Comments on: AATA Finalizes Transit Plan for Washtenaw

By: Dave Askins

Dave Askins — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 21:59:23 +0000

Re: [3] queue jumping "Buses leaping over cars and pedestrians?" That's actually not far off. Think: buses cutting over to a special reserved lane just at an intersection, so that if there are other vehicles waiting at a light, the bus will be able to advance to a position at least even with the other traffic waiting for the light to change. It's also possible to time the light so that the bus gets green a few seconds before everyone else so it can leapfrog over the traffic it used to be behind. There's some lane schematics and more words here: [link]

By: Vivienne Armentrout

Vivienne Armentrout — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 21:29:40 +0000

Queue-jumping infrastructure would involve changes to traffic signals so that buses could override the light cycle and go through without stopping.

This is described in the Ann Arbor Transportation Plan Update (adopted by the Council in 2009) thus:

“Evaluate and construct queue-jumping lanes (Washtenaw between I-94 and Platt; Ann Arbor-Saline at I-94 and Eisenhower; Maiden Lane/Fuller/Geddes; Plymouth and I-94; Plymouth/Murfin”

The tentative price tag at that time was about $9 million for all these intersections together.

By: David Cahill

David Cahill — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 21:00:24 +0000

What does “queue-jumping infrastructure” mean? Buses leaping over cars and pedestrians?

By: Vivienne Armentrout

Vivienne Armentrout — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 16:31:30 +0000

Re (1), as I understand it, it would be approval of inclusion in the service area by each community (the Act 7 business), but the millage vote would be county-wide. So if the millage passes, even residents of a township who voted overwhelmingly against the millage, as long as the township had agreed to be included in the service area, would be required to pay it. (And could also participate in the service.)

By: Jim Rees

Jim Rees — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 12:20:59 +0000

The primary transportation system in the county, private owenership of automobiles, gets enormous subsidies at the Federal level. I don’t see how AATA can succeed with this plan if it must get millage approval individually from every community in the service area. But I wish them luck.