Peter Klitz Senior Planner Transit Network Management TransLink (Metro Vancouver)

Transcription

1 Opening the Black Box to Shed Light on TransLink s Network Management Process Peter Klitz Senior Planner Transit Network Management TransLink (Metro Vancouver)

2 Metro Vancouver s Transportation System Bus Services More than 215 bus routes with a fleet of over 1,500 vehicles Ferry Services SeaBus, three passenger-only ferries linking Downtown Vancouver and North Vancouver Cycling Contributions to new bike paths and locker facilities HandyDART A custom transit service for people with disabilities, there are 338 vehicles in the fleet Rapid Transit Services Expo, Millennium and Canada SkyTrain Lines Commuter Rail Services West Coast Express Roads Operation and maintenance of the 2,400 km major road network Bridges Owns the Pattullo, Knight Street, Golden Ears and Westham Island Bridges Transit Police Force Dedicated transit police service AirCare Vehicle emission testing and inspection

3 Fast Facts 6.8 million service hours per year 354 million passenger boardings per year 14% of trips in the region are by transit 1 in 2 residents in Metro Vancouver use transit at least once a month each month Nearly 90% of all residents live within a 5 minute walk from a transit stop or station

4 Planning Process Strategic Planning and Policy Long-term strategic planning Policy development Objective setting GHG emission reduction Transit mode share Regional Growth Strategy Service Delivery Day to day delivery of transit services Detailed service planning Scheduling Operations Monitoring

5 Role of Network Management Strategic Planning and Policy Network Management Service Delivery Network Management Provides a key link between strategic planning and the day-to-day design and delivery of transit services Ensures the decisions we make at a detailed level are guided by our strategic goals and objectives

6 Areas of Overlap Between Parent Organizations and Operating Subsidiaries Network Management TransLink Parent Organization Service Delivery Operating Subsidiaries

7 Happy People Working Together in Blissful Harmony Network Management Service Delivery

8 Potential for Friction if responsibilities are not well defined and/or approaches to service planning are unclear Network Management Service Delivery?????

9 Key Areas that Need Clear Definition Who Does What? What s Our Approach?

10 Defining Roles and Responsibilities TransLink Chief Planner Bus Division Chief Operator System Policy and Architecture Operational Planning Develops policy guidelines and KPI s for transit service Accountable for the architecture of the transit system Oversees the service planning process Responsible for network effectiveness Generates and quantifies operational requirements for achieving design architecture Develops implementation plans and delivers bus component of transit system Responsible for network efficiency

11 Principles for Managing the Transit Network How does TransLink make decisions about where to add, change or reduce transit service? What are our objectives for transit service? How can we help people to make decisions that encourage transit use? What are the challenges and tradeoffs associated with each decision we make?

12 Best Practices in Transit Service Design

13 Serve areas of strong demand Successful transit services connect several areas with high transportation demand A diverse mix of uses and building types will encourage a variety of trips throughout the day

14 Have strong anchors at both ends A transit line without strong anchors results in low ridership levels at one or both ends Strong lines start and end at major activity centres or connection points

15 Avoid duplication or competition between transit services Transit lines should be far enough from other lines so that they do not compete for passengers Lines that are close together, or even overlap, will reduce ridership on both lines

16 Have balanced loads in each direction The productivity of a transit line is based on the costs of a two-way transit run A corridor that offers a diversity of land use will generate ridership in both directions because people have reasons to travel in both directions

17 Be direct, simple, consistent, and legible An effective transit line should feel like a reasonably direct path along most of its length, and does not depart from this path Adding deviations to an existing line has a negative impact on existing riders and increases the cost of operating the service

18 Best Practices Learned Through Observation

19 Network Management Process Implement changes Review system performance Analyze impacts of previous changes Transit service performance is reviewed annually Finalize Service Change Concepts Evidence-Based Decision-Making Identify areas of high and low productivity Stakeholder Consultation Propose projects for service reduction and reinvestment Results are posted on TransLink s public website

20 Collaborative Planning TransLink Bus Division Candidate initiatives are developed as a collaborative effort between TransLink and the Bus Division Teams perform as per their designated roles and responsibilities TransLink Responsible for network architecture, objectives, principles and design considerations Bus Division Responsible for evaluating cost, operational feasibility, facility and fleet impacts but there s no monopoly on good ideas Ideas!!!

21 Toolkit for Managing Transit Networks Changes in service frequency or hours of operation Changes in vehicle type Changes to the network

22 System-Wide Analysis Highlights trends in system performance at the macro level

23 North Shore Sub-Regional Analysis Northeast Sector Vancouver/UBC Burnaby New Westminster Maple Ridge Pitt Meadows Richmond South Delta / Ladner / Tsawwassen South of Fraser Gain a better understanding of ridership and productivity trends at a sub-regional level Identifies localized impacts of changes to the network

24 Route-by-Route Analysis Provides detailed information of how individual components of the transit system are performing Identifies opportunities for strategic re-investment

25 Outcomes Since 2010, TransLink has re-invested 340,000 annual bus service hours from lower performing services to higher performing services across the Metro Vancouver region With no additional funding for service expansion, optimizing transit service has helped accommodate an additional 9.6 million bus boardings per year Annual Bus Boardings by Sub-Region Boardings per Revenue Hour Cost per Boarding +10% -6.8%

26 Key Takeaways 1. TransLink s Network Management Program helps to ensure the decisions we make at a detailed level are guided by our strategic goals and objectives 2. Clearly defined roles and responsibilities can help mitigate the potential for friction between parent companies and operating subsidiaries 3. Outlining your approach to designing transit services helps both internal and external stakeholders understand the service planning process 4. Service Planning is a long game - Be kind to your future self

27 Thank You!!