Blocking Properties
The Blocking properties mainly determine how the parameters are set in relation to costs and the time for deadheads and layovers.
| Property | Definition |
|---|---|
| Allow Exception Combinations on Garage Events | If set to Yes, you are able to apply exception combinations to
garage events. It is set to No by default. Apply this property only if you have a pull-out or pull-in that is attached to trips that have no exceptions and the pull-out or pull-in only operates when an exception is running. For example, a block starts with a School Open trip then continues on to regular weekday service. This requires a pull-out to the school trip and a #School Open pull-out to the trip following the school trip. The #School Open exception has to be added to the pull-out, thus, this property has to be set to Yes. |
| Block files path | Click Select and set the file path to where the file for saved blocks (blk) is located. |
| Deadhead Plot End Node Radius | Set the end node radius that you want. This allows you to control the radius from the end node when plotting deadheads. |
| Freeze Trips When Blocks Frozen | If set to Yes, trips are frozen at the trip building level, and you are prevented from modifying trips when blocks are frozen. |
| Grid Colors | |
| Integrity Error Background | Sets the color used as background for blocks that have energetic errors. The color red is selected by default. |
| Max Dist From ToNode To End of Plot |
Set to 200 to create sufficient radius around a terminus (end of plot) so that the terminus (such as a end of plot garage) can easily be picked up by the mouse when doing traces on the map. |
| Move deadheads when applying changes | If set to Yes, when you move trips to a different block, the deadheads are likewise moved. This applies for transit sites that do not use implied deadheads. |
| Parameters | |
| Cost/Deadhead | This parameter is used to control the number of interline deadheads in your blocking solution while hooking trips. The time you type is added to each interline deadhead time as a penalty; therefore, the value entered allows or discourages interlining combinations. If you want to discourage deadheading, use the default of 2h00 (two hours) to allow the system to search for an optimal solution without deadheading. Be sure to set the Interline and Deadhead properties as well. To adjust the blocking solution provided by the system, type a lower or negative value to encourage deadheading. |
| Cost/Interline | The value entered affects how interlining occurs. For example, type a positive value in this field if you want the system to hook same line trips rather than interline them into a block. Type a negative value to favor hooking interlined trips. |
| Cost/No Deadhead |
The value entered allows or discourages garage deadheads; establish the penalty for starting a block without a pull-out or ending a block without a pull-in. If a garage deadhead is missing, the system uses this value instead. If there are garage deadheads already associated with the trips, the “new” deadhead value does not interfere with them. The default value is 2h00. |
| Cost/Pull In | The value entered affects the number of pull-ins in the blocking solution, that is, this is deadhead cost to pull a bus in. This should be the average pull-in deadhead if the Garage check box is not selected in the Blocking dialog of the Blocking screen. However, the time you type is added to the existing garage deadhead as a penalty if the Garage check box is selected. |
| Cost/Pull Out | The value entered affects the number of pull outs in the blocking solution; that is, this is the deadhead cost to pull a bus out. This should be the average pull-out deadhead if the Garage check box is not selected in the Blocking dialog of the Blocking screen. The time you type is added to the existing garage deadhead as a penalty if the Garage check box is selected. |
| General/% Layover is Round Trip | If the Yes option is selected, the % Layover parameter in the Values set refers to the round vs. one-way trips. You must also set the % Layover and Use% Layover properties (under Values). |
| General/By Bus Type | If set to Yes, the vehicle types within blocks are not mixed. Assign vehicle types to the trips in Trip Building in order to make use of this setting. |
| General/Can Deadhead | If set to Yes, deadheading is allowed, which may require interline deadheads. |
| General/Can Interline | If set to Yes, interlined trips are allowed. |
| General/Maintain Hooks | If set to Yes, the blocking algorithm maintains previously blocked trips for which you want to keep the hooks in the next blocking process. |
| Values/% Layover | Percentage of the total trip time which is applied as the minimum layover. Use this parameter if your site has a percentage layover rule. If you are typing a value in this field, keep the Min Layover property at 0 and set the Use% Layover property to Yes. |
| Values/Max Arcs | Sets the maximum number of connections the system checks if it can link one trip to another while looking for the cheapest solution based on all your parameters. If you have a large number of trips to block within a small time interval, increase the default (10) to a larger number (100) to improve the possibility of finding the most cost efficient connections. |
| Values/Max Deadheads | Maximum deadhead time for interlining or intra-lining trips together. Interline deadheads are required for this to work properly. |
| Values/Max Layover |
Maximum layover time allowed to be considered for hooking trips. |
| Values/Min Layover |
Minimum layover time you require for linking trips. A zero allows for zero recovery between trips (if possible) based on scheduled trips. |
| Values/Num Blocks | Set the possible numbers of blocks that you aim to create. |
| Values/Use % Layover | If set to Yes, the % Layover property and/or the % Layover is Round Trip property is activated, as applicable. Note that the check box beside the % LO field in the Blocking Parameters dialog is selected or not selected based on this property setting. If set to No, the check box is clear. |
| Values/Service Group Dependent Deadheads |
(This property is now hidden) If set to yes, deadheads are associated with service groups, that is, your transit site uses (potentially) different deadheads, for example, for regular weekday service, Saturday service and Sunday service. A query file, ServiceGroupDependentDeadheads.sql changes the value of this property. Contact your Trapeze representative for more information. |
| Values/ Profile Variance |
Sets the amount of time a vehicle must be pulled in before it can be reused for Peak Vehicle Requirement (PVR) purposes. The Peak Vehicle Requirement (PVR) code adds an “x” number of minutes to the pull-in time for each block and uses these values to calculate the PVR. |
| PVR Min Vehicle Down Time | Sets the amount of time after a vehicle pulls in the garage that is counted to determine PVR. |
| Use Deadhead Layovers | If set to Yes, layovers can exist before a deadhead is necessary. This may occur when there is a maximum layover time at a node. For example, if Bus A can stay at a node for two minutes and then must vacate the spot for incoming Bus B, then Bus A may need to perform a short deadhead and return to the node to accommodate the required layover time, while providing space for other vehicles as necessary. |
| Use Deadhead Reliefs | If set to Yes, the start and/or end of deadheads can be used as
reliefs. The Start Rlf and End Rlf StartRlf (Start Relief) and
EndRlfcheck boxes are shown in the Deadhead Edit dialog and the (End
Relief) columns appear on the Deadheads tab of the Blocking screen.
Type Yes or No in these columns to allow/disallow reliefs
there. If set to No, the Start Rlf and End Rlf check boxes are not shown in the Deadhead Edit dialog nor are the StartRlf and EndRlf columns shown on the tab. |
| Use Garage as Default Deadhead Type | If set to yes, the Garage option is selected as the default on the Deadhead tab in the Blocking screen. If set to No, the interline option is selected. |
| Use Pre and Post Layovers |
If set to Yes, the pre-layover (PreLO) and post-layover (PostLO) columns are shown in the Blocking and Deadheads tabs of the Blocking screen. The columns are used to record layover time built into a deadhead either before (Pre) or after (Post) it officially starts. |
The Parameters properties on the Blocking tab of the Properties dialog are also available in the Blocking Parameters dialog of the Blocking dialog and you can set these properties on either location. When changes are made in the Properties dialog, the changes are reflected in the Blocking Parameters dialog and vice versa.