Regional Evaluation of Bus Rapid Transit With and Without Transit Signal Priority

Abstract

This paper evaluates the performance of various bus rapid transit (BRT) scenarios with and without transit signal priority (TSP) in improving speeds and reducing travel times and delays on a real-life corridor along International Drive (I-Drive) in Orlando, Florida. This corridor is crucial for the regional economic prosperity of Central Florida. Microsimulation and statistical analysis were used to develop BRT models. The developed models used a variety of data to determine several measures of effectiveness for all vehicles and for buses only. Simulation results showed that TSP and BRT scenarios were effective in reducing travel times (up to 26%) and delays (up to 64%), as well as increasing the speed (up to 47%), compared with the base scenario. The most effective scenarios were achieved by combining BRT and TSP. Unconditional TSP scenarios produced significant crossing street delays, especially at high-traffic intersections, indicating that these scenarios are impractical for implementation and lead one to use the conditional TSP. The developed models with real-life data input are able to predict how proposed enhancements change the studied measures of effectiveness. The BRT models presented in this paper can be used for further sensitivity analysis on a larger regional network in the upcoming regional expansion of the transit system in Central Florida. Since this study demonstrated the operational functionality and effectiveness of BRT and TSP systems in this critical corridor in Central Florida, these systems’ accomplishments can be expanded throughout the state of Florida to provide greater benefits to transit passengers.