Transcript Transit Signal Priority (TSP): Deployment Issues and R&D

Transit Signal Priority (TSP):
Deployment Issues and
R&D Needs
as Identified by Practitioners
Hallie Smith
<[email protected]>
Brendon Hemily
<[email protected]>
What is TSP?
Definition:
• TSP is an operational strategy that facilitates the
movement of in-service transit vehicles, either
buses or streetcars, through traffic-signal
controlled intersections.
An Overview of Transit Signal Priority
ITS America, 2001
Signal Priority in the U.S.
• Agencies with Transit Signal Priority
Operational Implementation
16
7
Planned
33
(Volpe, 1999)
• 70% of transit properties with over 100 vehicles in North
America are implementing/planning TSP (CUTA, 2000)
• Recent Implementations.
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Los Angeles, CA
Portland, OR
Pierce County, WA
Atlanta, GA
King County, WA
Bus Rapid Transit and Signal
Priority
• BRT Major Initiative in the U.S.
– Combines the quality of rail transit (speed, reliability)
with the flexibility of buses
– BRT Consortium (11 demonstration sites, 6 other)
– Signal Priority is a Major Component (14 of 17)
– TSP Benefits are significant
– Research is ongoing
Benefits
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Reduced Intersection Delay (20 - 40%)
Total Travel Time Savings (5 - 8%)
Improved Service Reliability
Leads to Savings in Vehicle Requirements
Improves Customer Satisfaction
Small Negative Impacts on Traffic
“An Overview of Transit Signal
Priority”
• Report prepared jointly by ATMS (Traffic) and
APTS (Transit) Committees of ITS America
• Contents:
– Fundamentals
– Benefits and Costs
– Issues: Planning, Implementation, Operations
• Published in 2001 and downloadable from ITS
America web site
TSP Deployment Issues Project
• Sponsored by FTA and JPO and conducted
by ITS America
• Technical Workshop on TSP Research
Needs and Guidance to FTA
– Practitioners, Researchers, Consultants,
Suppliers
– Over 50 R&D topics identified
TSP Deployment Project (ctd)
• 3 Regional workshops to encourage
deployment
(Tucson, Chicago, Hartford)
– Morning - Industry experts provide technical
presentations
– Afternoon – Breakout groups address local
issues and create Action Plans
• Update of Overview document
TSP Deployment: General Issues
Significant benefits, but many issues:
• Confusing array of technical choices: detection,
communications, control strategies, integration with other
systems
• Complex organizational issues in multi-agency and multijurisdictional setting
• Need better guidance to navigate choices and issues
• Lack of standardized reporting on impacts and benefits to
allow comparisons
• Practical information hard to obtain by practitioners
• All simulation and optimization tools, and traffic
controllers are not well suited for TSP
TSP Strategic Questions
Raised by Workshop Participants
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What are goals and objectives for TSP?
Is TSP part of regional plans, or BRT corridors?
How to choose where it should be implemented?
Should TSP be combined with physical priority
(bus lanes, queue jumps, etc.)?
• How to design TSP system:
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unconditional vs. conditional?
centralized vs. decentralized control?
strategies (green extension, red truncation, etc.)?
integration with EMS pre-emption
detection and communication technologies?
How to Assess Potential Benefits
and Impacts of TSP?
• What should be standard TSP measures of
effectiveness?
• What has been experience elsewhere with TSP?
• Do we have TSP simulation and optimization tools
to measure impacts?
• Is traffic controller equipment TSP-compatible?
• Do ITS standards exist for TSP?
• How does TSP relate to MUTCD and Transit
Capacity Manuals?
Questions for Transit Agency
• How to build a solid partnership with traffic
counterparts?
• Should TSP be integrated with AVL or other
ITS transit systems (new and/or retrofit)?
• How to address near-side stops?
• Can transit scheduling take advantage of
TSP?
Transit Signal Priority:
Areas Where R&D is Needed to
Encourage Deployment
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TSP Strategic Choices and Guidance
Effective Utilization by Transit Agencies
Improved Planning of TSP (especially BRT)
Enhanced Analytic Tools (e.g. Simulation and
Optimization)
• Technical Enhancements for Conditional Priority
• TSP Deployment Evaluation
Future
• Continued deployments (especially BRT)
• Signal Control & Prioritization Standards
– NTCIP 1211
– TCIP TWG 10
• Review of updated Overview document
• Future research and dissemination
initiatives
Thank You!
Documents, R&D Needs, presentations from
the TSP Deployment Project are posted at:
www.itsa.org/tsp.html