Circulation

Circulation routes should be run by van in most areas.
Whereas Capital Matro now runs most circulator routes with buses every 30 minutes, they
could, for the same cost, run vans every 8 minutes.
The 40 foot buses cost $99 an hour to run ( in 2007).
This is $9 a mile at 11 mph. A taxi van will run a six mile route for $2.50 a mile.

The two maps below compare Capital Metro service as it exists today
with proposed CMT service

This portion of the service area is in North Austin. It is 6 miles wide by 7 long and has 72,000 jobs.
The job density is low but has more total jobs than zip 78701, the central business district.

Existing routes have dashed lines if the buses are 30 minutes apart.

Most routes on the map below are dashed, meaning the buses are 30 minute, or more, apart.
The 392 along Braker is 60 minutes apart between 9 and 3. The 243 along Wells Branch is also 60 minutes apart.
Routes are also dashed if they have large service gaps. For example Flyer 142 has no service between 8 and 4.
The three routes along IH 35 have no service between 9 and 3.
Only the Lamar, Metric, PRC shuttle and Burnet routes are shown as solid lines, meaning less than 30 minutes between buses.

On the map of existing service, there are no routes within a half mile of Parmer and McNeil.
There is no service running along Parmer from McNeil to Lamar.
Offices (red) and Apartments (green) along Riata Trace, Parmer and McNeil don't get service at present.



CMT Circulation Routes Would Be Run More Frequently

All proposed CMT circulator routes on map below would be run every 5 to 12 minutes.

Some are very similar to existing popular routes like the Lamar, Metric and Burnet routes.
They are dark blue, run ten minutes apart and run in both directions.
Most routes are green single direction and would be run by vans every 5 to 12 minutes through out most hours of the week.
The intent is to have a route within half mile of each home and business run at least every 12 minutes, for 16 hours a day.
Most of these would be run on demand during the off-peak hours.

With CMT there would be circulators running along Parmer, McNeil, Spicewood Springs, and Riata Trace.


Single direction routes get riders from neighborhoods to transit centers (TCs are colored circles).
They also distribute riders from TCs out to job sites.
Single direction routes might seem difficult to use but they are no more difficult to use than one-way frontage roads.
For example consider the rider that travels from south Austin to a job at 183 and Burnet.
They would arrive by express bus at transit center CC4 near 183 and Mopac.
Then they would take the one-way circulator down the 183 frontage to Burnet.
When they left work they would take the same circulator down to transit center CC3 at Lamar and 183.
There they would catch an express bus to a TC in south Austin.
Since 67% of home to work trips in Austin are seven or more miles, one mile of  back tracking is not a problem.
Median travel distance is 10 miles and average distance home to work is 12 miles.

The set of circulator routes employed by CMT (right map) would reach more destinations and reach them more often.
Worst case transfer time would be 12 miutes and average transfer time would be five.
Compare to existing service where several routes run 60 minutes apart.
If you just missed the last 392 along Braker then you will have to wait , by the side of the road in the wind, rain or heat, for another 60 minutes.




Networked Circulator Routes

Circulator routes that Collect, Connect and Distribute

They form a network that connects nearby transit centers (TCs) at the same time they bring riders in to local TCs. The design intent is to have every home and business within a half mile of a route. This is how networked circulator routes would look on a perfect street grid. In the left image : Start with four cells, each 3 mile by 3 mile. A TC (black triangle) is at the center of each cell. In Right Image : Add two North-South circulator routes (dashed red lines) and two East-West circulator routes (dashed blue lines). These routes bring riders to the transit centers and also connect transit centers.
In Left Image : The mile wide pink band shows regions of the cells within a half mile walk of North–South routes. Mile wide, light blue bands shows regions within a half mile walk of east-west routes. This still leaves large areas, in the corners, more than a half mile from a circultor route. In Right Image : Two diagonal routes serve the corners of the cells. The orange route connects the lower left TC with the upper right TC. The green route connects the upper left TC with the lower right TC.

Extending this pattern would reach every corner of every cell.  Each TC would have eight routes bringing riders into it.
All routes would run in both directions.

Riders should be able to make most short trips without excessive backtracking. Some short trips could take longer than with a conventional grid type route system.
People making three mile trips have other options like bike or moped.

The spatial mismatch problem leaves at least half of low income workers with no choice but to make 10+ mile trips across town to job rich areas.
Half of all home-to-work trips in Austin are equal to, or more than, ten miles.

CirculatorsWeb.htm

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