Service is a special needs,
  door-to-door transit service operated by LexTran
  for the elderly and persons with some type of
  disability which prevents them from utilizing
  regular buses. Wheels offers wheelchair lift
  equipped mini-buses on a demand/response system.
• The paratransit service could be further
  extended, not only to accommodate the elderly and
  disabled people, but to meet the needs of
  mobility-limited residents of the rural areas.
  Extending conventional transit service to these
  areas would be financially difficult because of
  the sparsely located riders. The public transit
  needs of residents in these areas could be met
  through demand-responsive paratransit services.

• Fare System

Level of Service
Fleet Age and Conditions

• Bus Stops

• Specialized Transit /
• Paratransit Service

Transit Center Safety
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TRANSIT CENTER SAFETY
Service Coverage

• Fare System

• The purpose of the project is to improve the
  safety of pedestrians crossing Vine St. in front
  of the Transit Center between Limestone St and
  Quality St. Based on on-site survey, the
  following two locations A and B are identified as
  frequent crossing-points for pedestrians

Level of Service
Fleet Age and Conditions

• Bus Stops

• Specialized Transit /
• Paratransit Service

Transit Center Safety
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TRANSIT CENTER SAFETY (Cont'd)
Service Coverage

• Fare System

• Site A
• 1. Eyesight blocked by buses
• 2. High-speed vehicles on Vine st.
• 3. Left-Turn vehicles on Ayres Alley.

Level of Service
Fleet Age and Conditions

• Bus Stops

• Specialized Transit /
• Paratransit Service

Transit Center Safety
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1. Eyesight blocked by buses
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TRANSIT CENTER SAFETY (Cont'd)
Service Coverage

• Fare System

• Site A
• 1. Eyesight blocked by buses
• 2. High-speed vehicles on Vine st.
• 3. Left-Turn vehicles on Ayres Alley.

Level of Service
Fleet Age and Conditions

• Bus Stops

• Specialized Transit /
• Paratransit Service

Transit Center Safety
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2. High-speed vehicles on Vine st.
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TRANSIT CENTER SAFETY (Cont'd)
Service Coverage

• Fare System

• Site A
• 1. Eyesight blocked by buses
• 2. High-speed vehicles on Vine st.
• 3. Left-Turn vehicles on Ayres Alley.

Level of Service
Fleet Age and Conditions

• Bus Stops

• Specialized Transit /
• Paratransit Service

Transit Center Safety
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3. Left-Turn vehicles on Ayres Alley.
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3. Left-Turn vehicles on Ayres Alley.
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TRANSIT CENTER SAFETY (Cont'd)
Service Coverage

• Fare System

• Site B
• 1. Eyesight of both the drivers and pedestrians
  blocked by the street curve
• 2. Accelerated vehicles from Limestone Vine
  Intersection
• 3. Vehicles entering / exiting Hernando Alley.

Level of Service
Fleet Age and Conditions

• Bus Stops

• Specialized Transit /
• Paratransit Service

Transit Center Safety
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Pedestrians cross Vine ST. without any protection.
Eyesight of both the drivers and pedestrians
could be blocked by the street curve.
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TRANSIT CENTER SAFETY (Cont'd)
Service Coverage

• Fare System

Site B 1. Eyesight of both the drivers and
pedestrians blocked by the street curve 2.
Accelerated vehicles from Limestone Vine
Intersection 3. Vehicles entering / exiting
Hernando Alley.
Level of Service
Fleet Age and Conditions

• Bus Stops

• Specialized Transit /
• Paratransit Service

Transit Center Safety
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Accelerated vehicles from Limestone Vine
Intersection
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TRANSIT CENTER SAFETY (Cont'd)
Service Coverage

• Fare System

Site B 1. Eyesight of both the drivers and
pedestrians blocked by the street curve 2.
Accelerated vehicles from Limestone Vine
Intersection 3. Vehicles entering / exiting
Hernando Alley.
Level of Service
Fleet Age and Conditions

• Bus Stops

• Specialized Transit /
• Paratransit Service

Transit Center Safety
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Vehicles enter / exit Hernando Alley
Pedestrians cross Vine ST. without any protection.
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TRANSIT CENTER SAFETY (Cont'd)
Service Coverage

• Fare System

Level of Service
Solutions?
Fleet Age and Conditions

• Bus Stops

• Specialized Transit /
• Paratransit Service

Transit Center Safety
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