BUSES WIN TWIN CITIES RUSH HOUR RACE

Traditionally, have been accomplished by building special bus lanes or ramp meter bypasses. As transit funds tightened while demand for better transit services continued, what was needed were effective and less expensive ways of getting buses, and only buses, through congestion faster than cars. The key to both technical success and public acceptance of transit advantages is measurable and perceived improvements in some aspect of the transit trip. Examples include increased speed, improved comfort, reduced trip duration, and fewer stops. Two products that address these needs were created, tested, and refined by the Team Transit division of the Twin Cities Metropolitan Council Transit Operations in cooperation with the Minnesota Department of Transportation. RouteMatic focuses on reducing the effect of passenger vehicle congestion on bus trip duration. It measures vehicle speed at one or more locations and determines when to signal fixed route express buses to detour around congestion. SpeedLight gives priority to buses entering freeways by sensing the presence of buses on metered freeway entrance ramps and shortening the cycle time of the electronic metering device until the bus has passed.