Institute of Transportation Engineers. ITE Journal: MAX-The New Trend in Rubber-Tire Rapid Transit

THE REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION OF SOUTHERN NEVADA HAS DEPLOYED A NEW RAPID TRANSIT SYSTEM IN THE LAS VEGAS, NV, USA, METROPOLITAN AREA THAT USES A COMPREHENSIVE SYSTEM APPROACH TO INCREASE CAPACITY, IMPROVE PASSENGER COMFORT AND CONVENIENCE, REDUCE TRAVEL TIMES AND RAISE AWARENESS IN THE COMMUNITY ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION.

AS TRAFFIC CONGESTION AND air pollution continue to increase in several U.S. metropolitan areas, so does the demand for effective transportation solutions. Although increasing the capacity of roadways may relieve some of this strain, it cannot outpace the growth in automobile use.

Historically, the public's perception toward transit as an alternative is mixed at best. To address this issue, the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) has deployed a new transit system in the Las Vegas, NV, USA, metropolitan area.

Metropolitan Area F^press (MAX) is creating a fresh image for public transportation while enhancing service to its customers. MAX is a national demonstration project sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) bus rapid transit (BRT) program. The goal of the project is to use an innovative system approach to increase capacity, improve passenger comfort and convenience, reduce dwell times and raise awareness in the community about the benefits of public transportation.

Developed as a higher grade transit solution, MAX is a rubber-tire rapid transit system that operates like light rail but with the lower cost and flexibility of a bus. In its initial deployment in the Las Vegas area, MAX has complemented existing fixedroute bus operations and enhanced service to customers in the project corridor.

System features include an exclusive transit-only lane; high-capacity, low-floor vehicles with optical guidance systems (OGS); and unique passenger "stations" with large seating areas, generous lighting, vending machines and elevated platforms for near-level boarding. Other elements include offboard fare collection; multiple-door boarding; transit signal priority; automatic passenger counters; and computer-aided dispatch with automatic vehicle location (CAD/AVL) technology.

The 7.5-mile Las Vegas Boulevard North project corridor previously was served solely by RTC's Citizens Area Transit (CAT) fixed-route bus service. Route 113, which was one of RTC's busiest routes in the CAT system, carried an average of more than 7,200 passengers per day from July 2003 through June 2004. The corridor connects to many of the area's population, employment and service centers, including the resort corridor, the City of North Las Vegas municipal campus and Nellis Air Force Base.

The surrounding area is populated by many low-income residents who depend on transit to get to and from work. With more than 30 stops in each direction, the average one-way peak travel time from the southern terminus at the downtown transportation center in Las Vegas to the northern terminus near Nellis Air Force Base was nearly 50 minutes.

In 1999, the Nevada Department of Transportation, together with the City of North Las Vegas, proposed re-striping an existing breakdown lane along five miles of the corridor into a transit-only lane. Given the large demand and the potential for enhanced service, RTC used this opportunity to secure federal funding under FTA's BRT program.

In accordance with the program requirements, RTC staff reviewed the characteristics of each stop along the existing Route 113 and identified 18 high-volume locations in the area of the transit-only lane that would be better served with the new system.

Although the new service would enhance existing operations at these locations, the southernmost stations were nearly 2.5 miles away from the southern terminus. This gap would be minimized later by a donation of right of way by the Jerry's Nugget Casino to accommodate two additional stops, extending the effective service area another mile south and providing direct access to one of the more prominent employment and recreational venues in North Las Vegas.

To enhance the identity and function of the system-that of providing trainlike service-RTC selected a vehicle that would have an exclusive and attractive appearance and would feature some of the latest innovations in transit technology. The Civis vehicle, manufactured by the European company Irisbus, is 61 feet long, has 100 percent low-floors and can accommodate more than 100 passengers.

It uses a diesel-electric powertrain with electric motors in each of the four rear wheels to obtain smoother acceleration and air quality emissions that are near those of compressed natural gas. Energy captured through regenerative braking is used to supplement the power requirements of the vehicles robust climate control system. Other features include self-leveling suspension; OGS for automatic steering; center-driving position; automatic passenger counters; next-stop annunciators integrated with the CAD/ AVL system; and interior bicycle racks.

Because no fare collection occurs on the vehicle itself, its four wide doors can open simultaneously to allow passengers to board and/or alight much more quickly and easily than a conventional bus. This not only reduces dwell time but also helps maintain a comfortable air temperature in the cabin during hot summer months.

Just as important to attracting choice riders is the sleek, train-like appearance of the vehicle (see Figure 1). On the outside, the rounded edges and aerodynamic profile hint toward a bullet train. The cabin has modern interior design elements combined with larger windows and skylights to make the ride more open and comfortable. Since its inception, customers generally have regarded the MAX vehicle as a distinctive, high-grade transit system.

One exclusive feature of the Civis is an OGS that automatically steers the vehicle when docking at stations. The purpose of this system is to complement the near-level boarding provided by the elevated platforms with precise docking of the vehicle, minimizing the horizontal gap to less than 2 inches between the vehicle's doorways and the platform. This allows for easier passenger boarding and further reduces dwell time.

When the vehicle enters a "guided" area, the system automatically detects and follows a specific trajectory of pavement markings, notifying the driver that it has control through the use of visual and audio alarms as well as tactile feedback through the steering wheel. The driver can take the wheel at any time to automatically disengage the OGS. The driver remains in control of braking and acceleration throughout.

