CTA Bus Rapid Transit (take two)

[Busjack]

44 minutes ago, Pace831 said:

recommends (not requires) that one signal per lane be placed over the road on the far side of the intersection

I don't know if anything else is going to be mounted (such as a couple of arrays of bike signals), but it would make sense that signals for through traffic be over the left lanes. If the signal at the right curb is supposed to meet the MUTCD requirement, it isn't going to do much good 24 feet outside the line of sight.

[Kevin]

Here's a wide view of Washington/LaSalle looking east showing both signals for cars:

Washington/Clark is more complicated and does include a signal over the regular traffic lanes. The currently unused signals will include a bike signal and right turn signal (and perhaps a bus signal?).

Also, whoops:

[Pace831]

1 hour ago, Kevin said:

The "flashers" you're referring to are most likely bus signals which will give buses an advanced green to proceed through the intersection.

If I interpret that correctly, those lights will be green (flashing?) for that lane only while the side signals stay red. Sounds confusing for car drivers, but I suppose they'll get used to it.

1 hour ago, Kevin said:

Signals arms are rare in the Loop, with intersections typically having only side signals.

Never noticed that before, probably because I'm always walking or on a bus. One would definitely be helpful at this location.

[Kevin]

8 minutes ago, Pace831 said:

If I interpret that correctly, those lights will be green (flashing?) for that lane only while the side signals stay red. Sounds confusing for car drivers, but I suppose they'll get used to it.

I'm thinking those signals may just be vertical bars, rather than fully green, similar to Cleveland's BRT signals. Bus operators will know their purpose while other drivers can ignore them.

[Busjack]

11 minutes ago, Pace831 said:

If I interpret that correctly, those lights will be green (flashing?) for that lane only while the side signals stay red. Sounds confusing for car drivers, but I suppose they'll get used to it.

There is a bus signal at 84th and Jeffery, but has a sign so denoting it. Thus, we'll have to see what these 2 lights are.

[Busjack]

7 minutes ago, Kevin said:

I'm thinking those signals may just be vertical bars, rather than fully green, similar to Cleveland's BRT signals.

Note, though, that all the depicted Cleveland intersections have full signal arms.

[Pace831]

7 minutes ago, Kevin said:

I'm thinking those signals may just be vertical bars, rather than fully green, similar to Cleveland's BRT signals. Bus operators will know their purpose while other drivers can ignore them.

That makes the most sense. I didn't think of that because of the wording of the sign. Your example from Cleveland, applied here, would make the meaning of the signal clearer to car drivers. "Bus Signal Only"

[BusHunter]

9 hours ago, Pace831 said:

If I interpret that correctly, those lights will be green (flashing?) for that lane only while the side signals stay red. Sounds confusing for car drivers, but I suppose they'll get used to it.

Never noticed that before, probably because I'm always walking or on a bus. One would definitely be helpful at this location.

It will probably have a lens/light cover that will say it's for the bus or show a bus symbol. Like the Dearborn bike traffic lights say bike. If there is to be a queue jump some signal is going to have to signal that.

[Pace831]

36 minutes ago, BusHunter said:

It will probably have a lens/light cover that will say it's for the bus or show a bus symbol. Like the Dearborn bike traffic lights say bike. If there is to be a queue jump some signal is going to have to signal that.

Been doing some research on this since the topic came up. I haven't seen any transit systems in the US that use a green bus symbol for the light. (The bike symbol was adopted as standard, a bus symbol was not). Bus-only signals use the vertical bar symbol which was originally intended for light rail applications. See MUTCD 4D.27 and 8C.11.

[BusHunter]

11 hours ago, Pace831 said:

Been doing some research on this since the topic came up. I haven't seen any transit systems in the US that use a green bus symbol for the light. (The bike symbol was adopted as standard, a bus symbol was not). Bus-only signals use the vertical bar symbol which was originally intended for light rail applications. See MUTCD 4D.27 and 8C.11.

Well whatever they do they'll have to at least inform motorists somehow that the light is not intended for them. They are going to have put up signs that say follow your signal only and put arrow lens covers over the lighting to show right turns have the light, straight traffic etc. Motorists are going to be confused nonetheless. You know I took a drive up to Milwaukee and I was confused myself at the left turn lights there that flash yellow. As it turns out it's just treated the same as a standard left turn, but I'll admit it's confusing to the person who sees it for the first time especially at a major intersection.

I'll have to look at some pictures of BRT intersections to see what they do as I'm unfamiliar with it so far. It would be interesting to see though how they did some of the Jeffery intersections because they were supposed to have queue jump.

[Busjack]

9 minutes ago, BusHunter said:

how they did some of the Jeffery intersections because they were supposed to have queue jump.

Only place is at 84th/Anthony, and, as I mentioned above, there is a sign that it is a bus signal.

[Kevin]

Signage installed.

First Bus Tracker/ad displays.

And what appears to a berthing marker similar to what you'd see on the 'L'. I assume bus drivers will use their right side mirror to verify that the rear doors have cleared this marker?

