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1) Alan says he doesn't really know how much it costs and the $60K per bus figure (~$40M?) seems very high. ODOT + other sources say that it was funded by a grant at the cost of ~$3M - $7M.
2) TriMet did not go at this alone, they partnered with City of Portland. One of the references I cited earlier was actually written by the City, not TriMet. AFAIK he's right, however, that the system is not active outside of Portland, however.
3) There isn't resistance because it "buses aren't emergency vehicles." As Alan hints, it's not exactly like an emergency vehicle - it doesn't cause lights to change immediately. Instead, it causes the traffic light controller to make subtle changes to the timing (similar to pushing a crosswalk button) -- either by holding a green a little longer, or causing a red to change to green a little quicker.
The other municipalities probably don't implement the system probably because they don't have the capability, don't care, don't know TriMet has the capability on the bus, or don't have the time to reprogram the signals. I doubt it's due to political resistance.
I agree with Alan that TriMet could use more oversight and an elected board.
"Portland has increased mass transit operating speeds and reduced travel time variability by adding bus signal priority to over 350 intersections within the City. This program better accommodates mass transit and emergency police and fire vehicles and has the added benefit of reducing travel time variability and increasing bus operating speeds"
4 comments:
1) Alan says he doesn't really know how much it costs and the $60K per bus figure (~$40M?) seems very high. ODOT + other sources say that it was funded by a grant at the cost of ~$3M - $7M.
2) TriMet did not go at this alone, they partnered with City of Portland. One of the references I cited earlier was actually written by the City, not TriMet. AFAIK he's right, however, that the system is not active outside of Portland, however.
3) There isn't resistance because it "buses aren't emergency vehicles." As Alan hints, it's not exactly like an emergency vehicle - it doesn't cause lights to change immediately. Instead, it causes the traffic light controller to make subtle changes to the timing (similar to pushing a crosswalk button) -- either by holding a green a little longer, or causing a red to change to green a little quicker.
The other municipalities probably don't implement the system probably because they don't have the capability, don't care, don't know TriMet has the capability on the bus, or don't have the time to reprogram the signals. I doubt it's due to political resistance.
I agree with Alan that TriMet could use more oversight and an elected board.
BTW: I'm glad you pointed this out because I don't typically watch Alan's videos.
Here's a quote from Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT)'s 2008-2009 annual report:
"Portland has increased mass transit operating speeds and reduced travel time variability by adding bus signal priority to over 350 intersections within the City. This program better accommodates mass transit and emergency police and fire vehicles and has the added benefit of reducing travel time variability and increasing bus operating speeds"
Boy When Max disagrees he is like a piranha
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