Although the OGS system has shown consistent results during testing, it should be noted that the condition of pavement markings can affect its performance. RTC currently is evaluating the use of different pavement marking materials and maintenance procedures to achieve maximum benefits from the system.

To further enhance the convenience and comfort of patrons and to create an identity for the system, the 20 stops were developed as passenger "stations." A unique shelter design complements the shape of the MAX vehicle. Accessibility is considered throughout, with station platforms constructed to nearly match the floor height and length of the vehicle. Tactile surfaces are included to guide the visually impaired to station amenities and door locations (see Figure 2).

One of the more popular elements of the station design is the bypass sidewalk, which allows passerby to avoid walking through the station area. Also included are small landscaped areas developed to meet the city's beautification guidelines.

Shelters are constructed to protect patrons from the elements. Materials were selected for their resistance to damage, weathering and graffiti. The architectural design and aesthetic treatments complement the urban design elements of the corridor and demonstrate RTC's commitment to the community ( see Figure 3).

Each seating area is much larger than for a standard bus stop and is set back from the sidewalk with 18 colored concrete block benches. The seating is individually separated to preserve personal comfort zones and is set at varying heights to create an uneven profile, thereby discouraging overnight loitering. In-ground and overhead lamp fixtures fill the station with light. Beverage vending machines are provided to improve the safety and comfort of passengers.

Another distinctive feature of the MAX system that has helped reduce travel time and increase customer convenience is the proof of payment, or "honor system," fare policy and the use of off-board fare collection. Ticket vending machines are installed at each of the 20 MAX stations as well as at the downtown transportation center to allow customers to purchase and validate their fare prior to the arrival of the vehicle.

Ticket vending machines accept cash and credit/debit cards and dispense single ride, 1-day and 30-day passes for both full and reduced fares. During the first month of operation, nearly 12,000 passes were sold through the vending machines. In October 2004, the number had increased to 19,500, of which more than 90 percent were single-ride passes; 2 percent were 1-day passes; and 6 percent were 30-day passes.

To assist the visually impaired, ticket vending machines feature audio assistance in both English and Spanish. Fares purchased at a ticket machine cost the same as regular fixed route service and are transferable to any other CAT route.

Uniformed fare checkers under contract by RTC ride the vehicles at random times and locations to verify that customer fare media are valid and to enforce the fare policy. Their presence not only deters fare evasion, but also provides customers with a greater sense of security. By removing all fare collection from the vehicle, the system operates more like a light rail system with reduced dwell times at each station.

Although the transit-only lane helps MAX avoid traffic congestion, RTC also implemented a transit signal priority system along the majority of the project corridor to further improve travel time. This effort was made possible with the support of Clark County and the Cities of Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, all of which have jurisdiction along segments of the route.

Most of the signalized intersections already were equipped with 207ON controllers and infrared detectors for emergency vehicle preemption. Therefore, RTC only had to install hardware specific to transit use and adjust the controller software to accommodate low-priority calls from transit vehicles. Phasing strategies include green extensions, green advances, left-turn swapping and a "queue jumper" to help MAX vehicles progress unimpeded along the corridor. As the first application of transit signal priority in Las Vegas, testing is underway to determine its effectiveness. Quantitative results are not available at this time, but many MAX operators have embraced the system.

All of these features, including the vehicles, stations, off-board fare collection, transit-only lane and transit signal priority combine to make the MAX system operate like light rail but at a fraction of the cost. The total cost to develop and implement the MAX system was approximately $20.4 million, which included the 10-vehicle fleet, 20 passenger stations, 22-unit ticket vending machine network and the transit signal priority system.

At just more than $2.5 million per mile, the system is much less expensive than the typical cost of $20 million to $30 million per mile for light rail systems. Future improvements to the system will include real-time vehicle arrival displays at each of the stations and reduced headways to meet increasing passenger demand.

Currently, MAX operates seven days per week at 12-minute headways between the hours of 5:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. The local parallel CAT Route 113 is a 24-hour service that operates at 20-minute headways between 5:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. and 30-minute headways the rest of the time. To better serve increasing demand, RTC is adding two more stations in January 2005 that will facilitate transfers to and from another high capacity route, thereby enhancing its connectivity.

Since the introduction of the MAX system on June 30, 2004, total corridor ridership has steadily increased from just more than 7,200 passengers per day in the first month to nearly 9,700 passengers per day in October 2004, with MAX carrying more than 40 percent of the customers. This figure also is a 25-percent increase compared to the October 2003 ridership for Route 113. Not only is the system more attractive than standard fixed-route bus service, it is much faster-reducing one-way travel time from nearly 50 minutes to just more than 25 minutes.

This performance, together with the comfort and convenience provided by both the vehicles and the stations, is setting a new standard for public transportation in Las Vegas (see Figure 4). With its implementation, it is hoped that other communities will see a viable alternative to rail when trying to enhance public transportation systems. The first in the United States to use the Civis vehicle technology, MAX is a comprehensive system approach to providing high quality, state-of-the-art rubber-tire rapid transit.

As the Las Vegas metropolitan area continues to grow, RTC will look to deploy MAX systems on other major corridors. The MAX system is one of many ways RTC is following its mission to provide a safe, convenient and effective regional transportation system that enhances mobility and air quality for citizens and visitors. For more information on this and other RTC projects, please visit www.rtcsouthernnevada.com.

BY DAVID C. SWALLOW, P.E.

DAVID C. SWALLOW, P.E., is a senior civil engineer for the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada. He holds a B.S. ana an M.S. in civil engineering from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. His primary research interests include the development of transit systems and facilities. He is a member of ITE.