Cheng Xiusheng, Duan Liren, He Mingjun, Jiang Haoduan

1. Feature of MetroBus System

Heavy population is a symbol of city prosperity, while the heavy traffic is a pain in the neck for ordinary people, who also regard this matter as one of the important indexes of achievements of a municipal government. The development of freeway networks enables mobiles greater advantages over railways as far as the inter-city traffic is concerned. However, in urban areas, the difference of traffic loading ability between the city bus system and the underground system is a real gap. It is assumed that if there is a kind of "bus" with a "super" loading ability, the public traffic pressure in inner city might be greatly reduced. In this case, many cities (such as Suzhou) with historic values and touring values will gain a better touring environment and residential environment.

There is a kind of "bus" with the up-mentioned "super" loading ability. It is the so-called MetroBus city public transit system ("MetroBus System" for short), which is now under developing in many cities world wide, such as Curitiba of Brazil and Ban galore of India.

1) MetroBus System: A Public transit system With Strengthened Loading Ability

Technically speaking, MetroBus System is an effective system comprised of advanced vehicles, independent road rights, convenient get-on/get-off systems, priorities in passing crossroads, and many other operational and dispatching management techniques. It successfully carries on the advantages of the ordinary bus system and the rail rapid transit system. However, it is a system absolutely different from these two.

Comparing the bus system with the underground system, it is easy to find that the main difference of loading ability between the underground system (including light railway) and the ordinary bus system lies in the following outstanding features of the former: larger capacity, quicker get-on/get-off system, faster speed, more effective intersection. These features are results of the operation mode and high-quality equipment of the underground system. The MetroBus System will strengthen bus routes in accordance with the operation mode of the underground system (see the following table) to achieve the similar characteristics and effective performance in improving the loading ability. That’s why this system is also called the "ground railway". Practically speaking, the capacity of the dual-joint passage bus used by the MetroBus System is three times bigger than that of the ordinary bus. The one-way section volume of the MetroBus per hour enjoys a larger advantage over the ordinary bus system and even keeps almost the same loading ability of the light railway system. Thus, the MetroBus System is an effective measure for quickly improving the loading ability in urban areas.

2) MetroBus System: Practice of Rational Allocation of Transportation Resource

The problem of city transportation is a problem of how to achieve the rational allocation of current transportation resources (such as roads, intersections, and vehicles) in an effort to strengthen the traffic ability and improve the city transportation. The traditional mixed traffic system takes a mode simultaneously opening for private vehicles and public vehicles, where buses are mixed with private vehicles and often trapped by traffic jams caused by private vehicles. These traffic jams often get more complicated by buses because of their larger sizes and weaker abilities in accelerating. This is an ineffective mode with a lower level of transportation resource allocation. The MetroBus System optimizes the transportation resources in accordance with principles of "independent road rights" and "bus first in intersections". Even in case of less star-up fund and no increase in transportation resources, this system can significantly improve the efficiency of transportation resources so as to shorten the transit time and enhance the loading ability.

For the public transit system of a city, the rail transit highlights in developing new types of transportation resources to substitute existing resources, while the MetroBus System emphasizes on eliminating the low efficiency of the mixed traffic system and rationally allocating and sufficiently utilizing existing resources and adding appropriate new resources. Therefore, we can start the shift from the ordinary bus system to the MetroBus System by improving existing roads and traffic signal systems, which feature in lower start-up difficulties, a lower financial cost and a faster construction speed. In this case, the cost of capital (based on comparable prices in 2000) is about 1/10~1/3 of that of the light railway system.

3) MetroBus System: An easily upgraded "dynamic system"

By upgrading and enhancing the ground traffic system, the MetroBus System can reach the loading ability of the light railway system. However, after investigating the practice of the MetroBus system in cities of Curitiba, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Gothenburg, the project team suggests that the theory and techniques of this system can be used at different levels based on different loading requirements.

The MetroBus System requires a rather simple star-up without demanding a complete network of special bus routes. In part of districts, it can take the mixed mode with other vehicles on ordinary roads. Therefore, the route network of this system can be partially implemented by firstly laying traffic signals in intersections and then gradually introducing techniques such as the passenger information system, or even upgrading the efficiency of the bus system with just on technique. By introducing these enhanced measures, the loading capacity of the system will be gradually improved from the level of the ordinary bus system to the light railway. This feature makes it possible for the system to improve its loading capacity in time it is needed, and helps to maintain a better supply-demand relation of the loading capacity and a better economic benefit. It manages to avoid problems that puzzled many large-capacity traffic systems (such as underground systems) in their earlier days of operation, such as insufficient passenger volume and ineffectiveness.

4) MetroBus System: A Transient System Between Ordinary Bus System And Large-capacity Rail Transit

The MetroBus System adopts the ground transport mode that enables the routes can be easily adjusted or changed, or even upgraded to rail transit systems with a larger loading capacity in case the passenger volume reaches the upper limit of the system. This system leaves enough spaces for the future technical development and evolution of the public transit system.

2. MetroBus System Is An Effective Method For Preferential Developing Public Transprotation In Suzhou

Since the beginning of the economic reform and opening-up to the outside world, the social economy in Suzhou has quickly developed and Suzhou has become a major economic city rising in the east part of country. Comparatively speaking, the development of the public transit system is weaker. The GDP of Suzhou is more than half of that of Beijing, the capital of the country, while its amount of public transit is 728, which is only 1/9 of that of Beijing, and the annual public transit volume is 0.2 billion person-time, which is only 1/18 of that of Beijing. According to statistics, only 6.44% of Suzhou residents take public transits when they go out. This is a rather low ratio comparing with many cities such as Nanjing, Hefei, Guangzhou, Shanghai, etc.. Why? According to surveys of the situation, the main reason for this is the public buses are too crowded in rush hours and the intensity of runs is too sparse. The degree of satisfaction toward local public transit system is rather low among Suzhou residents. About 1/4 of them complain for the crowded situation inside buses, about 1/5 of them complain for the poor time reliability of the public transit, and about 1/3 of them complain for wasting too much time in waiting for buses.

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