SMARTBRT IN MOTION : USE OF A NEW SET OF PLANNING, ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION TOOLS FOR BUS RAPID TRANSIT

This presentation reports on first-year results from a two-year project to develop a computer simulation, visualization and methodological "toolbox", SmartBRT, to describe and evaluate operational aspects of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) concepts. This paper describes the objectives and the basis of the tool and summarizes results from two separate preliminary analyses - a study of onboard travel time as a function of operation variables, and a study on serving high passenger demand by increasing available capacity. While these case studies address the Wilshire-Whittier Rapid Metro BRT (LACMTA), they also illustrate the capabilities of SmartBRT for various levels of analyses. These analyses are accompanied by a photorealistic animation showing the BRT in-lane operation. Finally plans for the completion of SmartBRT in Year 2 are presented