Bus Priority Strategy: Justification and Environmental Aspects
Publication: Journal of Transportation Engineering
Volume 109, Issue 1
Abstract
The benefits and costs of implementing a bus preemption system at isolated intersections and at intersections forming an open arterial network were investigated. Trade‐off analyses were performed on measures of road user costs. Several hypothetical combinations of automobile and bus flow rates were investigated to determine the traffic conditions for which preemption is justified. Travel time delay and fuel consumption were used as measures of effectiveness. The measures of effectiveness were estimated utilizing the Urban Traffic Control System/Bus Priority System (UTCS/BPS) and Network Flow Simulation for Urban Traffic Control System (NETSIM) traffic flow simulation computer programs. The study concluded that the economic justification of bus preemption for a network is dependent upon the network geometric configuration and network traffic flows rather than the individual intersection's economic viability. The analysis indicated that the benefits of bus preemption increased at the internal intersections of the network. A possible cause of this was found to be vehicle platooning. Bus preemption proved to cause higher vehicular emission rates than the non‐preemption case.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
1.
Elias, W. J., “The Greenback Experiment‐Signal Preemption for Express Buses: A Demonstration Project,” Report No. DMT‐014, California Departmat of Transportation, 1976.
2.
Evans, H. K., and Skiles, G. W., “Improving Public Trainsit Through Bus Preemption of Traffic Signals,” Traffic Quarterly, Vol. 24, No. 4, Oct. 1970.
3.
Jacobson, J., and Sheffi, Y., “Analytical Model of Traffic Delays Under Bus Signal Preemption: Theory and Application,” Proceedings, 59th Annual Transportation Research Board Meeting, Washington, D.C., Jan., 1979.
4.
“NETSIM” Model, Vols. 1–5, Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1977.
5.
Radelat, G., “Bus Priority Systems Supplement to the Subroutine Documentation of the MITRE's Version of the Original UTCS‐1 Model,” Traffic Systems Division, Office of Research, Federal Highway Administration, 1973.
6.
Radwan, A. E., and Hurley, J. W., “A Macroscopic Traffic Delay Model of Bus Signal Preemption,” Proceedings, 61st Annual Transportation Research Board Meeting, Washington, D.C., Jan., 1982.
7.
Richardson, A. J., and Ogden, K. W., “Evaluation of Active Bus‐Priority Signals,” Transportation Research Record 71, 1978.
8.
Stover, V. G., Adkins, W. G., and Goodknight, J. C., “Guidelines for Medial and Marginal Access Control on Major Roadways,” NCHRP 93, 1970.
9.
VanBilderbeek, I. B., “Priority Treatment of Buses at Traffic Signals,” Proceedings, First Technology Assessment Review, Organization for Economics and Development, Directorate for Scientific Affairs, Paris, France.
10.
Vincent, R. A., Cooper, B. R., and Wood, K., “Bus‐Actuated Signal Control at Isolated Intersections—Simulation Studies of Bus Priorities,” Laboratory Report 813, Transport and Road Research Laboratory, 1978.
11.
Wattleworth, J. A., Courage, K. G., Wallace, C. E., and Seigel, R. L., “Evaluation of Some Bus Priority Strategies on NW 7th Avenue in Miami,” Proceedings, 56th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, Jan. 1977.
12.
Webster, F. V., “Traffic Signal Settings,” Road Research Technical Paper No. 39, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1958.
13.
Wood, K., “Bus‐Actuated Signal Control at Isolated Intersections—A Simulation Model,” Supplementary Report 373, Transport and Road Research Laboratory 1978.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
Copyright © 1983 ASCE.
History
Published online: Jan 1, 1983
Published in print: Jan 1983
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.