New Technology Feeder Systems Advanced Transit Association Seminar

New Technology Feeder Systems Advanced Transit Association Seminar May 4 -5, 2007 West Virginia University Morgantown, W V Robert Johnson www. autoroadvehicles. com R. E. Johnson Consulting Rockville, Maryland www. autoroadvehicles. com

New Technology for Small People Movers • Electronics replace mechanical parts • Lateral control: steers like a car • On-board power supply, usually batteries • Guideway is just exclusive, light duty road • Often called Automated Road Vehicles • New technology may not always be best (wide guideway, snow removal issues) www. autoroadvehicles. com 2

Examples of New Technology Vehicles • Park. Shuttle Minibus • ULTra Personal Rapid Transit • Cyber. Cab PRT/Microbus www. autoroadvehicles. com 3

Park. Shuttle Minibus • Has carried the public on one-mile route near Rotterdam • 20 -25 passengers • 20 mph (32 kph) • lead-acid batteries, recharges in off-peak www. autoroadvehicles. com 4

ULTra Personal Rapid Transit Vehicle • Scheduled to begin service at Heathrow airport, London in 2008 • Four passengers • 25 mph (40 kph) • Battery powered www. autoroadvehicles. com 5

Cyber. Cab PRT/Microbus • Designed by same company that developed the Park. Shuttle • 6 passengers • 25 mph (32 kph) www. autoroadvehicles. com 6

Proposed Interior Showing Two Fold-Down Seats www. autoroadvehicles. com 7

At-Grade Exclusive Roadway www. autoroadvehicles. com 8

ULTra One-Way Elevated Guideway www. autoroadvehicles. com 9

Tunnel Under Cross Street www. autoroadvehicles. com 10

Principles of Operation • Shared service, not private • Minimum headway: 5 -10 seconds • Maximum grade: 10 % • Low interior headroom means all seated, but acceleration and jerk limits set for standees – Wheelchairs not secured – Can’t be sure all passengers are seated www. autoroadvehicles. com 11

Two-Way Guideways • Other lane is emergency walkway • Two-way is not twice as expensive • Direct routes reduce vehicle miles • Easier to put two-way guideway at grade; must have grade separation to allow access to area within a one-way loop www. autoroadvehicles. com 12

End-of-Line Station Vehicles back out of berths into turn-around area www. autoroadvehicles. com 13

Guideway Routing • Place guideways at grade whenever possible • Stations at grade eliminate elevator costs • Run guideways behind buildings, not in front • If possible, guideways should cross streets, not run along them www. autoroadvehicles. com 14

Layout of Feeder Systems for the Morgantown PRT • All are a single two-way line, no branches • Most have stations at end points only • One system also has a center platform station along the line www. autoroadvehicles. com 15

Four possible feeder systems for the Morgantown PRT www. autoroadvehicles. com 16

Research Park Extension www. autoroadvehicles. com 17

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Sunnyside Line - Detail www. autoroadvehicles. com 21

Operating Parameters * Based on maximum speed of 25 mph (40 kph) www. autoroadvehicles. com 22

Approximate Unit Capital Costs • Two-way elevated guideway: $10 M / mile, not strongly dependent on vehicle weight • Two-way at-grade: $1. 5 M - 3 M / mile + land • 6 -passenger vehicles: $150 K - 200 K • 20 -passenger vehicles: $500 K • Central control: $200 K ? per system, but some savings if multiple systems www. autoroadvehicles. com 23

Additional Data Needed for System Costs • Unit capital costs for stations • Site specific construction costs • Unit operating costs for vehicles • Other O & M costs • Operating policy, for example maximum wait time in the off peak • Patronage www. autoroadvehicles. com 24

Benefits • Student / Faculty / Staff mobility • Removing cars from streets improves traffic flow for all drivers • Reduced need for expensive parking structures • Increased value of land near stations www. autoroadvehicles. com 25

For more information on Automated Road Vehicles please see: www. autoroadvehicles. com 26