collection and platform-level boarding speed up passenger boarding and alighting, while transit signal priority reduces signal delay. The BRT corridor elements should be assembled to address the sources of existing delay in the corridor.
OPTIMIZE CORRIDOR LENGTH The BRT corridor infrastructure includes the dedicated bus lanes and stations (see Appendix B) and the BRT routes operate within and (sometimes) beyond the corridor. The length of the BRT corridor infrastructure along Broadway and Rutherford needs to be optimized. The road segments with the highest demand and lowest speeds are often where it is most politically difficult to provide transit priority but also most beneficial. BRT infrastructure will yield the greatest benefits along the segments with the highest passenger demand and lowest bus speeds. An alternative approach is to complete a cost-benefit analysis of the corridor length based on the time savings created by the BRT’s exclusive lanes. When the dedicated busway no longer provides net time savings benefits compared to the construction costs, then the exclusive bus lanes no longer justify the cost.
SERVICE PLANNING The BRT services running inside the BRT corridor infrastructure need to be planned. The BRT service plan should aim to carry as many trips as possible at the highest speed with minimal transfers. The corridor infrastructure can then be designed to accommodate the service plan and minimize the delay for as many bus passengers as possible. The BRT service plan also optimizes the schedule and vehicle and fleet requirements.
CHOOSE BRT SERVICE MODEL ITDP recommends a direct service model for the Everett‒Boston BRT with several BRT routes operating within the corridor infrastructure, taking advantage of the dedicated bus lanes, transit priority, and efficient passenger boarding (see Appendix B, section BRT Corridor Versus Routes). In a direct service model, multiple BRT routes merge together, or “interline” along the corridor, to provide frequent service to a major destination node, like a downtown area or rapid transit terminal. BRT routes may exit the corridor and branch out to other destinations in curbside bus lanes or mixed traffic.
DETERMINE WHICH ROUTES TO INCLUDE IN THE BRT CORRIDOR The City of Everett, in conversation with the MBTA, needs to determine which of the existing bus routes serving Broadway and Rutherford will be 24
