Calgary Public Transit - Discussion

[Slava]

Stupid question for sure, but for these BRT's as we just talking about actual buses that have a dedicated lane? Are they they accordion buses or just the regular buses?

And as far as the dedicated lanes go, is that only part of the route?

I'm just not too clear on how these will work.

[Ducay]

As a car driver, I think it is silly they don't have pullouts and will block traffic. But understand as I do see it quite regularly that busses get trapped in the pullouts, so trying to make it an efficient/reliable mode of transport does support this approach,

[Ironhorse]

Originally Posted by Zarley

Also, the slower traffic moves, the more attractive transit is as an option.

Nenshi and Co. have never seen a traffic (automobile) slowing measure that they didn’t like.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Slava

Stupid question for sure, but for these BRT's as we just talking about actual buses that have a dedicated lane? Are they they accordion buses or just the regular buses?

And as far as the dedicated lanes go, is that only part of the route?

I'm just not too clear on how these will work.

You can find maps that show the BRT routes in detail, and some legs of the routes are dedicated bus lanes, while others just have new stops. For example, with the SWBRT, the section on 14th street is dedicated bus lanes, while Southland, 24th street, etc, just uses the existing roads.

[PaperBagger'14]

If the calgary buses dont pull out then neither will I.

[You Need a Thneed]

Pullouts are a significant detriment to getting busses around fast.

[Mazrim]

I suppose if people actually paid attention to a bus signaling to get out of a pullout, then they would probably still use them. The might be a bit much to ask of Calgary drivers though.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by Mazrim

I suppose if people actually paid attention to a bus signaling to get out of a pullout, then they would probably still use them. The might be a bit much to ask of Calgary drivers though.

Buses also don’t have the right of way here like they do on other places. So both legally and culturally cars don’t let in buses.

[chemgear]

It's hilarious when the buses downtown are stopped blocking most of the lanes cutting to immediately turn left after a bus stop in rush hour traffic.

[Mazrim]

Originally Posted by GGG

Buses also don’t have the right of way here like they do on other places. So both legally and culturally cars don’t let in buses.

Even more reason to not use pull-outs, I suppose.

[Madman]

Originally Posted by Mazrim

Even more reason to not use pull-outs, I suppose.

NSFW!

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by Mazrim

Even more reason to not use pull-outs, I suppose.

There was that one driver who just made his own pullout on the sidewalk...

[frinkprof]

Originally Posted by Slava

Stupid question for sure, but for these BRT's as we just talking about actual buses that have a dedicated lane? Are they they accordion buses or just the regular buses?

And as far as the dedicated lanes go, is that only part of the route?

I'm just not too clear on how these will work.

As CliffFletcher said, it will be a mix dedicated transitways and running with the rest of traffic. The dedicated lanes/transitways are mostly along 17th Ave. SE (including the new guideway bridge over Deerfoot Trail) and 14th Street SW.

There are very few, if any, "pullouts" at stops, but there are some other measures to speed up bus traffic.

There will be signal control along the routes, such that traffic lights will respond to an approaching bus by staying green longer or turning green sooner.

At some intersections, there will be transit queue jumps, whereby the bus will be able to pull into a short dedicated lane, and then get an dedicated advanced signal to pull ahead of other traffic. Illustrated below:





Signal control is already being used in Calgary on the 301 north central BRT and 302 southeast BRT.

As for vehicle types, I believe they will throw a bunch of articulated buses on these routes at first, but there will likely still be regular 40 foot buses, which should be fine as ridership won't be near the potential and projected numbers at first and will grow over time. I don't think there are currently enough articulated buses in the fleet to fully serve all these routes, plus the existing 301, 302, 3, and a few other routes that they run on.

Also, the new BRT lines will be branded "MAX" and will likely be colour coded in their naming and branding as per the map above (purple, orange, teal). Not sure what colour the SW BRT will be.

[Amethyst]

I'm going to buddy up with one of the busses on Falconridge Boulevard and drive beside it - green lights all the way to work!

[SebC]

Originally Posted by frinkprof

Is this a better design than putting the stop after the intersection (which seems to be recognized as a best practice)?

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by SebC

Is this a better design than putting the stop after the intersection (which seems to be recognized as a best practice)?

The stops after intersections usually occur right after a right-turn only lane, thus not causing extra pain to regular vehicle traffic.

[Ducay]

Regardless of where the stop is, Roads Dept will find a way to f-up the signal timings

[GGG]

Originally Posted by Ducay

Regardless of where the stop is, Roads Dept will find a way to f-up the signal timings

While not perfect, they really should have one day a year where they go with Random signals just to show people that net benefit that the current system provides.

They need to put Skynet in Charge though and have a machine learning algorithm take over all signals in the city.

[Ducay]

Originally Posted by GGG

While not perfect, they really should have one day a year where they go with Random signals just to show people that net benefit that the current system provides.

They need to put Skynet in Charge though and have a machine learning algorithm take over all signals in the city.

Not sure the first analogy makes sense. You could say that about any position - In the complete absense of them things would be terrible. Doesn't mean there isn't significant room for improvement.

IBM and others have been offering smart traffic signal software for years, why we still don't use it is beyond me.

City Roads dept seems more interested in simply adding advance green lights to literally every intersection instead.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by Wormius

The stops after intersections usually occur right after a right-turn only lane, thus not causing extra pain to regular vehicle traffic.

https://www.citylab.com/transportati...s-stop/472188/

In Vancouver it's very much standard.