Vuchic, Vukan R
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Publication Role and Organization of Transfers in Transit Networks(1992) Vuchic, Vukan R; Vuchic, Vukan R; Musso, AntonioPassenger transfers among transit lines involve certain "resistance", because they cause some delay and require passenger orientation and walking between vehicles on different lines. Therefore it is sometimes believed that transfers are undesirable and that they should be avoided whenever possible. The fact is, however, that transit networks with many transfer opportunities offer passengers much greater selection of travel paths than networks with disconnected lines which involve no transferring. In addition, the more transferring is performed, the greater is network efficiency, because each line can be designed optimally for its physical conditions, volume and character of demand. Consequently, when transfers are planned correctly, the resistance for passengers can be easily outweighed by the benefits transfers bring with respect to line alignments, schedules and, eventually, in better services offered. Passenger transfers among lines thus represent an important element of transit travel.Publication Light Rail Transit Systems: A Definition and Evaluation(1972-10-01) Vuchic, Vukan R; Vuchic, Vukan RRail transit represents a family of modes ranging from light rail to regional rapid transit systems and it can be utilized in a number of different cities and types of applications. Many European cities of medium size employ very successfully light rail mode for gradual upgrading of transit service into partially or fully separated high speed, reliable transit systems. Analysis of these cities show that with population densities and auto ownership very similar to those in the United States cities, their transit systems offer a superior service and have much better usage than our cities. Many modern features of light rail technology are not known in this country. Wider use of different rail systems, greatly increased transit financing, introduction of more qualified personnel into transit industry and improved transit planning and implementation procedures are recommended to close the gap in urban transportation between some more progressive European cities and their counterparts in this country.Publication Skip-Stop Operation as a Method for Transit Speed Increase(1973-04-01) Vuchic, Vukan R; Vuchic, Vukan RIncrease of transit speeds is one of the most effective ways of increasing the attractiveness of transit for urban travel. While surface transit in particular suffers from low speed, the desirability of higher speeds is not limited to it. Rapid transit has adequate speed for short to medium-distance trips in urban areas. However, for longer trips, particularly when there is a competing freeway facility, the requirement for speed is rather high. Since many station spacings are adopted on the basis of area coverage, high operating speed of the trains often cannot be achieved. Thus, typical lines of urban rapid transit with average interstation spacings of approximately one-half mile have only limited length on which their speeds are satisfactory; for distances longer than, typically, 5-7 miles, they often become too slow. This is becoming an increasing problem with the spatial spread of cities. This article describes the main alternative solutions to this problem and then focuses on the skip-stop operation, presenting a methodology for its analysis and evaluation of its applicability. Although the article discusses rail services, the basic aspects of the problem are common for any technology. For example, there are a number of bus services for which skip-stop service could be considered utilizing the methodology developed here.Publication Transit Federation -- A Solution for Service Integration(1972) Vuchic, Vukan R; Vuchic, Vukan RInadequate organization of public transport services in urban areas, particularly in the large ones, is one of the major reasons for the unsatisfactory level of service and economic problems of the operating companies. Despite the current trend toward mergers of transit operators into large public agencies, the services in most cities remain fragmented in various degrees; integration is often not in sight due to organizational problems which appear insurmountable. Losses to the users, the operators, and the city from this situation are often very significant. This article briefly analyzes the reasons for this situation, explores its consequences and their importance. A number of solutions for the problem are possible, but none of them is simple and easy to achieve. The federation of transit organizations introduced recently in Hamburg, Germ any, has proved to be so successful that it has received wide attention in international professional circles. This solution therefore deserves a careful study by transit operators as well as government officials of metropolitan areas in the United States and other countries.Publication Prospects for Competitiveness of Urban Public Transport(1991-02-01) Vuchic, Vukan R; Vuchic, Vukan RFrom the introductory paragraphs: "If we observe a herd of sheep who want to pass through a gate to a green pasture, we see them pushing so hard that they get stuck at the gate and pass through it only very torturously and with great delay. It is obvious that if they would not push, but pass one or two at a time, the sheep would get through the gate much faster and more easily. The problem is, we conclude, that the sheep are animals with a rather low level of intelligence. If a creature from Outer Space observes one of our cities from a Spaceship ("flying saucer") on a weekday morning, he will certainly come to conclusions about the behavior of humans in traffic very similar to those we reached about the sheep. The observer from Space would be surprised that the humans, who build beautiful buildings, excellent vehicles and have tools for sophisticated controls, do not manage their cities and their travel as an intelligent system. Traffic in streets mostly consists of individuals driving vehicles for their own immediate benefit. The control that could make the entire system work much more efficiently virtually does not exist. Operation of the transportation system is not much better than what the sheep would arrange. Analyzing our policies and practices in urban transportation, one can easily discover a number of irrational situations which prevent urban transport from efficient functioning."Publication Rapid Transit Automation and the Last Crew Member(1973-10-01) Vuchic, Vukan R; Vuchic, Vukan RRapid transit systems in many cities are being automated, but most transit officials reject the idea of operation without crews on the train as idealistic. At the same time large resources are spent on development of full automation for numerous new systems such as PRT, many of which have no defined role in urban transportation programmed train movement eliminates any possible improper driving practices. However, nearly all rapid transit vehicles have indirect controls which prevent the driver from improper acceleration and assist him in braking. Thus improvement through A TO is again not significant.Publication Urban Transportation Policy: Time for Reorientation(1975-03-22) Vuchic, Vukan R; Vuchic, Vukan RWritten testimony from Vukan Vuchic to the Transportation Committee of the National Conference of Democratic Mayors in New Orleans on March 22, 1975.Publication High-Performance Transit Planning Modes and Networks(1980-12-01) Vuchic, Vukan R; Vuchic, Vukan RFrom the introduction: "In planning our lectures for this seminar, my colleagues and I have decided that we present here an overview of the problems of cities today, of the role of public transportation, and especially high-performance public transportation, as well as some details of planning, and characteristics of modes, their design and operations. We will thus try to combine, as much as the time allows, a general overview with technical details which many of you will be facing when you will be planning and implementing your rapid transit project in the years to come."Publication Transportation Problems of Moscow and Possible Solutions (in Russian)(2005-01-01) Vuchic, Vukan R; Vuchic, Vukan RPublication Integrated Urban Transportation ‑ A Major Challenge for Transportation Engineers(1977-10-01) Vuchic, Vukan R; Vuchic, Vukan RPedestrians, private automobile, public transportation and other modes are components of a total urban transportation system. However, for historical reasons and because of major differences in their physical, operational and cost characteristics, different modes are being planned and operated by different organizations or public agencies.