the quickway proposal for san diego, pt. 1/2: why? how?

San Diego Quickway Proposal—Part I: Why? How?© 2014 by The Mission Group 1© 2008 by The Mission Group

SAN DIEGO CITIZENS’

Quickway ProposalFOR A FASTER & MORE EFFECTIVE RAPID TRANSIT SYSTEM

Produced for

The Scripps Ranch/Miramar Ranch North Traffic Reduction Project and Move San Diego, Inc.

by The Mission Group, San Diego, California

AUGUST 2014

1Why? How?

San Diego Quickway Proposal—Part I: Why? How?© 2014 by The Mission Group 2

We Need to Improve Access for All

More Pervasive System =

Easier Access

Lower Costs

Higher Frequencies

More Convenience

Better Integration with

Destinations

Families Don’t Need as Many

Cars!


What Do We Need Transit to Do?

Better serve dependent populations

Attract people who would otherwise

drive

AND


Don’t we have a plan to do that?

© 2014 by The Mission Group 5San Diego Quickway Proposal—Part I: Why? How?

SANDAG’s Regional Transportation Plan 2050 (RTP)

A 40-year, $214 billion plan.

$20.4 billion (2010 $)

in new transit capital projects.

$19.4 billion (2010 $)

for transit operations.

Major projects include new Trolley (light rail) lines,Arterial “rapid bus,”Freeway-based “Bus Rapid Transit,” and Streetcar lines.


Sounds extensive. So what’s the problem?


“The Trolley is really popular with San Diegans…

…they’re just not riding it.”

— Job Nelson, reporting on the KPBS/Competitive Edge Survey of San Diegans, Full Focus, July 2005


“Choice Riders” on the Trolley

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

Source: SANDAG

Just35%

% of Trolley Riders Who “Had an Auto Available” for Their Trip


Income Level of Transit Riders

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

Below

$15k

$15k -

<$25k

$25k -

<$50k

$50k -

<$75k

$75k -

<$100k

$100k

and Up

MTSBus

LightRail

CommuterRail

FreewayBus

Source: SANDAG, “Results of the 2009 Onboard Transit Passenger Survey for the San Diego Region,” (February, 2011).

The San Diego Trolley (light rail) attracts the identical low-income market of theMTS Bus.

Household Income


Transit needs to attract and serve all income groups,

not just the poorest or wealthiest members of our society.

We can’t just keep doing more of the same.


What about freeway-based Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and Rapid Bus projects in our Regional

Transportation Plan?


Out-of-direction travel

Stations far from

destinations

Passenger-unfriendly stations

Lack of infrastructure onceoff freeway leads to delays, poor customer experience.

San Diego Freeway-Based BRT


the carpool lanes were backed up tostate Route 163.

the carpool lanes were backed up to

state Route 163.

San Diego Freeway-Based BRT


Transit = FAIL!

When the freeway is blocked:


Arterial Rapid Bus: High Speed?

SDSU to

Santa Fe Depot

Distance: 9.5 miles

Travel Time: 38 mins

Average Speed: 15 mph

Travel Time

on Trolley: 32 mins

Our approach to “Rapid Bus” is still… slow.

From the official Rapid Bus website:

Mid-City Rapid will be a high-speed,

limited-stop bus service between San Diego

State University and Downtown San Diego…

a fast and reliable way to get around…


So how did you go about creating a better alternative?


Apply Global Best Practices to Transit

Planning in San Diego

Apply Market Research Findings to Transit System

Design

Create a FASTER, More CONVENIENT,

Better LOCATED, and More COST-

EFFECTIVE System

DevelopmentCommunity

Community Groups

EnvironmentalCommunity


The Quickway Project Team

Alignment Planning & Capital Cost Model

Wendel-Duchscherer A&E, Inc.

Buffalo, New York

Planning & Design of Quickway System

Brisbane, Australia

GCI Pty., Ltd.

Planning and Routing of Bus Networks

Brisbane, Australia

Brisbane City Enterprises

RidershipModeling

Vermont

Smart Mobility, Inc.

Operational Analysis & Refinement

Toronto, Canada

McCormick-Rankin International, Inc.

Local Counterpart& Coordination

San Diego

The Mission Group


Brisbane: A Model City

“Brisbane is now at the leading edge in urban mass transit… the new busway… will attract international attention for the level of quality and customer focus that [has been] incorporated.”

— Hans Rat, Secretary General International Public Transport Association (IUTP)


Brisbane has been developing a Quickway network, a set of grade-separated busways (no cross traffic) that have proven

more effective than any freeway-based bus system or light rail system at attracting riders.


Brisbane—Quickways

Why Quickways?

Grade-separated busways (Quickways), support trolley-like AND express services:

- Faster trips

- Less waiting

- Lower costs


Grade separation = no cross traffic, leading to faster and more reliable travel times.


Tunnels and fly-overs let transit avoid congestion and place

stations in optimal locations.


In this case, a hospital wing was built floating over the

Quickway station, which was integrated into the hospital. This tight integration drives

ridership higher.


Because Quickways aggregate many routes together,

frequencies are high—and waiting times tend to be much

shorter than on equivalent light rail or BRT systems.


This underground station in Brisbane’s downtown keeps passengers separated from

transit vehicles.


Passengers board buses through

sliding glass doors.


Comparison: Peak Passengers/Hour

6-Lane Freeway Southeast Busway (2-lane)

SDTrolley

7,800 18,000 2,700

at the Busiest Spot during the Busiest Hour in the Peak Direction


140%

120%

160%

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%2003 2009

+ 60%

Brisbane: Ridership Growth

The creation of just 13 miles of Quickway enabled Brisbane to support a robust express network that led to a massive increase in transit ridership.


“Trolley-Like” Service

Regional Express Service

The Secret: Express Service


One Infrastructure = Lower Cost!

The Secret: Express Service

Express services skip most stations using passing lane.

Local “Trolley-like” services stop at every station.

San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2014 by The Mission Group 34


The Quickway Proposal is modeled on Brisbane’s successful approach to transit for a dispersed

metro area.