BUS RAPID TRANSIT TECHNOLOGIES: ASSISTING DRIVERS OPERATING BUSES ON ROAD SHOULDERS, VOLUME 1

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has identified the concept of Bus Rapid Transit as a means to increase the efficiency of transit operations while maintaining transit's proven safety record. According to the FTA website www.fta.dot.gov, "BRT combines the quality of rail transit and the flexibility of buses. It can operate on exclusive transitways, HOV lanes, expressways, or ordinary streets. A BRT system combines intelligent transportation systems technology, priority for transit, cleaner and quieter vehicles, rapid and convenient fare collection, and integration with land use policy." Because of the limited right-of-way available to build new (and possibly dedicated) lanes for BRT operations, the FTA has identified lane assist as an emerging technology, which will enable deployment of BRT systems. The premise behind lane assist technology is to increase the safety of BRT vehicles as they operate in the more unique environments, such as narrow lanes. Lane assist technology will allow BRT vehicles to operate at the desired higher operating speeds while maintaining the safety of the passengers, BRT vehicle and the motoring public. The primary objective of this project was to equip a Metro Transit bus with driver assistive technology which will enable a driver of a Metro Transit bus to better guide a transit bus on a narrow shoulder, especially under difficult conditions. This driver assistive technology was optimized for the bus driver. The technology associated with the primary objective was aimed primarily at the lane keeping and forward collision avoidance tasks. This objective was met, and is the focus of Volume 1.