Transport for New South Wales (Australia) developed a master plan for the Sydney area that called for development of a new BRT corridor to more directly connect major residential centres of the Northern Beaches area to the Sydney CBD. It investigated several options for bus and BRT that encompassed different station and right-of-way designs, service frequencies and use of roadway lanes.
The University of Sydney, Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies, was hired to conduct the economic impact analysis for a do-minimum option and five BRT options. Their analysis used the TREDIS model of New South Wales to assess the economic impacts of these alternative, as measured in terms of jobs, wages and value added -- over time and among elements of the economy. The analysis was based on changes in trips, distance, travel time, tolls and fares, congestion levels, crowding levels, and service reliability, as well as effects on urban area accessibility (measured as an “effective density” measure). These direct effects were estimated using two travel models -- Sydney’s Strategic Transport Model (STM) and the Freight Movement Model (FMM).
