Data Driven Decisions for Centralised Bus Priority in Dublin City
Traffic Signal Management in Dublin City Sydney Coordinated Adaptive Traffic System (SCATS) Adaptive system which reacts to traffic Over 800 sites throughout Dublin Sites throughout Dublin City, as well as Fingal, Dun-Laoghaire, and South Dublin All sites on SCATS provide the opportunity for centralised bus priority
Centralised Bus Priority Buses have equipped their fleets with GPS units to provide an Automatic Vehicle Location System (AVLS) The system tracks approximately 1000 buses in real time This system is based on receiving location information per bus at 20 second intervals The Centralised Bus Priority System' has two direct connections Dublin Bus Automatic Vehicle Location System (AVLS) Dublin City Council s Traffic Management Control system (SCATS) The SCATS traffic control system has an ITS port to allow a separate module to be interfaced Live bus position information can interface with the traffic management control system in order to provide traffic signal priority to buses Dublin Public Transport Interface Module (DPTIM)
Centralised Bus Priority
What is DPTIM? Processes data outputs from bus feeds to SCATS Map based display allows for virtual detectors to be installed that provide priority when a bus is within its defined area Executes priority commands to SCATS via Split plan selection, feature application, & Dwells Programmable scheduler manages detector behaviour throughout the day Provides priority without the need for hard bus priority measures All information is recorded and events and route performance can be reviewed for assessment purposes In service buses can be observed
DPTIM Virtual Detectors Over 400 throughout Dublin Takes only a few minutes to install a detector Can be changed over time to adapt to changing traffic demand Routes can be added, and removed from existing detectors Once detector has been triggered it can be blocked for X minutes
DPTIM Virtual Detectors
DPTIM Virtual Detectors
Civil Works Bus priority is additionally provided via civil works through the city Bus lane protection Left turn filter lanes Bus gates Bus lanes Yellow boxes Traffic banning schedules
Data Driven Bus Priority Dublin Bus reports Unscheduled stoppages reports Unscheduled stoppages variance reports Internal MS-SQL reports Journey time comparison reports Dashboards created in Tableau from data supplied by Dublin Bus and live bus feed Informed decisions can be made, and appropriate measures can be taken
Dublin Bus Reports Unscheduled stoppages report Supplied for each week of the year Displays bus stop and lists them according to impact Impact is measured by the number of stoppages to (+) or from (-) a bus stop, multiplied by the average stoppage time Percentage of stoppages (Stoppages / trips) * 100 Average stopping distance Good for showing the worst areas in the city
Dublin Bus Reports Unscheduled stoppages variance report Single week compared to the corresponding week of the previous year Percentage value for week subtracted by corresponding week of previous year gives variation percentage Variation percentages greater than 30% included in report Report is very useful for pointing out areas where the number of stoppages has increased
Journey Time Comparison Reports MS-SQL Server Reporting Compare any two date frames Select hours of the day Specific routes or all routes can be selected Produces average journey times (before/after) between to defined bus stops Good way to measure success of an intervention or civil works Historical reports Live feed reports (primary)
Dashboards Can be used to display many different datasets Congestion and stoppages Stop-to-stop journey time Bus stop impact score Stop/trip percentage Very useful for visually presenting data Useful for comparison analysis Before/after bus priority measure were introduced Different times of day
Dashboards Can be used to display many different datasets Congestion and stoppages Stop-to-stop journey time Bus stop impact score Stop/trip percentage Very useful for visually presenting data Useful for comparison analysis Before/after bus priority measure were introduced Different times of day
Dashboards Can be used to display many different datasets Congestion and stoppages Stop-to-stop journey time Bus stop impact score Stop/trip percentage Very useful for visually presenting data Useful for comparison analysis Before/after bus priority measure were introduced Different times of day
Informed decision making Reports Analysis Priority Review
Result example 1 AM Virtual Detector Bus has to makes a right turn and was experiencing delays Applies plan 15 to B phase at SCATS site 32 Scheduler set to from 0700-1000 39% reduction in journey time between 0800-0900
Result example 2 PM Virtual Detector Bus must make right turn from Hospital onto Navan Rd, was experiencing delays Applies plan 8 & NG to C Phase at SCATS site 4048 Scheduler set to run from 1500-2000 Consistent journey time reduction during PM peak
Result example 3 All Day Virtual Detector Buses have to cross from a minor road, over a busy orbital road Dwell was installed at SCATS site 53 Was set to run all day Resulted in a reduction in journey time throughout the entire day
Result example 4 Lane Segregation Swords Road was experiencing poor journey times Bus lane segregation bollards were installed Significantly reduced the number of private cars using the bus lane Resulted in reduced journey times during AM peak
Result example 4 Lane Segregation Before After
Result example 5 Left Turn Filter Lane Left turn filter lane at intersection was being blocked Lane was changed from a left/straight lane, to a left only lane Allowed buses and private cars to get to the left turn filter lane quicker Significantly reduced journey times throughout the day, especially during PM peak
Result example 5 Left Turn Filter Lane Before After
Result example 6 Bus Gate Bus gate was installed on North Quays to assist with reducing bus delays Resulted in the bus lane being free of general traffic Allows buses to proceed before general traffic in on order to move out and make right turn onto O Connell Bridge Resulted in a more consistent journey time
Continual Assessment
Future of DCC Bus Priority Reduction in polling rate from 20 seconds closer to an instantaneous feed Faster detector triggering and cancelling would occur A greater number of Dwells could be installed Fewer errors in detector triggering world occur An even greater improvement in service Many new virtual detectors BusConnects Continual success in reducing unscheduled stops and journey times
Summary The Effect of Bus Priority Increased level of service of public transport Encourage modal shift from private car Environmental sustainability Advantages of centralised bus priority Virtual detectors reduce the need for often expensive on-street measures Fast to install System can be used to maintain bus priority throughout the whole city Interventions can easily be tweaked Scheduler means priority can be given at specific times of the day
Thank you for listening