Introducing metrobus: Design and operation of efficient bus networks in Barcelona.
Summary:The seminar will present some research that is being implemented in Barcelona dealing with Bus Rapid Transit services that operate as a network. After a brief introduction to urban transportation microeconomics and bus operations, the bus network design problem is presented and solved with a mixed network that has feeder service and a grid. Efficient operation relies on several key issues such as bus lanes (fixed and with intermittent priority), traffic signal priority, tandem stops, etc.
The guidelines obtained from the models are implemented in the real city with somme heuristics. The conceptual framework is finally linked to the one developed by Ildefons Cerdà, the designer of the broadening of Barcelona in 1859 that invented the City Planning as a social science.
