Public Transport Systems in Urban Areas - Volume C [antikvár]

II\JTERACTI\yE PLANiMIIMG CDM3INES THE CAPABILITIES OF HUMANS AIMD COMPUTERS BY Ingmar Andreasson, Transportation Systems Manager AB Wolvo, Bus Division, 4D5 08 GGTEBORG, Sweden Uolvo and Public Transport Uolvo manufactures equipment for most kinds of transportation -land, ujater and air transportation of passengers and goods. Ue have realized that the way this equipment is utilized in our community may be just as important as the performance of the equipment itself. V/olvo contributes to efficient transport solutions hy providing systems analysis, design,- implementation and maintenance. Uolvo has collected experience from public transport as long as ue have been manufacturing buses (some 5Q years). This experience has now been systemized and made available to others. This paper relates some of the considerations behind the development of the route network analysis and related planning tools. Politicians, City Planners and Operators The planning of public transport is done on many levels, each with its specific problems. Transportation policy and objectives are formulated by government and municipalities. The interrelations between land use and transportation, the balance between private and public transport, equity in mobility and transport fares, taxation and subsidy levels are handled by politicians. As a basis for their decisions Ihey need to evaluate the consequences beforehand. Overall long-term consequences are requested on a national or municipal level and they must not be obscured by too many details. City planners work with land use, infrastructure and travel demand with a planning horizon of typically 5-10 years. In forecasting travel behaviour the resolution is typically 20 - 100 geographical districts in a city. Planning for public transport often involves choice of technology (bus, light rail etc.) and structure of route network with an emphasis on capacity, accessibility and overall costs. The needs of an operator are quite different. His main concern is the immediate problems (1-2 years) but he needs much more detailed information. In addition to routes and service frequencies, the operator is planning timetables, vehicle scheduling and manning. The operator works with transit stops as a geographical unit, minutes of the day, individual vehicles and drivers. The operator is the one that puts the highest demands on the capacity of planning tools. I From Planning Support to Turn-Key Solutions Uolvo works worldwide with customers ranging from one-bus operators through municipalities and fleet operators to governments in both developing and industrialized countries. Naturally, the kind of support they need varies widely.