Everyone has seen the phenomenon of "bus bunching" - no matter what the schedule, buses end up clustered together in packs, resulting in some full buses and some empty ones and a long wait for some. Two professors say they have a solution.
John J. Bartholdi III of the Supply Chain and Logistics Institute at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Donald D. Eisenstein of the Booth School of Business at The University of Chicago, explain that maintaining headways between buses is very challenging.
From the report abstract: "Most bus systems try to achieve this by adherence to a schedule; but this is undermined by the tendency of headways to collapse, so that buses travel in bunches.
To counter this, we propose a new method of coördinating buses. Our method abandons the idea of a schedule and even any a priori target headway. Under our scheme headways are dynamically self-equalizing and the natural headway of the system tends to emerge spontaneously."
Bartholdi and Eisenstein say that they have tested their system successfully in Atlanta.
Read the full story: A self-coordinating bus route to resist bus bunching
A Look at Accessibility in Atlanta
A wheelchair user describes what it's like to travel on Atlanta streets and on the city's public transit system.
Atlanta's first BRT line opens April 18
MARTA officials say the line will operate like 'rail on rubber tires' and guarantee headways of 15 minutes or less.
MARTA’s NextGen Bus System to Relaunch With Increased Frequency, New Last-mile Rideshare Program
Atlanta’s transit agency will enhance service on some routes while compensating for service cuts on others with a new on-demand service.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion
Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.
NYC DOT wants faster, more permanent street upgrades
The city is examining ways to build more concrete infrastructure without getting entangled in 'decades-long' projects.
'Something we’ve never seen before:' rising utility rates could strain city finances nationwide
Data centers, climate change and other factors have caused utility rates in the United States to increase by 38% since 2020.
Trump to overrule local leaders, lease millions of acres of America’s Pacific Island territories’ seafloors to mining companies
International law says that the Indigenous people of America’s territories have a right to prior and informed consent regarding projects that impact their countries.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello