Project1_Layout 1 9/15/10 9:04 AM Page 1
Proposed BRT Corridor
Pittsburgh Bus Rapid Transit Forum
Pittsburgh has over thirty years experience
in Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) with its three
busways (South Busway, Martin Luther King,
Jr. East Busway and West Busway). These are
buses­only exclusive roads representing the
high­end of infrastructure investment in BRT
facilities. However, over the past 15 years,
American and Canadian cities have been
Downtown–Oakland–East End Corridor Description
pursuing BRT which utilize existing streets.
Downtown Pittsburgh and Oakland are, respectively, the second and third largest generators of trips in the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania after Downtown Philadelphia. Downtown Pittsburgh is Southwestern Pennsylvania’s major employment
center. Oakland, in addition to being an important employment center is also the location for some of the region’s major
medical institutions and universities and is Pittsburgh’s civic and cultural center.
Port Authority recently completed its Transit
Between Downtown and Oakland is the Uptown neighborhood. Residential uses are prevalent in the central and eastern
end of the neighborhood and commercial development dominates most of the western area due to the proximity of
Pittsburgh’s Central Business District, Duquesne University and a multi­purpose arena. While there has been considerable
disinvestment in the Uptown neighborhood, the community is being redeveloped. In 2009, the Uptown Community Vision
was released to guide new development in the community.
The Downtown–Oakland–East End Corridor includes some of the most heavily used transit routes in Southwestern
Pennsylvania. This corridor extends from Downtown and Oakland into Bloomfield, Shadyside, Friendship, East Liberty,
Highland Park and Squirrel Hill. Average April 2010 weekday ridership on the routes passing through this corridor was
approximately 68,000 or 24% of Port Authority’s total ridership. East of Oakland are the Squirrel Hill and Shadyside neighborhoods which are residential areas with vibrant commercial
districts. Due to the proximity to Oakland and relative ease of access to Downtown, both communities are popular among
students, university professors and young professionals. Both neighborhoods feature a variety of single­family homes,
condominiums and apartments much of which is high density development.
The BRT service would be located along Fifth and/or Forbes Avenues in Downtown Pittsburgh, Oakland and other East End
neighborhoods in the City of Pittsburgh. Port Authority has begun meeting with community and agency stakeholders and
will engage in an extensive public process to advance this proposal. The map above illustrates Downtown–Oakland–
East End Corridor and the proposed BRT routes.
Development Plan (TDP), a comprehensive
assessment of its transit system to determine
how to reorganize its bus route network
to provide more effective, efficient and
improved service within available financial
resources. One of the TDP’s major
recommendations is to connect Downtown
Pittsburgh, Oakland and neighborhoods to
the east of Oakland with BRT.
Project1_Layout 1 9/15/10 9:04 AM Page 2
What is Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)? BRT is an integrated system of transit measures that work together
to significantly improve bus service. These measures include: Frequent Service over a long period of time during the day which
makes service convenient and eliminates the need for passengers to
refer to schedules. Simple Route Structure that makes service easy to understand.
Limited Stops that make service faster. Figure 1
Exclusive Bus Lanes (Figure 1), such as those on Smithfield Street in
downtown Pittsburgh and Fifth Avenue in Oakland or Queue Jump
Lanes (Figure 2) that allow buses to avoid the delays experienced in
mixed­traffic operations.
Branding of vehicles and stop
facilities (Figure 3) that provides
a high level of visibility and
differentiates Rapid Bus service
from “regular”bus service.�
Enhanced Stops or Stations
(Figure 4) with distinctive designs
that contribute to service visibility,
and that provide a higher level of
passenger comfort and amenities
than typical bus stops.
Special Vehicles (Figure 5) that are
Figure 3
uniquely identified often with special
rail­like appearances and low­floors to reduce the amount of
time needed for riders to get on and off the vehicles.
Figure 2
Transit Signal Priority for buses that allows buses to hold a
traffic light on green so that it can pass through, or to shave a
few seconds off the red light time so that it can
Figure 4
proceed more quickly through intersections.
Figure 6
BRT is very flexible and
can be implemented in
a wide variety of environ­
ments. As such, it can
both take advantage
of existing facilities,
as well as work
around existing
constraints. It can also
be implemented incre­
mentally, beginning as
limited stop service with
other elements added
when practical or feasible.
Figure 5
The key advantage of BRT is reduction in the amount of time a bus is stopped, whether at intersections or due to
passenger boarding and fare collection. It accomplishes this by using dedicated bus lanes, increasing the distance
between stops, having traffic signal priority, having raised platforms to make access/egress to the buses easier and
using advanced fare collection systems. BRT in the Downtown–Oakland–East End Corridor is anticipated to:
• Increase corridor transit ridership
• Improve air quality
• Reduce energy use associated with transportation
• Increase operating efficiency of transit
• Support transit oriented development and neighborhood revitalization
• Improve conditions for pedestrians
Off­Vehicle Fare Collection via ticket vending machines at stations and
stops that eliminate most delays associated with on­board fare collection. Real Time Passenger Information (Figure 6) that informs passengers when
buses will actually arrive or depart from stations, which reduces some of
the uncertainty that is often associated with bus service. These measures work together to make service fast and reliable, to make
it convenient and comfortable service, and to establish a strong image and
identity for service–characteristics that are all associated with rail service.
Issues which will need to be considered for implementing BRT in the Downtown–
Oakland–East End Corridor are:
• Traffic impacts of establishing new exclusive travel lanes and providing
traffic signal priority for buses
• Balancing on­street parking needs with street space for bus lanes
• Integration of bicycle lanes in the corridor