DENVER | Transportation Thread

[Interzen]

Originally Posted by wong21fr

Hopefully the next two BRT projects in the metro area, not that silly Boulder to Longmont BRT, are able to reach construction just a bit quicker.

Too Late: Construction on CO 119 begins Monday, Sept. 23
(bouldercounty.gov)

RTD will temporarily close the Niwot Park-n-Ride and permanently close the north and southbound CO 119 bus stops at CO 52 beginning Sept. 29. When it reopens in May 2027, the Niwot Park-n-Ride will include platforms for the new CO 119 Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service, a larger parking lot with lighting and security cameras, secure bike parking, and access to the newly constructed bikeway.

The northbound and southbound CO 119 bus stops at CO 52 will close Sept. 29 to facilitate reconstruction of the intersection to include new BRT bus platforms and continuation of the median for the new bikeway. Temporary stops were not warranted at this location due to lack of available ADA compliant stop locations. The next closest bus stops served by the BOLT bus are at 63rd St. to the south of CO 52 and Monarch or Niwot to the north.

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by Interzen

Too Late: Construction on CO 119 begins Monday, Sept. 23
(bouldercounty.gov)

Well, that was fast-ish. It will be a nice upgrade, though I wouldn't call this BRT just yet given the 30 minute headways.

[TakeFive]

What the heck is Bus Rapid Transit aka BRT
Where did it come from and why?

Many may remember Uncle Plato who said that new-cessity is the Mother of Invention. In more modern times it's likely that money, or the lack thereof is important.

According to Wikipedia

Bus rapid transit (BRT), also referred to as a busway or transitway... public transport bus service system designed to have much more capacity, reliability, and other quality features than a conventional bus system.

The second BRT system in the world was the Rede Integrada de Transporte (RIT, integrated transportation network), implemented in Curitiba, Brazil, in 1974.

Over the years various attempts were made to create a higher quality bus service because it was much cheaper than rail. Note: the authors use of "BRT" is our contemporary reference but wasn't used by others in the early years. The system in Curitiba, Brazil was a noteworthy step forward but it was at best BRT-lite - until is was later updated.

It was in Bogotá, Colombia where the quality reached BRT status. Per Wikipedia

TransMilenio is a bus rapid transit (BRT) system that serves Bogotá, the capital of Colombia, and Soacha, a neighbouring city. The system opened to the public in December 2000.

Before TransMilenio, Bogotá's mass transit "system" consisted of thousands of independently operated and uncoordinated mini buses. There was also a plan for a network of elevated highways throughout Bogotá, and plans to build a subway as Medellín had done seven years prior.

When Enrique Peñalosa was elected mayor he cancelled these projects and oversaw the construction of the initial TransMilenio system at a fraction of the cost.

Prior to construction, a 30 km trip by public transport would take 2 hours and 15 minutes in 1998; the same trip using TransMilenio now takes 55 minutes.

Bogotá won the first Sustainable Transport Award in 2005 due to the BRT system and urban cycling strategy.

Fast Forward to 2016.

Bogota's Bus Rapid Transit System Eyed By U.S. Urban Planners
March 21, 2016 By Lorne Matalon -- KPBS


Photo courtesy Lorne Matalon -- KPBS

BRT replicates light rail and underground subways —with dedicated lanes and rail-like stations—at far less cost. And that is why BRT is a technology that U.S. urban planners are studying at a time of stressed public budgets. And the system that is often cited by mass transit advocates is the BRT in Bogotá, Colombia, one of South America’s major metropolises.

[TakeFive]

What the heck is BRT-Creep
and where did it come from and why?

Many years ago a still young fellow named Dan Malouff was instrumental in creating the concept and discussion around "BRT-Creep."

Per Wikipedia

Bus rapid transit creep (BRT creep) is a phenomenon where bus systems that fail to meet the requirements for being considered "true bus rapid transit" are designated as bus rapid transit regardless. These systems are often marketed as a fully realized bus rapid transit system, but end up being described as more of an improvement to regular bus service by proponents of the "BRT creep" term.

According to Dan Malouff, a transit planner who was one of the earliest people to use the phrase, the slippery slope towards BRT creep varies widely from system to system.

Flashback to 2011

“BRT creep” makes bus rapid transit inferior to rail
March 9, 2011 By Dan Malouff (Editorial Board) -- Greater Greater Washington

BRT systems in places like Bogota and Curitiba have narrowed the gap between bus and rail, producing BRT lines nearly as good as subways. If they produce such great BRT, why should American BRT be considered the little sister of rail?

The answer is something I call “BRT creep”. Putting aside the inherent differences between bus and rail, one of the big problems with BRT is that it’s too easy to strip down. There are too many corners you can cut that save a lot of money and only degrade service a little bit.

There are a thousand corners like that you can cut that individually may or may not hurt too much, but collectively add up to the difference between BRT and a regular bus.

If by chance you weren't familiar with Dan Malouff, don't worry about it; on this site we just refer to him as "Cirrus".

[TakeFive]

What is Interesting

Originally Posted by wong21fr

Hopefully the next two BRT projects in the metro area, not that silly Boulder to Longmont BRT, are able to reach construction just a bit quicker.

is the Boulder to Longmont BRT better mimics the 'original' concept for BRT in Bogata, Columbia. That BRT connected Bogata (the capitol) with Soacha, a (smaller) city that was ~18.5 miles away. Longmont is ~15.5 miles from Boulder.

There is a couple of important differences though; the housing density is much greater in Columbia and most people can't afford a car so the BRT line was appealing to lots of people.

BTW, from Broadway to I-225 is ~ 8.5 miles while the Federal BRT line will be closer to 18 miles.

[TakeFive]

Okay, I'll admit I wasn't sure what the heck you were talking about

Originally Posted by DenvertoLA

Here is the agenda for this month's FRPR Board of Directors Workshop meeting.

I submitted a comment saying that if they are planning a 2026 ballot measure to help fund this, it should be exciting! If they model this after Caltrain's new electric fleet in the Bay Area, that will be exciting. It would be so dumb to ask voters to pay for a train that's stuck at 55 mph because it has to share tracks with freight. WE CAN HAVE NICE THINGS!!!

https://www.ridethefrontrange.com/_f...1fda963266.pdf

But now that I 'see' what you were talking about I'll agree that would be nice, exciting to say the least.


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