 

 

[Busjack]

1 hour ago, Kevin said:

And what appears to a berthing marker similar to what you'd see on the 'L'. I assume bus drivers will use their right side mirror to verify that the rear doors have cleared this marker?

Looks like the converse; if like the L there should be a 1 at the east end of the platform, and maybe a 2 45 feet back.

Seems more like "don't walk into the railing," similar to don't walk off the end of the L platform, but I guess any function is a function.

[Pace831]

5 minutes ago, Busjack said:

Looks like the converse; if like the L there should be a 1 at the east end of the platform, and maybe a 2 45 feet back.

Seems more like "don't walk into the railing," similar to don't walk off the end of the L platform, but I guess any function is a function.

On the L, cars are the same length, so if you know where the front of the train is, you know where the back is. The distance between doors on a 40ft bus is different than a 60ft bus, plus it's good to have the operator look back as an additional safety measure.

If the sign meant "don't walk into the railing", it would be farther to the left and wouldn't need an X pattern.

[Busjack]

4 minutes ago, Pace831 said:

If the sign meant "don't walk into the railing", it would be farther to the left and wouldn't need an X pattern.

It is obviously separating the tactile strip, where passengers are allowed, from the granite divider, where they are not.

[Pace831]

1 minute ago, Busjack said:

It is obviously separating the tactile strip, where passengers are allowed, from the granite divider, where they are not.

If they were afraid people would walk around the railing because they saw their bus waiting its turn at the stop, they'd put up a sign that more clearly states that, such as "Do Not Board Buses Beyond This Point". Yellow with a black X may  have the secondary effect of keeping people out of that area, but I contend that it's primarily a berthing marker due to its color and position (low to ground).

[Busjack]

1 minute ago, Pace831 said:

If they were afraid people would walk around the railing

I said into, but

2 minutes ago, Pace831 said:

because they saw their bus waiting its turn at the stop

That's certainly a concern.

[Tcmetro]

New info on CTA's webpage.

J14 will run on Washington instead of Monroe. 

Madison/Wabash and the Canal bus lane will not open until next year. 

http://www.transitchicago.com/looplink/

[BusHunter]

Wow, these stops are starting to look like "L" stops. They are just missing the your bus is arriving message and that's about it. Any idea how long are the station berths? Will the stations have Ventra machines? Looks like they are looking to open by the end of the year. They hint that stations will open before full completion and that can probably be accomplished before years end. Another thing to consider is that if the bus timetables are changing for the winter pick, wouldn't that be a nice time to switch the jeffery schedule over to the new routing? i suppose they could do it even though loop link may be a week or so away from the winter pick, but the placement of signs means they are very close to being operational.

[Kevin]

9 hours ago, BusHunter said:

Will the stations have Ventra machines?

No, at least not initially. All of the stations are wired to eventually accommodate pre-paid boarding. However, details have been sparse on how that would actually work. 

[Juniorz]

LoopLink Construction (along Washington) at night. 

[BusHunter]

Did you see they have an led lightbar running under the benches on the Lasalle/Wash platform? They are pretty distracting if you are across the street. i wonder why they didn't incorporate it into the canopy as they shine out. They are lighting the street instead of the platform. I tried to take a picture of it but it's so bright it drowns out the camera. I notice they have all the signs up on the Washington stops, I wonder if Washington might open before Madison.  Lasalle/Wash is basically done if you want to see a completed stop head over there. They have a bunch of JCDecaux signs with loop link advertisements inside. It's under each bus arrival sign, they have 4 of them. They also put this X sign at the Madison/franklin stop. I notice they have the lights retimed and some of them are working, the right turn ones. i notice the right turn lights are staggered until the end of a green cycle to turn on (green arrow right)  But what is crazy is that the light is green in certain spots and then turns green and green arrow. Green means go for all traffic so somewhere they lost me of that config. That config exists at Franklin/Madison if you want to check it out. There's a left one at Wells/Madison too. I notice at Washington/dearborn they have the straight car lane down to one lane cause the other is a left only. They have massive lane changing there and they'll probably see many accidents there. Some of the overhead signs say right turn and bus like they share the right lane where there's not a stop. i was noticing that at franklin/madison and ran over to check out State/Washington but over there they have there own lanes.

[Pace831]

8 minutes ago, BusHunter said:

But what is crazy is that the light is green in certain spots and then turns green and green arrow.

Does the green arrow come on after the pedestrian cycle ends? A green arrow (left or right) means no cars or pedestrians will cross your path, provided everyone follows the rules.

[Juniorz]

LoopLink Service Banners (and advertisement displays) are now at Washington/Lasalle

[BusHunter]

On 12/12/2015 at 0:43 AM, Pace831 said:

Does the green arrow come on after the pedestrian cycle ends? A green arrow (left or right) means no cars or pedestrians will cross your path, provided everyone follows the rules.

Yes, in fact the arrow comes on when the pedestrian light ends, but drivers will still use a green light with no arrow to turn so I'm lost on that one.