Increasing the Productivity of Urban Expressways: Combining TSM (Transportation Systems Management) Techniques and Transit Improvements

摘要

This is the second phase of a two-part study, which summarizes an analysis of Transportation Systems Management (TSM) and other low capital cost techniques to increase the productivity of urban expressways and streets in dense, build-up areas. Using CORSIM, a variant of the TASSIM land-use transportation model, this analysis examines the benefits and costs of implementing alternative combinations of TSM techniques and transit improvement policies. In Volume 1, the costs and benefits of implementing four alternative TSM policies in Boston's central area were estimated. This volume focuses on expressway management policies and transit improvements for Boston's Southeast Corridor. Four TSM techniques: a contra-flow lane for buses; a concurrent-flow lane, ramp metering with bus priority, and automobile tolls, are considered in conjunction with five alternative transit systems offering different combinations of travel times and fares. Also, the impacts of a parking surcharge were simulated for all central area commuters, along with the various toll and metering policies. Of the composite policies tested, expressway ramp metering with an average delay of nine minutes, assuming an improved bus transit system charges $0.7 per mile, is the most feasible cost-effective option.