SHIRLEY HIGHWAY EXPRESS BUS ON FREEWAY DEMONSTRATION PROJECT

Abstract

THIS PAPER DESCRIBES A SERIES OF IMPROVEMENTS THAT HAVE GIVEN BUSES PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT LEADING TO TRAVEL TIME SAVINGS OF 5 TO 30 MINUTES. THESE IMPROVEMENTS HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTED OVER THE PAST 2 YEARS ALONG A 9-MILE SECTION OF I-95 (SHIRLEY HIGHWAY) LINKING NORTHERN VIRGINIA WITH DOWNTOWN WASHINGTON, D.C. BUS ROUTES EXPERIENCING THESE TIME SAVINGS HAVE GAINED APPROXIMATELY 4,000 MORE RIDERS, MOST OF WHOM HAVE A CHOICE BETWEEN TAKING BUS OR DRIVING AN AUTOMOBILE. OVER HALF OF THE INCREASE HAS OCCURRED IN THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS FOLLOWING THE OPENING OF THE FULL LENGTH OF EXCLUSIVE ROADWAY FOR BUSES IN THE MEDIAN OF THE SHIRLEY HIGHWAY AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF EIGHT NEW EXPRESS BUS ROUTES. RESULTS OF TWO TRAVEL SURVEYS IN THE CORRIDOR MADE AT THE BEGINNING AND END OF THIS PERIOD ARE DISCUSSED, AND EARLY INDICATORS OF THE MODAL CHOICE SHIFT ARE DESCRIBED. ADDITIONAL SURVEYS ARE SCHEDULED AT 4- TO 6-MONTH INTERVALS OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS. THE TYPES OF ANALYSIS AND DATA THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR GENERAL USE BY URBAN TRANSPORTATION PLANNERS ARE PRESENTED IN PRELIMINARY FORM. THE COST AND REVENUE ASSOCIATED WITH THE INCREASE COMMUTER TRAFFIC IS ANALYZED USING A FIVE-PARAMETER COST ALLOCATION PROCEDURE TO PROVIDE PRELIMINARY GUIDELINES FOR THE FINANCIAL REQUIREMENTS OF SIMILAR IMPROVEMENTS DESIGNED TO ATTRACT MORE COMMUTERS TO BUS SERVICE.

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