Transit
Bus priority getting priority in DC
Spurred by a federal TIGER grant, planners at WMATA and DDOT are moving closer to making bus priority measures a reality in the District of Columbia.
WMATA has identified operational savings estimated at $5.6 million annually for six corridors in the District for measures funded by the grant including transit signal priority (TSP), bus bulb-outs and stop improvements. Similar projects in Maryland and Virginia are also being funded by the TIGER grant.
| Corridor | Improvement | Savings/Year |
|---|---|---|
| 16th St. | 20 TSP & 30 improved bus stops | $1,000,000 |
| Georgia Ave | 36 improved bus stops & bus bulbouts | $300,000 |
| H St/Benning Rd | 22 improved bus stops & 1 queue jump | $400,000 |
| Wisconsin Ave | 20 TSP and 54 improved bus stops | $2,000,000 |
| TR Bridge to K St. | unidentified TSP locations | $900,000 |
| 14th St. Bridge to K St. | unidentified TSP locations | $1,000,000 |
| Total | $5,600,000 |
In addition to the TIGER grant improvements, DDOT is developing a comprehensive multi-modal network plan that includes bus lanes and other bus priority measures. The first place that we may see a difference is a new bus lane on I Street NW between 13th and 19th Streets and the removal of the 9th Street bus lane downtown. The new lane could be operational by the fall.
Planners at WMATA have also been busy developing several new ideas. They have developed "hypothetical" bus lanes that would produce roughly estimated additional savings of about $13 million. WMATA designates them as "hypothetical" because the feasibility of implementing the lanes has not been evaluated yet.
| Corridor | Start | End | Savings/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7th St. | Fla. Ave. | N St. | $500,000 |
| 7th St. | Penn. Ave. | Indep. Ave. | $2,300,000 |
| 16th St. | Spring Rd | Fla. Ave. | $2,300,000 |
| H St. | 17th St. | 13th St. | $1,800,000 |
| I St. | 13th St. | 19th St. | $3,200,000 |
| Penn. Ave. | Potomac Ave. | Minn. Ave. | $3,000,000 |
| Total | $13,100,000 |
WMATA's cost saving assumptions are not unreasonable, but depend heavily on good implementation of the improvements.
WMATA also has a consultant looking at potential bus lanes based on the number of buses and the slowness of speed and have identified a "top 10" list that overlaps some of the TIGER projects. Several other corridors narrowly missed being included in the "top ten." Among those just missing the list were Columbia Road NW, 7th Street NW (further north) and Wisconsin Avenue near Tenley Circle.
| Corridor | From/To | Average Speed | Buses per Day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conn. Ave. NW | K St. to Dupont Circle | 4.5 mph | 360 |
| H St. NW | 5th St. to 13th St. | 6.5 mph | 550 |
| 11 St. NW | Pennsylvania to K St. | 4.5 mph | 340 |
| 13th St. NW | H St. to I St. | 6.5 mph | 530 |
| I St. NW | 11th St. to Conn. Ave. | 6 mph | 400 |
| M St./ Penn. Ave. NW | Wash Cir. to Wisc. Ave. | 6.5 mph | 420 |
| H St. NW | Conn. Ave to 13th St. | 6 mph | 350 |
| P Street NW | Fl. Ave. to Dupont Cir. | 5 mph | 250 |
| 14th St. NW | K St. to Buchanan St. | 6.5 mph | 350 |
| 7th St. NW | Constitution to H St. | 6 mph | 280 |
The elements of well designed bus lanes, wider stop spacing of up to one every 0.2 or 0.25 miles, transit signal priority with proper stop location, queue jumpers and bulbouts when implemented around the country have resulted in time savings. If done properly in the District, buses can become an increasingly attractive part of urban mobilityCraig Simpson is currently working as a representative for Progressive Maryland. He has in the past worked for Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689 and the Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO. He has a degree in Labor Studies from the National Labor College. 
Comments
@ggwash
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The TR bridge to K st (not vice versa) seems like a strange place for a TSP. I can see the utility there as the 80, 16 and 3Y sometimes get caught. But how many buses actually use the TR bridge?
I'm a bit worried about the methodology. There is a high value to frequent bus stops. (There is also a value to less frequent, express only stops). But looks at the schedule, as opposed to the actual time, is a bit misleading. Not every stop is used. A lot of the delays (take Conn. Ave for instance ) have more to do with underlying traffic than number of stops.
A related problem is where you have 5 buses all trying to stop at the same place -- major tieups and delays.
Perhaps spreading them out: say a hypothetical bus A1 that stops at stop 1, 3, and 5 and a A2 on the same line that stops at 2, 4, 6, might work. Confusing as hell, but for the "commuter" lines people will adapt.
by charlie on May 21, 2010 10:43 am • link • report
by ForTheShorties on May 21, 2010 10:49 am • link • report
The 30 buses are the most heavily used, and Wisconsin Ave in Georgetown is their main choke point (so much so that DDOT has twice tried to take the Circulator off of Wisconsin). That's why the Georgetown Transportation Study recommended a bus lane on Wisconsin.
by Ken Archer on May 21, 2010 11:15 am • link • report
by Stephen Miller on May 21, 2010 11:25 am • link • report
1. The damn double decker tour buses which should not be allowed here
2. Blue Bus (soon to be a circulator?); although it is small now a big circulator bus would be bad
3. Hotel shuttles (mostly four seasons/lathan hotels).
by charlie on May 21, 2010 11:26 am • link • report
The double-decker buses actually join Wisconsin at P I believe and go south to M. I don't notice them as being much of a problem.
by Lou on May 21, 2010 11:34 am • link • report
The real problem is usually too many buses turning from Wisc onto M, then getting caught up on a stop there in front of Nathans.
by charlie on May 21, 2010 11:38 am • link • report
Honestly in the evening M/Penn seems much worse, especially eastbound approaching Washington Circle, due to the short timed light at 24th.
by Lou on May 21, 2010 11:45 am • link • report
In addition, I hope the new fares increase drastically for non-SmarTrip users to decrease dwell times. I can't count the number of times that the bus has missed a light cycle (or two) because of people paying in cash.
Is there some psychological reason a passenger paying in cash feels the need to be first on the bus? It seems like every other day a passenger pushes past a crowd of people with SmarTrips at the ready only to spend the next few minutes rummaging through coins or trying to force feed the machine a crumpled dollar bill... WMATA should take away the incentive to use cash, or at least make some more money off the process.
by Adam L on May 21, 2010 5:35 pm • link • report
by Trudy on May 22, 2010 10:42 am • link • report
The Latham Hotel and Four Seasons don't have hotel shuttles.
by ML on May 24, 2010 10:05 am • link • report
by mattxmal on Aug 23, 2011 10:19 am • link • report
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