Bravo! limited-stop bus: the latest stops, UC Irvine on the map, and future Bravo! routes along Beach, Katella, La Palma, Edinger, and Imperial

Bravo! looks to be still on track for launch next year. The biggest changes to OCTA's new limited stop bus service, thus far, is (1) the addition of UC Irvine to the network, and (2) the removal of Downtown Long Beach as a destination. Although thus far they've hired an outside consultant for traffic signal priority, all signs from OCTA so far still indicate that the project is neutered.

OCTA CEO Will Kempton's memo claims that there's no space for dedicated transit lanes; I beg to differ, as I routinely walk across 11-lane intersections on Bristol St and The City Drive. 11 lanes on a local road?! Surely, there's space. Here's Chapman Ave/The City Dr, for example:

The memo also claims that mixed-flow lanes are the way to go — even though OCTA buses along line 57 get stuck in traffic during rush hour. I've witnessed many bus bunchings. And a recent report on OCTA fareboxes indicates that it's too expensive for them to provide ticket machines at Bravo "stations" — even though they can considerably speed up buses by cutting down on boarding times.

The memo, addressed to Curt Pringle, Anaheim mayor and an OCTA Director, tries to get him to understand why the Bravo project is so important. I guess Pringle still hasn't quite figured out this project. Pringle earlier this year insisted on slashing Bravo! stops — to create an "express" bus between his beloved Anaheim and the beach — but the memo says that isn't a wise idea and actually decreases ridership.

The memo's an interesting read. Here it is, for your reading pleasure (and salivation!):

At the August 5, 2009, Executive Committee meeting, you requested an
overlay graph of planned and proposed Bravo! service lines.
Attached is a map showing the three Bravo! bus rapid transit (BRT) lines the
Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) is planning to deploy next
year. Also illustrated on the map, in dashed lines, are five studied routes that
would form the balance of the BRT network in Orange County.
Added to the map are the proposed station stops for the three initial routes as
well as the many destinations that would be served. The future Anaheim
Regional Transportation Intermodal Center would be served by Line 557 in
December 2010, with additional BRT service provided along Katella Avenue in
the future.

With respect to service design, BRT fits between local bus and express bus in
terms of speed and capacity. It is designed to attract those riders traveling
longer distances than the average local bus rider. BRT is not designed to
compete with express bus which typically offers even longer distance,
point-to-point travel, much of which is continuous without any stops along
freeways and in some cases, taking advantage of high-occupancy-vehicle
(HOV) lanes. The average trip length for local bus riders is a little over four
miles in Orange County, while the average trip length for passengers traveling
on express bus is closer to 12 miles. BRT riders will probably travel an
average distance between the two values.

The transit industry considers BRT to be a flexible mode that can be readily
adapted to local community needs and roadway constraints. The Federal
Transit Administration (FTA) supports BRT service as a versatile tool that can
achieve some of the benefits of more expensive modes, such as light rail, by
incorporating similar attributes such as limited stops (compared to local bus),
distinctive vehicles, distinctive station stops, and Intelligent Transportation
System (ITS) traffic control elements that enable BRT buses to operate with
less time spent waiting at intersections. The FTA also agrees that BRT
installation can be incremental; this accommodates circumstances when
funding may not be available upfront for all planned components of a BRT
network.

While dedicated right-of-way offers the best opportunity to achieve
performance close to light rail, the FTA realizes that operation in mixed-flow
traffic may be the only option available in some communities. Coupled with
some of the attributes described above, mixed-flow BRT can offer significant
improvement in travel time compared to traditional local bus service.
Additionally, with installation in mixed-flow traffic, it is expected and desirable
to have a significant number of existing local bus riders use the BRT service,
particularly those traveling farther than the average local bus passenger. With
the grid system that exists in the Orange County central core, it is essential
that BRT stops be made at major connection points with other bus routes
since riders must transfer to intersecting services in most cases to complete
their trip.

Generating high ridership is an important goal for BRT projects. The FTA
believes BRT trips are generated through a number of sources, including
existing riders that divert from other transit services; new passengers not
currently utilizing local bus service; and trips previously made by other modes
such as walking, bicycling, carpooling, and driving alone.
OCTA's first planned BRT route, Line 543, is designed with 21 station stops in
each direction, spaced an average of about 1.2 miles apart. This spacing
compares well with other projects in operation such as the Los Angeles
County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's Wilshire Boulevard Rapid Bus
and Toronto's York Region Transit VIVA BRT; both systems space stops
about.7 miles apart. BRT stop spacing varies widely from project to project.
The FTA reports other BRT projects where stations are spaced from .2 miles
to 1.5 miles apart.

The table below illustrates the projected impact on Bravo! ridership if station
stops for Line 543 are reduced from the planned 21 locations to 12 and then
seven locations. The impact on ridership and associated performance
indicators is significant while the improvement in travel time from terminal to
terminal is less compelling.



* Variation due to estimated range in boardings/revenue vehicle hour (B/RVH) and costs.
** Estimated travel time savings is based on an average boarding time between 30 and 45 seconds at station stops.

Finally, the new Line 543 Bravo! service will offer a very attractive alternative
to local bus travel between California State University, Fullerton (CSUF) and
Newport Beach. Currently, a direct connection to the beach community and
recreation area is not possible from CSUF to Newport Beach. Passengers
must travel on two different routes which could stop at some 80 bus stops
compared to a direct trip on Bravo! with only 21 station stops served by
Line 543. Travel time on the local bus service would require a transfer and
could vary from one hour and 54 minutes to two hours and 15 minutes, while,
according to the test schedule, the same trip on Line 543 has an estimated
travel time of one hour and 29 minutes with no transfer needed. Additionally,
an analysis of the travel time by automobile during peak afternoon hours
indicated that the BRT service compared favorably to the automobile trip
which took only twelve minutes less, at one hour and seventeen minutes.
If you have any additional questions or require further information regarding
the Bravo! services, please feel free to contact Beth McCormick,
General Manager, Transit, (714) 560-5964.