Transit Part 3: Routing Concept Examples

For these examples we will pretend that Pierce County, Washington has been divided up into 16 local areas served by 16 Hubs.  For simplicity purposes we will also pretend that each local area is an exact square.  In reality, when designing the area served by a Hub several factors would have to be taken into account.  Figure 3.5-1 will serve as an example of our 16 Hub layout.


Figure 3.5-1

Hub 1  - - -  Hub 2  - - -  Hub 3  - - -  Hub 4

Hub 5  - - -  Hub 6  - - -  Hub 7  - - -  Hub 8

Hub 9  - - -  Hub 10 - - - Hub 11 - - - Hub 12

Hub 13 - - - Hub 14 - - - Hub 15 - - - Hub 16

We will further pretend that each Local Area can be divided into four smaller areas as shown below in Figure 3.5-2.

Figure 3.5-2

Area 1A - - - Area 1B

Area 1C - - - Area 1D

For example purposes only, we now have 16 Hubs, each with four smaller areas, A, B, C, and D.

A Few Simple Examples

Example One:

Passenger Jane Doe lives in the Hub 1A area and wants to go to an address also in Hub 1A area.  Since this area is serviced as part of a single looping run by a Local Bus, she is picked up and dropped by the same Local Bus.

Example Two:

Passenger Jane Doe lives in the Hub 1A area and wants to go to an address in Hub 1D area.  Both addresses are served by Hub 1, but by different Local Area Buses.  A bus serving local area 1A picks up Jane.  She is taken to Hub 1 where she is transferred to the bus serving area 1D who then takes Jane to her desired destination.

Example Three:

Passenger Jane Doe lives in Hub 1A area but wants to go to an address in Hub 2D area.  Hub 1A area and Hub 2D area are not in the same Hub.  Jane Doe is picked up by a Local Area Bus and taken to Hub 1.  A Transfer Bus picks her up at Hub 1 and takes her to Hub 2.  A Local Area Bus picks her up from Hub 2 and takes her to the address in area 2D that she wants to go to.

Example Four:

Passenger John Doe lives in Hub 1B area but wants to go to an address in Hub 2A area.  These two areas are in different Hubs but are also side-by-side.  It also happens that at this time of the day, there are enough passengers wanting to go back and forth between Hubs 1 and 2 to justify the use of an Extended Local Area Bus.  An Extended Local Area Bus Route is created to go between Hub 1 and Hub 2 and is routed to travel through areas 1B and 2A.  It will pick up and drop passengers in both 1B and 2A while going between each Hub.  The Extended Local Area Bus will also transport passengers between the two Hubs that are going to or from other parts of each Hub’s local area.  This helps to reduce the demand placed on Transfer Buses during periods where there is an increase of passengers who are using Transfer Buses to go extended distances across the service area.

Thank you for taking time to read my program.  Obviously, if I didn't believe in my own program, I would not have published it for others to read and ponder on.

An Opinion Article by Dave Kemper

                   _________________________________

It has been said that: "One definition of insanity is to do the same thing, the same way, over and over and over again, each time expecting to achieve a different result."

Therefore, we must either CHANGE the way we live, or we bind our future to our past as if with CHAINS.

"I do not consider myself to be better than anyone else.  But I do believe in exercising my right to not stay stupid."

David W. Kemper, Author

© Copyright 2014 by David William Kemper.  All right reserved

No part or portion of this publication may be modified in any manner without the express written permission of the author.  This publication is licensed for your personal use and enjoyment only and may not be used as a reference by any company, government entity, or other organization without the express written permission of the author.  This publication may not be re-sold or given away to other people.  Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.